Chef Mickey's or Backyard BBQ?

[Jfsag123]

We are going to do one of these on our next trip. The kids want Chef Mickey's, probably because they saw it every time we caught the monorail on our last trip (we stayed at BLT). DH wants the BBQ. I have no horse in the race. We love character meals, but have never done either of these. I know the general consensus around here is that CM is just a slight step up from slop, but what about the character interaction? Food and character interactions from the BBQ? Thanks for any opinions.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

The backyard barbecue food is REALLY bad. It's a cute idea...but it just doesn't deliver.

 

[Jfsag123]

The backyard barbecue food is REALLY bad. It's a cute idea...but it just doesn't deliver.

Even worse than CM's is said to be? Wow. Seems like it'd be pretty hard to mess up what basically amounts to meat, corn, and mac and cheese from what I can tell from the website.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Even worse than CM's is said to be? Wow. Seems like it'd be pretty hard to mess up what basically amounts to meat, corn, and mac and cheese from what I can tell from the website.

Well...chef mickeys isn't good either.

Here's my story:
We went to barbeque in March of 2013 (the last time...I was there about 10 years earlier) and it was cafeteria style boiled hamburgers, rubber mystery dogs, corn, and ribs...I think maybe the chicken was ok.

Just not good...I equate it to the food at castaway cay (that's awful...by the way).

I would honestly recommend garden grill or park fare if you have to do a character dinner.

 

[Jfsag123]

Well...chef mickeys isn't good either.

Here's my story:
We went to barbeque in March of 2013 (the last time...I was there about 10 years earlier) and it was cafeteria style boiled hamburgers, rubber mystery dogs, corn, and ribs...I think maybe the chicken was ok.

Just not good...I equate it to the food at castaway cay (that's awful...by the way).

I would honestly recommend garden grill or park fare if you have to do a character dinner.

We did Park Fare last time. Loved it, but not thrilled with the recent menu changes, as I hate seafood. We have Garden Grill booked already for another day. Trying to hit the ones we have missed in the past. Problem is so many of them repeat the same characters (Fab Five) over and over. Thanks for the info!

 

[lockedoutlogic]

We did Park Fare last time. Loved it, but not thrilled with the recent menu changes, as I hate seafood. We have Garden Grill booked already for another day. Trying to hit the ones we have missed in the past. Problem is so many of them repeat the same characters (Fab Five) over and over. Thanks for the info!

You could always dump the characters and go to boma or tusker house as well...

 

[Jfsag123]

You could always dump the characters and go to boma or tusker house as well...

I'm saving a lot of the non-character meals for when the kids have outgrown their extreme character love. We will be returning every year or two for the foreseeable future, so we've got time. In this phase of our Disney vacations, it's all about the characters. However, I did manage to sneak Via Napoli and 'Ohana dinners onto the agenda for the first time, so I'm starting the process. Next trip I plan to score Sanaa

 

[shawnriv]

I think I would pass on both. I've heard the Backyard BBQ is just plain bad and there are better options than Chef Mickey's. Don't get me wrong, if you children then Chef Mickey's is good option because kids are able to interact with a lot of characters. Although if you're going for quality of dinner, I would choose something different. It all depends on your situation.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We faced a similar choice and went with neither. Our choice to get to eat with Mickey is Garden Grill. We like the food better than Chef Mickey's, and it is cheaper (and arguably better food) than Mickey's Backyard BBQ (since it is a single TS credit if on the dining plan, rather than 2 for the BBQ).

If limited to the two though I'd go with Chef Mickey's for location and character interaction.

 

[CrystalPalace76]

When we went to the Backyard BBQ my oldest daughter had a blast doing line dancing with the characters, but like the others have said the food is not that great at all. Chef Mickey's is pretty much the same same thing, you are not really going for the tasty food but more the atmosphere. When at the Backyard BBQ my youngest daughter was too young to really enjoy herself and mostly whined the entire time making myself and my DH have such a wonderful time. If you have kids ages 5-10 then you might want to give it a shot if you can stand to lose the quality in the food.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Just my opinion, but Chef Mickey's is beyond horrible lol...avoid. The Backyard BBQ is really, really bad as well. And honestly? The behavior we've seen by the ADULTS at the BBQ has been horrific! I'd suggest finding a different character meal. How about the breakfast at Cape May Café?