Goofy's Kitchen Dinner?

[mrswh]

We've been there a number of times. I wouldn't go there just for the food, but it's fine. In addition to what has already been mentioned, they have a table full of fresh fruit, some sort of salmon (cucumber dill, cajun, etc.), potatoes, popcorn shrimp for the kiddos (I wouldn't tell if I saw an adult eating it though), corn on the cob, and an ice cream machine with some toppings. The dessert buffet is huge - definitely something for everyone. I like their brownies. They are served warm.

There is quite a selection so you should be able to find something that is not totally offensive. (My goal when going to any buffet.)

The character interaction is great (worth the cost of admission to avoid standing in long lines to meet characters in the parks) and I think that dinner is the time to go because you aren't giving up valuable early morning time at the parks. It's also a nice walk through DTD in the evening - there is always live music of some sort for the kids (and my DH) to dance to.

 

[smeecanada]

Anyone tried using the AAA discount lately? Is it still available or not offered anymore?

 

[Shakthi]

I did not have overly high expectations. But as a WDW vet who has eaten at many character meals and other buffets, I was really disappointed.

I can totally relate to that. I always feel disappointed in the food at DL.

 

[cooniez]

Here's the Goofy's Kitchen page for a site I often use to peruse menus:
http://www.themouseforless.com/tripplanning/menus/dl/Goofy.shtml

I think that is the menu I was looking at, but thanks for posting the link. I didn't think the list was complete because the amount of dinner items was less than half the amount listed for brunch!

We've been there a number of times. I wouldn't go there just for the food, but it's fine. In addition to what has already been mentioned, they have a table full of fresh fruit, some sort of salmon (cucumber dill, cajun, etc.), potatoes, popcorn shrimp for the kiddos (I wouldn't tell if I saw an adult eating it though), corn on the cob, and an ice cream machine with some toppings. The dessert buffet is huge - definitely something for everyone...

I was lucky enough to have this as a bonus w/my Costco package (not built into the cost). I've heard the brunch was better than dinner, but DH prefers dinner because he's not really a breakfast person. However, I won't cancel my breakfast ressie based on DH's preference alone

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I think that is the menu I was looking at, but thanks for posting the link. I didn't think the list was complete because amount of dinner items was less than half the amount listed for brunch!

Yeah, I thought the listing was a little odd, but since I remember most of those non-breakfast brunch items being at the dinner the last time we went 2 or 3 years ago, I figured it still gave the best examples of the food that I have seen on the web.

We did Goofy's Kitchen for dinner a few times so as to not interfere with park time. The boys loved it, but I always came away feeling like meh. I would always remind myself that the experience was part of the package. We finally tried brunch our last time we went, a couple years ago now, and I just felt better about it all as brunch rather than dinner for some reason. I don't know if it was the food, the less rushed feeling we had that time, the characters, or what. The boys have been begging to go back to Goofy's Kitchen, so I made surprise reservations for our trip next month. I picked 11:30 on a Sunday figuring we'll eat a light breakfast that morning and head in for early entry and have worked up a good appetite and be ready for an earlier than usual mid-day break. I like the idea of being able to choose from both breakfast-type and lunch/dinner-type items at a time of day when I can appreciate it.

 

[cooniez]

Yeah, I thought the listing was a little odd, but since I remember most of those non-breakfast brunch items being at the dinner the last time we went 2 or 3 years ago, I figured it still gave the best examples of the food that I have seen on the web.

We did Goofy's Kitchen for dinner a few times so as to not interfere with park time. The boys loved it, but I always came away feeling like meh. I would always remind myself that the experience was part of the package. We finally tried brunch our last time we went, a couple years ago now, and I just felt better about it all as brunch rather than dinner for some reason. I don't know if it was the food, the less rushed feeling we had that time, the characters, or what. The boys have been begging to go back to Goofy's Kitchen, so I made surprise reservations for our trip next month. I picked 11:30 on a Sunday figuring we'll eat a light breakfast that morning and head in for early entry and have worked up a good appetite and be ready for an earlier than usual mid-day break. I like the idea of being able to choose from both breakfast-type and lunch/dinner-type items at a time of day when I can appreciate it.

Good to know some of the "lunch" items should still be there at dinner if we choose that time. It does seem like most people prefer brunch (from what I've heard it's because of the food options), but maybe there are more characters at that time or the overall ambiance is just more upbeat??

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Anyone tried using the AAA discount lately? Is it still available or not offered anymore?

I read in another thread that people are reporting that the AAA discount is no longer good at Disney restaurants. You probably ought to call AAA or Disney dining to confirm this though.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

We've done dinner @ Goofy's twice and I've preferred both of those visits over our 1 breakfast/brunch there *as far as character interaction* The food is fine ~ consider prepurchasing a character meal voucher @ http://www.lastminutetravel.com/Activity-Search.aspx http://arestravel.com/77_DisneylandResort.html or www.getawaytoday.com

 

[emacat]

We did Goofy's kitchen for dinner, and my DD really enjoyed it! It's definately kid oriented food, although there are some good adult choices, too. (lol- the pb/j pizza is YUMMY!)

The main reason we do these though is the character interaction. Really, we met so many characters between Ariel's, Minnie's and Goofy's that we never had to hunt any down in the park.

 

[tdashgirl]

I picked 11:30 on a Sunday figuring we'll eat a light breakfast that morning and head in for early entry and have worked up a good appetite and be ready for an earlier than usual mid-day break. I like the idea of being able to choose from both breakfast-type and lunch/dinner-type items at a time of day when I can appreciate it.

This is my pick for Goofy's also. We'll have a light breakfast of stuff we've packed for the trip (cereal, breakfast bar, etc), go early to the park, leave after a couple of hours, and have Goofy's for brunch/lunch. The breakfast is too much food, and the dinner selections haven't impressed me. It's harder to mess up brunch food IMO

 

[Sherry E]

If I am not mistaken, the Goofy's breakfast food is actually the same food that's out for the "brunch" at 1:00 p.m. That's because there isn't really an official brunch meal, just kind of extended breakfast hours that people may use as their brunch. (If they decided to ever officially make a separate brunch, I'm sure they would charge more money.) Some days they stay open until 2 p.m., and other days they close at 12 p.m. - it depends on the season (peak or off-peak) and which day of the week it is (Saturdays will be open later than Thursdays, for example) - but it's the same food.

In the old, old days of Goofy's (when it was at a different location), they actually did serve a separate breakfast, lunch and dinner, with different buffet foods for each of those 3 meals (and different prices for all 3). Somewhere along the line they decided to ditch the lunch (not sure why). So now, you can find cold cuts, hot dogs and pizza at 7:00 a.m. or at 11:00 a.m.

I have only tried the Goofy's dinner a couple of times and it was a very, very long time ago, so I can't really say with certainty that I didn't like it. I know I wasn't hungry on either dinner occasion, and whatever the buffet choices were on those nights didn't appeal to me. However, there are so many things to choose from in any Goofy's buffet that it would be hard to imagine not being able to find something acceptable to eat. It's a big buffet! I think I am personally just more of a 'big breakfast' person than a 'big dinner' person, so I am much more satisfied with the morning offerings than the evening offerings. And I think the food is great! To me, it's much more than adequate - I actually enjoy eating there as much as mingling with the characters.

 

[Snurk71]

If I am not mistaken, the Goofy's breakfast food is actually the same food that's out for the "brunch" at 1:00 p.m. That's because there isn't really an official brunch meal, just kind of extended breakfast hours that people may use as their brunch. (If they decided to ever officially make a separate brunch, I'm sure they would charge more money.) Some days they stay open until 2 p.m., and other days they close at 12 p.m. - it depends on the season (peak or off-peak) and which day of the week it is (Saturdays will be open later than Thursdays, for example) - but it's the same food.

FYI - the last few times we were there (haven't been since May08) Goofy's charged a different "brunch" price if your reservation was after a certain. I think it might have been after 11:00 was a few bucks more.

 

[Sherry E]

FYI - the last few times we were there (haven't been since May08) Goofy's charged a different "brunch" price if your reservation was after a certain. I think it might have been after 11:00 was a few bucks more.

I don't think that's anything they are doing now (which would make sense if the food is exactly the same and they don't have to put out any new dishes). Anytime anyone calls Disneyland Dining for the prices, the prices that are given are the breakfast prices (and those can differ, depending on the season or if you have a discount to use) and the dinner prices (which can also differ for those same reasons). They never give a separate brunch price (at least they haven't given it on the phone).

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I just got off the phone with Disney Dining ~ I got a reservation @ Goofy's for 11:30am on 7/6 Pricing is ~ $29.99 for A and $15.99 for C + tax & tip.

 

[Sherry E]

I also just called Disney Dining about 10 minutes ago (spoke to Neil, who was very friendly and helpful), and he confirmed that there is no separate food for brunch - it's the same food that's out for breakfast at 7:00 a.m., even if you eat there at 12 p.m. - and there is no separate charge for brunch after 11:00 a.m. or otherwise. It's the same price all morning long, and then, starting at 5 p.m. the dinner prices take effect. The prices only vary based on the season (like summer season is peak season and the holidays are peak season, but late September is off-peak season), or based on ages (like children's prices vs. adults' prices). And you can use discounts (if you have them) no matter what season it is. Neil confirmed that some days Goofy's is open until 2 p.m. and other days it is open until noon. Of course, breakfast/brunch is always cheaper than dinner - so an off-peak season breakfast is always the cheapest Goofys meal, whereas a peak season dinner would be the most expensive meal.

Also, Neil confirmed that the only time there was a third Goofy's meal (lunch) was waaaaaaaay back in the '90s, at its old location (which, interestingly, is now the AMC Theaters spot!!). I vividly remember the old location, but I didn't place it as being where the AMC Theaters are now - for some reason, it looks like a different area entirely!

Anyway, I just wanted to make sure we had clarification on that so people don't get confused with the prices or food offerings.

 

[tikiroomclan]

Too funny. I also remember being at Goofy's Kitchen as a child and would have never placed it at the current AMC spot!!

We did Goofy's last year for dinner and the kids loved the character interaction and the dancing with Goofy. We thought the food selection was outstanding. Our 4 year old is extrememly picky and can't really remember what he ate, but it's all about the experience He still talks about how Minnie wrote on the table!!

This year, we are trying Minnie and freinds, but just because we haven't done it, not because we weren't satisfied with Goofy's.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

This year, we are trying Minnie and freinds, but just because we haven't done it, not because we weren't satisfied with Goofy's.

We love Minnie's ~ we always have the best character interaction there.

 

[tikiroomclan]

So glad to hear that about Minnie's We can't wait

 

[Sherry E]

Too funny. I also remember being at Goofy's Kitchen as a child and would have never placed it at the current AMC spot!!

We did Goofy's last year for dinner and the kids loved the character interaction and the dancing with Goofy. We thought the food selection was outstanding. Our 4 year old is extrememly picky and can't really remember what he ate, but it's all about the experience He still talks about how Minnie wrote on the table!!

This year, we are trying Minnie and freinds, but just because we haven't done it, not because we weren't satisfied with Goofy's.

I know! Isn't that odd? When this CM, Neil, told me that I was quite surprised! I can completely envision in my mind what the old Goofy's location looked like, and the waiting area and what the little walkway outside it looked like (it was right in front of a pool/lounge area, separated by a fence/gate, as I recall). And I can remember where the Monorail used to be located. But once they did the big remodel and added in the GCH and DTD and all of that, the whole layout changed and it's completely thrown me off! So now, where the AMC Theaters are located doesn't seem to be where I recall Goofy's having been, geographically, but I guess it is, according to what CM Neil says!

 

[blackjackdelta]

I know! Isn't that odd? When this CM, Neil, told me that I was quite surprised! I can completely envision in my mind what the old Goofy's location looked like, and the waiting area and what the little walkway outside it looked like (it was right in front of a pool/lounge area, separated by a fence/gate, as I recall). And I can remember where the Monorail used to be located. But once they did the big remodel and added in the GCH and DTD and all of that, the whole layout changed and it's completely thrown me off! So now, where the AMC Theaters are located doesn't seem to be where I recall Goofy's having been, geographically, but I guess it is, according to what CM Neil says!

Love both dinner and breakfast. I do remember where the old Monarail Cafe used to be. That was great food.

Jack