Review: Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends

Topolino’s Terrace serves character breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends at Walt Disney World’s Riviera Resort. This dining review shares food photos, a look at the chic costumes, thoughts on the atmosphere, how this compares to other comparable meals, and more.

Let’s begin with background. Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends is offered at Topolino’s Terrace, the restaurant at Disney’s Riviera Resort that offers this character breakfast and a Signature dinner. This venue is located on the rooftop of the tower hotel, and offers picturesque views of Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Although Riviera Resort is the newest standalone Disney Vacation Club resort at Walt Disney World, it’s open to everyone. It doesn’t matter whether you’re walking over from Caribbean Beach, taking the Skyliner from Pop Century, or even an Uber from All Star Sports or off-site. All that matters is that you make an ADR, which can be a Herculean task in its own right…

As intimated above, ADRs aren’t easy for the character breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace. Although it’s gotten slightly easier to book as of Fall 2023, you’ll still need to make reservations early or luck-out last minute. See our Top 10 Tips for Difficult ADRs at Walt Disney World. Topolino’s Terrace is one of the “difficult ADRs” that title references.

If you’re currently planning a Christmas 2023 vacation, we highly recommend having Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends on your radar as your ADR window opens. For one thing, because it has become our absolute favorite character meal at Walt Disney World. Not to spoil this review or anything, but the only other character dining experiences we love as much are Story Book Dining at Artist Point and Minnie’s Seasonal Dine. (Ironically enough, both of those are also highly recommended during the holiday season!)

Like those, Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends is a great Christmastime option–especially if Topolino’s Terrace gets decorated this year (no guarantees of that happening). Regardless, Riviera Resort will be decked out for the holidays and offers a nice atmosphere this time of year. Plus, the outdoor terrace that gives Topolino’s its name is much more pleasant during the cooler winter months.

For Walt Disney World first-timers, it might come as a surprise that making Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) is such a challenge. After all, there are literally hundreds of table service restaurants that are bookable two months ahead of time at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, and the two dozen-plus resorts at Walt Disney World. Yet, it is.

If you’re already planning ahead to 2024, expect Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends to become an even more challenging ADR (again). That’s because the Disney Dining Plan returns in 2024, and that’ll almost certainly rekindle dining demand–especially at “good credit value” character meals.

In fact, the spike in demand once 2024 rolls around and the Disney Dining Plan returns is another reason to book Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends this year. Although in-demand restaurants are often busier during the holiday season, it could still be the calm before the storm. We’re expecting an across-the-board decrease in ADR availability once the DDP comes back in 2024.

As for why Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera is already so beloved, it’s because this breakfast is basically a continuation of the newest wave of character dining at Walt Disney World. This began with Bon Voyage Adventure at Trattoria al Forno (still temporarily suspended as of Fall 2023) and continued with the aforementioned Story Book Dining at Artist Point. Not so coincidentally, those rank as the #2 and #1 options on our list of the Best Character Meals at Walt Disney World.

These meals felt like a thoughtful foil to the experience you might find at Chef Mickey’s, Crystal Palace, or ‘Ohana. All of those character restaurants feature buffets and emphasize quantity over quality. Also not so coincidentally, that trio all made our list of the Worst Character Meals at Walt Disney World.

So, why does Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace make the ‘best of’ list? Let’s dig in!

In terms of ambiance, Topolino’s Terrace is a great venue for Breakfast à la Art. I’ll hammer the design and decor more in our dinner review, as the characters are the star here. Suffice to say, the atmosphere at Topolino’s reminded me of a more family-friendly version of Brunch at the Top at California Grill.

There are various things with which we could quibble about the setting, but those are more appropriate for the full resort review. In isolation, Topolino’s Terrace is light, airy, and inviting. The finishings, light fixtures, seating, and decor are all elegant and refined. The views are stellar.

Topolino’s Terrace is perfect for a refined and slightly upscale character meal. It’s also worth noting that unlike Storybook Dining and Bon Voyage Adventure, Breakfast à la Art is not a retrofit. At times both of those restaurants feel a bit ‘off’ for the meals they’re hosting, and that’s absolutely not the case with Breakfast à la Art at Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera.

Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends crushes it when it comes to the character wardrobe. Here you have Poet Minnie, Sculptor Donald, Ballet Dancer Daisy, and of course Artist Mickey all mingling amongst guests at Topolino’s Terrace.

Minnie and Daisy look like they’d fit right in with Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, or perhaps on the pages of Tender is the Night. Okay, perhaps that’s a bit too dark and bleak. The point is that they look look chic and sophisticated, wholly appropriate for the nebulous “Riviera” theme. (In reality, it’s more like anything European.)

Mickey and Donald don’t exactly look debonair, but they nonetheless fit the setting, as well. They’re the blue collar counterparts to the fashionable female socialites, and these costumes are also great. Whether they’re supposed to be Parisian/French or Italian, the costumes simply work, and are something fresh and original.

For us, these are the best character dining costumes at Walt Disney World outside of Minnie’s Seasonal Dine. We’re particularly big fans of the attire at Minnie’s Holiday Dine at Christmas and Minnie’s Halloween Dine. I’d still give those the edge in terms of both costumes and interactions, but it’s a really close call.

It’s totally a matter of personal preference, but the character choices at Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace definitely surpass those at Artist Point and Trattoria al Forno for us. While we’ve had solid interactions at both of those restaurants, face characters put us on edge.

We’re infinitely more comfortable around fur characters, so even mediocre interactions at this meal would’ve put it ahead of those offerings (again, at least for us; YMMV), which had strong face character interactions. If you or your kids prefer princesses, princes, or dwarves, that might give one of those other two top tier character meals the edge. There are a lot of comparisons among the three because they’re all essentially the top tier trio.

Fortunately, our experiences with the characters at Topolino’s Terrace were anything but mediocre. As each character arrives to the restaurant (which happens about once per hour), their arrival is announced and they’re greeted with a bit of fanfare.

Also approximately once per hour, a Disney interpretation of “Funiculi, Funicula” plays and the characters do a little dance around the restaurant. It’s cute, and together with the arrivals helps Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends be more than a simple “pose, smile, and quickly move on” character meal.

Our table-side character interactions were positive. Each of the characters was playful, acted the part of their occupation, and was enthusiastic to see us. We (and by we I mean Sarah) had some fun and playful greetings, which we (me) managed to capture poorly via photos. (Pro tip: video is always going to be better for a character’s arrival and initial hug or whatever, followed by photos for the poses.)

There were not any hijinks like we’ve experienced frequently at Minnie’s Seasonal Dine, but it’s also worth noting that those happen organically, and often center around children or first-time guests. The opening day crowd for Topolino’s Terrace was more of a blogger bash than the normal audience would be.

The meal begins in ‘traditional’ Walt Disney World character breakfast form with a glass of POG (Passion, Orange, & Guava) juice.

A variety of other specialty drinks are also available for purchase. We stuck to the included POG juice and Joffrey’s coffee.

That’s followed shortly by an artist’s palette of pastries. These include Chocolate-Chip Muffins, Croissants, Epi Bread plus Honey Butter, House-made Jam, Chocolate-Hazelnut Mousse. These are fine as “filler” pastries go, but they’re no better in quality than what you could pick up at Publix.

We’ve now done Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace several times, so we’ll compile all of our entree reviews from the various meals here…

First up, the Quiche Gruyère: House-made Pancetta, Roasted Potatoes, Field Greens, Lemon Vinaigrette.

This was also really good. The quiche was decadent and rich, with the field greens providing a vesting and refreshing counterpart. I’d recommend this even when the menu is back to normal.

Next, the Wild Mushroom Scramble: Spinach, Plant-based Eggs, Plant-based Sausage, Tomatoes.

This was fine–too light on mushrooms. There’s nothing wrong with it, just not a particularly ambitious or noteworthy dish.

Next up is a look at the Two Eggs-Any Style with Roasted Potatoes and a choice of Smoked Bacon, Ham, Sausage, or Plant-based Sausage.

We didn’t have a chance to try these, but were told this dish was solid. (Apologies for the poor photo–the “light and airy atmosphere” also means uneven lighting at window tables.)

If you want something lighter, the Fruit Plate is your best bet. This includes Fresh Fruits, Honey Yogurt, Seed Granola, Toasted Sunflower Butter.

This is a “what you see is what you get” type of thing. Obviously, it offers poor value for money, but you might be able to request it for the table in addition to your normal entrees. In which case, it’s a nice way to round out the meal.

For whatever it’s worth, we have not been able to request additional entrees at Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends in the last year or so. Several readers have reported similar experiences. Although not officially confirmed, our guess is that this is not even available on a case-by-case basis, and the policy is now only one entree per person.

Sarah’s go-to order at Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends is the Sour Cream Waffles with Roasted Apples, Chantilly, Orange-Maple Syrup, and Plant-based Sausage. (Smoked Bacon, Ham, or Sausage were also options–in judging other plates around us, sausage is the best pick.)

These were our server’s recommendation, and she was on the money with this. These waffles were fantastic, with the waffles themselves being thick and a light exterior crunch giving way to a light and almost gooey (but not quite) interior.

However, it was the various fruit accompaniments that were the stars here, with the distinct flavors of apple and orange zest coming through and elevating this dish from “just nicely done waffles” to something more.

These Sour Cream Waffles are a great pick if you want something filler, but a bit on the lighter side than the heartier, meat-centric options above and below.

Next, the Spiced Sausage Hash with Poached Hen Egg, English Muffin, Potatoes, Pearl Onions, Choron Sauce, Fines Herbes. (Currently unavailable.)

It was excellent; a rich and hearty option that also had some nuance thanks to the sauce and spices. This seems like the kind of thing Gaston would order if we were a bit more sophisticated. While I loved my entree, I think this is the sleeper hit of the meal–I’d strongly consider ordering it next time.

Finally, the Wood-fired Butchers Steak with Polenta, Pomodoraccio Tomatoes, Roasted Onions, Wild Mushroom Conserva, Watercress.

The steak was perfectly-cooked, tender, and had a mildly smoky flavor. Onions and tomatoes were fantastic and fresh, with wild mushrooms providing a nice, earthy flavor. Finally, the polenta was creamy and rich, like icing on the proverbial breakfast cake.

This is very similar to the marquee entree on the Bon Voyage menu, right down to the flavors. This is definitely the bang for your buck option, and would likely be ~$10 more expensive than everything else on an a la carte menu. While I really enjoyed the hash, this is would be my top recommendation. Takes a bit of the sting out of the price!

Speaking of which, this superlative experience comes at a cost. Currently, Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera costs $45 per adult or $29 per child. Aside from regular Joffrey’s coffee, drinks cost extra. Topolino’s Terrace offers a 10% Disney Vacation Club member discount.

Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends is one table service credit on the Disney Dining Plan (when available), which makes it a reasonably good value if you’re on the Disney Dining Plan. We paid out of pocket, and our total after taxes and tip (minus DVC discount) for the two of us was right around $95. That sounds like a lot for breakfast, but considering the quality of the food, characters, and setting, we felt it was fair.

Overall, Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera moves to the top of our personal list of the best character meals at Walt Disney World. Thanks to the spectacular views, airy atmosphere, and elegant design–plus those chic character costumes–it definitely feels like the most upscale character meal. Your personal preferences might skew more towards princess dining or buffets, but if upscale a la carte with Mickey and friends is what you’re after, there’s no beating this.

With food that’s on par with Bon Voyage plus a setting reminiscent of California Grill and character quality that nears Minnie’s Seasonal Dine, Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace is an absolute winner. Sarah is already ready to book another ADR here, and I’d have to say this is the character meal I’m most inclined to return to again for fun. Even knowing that Walt Disney World has been stepping up its character dining game, this exceeded our expectations.

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Your Thoughts

Have you booked ADRs for Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera? Planning on making the Skyliner ride over here from Pop Century, Art of Animation, or walking over from Caribbean Beach? (Or do you have an elusive Disney’s Riviera Resort room?) Already dined at Breakfast à la Art? Do you agree or disagree with our WDW dining review? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!