Review: The Legendary Chef Mickey’s

Let me start by saying that I have fond memories of Chef Mickey’s. When I was a kid Pluto stole my shoe and ran away with it. Back then Chef Mickey’s was an open restaurant with amazing views of the Monorail and the inside of the Contemporary. Things have changed:

Food: We went for breakfast. Even though it’s a buffet it’s one of the best breakfasts you’ll find in Disney World. The selection is top notch and the quality is good. It’s not as good as the Kona Café but it’s good.

Atmosphere: Chef Mickey’s went through a major renovation in the last few years when almost the entire floor of the Contemporary was redone. A vast majority of the seats are now inside. Chances are you will not get a table that is out in the open. There are just too few of them. Like most of the other popular restaurants the experience was lessened to add capacity. At times it seemed like there were just too many people crammed in for breakfast. If you are in one of the open tables it’s not so bad but inside it can get loud.

Entertainment: If your goal is to meet the Fab Five you’re in the right place. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto all make appearances here. Most of the cast members do their characters to perfection. Goofy was an exception. Instead of being goofy he was kind of a jerk. He teased and made fun of people instead of acting like the character.

Service: The service was very good for a buffet and they checked in often. Our waitress was very nice too.

Cost: This is the most expensive breakfast you’ll find. At home I could pay 1/6^th the price for the same thing. My rule of thumb is I expect to pay up to double on vacation. This was far beyond that.

Overall I’d only go back to Chef Mickey’s if I was staying at the Contemporary. I would not go out of my way to see it. So many of the famous restaurants in Disney have fallen into that category. They got popular so management decided to squeeze as much money out of them as possible. That’s why you always need to try other places before they get ruined too.