Goofy's Kitchen Dinner

[GoofySon'sMom]

We ate at Goofy's for dinner on our arrival night, July 24th. I had said that I would take some pics of the buffet ... I didn't get to take as many as I would have liked because it was very crowded. I was also seriously tired after getting up at 5am EST and being in the restaurant after 9pm EST. The time change was not our friend early in the trip!

I hate to say it but we did not enjoy this meal at all. I know many compare this to WDW's Chef Mickey's. I am not a huge fan of Chef Mickey's for dinner either but I do think that our meals there were better than this. It was just blah. Not a lot of taste. Character interaction was fine ... we saw Aladdin, Goofy, Mulan & Dale in the restaurant and Pluto in the lobby. Minnie was there as well but she didn't make it to our table by the time we just had to get out of there.

I am very sorry that I didn't find a way to do this for breakfast instead of dinner. An expensive lesson learned!

 

[Sherry E]

I'm always telling people - breakfast is the way to go!! Goofy's is my absolute favorite place to eat - for breakfast. Dinner has a huge selection but just didn't bowl me over when I ate it years ago (also due to my lack of appetite and mood, however). But other people prefer the dinner to breakfast, so who knows?

Anyway, at least you got some photos! I had a hunch that it would be hard to get a lot of pictures because of crowds. You made a valiant attempt!

 

[mamaso]

Could you please tell me what type of "main courses" they had available? Meat? Fish?

Thanks!

 

[Belle Ella]

Thanks for the photos! I was tempted to try the dinner this time but I'm glad I'm going with my gut and beloved breakfast. Although I really want the caprese salad!! I love that stuff. I think I need to go to the grocery store now.

 

[srauchbauer]

that's a bummer I was planning on doing Goofy's for dinner the first night, but maybe I should change it to a brunch. Won't get kids to eat much for dinner, but maybe a little more luck at breakfast.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Could you please tell me what type of "main courses" they had available? Meat? Fish?

Thanks!

How bad is it that I don't remember much? DH had some fried chicken that he thought was Ok. There were carving stations with Beef and maybe turkey? I don't eat fish so I didn't notice any of that. I had soup and salad mostly. Tried a few bites of some other things but nothing wowed me enough that I remember it.

Thanks for the photos! I was tempted to try the dinner this time but I'm glad I'm going with my gut and beloved breakfast. Although I really want the caprese salad!! I love that stuff. I think I need to go to the grocery store now.

The tomatos were kind of blah. Much better if you make it at home! I say stick with breakfast!

that's a bummer I was planning on doing Goofy's for dinner the first night, but maybe I should change it to a brunch. Won't get kids to eat much for dinner, but maybe a little more luck at breakfast.

The PBJ pizza was tasky if you kids would eat that! And they did have plain pasta. From our experience though, I would definitely say try brunch.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I'm always telling people - breakfast is the way to go!! Goofy's is my absolute favorite place to eat - for breakfast. Dinner has a huge selection but just didn't bowl me over when I ate it years ago (also due to my lack of appetite and mood, however). But other people prefer the dinner to breakfast, so who knows?

Anyway, at least you got some photos! I had a hunch that it would be hard to get a lot of pictures because of crowds. You made a valiant attempt!

Yeah, between the people and DS being embarrassed, I did the best I could!

 

[srauchbauer]

The PBJ pizza was tasky if you kids would eat that! And they did have plain pasta. From our experience though, I would definitely say try brunch.[/QUOTE]

Seems pretty expensive for PBJ and pasta they would eat waffles and eggs for breakfast.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

The PBJ pizza was tasky if you kids would eat that! And they did have plain pasta. From our experience though, I would definitely say try brunch.

Seems pretty expensive for PBJ and pasta they would eat waffles and eggs for breakfast.[/QUOTE]

Definitely agree! Just an option if that is the only way you could fit it in. That was my problem. I had breakfasts scheduled at Minnies, the PPH hotel with Mickey & Stitch and Storytelles (which we ended up cancelling). Didn't have any more free mornings to try Goofy's for breakfast so we went for dinner.

 

[Funball]

**This eating tips are from mousesavers.com.... this is a good tip!!

Check Out Portion Sizes to Cut Costs
Many of the entrees and combo meals served at Disneyland Resort counter-service restaurants include a large amount of food. For instance, I can say from experience that the entrees at Rancho del Zocalo in Disneyland can be HUGE.
However, some food stands serve rather small portions for the money. In general I think the stands in DCA's Paradise Pier area provide a fairly poor value for the cost.
A good trick at the counter-service restaurants and snack stands is to stand to one side for a minute and watch as people leave with their orders, so you can see how the portions look. If the portions are big and you are not big eaters, consider splitting an entree or combo meal between two people and possibly ordering an extra side dish or appetizer to share.
Adults looking for a smaller portion at the counter-service restaurants should not hesitate to order from the kids' menu. No one will know you're ordering the kids meal for an adult! This is not allowed at full-service restaurants, however.
A good option at sit-down restaurants, and one that works well for someone dining alone, is to substitute an appetizer for your entree. For instance, order two appetizers instead of an appetizer and an entree, or order an appetizer instead of an entree, thus leaving yourself room for dessert. Be sure to inquire about the portion size first -- some appetizers are substantial and filling, but some aren't.


Best Bets
Generally speaking you'll save a lot of money by sticking with counter-service restaurants, which are substantially cheaper than table-service restaurants. Unfortunately Disneyland and DCA don't offer as much variety as one might wish, but if you look around you can find some decent options besides corn dogs, hamburgers and fries.
Some places that are relative bargains within the resort are the above-mentioned Rancho del Zocalo in Disneyland; plus the Jazz Kitchen takeout window and the Tortilla Jo's takeout window in Downtown Disney. Both the Jazz Kitchen and Tortilla Jo's have pricey full-service restaurants, but check out the takeout window at each of these locations, where you can get something a little different at a reasonable price. There is seating nearby where you can enjoy your meal.
· At the Jazz Kitchen, try the beignets (New Orleans-style doughnuts), red beans and rice, or a po-boy (overstuffed sandwich), which comes with a hearty side dish. Fountain drinks are fairly expensive here, but there are free refills.
· At Tortilla Jo's taqueria, try the tacos, which are quite a bargain considering the quality. The nachos are good and reasonably priced, too. The burritos are large and filling enough to be split by two people who aren't starving. Fountain drinks are ridiculously overpriced here: order water or consider "aguas frescas" (fresh Mexican juices), which are cheaper and healthier!

 

[disneymama83]

Sorry your meal was blah.

I have eaten there a couple of times an thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the WONDERFUL character interaction! You are probably paying more for the interaction then the meal, but still worth it to me. I will have to try it for breakfast in the future!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

At Tortilla Jo's taqueria, try the tacos, which are quite a bargain considering the quality. The nachos are good and reasonably priced, too. The burritos are large and filling enough to be split by two people who aren't starving. Fountain drinks are ridiculously overpriced here: order water or consider "aguas frescas" (fresh Mexican juices), which are cheaper and healthier![/FONT][/COLOR]

I can verify that the nachos were a huge portion! Way more than enough for the 3 of us. Plus we ordered tacos off the 'stand alone' part of the menu rather than the combo plate with the beans & rice, etc. We found this to be a fairly economical meal by Disney standards!

 

[123Disney]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[EnchantedPlayroom]

The PBJ pizza was tasky if you kids would eat that! And they did have plain pasta. From our experience though, I would definitely say try brunch.

OMG, are you kidding me?? That's ALL I eat there!

I'm not kidding. My food preference never developed past that of an elementary schooler, so I was in HEAVEN when I saw Peanut Butter and Jelly pizza. LOL.

This was me ---->

 

[DisneyMomma81]

OMG, are you kidding me?? That's ALL I eat there!

I'm not kidding. My food preference never developed past that of an elementary schooler, so I was in HEAVEN when I saw Peanut Butter and Jelly pizza. LOL.

This was me ---->

I enjoyed the PB & J pizza during our brunch at Goofy's last month ~ I also had yummy hot chocolate ~ it was so cold *and it was the 4th of July weekend!

 

[Michaella]

Oh no.. now I am worried.. I booke Goofys for dinner our first night...

We have a really good breakfast included at our hotel so I thought it was a waste to book a breakfast too!

 

[canadadisney]

We booked Goofy's breakfast today. I was going to book a supper but after reading this thread, I decided to change to a breakfast. We are eating at 8am and planning on going to DCA for opening so hopefully that will give us enough time. This is the only character breakfast we have yet to try and I am really looking forward to it. So far our fav. has been Minnie's.

 

[erinbharris]

We ate there on Friday....blah....it was terrible.

I wouldn't eat dinner there again. I should have listened to some experts on here and done AG for lunch and GK for brunch (or skipped it completely).

 

[Sherry E]

Just a reminder to everyone who has not tried Goofy's yet - if you want the most characters, Minnie & Friends has the most characters. If you are expecting the same number of characters at Goofy's as you see at Minnie & Friends, it won't happen. Goofy's usually has anywhere from 5 - 8 characters onsite, and that includes one at the entrance and the others inside, circulating around the restaurant. Generally the character interaction is quite good, but I'm sure there are 'off days' like at any restaurant. Also, up until recently, Goofy's always got consistently better reviews of its food quality than Minnie & Friends did.

Plus, everyone has different tastes. I can say that, unequivocally, Goofy's for breakfast/brunch is my favorite place to eat in DLR because I love the wide variety of food at the buffet, as well as the characters. Usually, the food is quite yummy. My friends have all liked it a lot as well (whether or not they went there with me). It's been a big hit in our group. But people do have different tastes and preferences - as well as expectations. So what one group likes may not be what another group likes. (Some of us on the DIS like Rainforest Cafe while others detest it! Some folks love Cafe Orleans and some folks don't like it at all.)

Frankly, if all of us on the DIS avoided any place that someone else said they didn't like, none of us would be eating anywhere in DLR - and that's the truth!! The restaurants would be empty! So we just kind of have to take chances on places to eat.

However, I don't really have a great desire to eat at Goofy's Kitchen for dinner again. That's just my personal taste. I'm more of a 'big breakfast' person than a 'big dinner' person. Other folks on the DIS have said they much prefer the dinner and not the breakfast, though!

There have been quite a few not-so-great reviews of Goofy's lately - suddenly there has been a wave of them, which is not the norm - but it has mainly been about the dinner. I was really wondering - because the economy has been so terrible and so many people are out of work (especially in SoCal) - if DLR has, perhaps, been hiring people who have not been the best chefs or the best CM's, and that would explain the sudden, recent wave of not so great reviews. It is quite possible that the service and food quality have taken a downward turn if the staff is new and not great.

I know that the breakfast I had at GK in December was one of the best I'd had there in 17 years - it was delicious. But, honestly, anything could have happened since then. They might have a whole new staff in GK by now.

Goofy's is a lot of money, so if you are really worried about it, don't try it!

 

[fidoprincess]

We also booked Goofy's for dinner on our first night-YIKES! We have not been in 4 years but back then, we loved it and thought the quality of food was really good for DL. We really go for the food and consider the characters just extra icing on the cake. With this "wave of bad reviews" lately, I should reconsider I think.

We have vouchers with our package and for 5 of us, it is more bang for our buck if we eat dinner instead of breakfast but maybe we should just skip it?
We do have reservations for breakfast at Minnie's and also at Goofy's for the last day so we can just use our vouchers for one of those meals.

What would be a good first dinner instead?