Dinner at Chef Mickey's?

[dxander]

I'm reading mixed reviews for dinner here. What are your thoughts?

 

[Hemlock]

We ate at Chef Mickey's in May 2011. It was our favourite meal and we will definitely be eating there again on our upcoming trip in March 2012.

 

[DisDiva2]

In a nutshell….the food was good, but not great. There didn’t seem to be many options. I have done the breakfast before and actually enjoyed that more. But the food is not why one would come here! The reason to go is for the characters one could easily meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto. The food is buffet style. There are 2 different ones – an adult & a child sized buffet. The kid’s buffet was at the height of a child so they could dish up their own plates. It also had all their favorites – mac n cheese, pizza, hot dogs, and nuggets. The dessert bar was the hit of the meal. Ice cream, brownies, cookies, cakes ect..

The meal itself is a little pricey. The Dinner for 4 is approximately $150. But, if you are going for the whole Disney experience, it is definitely worth it.

 

[dxander]

We ate at Chef Mickey's in May 2011. It was our favourite meal and we will definitely be eating there again on our upcoming trip in March 2012.

Thanks! One of my friends hated it, while another loved the dinner there.

 

[100%Disney]

I don't like the food there. I like 1900 Park Fare. But my DD11 loves Chef Mickey's because of the 'napkin dance'.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

IMO, the food is "OK." The reason why we go is to face time with the Mickey and gang during a very busy time (spring break) without waiting in line. That makes it worth the money for us. I enjoyed the salad, mashed potatoes, and dessert the most.

It has become our tradition to eat at CM's the evening that we arrive in Orlando.

 

[koolaidmoms]

We were there for dinner in June. Food was "okay." Nothing gross or great but "okay." The character interaction was pretty good so I would go there again because we could see the Fab 5 for that reason only not because the food was outstanding.

 

[Wicket's Mom]

I have read all the negatives about dinner at Chef Mickey's, so was worried about our dinner there. It turned out to be great! My DH loved it, said that it was his favorite, but he could do without the stuffed animals!

I think the trick is to make a 5:00 ADR. That way the buffet is untouched & is fresh. It was kind of messy when we left.

 

[mommyrosa2]

Chef Mickey's was always a must in our family, however, we skipped it this year as our last two years were NOT GOOD. Food selection was lacking and it was barely edible. Characters were really rushed and we felt it simply wasn't worth the price.

 

[krb2g]

We're trying it this trip; we've also read mixed reviews about the food. We decided we wanted a character meal that wasn't breakfast (we don't eat breakfast out at Disney), then we went through our options and Chef Mickeys had the characters we wanted and was something new for us (the other option was Garden Grill, where we've had *great* character interactions but weren't wowed by the food--and this time we're a bigger party, so we wouldn't all fit in one of the booths right next to the wall/rotating scenery at Garden Grill).

 

[GrammyJudy]

Love it!

 

[DbleTheFun]

Food isnt AMAZING... but it's not terrible either. We make this our dinner on our first night at WDW every trip. I tell the boys that Mickey Mouse heard we had arrived and wanted to know if we were free to go to his place for dinner... he was cooking... they always get excited by that, and amazed that he knows we are coming and want to see us "First thing". It's kind of a tradition now, so despite the fact that I would prefer the food at other places? Having Mickey walk up to the table in his chef hat, and the boys excitedly putting back the food Mickey made for them special?... is the perfect start to our vacation.

 

[ppony]

It used to be our family's tradition to eat there upon arrival and at least one or two more times before we left. Food was never great but it was always OK, until the last few years. We've always gone at restaurant opening so it's usually just getting going. We were so disappointed by the super bland, poor quality food (even by buffet standards) and the servers and characters being super rushed not even bothering to refill our drinks at the very minimum, that we decided we will not return until the food improves. I just asked my DH a few weeks ago if he wanted to try CMs again next year. He asked if I had read about any improvement, which I hadn't and then he met that w/ a resounding "No way!". And he's the least picky eater I've ever seen. It's sad, it was our most favorite place! My oldest DS even got to open the restaurant one time! It was the most magical experience ever! But after that (2006) it was too poor to bother with. It wasn't about the $$$, it was about the character interaction which was worth it. But if you're honestly hungry when you leave then even that isn't worth the price of admission anymore. In our opinion the food was just awful.

 

[ppony]

I think the trick is to make a 5:00 ADR. That way the buffet is untouched & is fresh. It was kind of messy when we left.

I wish that were the case. Even that isn't fool-proof anymore. We always go at opening. Mashed potatoes shouldn't have a hard skin on them by the time you break in. Maybe if they placed the food AT opening, it'd be better, but it's out there before... and I don't know how long before. I never thought to observe.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

We eat breakfast there at least once every trip. We always stay at CR so it is convenient. We tried Dinner once and we wouldn't go back. We found there to be a very limited selection! Worse than any other disney buffet and we have tried every one.

 

[tara98]

We really enjoy Chef Mickey's! The food is pretty decent for a buffet. There is a good selection and everyone gets something they like. We have been numerous times for both breakfast and dinner. Both were very good!

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Sadly, I think Chef Mickey's is off our list for now. We were there in May and just didn't think the variety was very good. There were only a few main dishes and some of them were prepared with seasonings or sauces that we don't care for. We didn't eat anything that we wanted to try again - we didn't even go back to the buffet for seconds. We were pretty disappointed. We used to eat there every trip, but we've decided that for now it's off our list.

 

[disneylovin24]

In 2008 we went there for dinner. It was good, nothing great. All food that you cook for dinner every night at home. I compare it to Crystal Palace because that is my favorite buffett. Crystal Palace is excellent food and stuff you would not always be eating at home. But, the characters made the food at CM seem better and we went back the next year.

In 2009 when we went back, it was BAD. There was a very little selection of food, maybe only 4 or 5 hot things. But wait, they werent even hot! The food put out was mostly cold. But wait, there wasnt a lot put out! Most of the trays remained half empty for the whole time we were there. I left there very hungry because I barely ate anything because there was barely anything there to eat!

 

[ppony]

In 2008 we went there for dinner. It was good, nothing great. All food that you cook for dinner every night at home. I compare it to Crystal Palace because that is my favorite buffett. Crystal Palace is excellent food and stuff you would not always be eating at home. But, the characters made the food at CM seem better and we went back the next year.

In 2009 when we went back, it was BAD. There was a very little selection of food, maybe only 4 or 5 hot things. But wait, they werent even hot! The food put out was mostly cold. But wait, there wasnt a lot put out! Most of the trays remained half empty for the whole time we were there. I left there very hungry because I barely ate anything because there was barely anything there to eat!

I agree w/ every word. It feels good to be validated. I dearly hope that changes...but I guess it needs to hit rock bottom for them before they'll accept change has to happen. IMO, it has hit rock bottom, but only Disney knows for sure by sales numbers. There are 2 rock bottoms I think, one for consumers and one for them.