Topolino’s Terrace Modified Character Meal Review
Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace is one of a few physically-distanced character meals at Walt Disney World. In this WDW dining review, we’ll share photos & video of the modified experience, commentary as to whether it’s worth your time and money, pros & cons, food pics, and info. (Updated January 24, 2021.)
Before we delve into the particulars of the modified character meal, let’s quickly recap what Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends entails. (For more details, some of which have changed, see our Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Review.) This is one of Walt Disney World’s new premium character meals, offered in the morning hours at Riviera Resort’s flagship Signature Restaurant.
This is a trio of upscale new character meals (the others being Bon Voyage Adventure at Trattoria al Forno and Storybook Dining at Artist Point), that offer prix fixe menus as opposed to family style or buffet meals. It’s a quality over quantity approach, which we generally prefer. While the dining style is not entirely why, this trio all rank among the top of our Best Character Meals at Walt Disney World List.
Another big reason why we love Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends is the character costumes: Poet Minnie, Ballet Dancer Daisy, Sculptor Donald, and of course Artist Mickey. They range from artistic blue collar to the fashionable socialites, but all look great, fit the venue perfectly, and are fresh & original.
Of course, the nature of the character “interactions” are different at the modified meal, but that’s something we’ll address later in this review.
Atmosphere is another advantage offered by Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera, which is light, airy, and inviting. As noted above, this rooftop restaurant is the resort’s Signature Dining, and it shows. The dining room and decor are all elegant and refined (but without pretension), and the views are breathtaking.
Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera is also a totally different experience for breakfast and dinner–both are highly recommended.
Now let’s discuss our experience with the modified character meal. Per our Topolino’s Terrace tradition, we arrived for the first seating on (re)opening day. In fact, we were the first guests at Disney’s Riviera Resort, and for a while, the only party in the restaurant.
Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera is one of the restaurants offering Mobile Check-In, and we opted to test that out. Mobile Check-In worked flawlessly for us…but was probably unnecessary. We were actually the first guests in Walt Disney World history to use it, and one of the managers took our photo next to the sign.
For the first 20 minutes, we were the only guests in Topolino’s Terrace. (There were a lot of Cast Members and management, so the restaurant never felt eerily empty.)
By the end of the meal, there were 2 other parties of guests in the restaurant. We were expecting it to be a bit busier since it’s the only character meal–perhaps it’ll get busier after the parks reopen.
As before, the meal begins with an artist’s palette of pastries. These include Chocolate-Chip Muffins, Croissants, Epi Bread plus Honey Butter, House-made Jam, Chocolate-Hazelnut Mousse.
Also as before, these are decent but we barely touched them. (In retrospect, we should’ve declined them.)
January 2021 Update: As with several other Walt Disney World restaurants during the reopening phase, Topolino’s Terrace returned with a scaled-back menu. Thankfully, the missing items have been restored, with the Wood-fired Butchers Steak and Spiced Sausage Hash–two of the best items–now back. This may sound like an insignificant change not warranting a review update, but one of our previous criticisms was about the value proposition of this modified meal.
These items offer the best bang for buck, and could definitely help tip the scales for those on the fence about breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace. Suffice to say, we’d highly recommend ordering those if they sound good (you can read our full Topolino’s Terrace review for food photos and more commentary on those dishes). We’ll head back at some point in 2021 for the sake of research to confirm they’re still delicious.
With the two most filling and high caliber options unavailable when we dined at Topolino’s Terrace, we opted to each order two entrees. This is something that is possible at all prix fixe character meals (there’s no charge), even though Walt Disney World doesn’t actively advertise it.
For her first pick, Sarah chose the Fruit Plate. What you see is what you get here.
She also ordered the gluten-free Sour Cream Waffle: Roasted Apple, Chantilly, Orange-Maple Syrup, and served with choice of Smoked Bacon, Ham, Sausage, or Plant-based Sausage.
This was fantastic. Sarah said it’s the best Mickey waffle she’s ever had (I disagree, but it was exceptional.) Note that the normal version of this dish is not Mickey-shaped, but apparently they can prepare it that way upon request.
For my first dish, I ordered 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.
Finally, 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.
Now, let’s move on to the character interactions, which is the main way the meal has been modified (aside from table spacing and the like).
When it comes to the character component of Topolino’s Terrace, a video probably tells the story best:
That’s the main character “parade” through the restaurant, which is not new.
In addition to this, there are introductions with each individual character making two laps around the seating area.
What’s new is that this is the only form of engagement with the characters.
Meaning, they don’t stop at each individual table for photos or autographs. Obviously, this is going to be a big blow for some families, and make the meal a non-starter.
The first couple of laps each character made, they didn’t pause their stroll around the restaurant for photos. On subsequent passes, they paused to pose for socially-distanced selfies. (We have our masks on in the photo above because we were getting ready to leave, but that’s not necessary when you’re at your own table.)
This is pretty clearly a work in progress and will evolve over time. We could tell the characters adapted pretty quickly to our attempts at selfies, and by the end of the meal it was much easier to obtain these than at the beginning.
For many families, selfies will still not be enough to justify booking Topolino’s Terrace. We know many people take photos of their kids interacting with, hugging, or getting autographs with the characters.
None of that is going to be possible here, even once Topolino’s Terrace finds its groove. Best case scenario is fun selfies, but even that may be tougher when the restaurant is busier (if that ever happens).
Overall, it’s difficult to offer a definitive thumbs up or down on the modified character meal at Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends. We had fun at this meal, but part of that was the high of being back at Walt Disney World. It also didn’t hurt that we already have photos with these characters from a previous visit to Topolino’s Terrace, had the restaurant practically to ourselves, and really savored the ‘top of the world’ atmosphere. Our experience and perspective is highly unlikely to be the norm.
Unless your family is character-obsessed, the modified Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends probably will not be worth it for most guests. If you have small children and you’re seeking those priceless photos and memories of your kids interacting with characters, Topolino’s Terrace isn’t going to live up to your expectations. Not only that, but it might be a hassle explaining to your kids why they can’t hug Minnie and Mickey Mouse.
However, if you’re not concerned about cost, there’s a lot to like about the Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast. The food is great, the atmosphere is refined, the views are superb, and the characters have unique costumes and elevate the atmosphere even further. It might not be worth every penny, but it’s a lot of fun and a great way to splurge. Hopefully this review offers enough insight into what the current experience is like so that you can make an informed decision and decide for yourself whether Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends is worth booking in modified form.
If you have questions about the closure, including policy changes and what we know thus far, please consult our Walt Disney World Reopening FAQ & Info, which should answer most inquiries. See our other WDW Closure & Reopening Updates for the latest news. If you’re planning a Walt Disney World trip, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Does the modified character dining experience at Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends seem like it’s worth the money to you? Will you be booking an ADR for Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera? Is not being able to take photos with each character be a dealbreaker for you? Do you agree or disagree with our review? Other thoughts or concerns? 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!
Thanks for the info on the reduced experience. For my family, it’s the double punch of (understandably) reduced character interactions AND the loss of dining plans that kill paying almost $300 (after tax + tip) for this meal. We’re the people who really benefit from the DDP as we pretty much exclusively do character meals for our TS meals. Paying full price OOP for a reduced experience is a no-go
Oh my gosh Tom, I love your updates! It gives me the chance to experience Walt Disney World through your pictures and videos!! This character meal looks FUN! The food was plated beautifully and the character concept is unique! Thanks so much for sharing!!
We’re scheduled to go on a first trip with DDs 6 & 3 years old, both of whom are princess and Nemo obsessed, hubby is all about Star Wars, and I’m equally fond of princesses and Star Wars, but I was really most excited the parades, fireworks, and shows! The Mouse and his Mrs just don’t actually appeal, although I know we’d be pretty thrilled to see any characters and just generally enjoy all the magic once we’re there. All that to say, we got ridiculously good prices on airfare, and have reservations for four nights at the Contemporary Resort and one day at each of the parks… With current restrictions, I’m not sure there is much of a point in going to Epcot, and we were already debating about AK because we thought we’d prefer to spend two days in MK instead. We already live close to my favorite zoo and aquarium compared to all the ones we’ve visited around the country as a military family. All that to say, could you do a blog post on how you would maximize the fun on a four day trip with current restrictions? We wanted to experience the most unique and age-appropriate entertainment for our whole family. Would you save money on park tickets and possibly focus more on the amenities at the hotel or other activities at DS or around Orlando, with just two MK days as park days, for example?
Adding: We are trying to re-imagine what this could look like as “a great family vacation” rather than “the ultimate once-in-their-childhood Disney vacation”, with an eye toward staying out of the heat (since masks will be a priority) and/or rain, and still capturing some princess-y fun (since our two princess character dining meals and BBB reservations are now nil).
Lea-I think you have a great approach to your vacation. I think your little ones will like Hollywood Studios too because of Toy Story Land and your family can also get their Star Wars fix.
Note that if the Cantina is open and you can get reservations, they do serve a sweet breakfast role and serve a couple non alcoholic drinks and you could could make that a mid morning breakfast type stop. It’s not cheap but it’s fun.
Note most people have to stand, but you could try to request a table for your little ones to sit a minute. Don’t know if they would honor it, but you can ask!
They may like Mickey’s runaway railway-haven’t ridden that but I am sure Tom has reviewed it. The littlest may be too short for Slinky Dog. We love that ride.
And you are on the right idea if you can build in a “day off” to rest the little ones and the LEGO Store and World of Disney and the Coca Cola store would be fun for the littles for a day or half day at Disney Springs. The pool if you are comfortable with that and the weather allows.
Really it all depends on your comfort level with swimming pool, retail stores etc.
When my kid was little all they wanted to do is ride the monorail!
Do you could easily do at least 1 non-park day, those things above, eat lunch/dinner at monorail cafe if it is open at Contemporary, and (assuming it is allowed) ride monorail over to Polynesian to get a Dole Whip or have a meal.
You have a great concept for your family’s vacation given the restrictions!
Oops-breakfast roll!
Also, meals at Be our Guest are fun-we try for lunch when it is cheaper-
-or a meal at Cinderella’s table in a magic Kingdom (that one is a splurge if you can get the reservation) if you can’t do BBB.
So you could do some splurges with the ticket money you save from a day off from the park. (You probably won’t save money though, But you’d still get a rest day too LOL) but I think you have a great idea to trade the ticket money for experiences given the current restrictions, and it sounds like you will go back sometime in the future.
Thanks, Disfan! Definitely open to hear ideas like yours!
Tom. Thanks for the great blog. We’re visiting (hopefully) from the UK in December, renting DVC points for the first time which will be interesting. I notice some of the food talked about here is vegetarian or vegan. I have found getting good vegetarian food options in the States harder than the choices available here in the UK and wondered if you had ever blogged on the best vegetarian/vegan places to eat at Disney? It also needs to be great for meat eaters too as my wife loves her steak!
Hi Chris- Obviously I’m not Tom but I thought I’d reply as we are also from the UK and I’m vegetarian whereas my boyfriend is a confirmed carnivore. In general I would say the vegetarian and vegan options have improved immensely everywhere in Walt Disney World and they have a new plant-based icon and a vegan option at every restaurant. I would still recommend checking the menus before you go as lots of them have been modified right now due to the phased reopening.
Specific places we both like are Pecos Bill in Magic Kingdom (QS), Garden Grill (TS) in Epcot and Chefs de France (TS) in Epcot where the vegetable lasagna is really good. Tangierine Café (QS) is also great. In Animal Kingdom I’d recommend Satu’li Canteen (QS) or Yak and Yeti (TS) for good options. I also love the lighthouse sandwich at Columbia Harbour House in Magic Kingdom. We’re yet to find our go to option in Hollywood Studios. We’ve also had great meals at some of the resorts but haven’t explored every option yet. I like Ale & Compass because it actually has choice for vegetarians(!) but it doesn’t really have the magical Disney atmosphere. It’s a quick walk from Epcot and usually an easier reservation to get so good to know about as backup.
Anyway sorry for the extremely long reply – I hope you enjoy your trip!
I follow a plant based diet and Disney World is definitely the most Plant Based friendly family vacation I have ever had in the US. I’m the only plant person in my family so it’s rare to find a restaurant that has good plant options for me that my family will also enjoy. Every table service restaurant at Disney has a plant based option (not always on the menu but they can make you one) and most quick service ones have at least one plant based option on the menu. I’ve never had a problem finding something to eat at Disney. I listed some of my personal favorites below that were also big hits with my family.
Hollywood Studios: Sci Fi Dine In lunch or dinner (I prefer the crab-less cake appetizer with a side of fried over the tofu lettuce cups and the vegan milkshakes there are delicious). The 50’s Prime Time Cafe (last trip didn’t have a plant entree on the menu but served spaghetti with veggies and the brownie dessert on the menu is vegan and was the best part).
Magic Kingdom: Be Our Guest for lunch, Pecos Bills for lunch or dinner, Casey’s Corner for lunch or dinner, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe for lunch or dinner. Also the pretzels and every flavor of Doll Whip at various stands are vegan.
Animal Kingdom: Sa’tuli Canteen for lunch or dinner. Tamu Tamu refreshments also has Dole Whips.
Epcot: Tangerine Cafe in Morocco for lunch or dinner. Rose and Crown Dining Room or Pub for lunch or dinner.
Hotels: O’hana for breakfast at the Polynesian. Everything Pop food court at Pop Century Resort (they serve vegan mickey waffles and Dole Whip all day. They also had a plant option at each station. My go to was the pasta station.)
Thanks so much for the post! So excited for you and Sarah being back at the park! In an indirect way, I feel like my trip is closer to reality now! I’d probably cry upon entering Main Street! Ok, I do that every trip anyway. Your mask pictures are great; sign of the times and all. Just thanks for sharing! Been waiting for this day for what seems an eternity! Enjoy all of your trips!
Thank you for your objective review. As you noted, the two of you almost surely had a more positive experience than those of us with small children would have had. The video was particularly helpful. The character meal interactions are such a big deal for our kids, we will likely cancel/postpone our upcoming trip to hold out hope that character interactions return at some point in the future. You saved us a lot of heartache.
Tom, thank you for this article. It made me so happy to see Mickey and Minnie again! You bring up good points to consider.
But most importantly, WHERE DID SARAH GET HER EARS??? I love them!!! Thank you so much!!
So refreshing to finally read some real Disney substance and see you two back in the parks! Can’t wait for the rest of the reviews to come!
Do you have to be staying at the resort to eat here?
I was one of the people who asked for this review in the comments last time, and I’m glad you had a great time, but also really glad you explained this all for us before I spent $200+ on it for my family of 5. All in all, I don’t think this would work for us. I think I had in my mind that even without the close-up interactions, there’s be some sort of special “dinner show” component that would be fun for the kids. Sort of like what they do on the Disney Cruise line (e.g., sail-a-wave, pirate party, Rapunzel dinner), where they keep it fun with music that the audience can join in on at times, and maybe a dance move or two. This looks more you just see the characters from a distance, which is fine when you are walking in a theme park and can just do a “oh look, there’s [character], let’s wave.” When you’re paying a lot for the characters, seems a bit weird not to have something “more” to it.
Oooh @momotwins a dinner show component is such a great idea. My kids would love that!
Good point Lori! I have an autistic child who loves character interaction now but our first Disney trip she cried and cried when they got too close to her. She very much would have preferred this style of breakfast to them popping up randomly and hugging on her, etc. She doesn’t like the unexpected. So this isn’t all bad for everyone. 🙂
Great point Ashleigh!! Maybe Disney should consider a more sensory friendly character meal offering!!
Ashleigh- I’m in the exact same boat. My 6 year old son has autism and character meals turned out to be very difficult for him last October (our first ever trip). We’re scheduled to go back in early December (we booked Jan 2020) and from what I see here- this may be perfect for him! If this becomes the standard for the rest of 2020, we’ll definitely be there! Good luck to you guys! ♥ï¸
Ashleigh, I’m just a regular ol’ adult but I think I might also prefer characters at a distance on any occasion, never mind a pandemic. I like to see them but I’m not jazzed about actual interactions with the characters. We got the whole memory maker deal the last time and really made use of the character meet n greets but I honestly never know what to say to a character, I’m just so awkward about it. I want to see Mickey, wave at Mickey and then move on. But I do get how this is an important magical part of a family’s dream Disney vacay. I think the cost alone for a subpar interaction would be a deal breaker for many families. I think Disney is trying their best but it sure is a different Walt Disney World.
I just want to thank everyone for your help. I only have an iPhone though. Googling my email then inputting that address brought me to a calendar I haven’t seen it showed all my dates were available but nothing was interactive! Anyways thank you .
The character breakfasts are a huge disappointment. A person literally spends thousands of dollars to have their children have their picture taken with the characters. This is not a satisfactory alternative. The health and safety of guests and staff members is a priority and I do understand Disney’s decision, however our family will not be visiting until things are somewhat normal. I expect that may be a while. Given the huge amount of money guests have to spend for the experience this is a reasonable expectation.
We went to the character breakfast at Toppolino’s Terrace back in February before the closer. That waffle was to die for! It was literally the single best waffle I’ve ever had in my life. I’m desperate to go back again for that alone.
I don’t feel comfortable going to WDW with the masks. I will wait until it’s not required anymore.
We experienced the character breakfast at Topolino’s before the new changes and loved the experience. I would love to see Disney capitalize on the new socially distanced characters by offering a photo op with all 4 characters at the beginning or end of the meal. It could be done selfie style with the characters in the background or to the side (6ft away) and would allow for a “new” photo op since most opportunities for multiple characters in photos are limited. I think it would bring back an element of new (similar to photo ops at parties) but I, obviously, have no control over these interactions. Excited to read these posts today and I can’t wait to be able to return to the magic.
I could barely follow the review after the part about TWO ENTREES!! As avid readers (and recommend-ers) of this blog for about 4 years (I know you’ve been around much longer, that’s when our Disney obsession began) – HOW HAVE WE NEVER KNOWN THIS?!?!?!? We are shocked, shocked I tell you, by this. My mind is blown! Tom, I’m sorry, but we holding this one against you – this is they type of thing for which we rely on your expertly-crafted review and advice. I’m holding this one against you – and I am very sorry for it. All kidding aside, this one really did blow my mind – both that you can do this and that we somehow had never seen it mentioned. Talk about a well-kept secret/hidden gem!
If I started breakfast with two entrees you’d have to hold something against me – my clothing after I ripped out the seams!
But Tom and Sarah are willing to put their lives (or maybe just their waistlines) at risk to report to us, the teeming masses. In gratitude, I’m going to double what I’m paying for their blog.
(Seriously, thanks for this blog post.)
I’m still skeptical… Really…?!
Yes! My reaction exactly! Who’da thunk it?
Yeah, I came to the comment section just for this: Tom, can you clarify – at ANY character a la carte meal, you can order TWO entrees instead of one and pay the same price??? You mention bon voyage and storybook dining – does this also apply to Cinderella’s royal table?
Why is this not in your top tips?! I would totally do a Sarah and order a fruit platter along with a “real” (i.e. meat-containing) entree!
You can order as many entrees as you like at Cinderella’s Royal Table for the same price. Our server kept offering as another entree to try. He said its all included in the price of the meal.
I’m going to build on this reply thread to ask for clarification – is this multi-entree policy only at specific restaurants? And specifically at Topolino’s Terrace, are all CMs versed in the ability to order multiple entrees? I was already enthusiastic about this character breakfast and really want to get an ADR for our next trip if this is the case!
“You can order as many entrees as you like at Cinderella’s Royal Table for the same price.” Aahhhhhh . . . We just did dinner there last summer. I can’t get over not knowing this. In reality though, I’d be unlikely to abuse this and not likely to do this for dinner. If my server tells me it’s okay to do in advance (definitely not an issue I would push to be allowed to do), it would make me much more likely to try something new or go out of my comfort zone, knowing I could order a second entree of the “safe” option. Breakfast though – this is a game changer. We did Topolino’s for breakfast in February, and I loved it. The pastries were surprisingly good (I expected them to be below average since that’s usually the case when they bring out a basket like that, so maybe my bar was low), and I thought the sour cream waffle was great. However, I’m the type that would also really prefer to have some eggs and potatoes to go with the sweet option (e.g., waffles, pancakes, french toast), so knowing I could get both of those is a big deal. It also makes me more likely to do just such a meal.
Tom – thanks as always for enlightening us on the ways of the world!
I’m confused. Why is 2 entrees special if you still have to pay for 2.
So how does this work? Let’s say we’re having lunch at Be Our Guest and can’t choose between two entrees, I can order them both for the same price?
I really would like this explained better. Thank you so much.
I think my kids (who have never been to Disney) and my husband (who hates everything) will actually sort of prefer this distanced meal. I can see my kids just sort of freezing up and smiling if there were actual interaction, but now they can just be happy to see everyone up close.
What I’m VERY curious about is the eventual possible 1900 park fare breakfast. We watch Mary Poppins once a week at least!
Also, I thought I read somewhere they weren’t doing the little pastries anymore. Breakfast dessert!
Where’d you guys buy/order very stylish masks from?
Enjoy Disney! We were were there, too !,
Thanks for the info, Tom! I still think my kids would love it; they’re excited to see all the characters, even from a distance, but my kids have a joy for all things in life. It might not be the same for all kids. I’ve explained to them how it’ll be with the characters in the parks and at this meal, and they’re just as excited. Hopefully I can book this!
I am so disappointed in Disney that they would do this to their loyal customers. I have been up since 3 am and it’s 8:11pm and I still have no park reservations. I finally was making progress so I thought when it made me input my sign in information a hundred times and not accepting it! Just going to cancel tomorrow
I don’t know if this will be of any help but I struggled for about 3 hours and then I swapped from Safari (which I have used to book things many many times) to Chrome and I got everything in on my first pass. It’s entirely possible it was just luck but can’t hurt to try.
Joyce, I was able to get in by googling my Disney experience sign in. Then click this link. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/cart/login/
I hope that helps. Sprinkling some pixie dust your way my friend!
I had a hard time too until I got on a computer versus my phone. Once I got on to the computer, I got right in to get reservations on my Disney experience.
It took me from 7am to 10:15am to get through, but once I did the process was quite smooth. I used foxfire on my laptop.