Is chef Mickey's really that bad?

[Micca]

Haven't done breakfast at CM of TH but have had lunch at TH a couple of times and the food was very good. Great character interaction too!

 

[SGMCO]

If you love Tusker House, Chef Mickey is nothing like that,
We went for Dinner and it was dirty and kids touching things on the Buffet, I was grossed out.
I found it super loud also. Breakfast may be different but we won't ever eat there again.

 

[Lisa F]

This. And I will add that nothing is REALLY great at Disney-except maybe Victoria & Albert's. So when you wedge Chef Mickey's into PlutoTheDog89's statement and mine, there is no reason why the restaurant should stand out among most others. If a typical WDW restaurant is a 2.5 stars (out of 4) experience, and Chef Mickey's comes in at around 1.5 stars, it isn't completely out of line with the rest. It just has the highest percentage of "under 7" kids helping themselves to the buffet and making a mockery out of the ice cream station and it can get pretty ugly at times. And if you have ever hosted a birthday party for a bunch of 5 year olds in a public place and listened to the noise level rise, and rise and rise, you will know what to expect. In the end, there is only one reason to go, and that makes it worthwhile.......

Hell. On. Earth.

 

[Melwhit16]

I know a lot of people on the forum talk bad about it but when we went we liked the food. It wasn't dirty and we really like having all the characters in one place.

 

[GXIncognto]

If you are okay with Golden Corral or Old Country Buffet, you'll be okay with Chef Mickey's. If those types of places are gross to you, then you'll be one of those people with a horror story of how the Chef Mickey food was "inedible" and you "left hungry".

I think Chef Mickey's suffers sometimes from not meeting the high expectations some people will put on it because of the high cost. Don't expect a Vegas buffet just because it's expensive. It's a $15 buffet with very expensive characters.

 

[ajwolfe]

If you are okay with Golden Corral or Old Country Buffet, you'll be okay with Chef Mickey's. If those types of places are gross to you, then you'll be one of those people with a horror story of how the Chef Mickey food was "inedible" and you "left hungry"..

This ^^ We've ate there several times and never felt like it was dirty or the food was horrible. It's a typical buffet situation with characters added. I always kind of crack up when I see people say the kids touch the food on the buffet here, but the buffet at this other place is so much better. Ummm, you think kids only touch the food on the buffet at CM's?? No, they touch it everywhere if left unattended.

 

[OKW Lover]

Is it really that bad? Can chef Mickey's really mess up breakfast?

Its not a great breakfast buffet. OTOH, if you were to just go down to the first floor of the Contemporary you could enjoy a really good breakfast buffet at The Wave. Of course there aren't any characters at the Wave, but then you don't have to pay more for that.

 

[Momof2Singers]

I have not been there in many years. Previous years, like others, it was always our first meal to start off our week at Disney. It was the first ADR I always booked back then. We have wonderful memories there, but heard they did away with several of our favorite menu items and plus went way up in price, that, and wanting to try something new with our kids getting older, took us away from CM. That being said, if you haven't been, GO, especially if you have kids. They will never forget it. We look back on our years and there are many wonderful photos from there.

Can't believe our last trip to CM was so long ago, it was in 2007. My girls are now 17 and 22, we will be at WDW a month from tomorrow.

 

[pmaurer74]

breakfast and brunch are good

 

[JerseyJanice]

When my son was little, CM's dinner was a must-do for my family. It's like a character party for kids and loads of fun for them. As PPs have said, it has a Chuckie Cheese atmosphere.

I will go again with my baby nieces, but if you don't have children under 10, there are better choices. For breakfast, 1900 Park Fare is my fave.

 

[disny_luvr]

We just ate there last week and had an excellent meal. It's a must-do for us every trip and we've never been disappointed.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We've been three times. Once for breakfast and twice for dinner. We've never had a bad experience. The place has always been clean and the food pretty good. It is actually DS16 favorite place and his only request.

This past trip dinner was exceptionally good. yes it's loud and chaotic but that's expected.

 

[Scott MC]

We found the food to be SO mediocre compared to 1900 Park Fare, and Cape May Cafe, and 'Ohana. It's also very unorganized. There are probably no more children there at any given time than the other breakfast buffets, but it seems like they've taken over the place and are running amok moreso. It was a clear "One and done" experience for us.

 

[Jonas_Swe]

Thank you! I've just heard it's very dirty and the food is plain "bad." I want some hot food unlimited (LOL) and fun characters.

Is cape may a small selection/mainly fishy stuff? I don't like any type of fish.

Oh no!
I didn't mean to put CM's down...

I LOVE the place for fun character interaction and I've had both breakfast and dinner there. Both experiences were a blast!

What I meant about the food is that the buffet itself is not especially spectacular, and I didn't find anything specifically unique, that I hadn't seen at any other WDW breakfast buffet. Although I did certainly enjoy the selections. And the experience is fun fun fun!

And no, I've never seen it dirty, even though it's been really busy at times. They keep it nice and very fresh all throughout the sitting.

As for Cape May Cafe: It's a smaller buffet restaurant than CM's. But on the other hand, so are most places at WDW.

The breakfast buffet serves ordinary breakfast foods (not seafood themed) with a few selections unique to CMC. I believe those items changes from time to time. But there are eggs, sausages, biscuits, fruits and Mickey Waffles too of course!

So in comparison, if you want Big Fun with lots of people, full interaction in the sitting area with crowd participating in song, cheers and even napkin waving - Chef Mickey's is for you!

If you want a slightly more relaxed breakfast experience it's Cape May Cafe, with characters coming around to a smaller crowd, with more personal interaction time. Good breakfast foods and as a perk for the young ones... They get markers or crayons and are encouraged to scribble and color on the paper tablets for the plates!

I collected the characters autographs on my tablet and saved it as my souvenir from the breakfast.

Both are magical, it's basically the size and noise that differs.

 

[alliecat523]

Agree with the majority here. it's not terrible but nothing to write home about either. It is loud and chaotic but you go for the fab 5 more than anything. And yes, kids make a mess at the buffet. They even have a kid sized section where they can reach food easily. Of course things get spilled. They do at all the buffets. But I wouldn't say I ever felt it was dirty.

 

[IZHAYMAMA]

If we don't have breakfast at Chef Mickey's we would not feel as if we've had a trip to WDW. It's a must do for our family and our kids are now teenagers. They love it, still. It's never been dirty other than a little spill here or there (all buffets are subject to this) and it's not the restaurants fault that their guests are messy and careless. Overall, the food is good (not great) but it doesn't deserve all the negative hype that it gets, IMO.

 

[goofy4prez]

I am of the opinion Chef Mickey is terrible. For me it's the worst CS in WDW. My experience (breakfast) was slow service to refill my beverages. The buffet table was not kept up with, and very messy. Also, this place has more 6-8 year old's getting their own food than any buffet I have experienced in WDW. But I will also admit I do not like buffets as a whole. The only ones I will do for breakfast are Crystal Palace, Wave, Boma and Tusker House. For dinner I will only do Boma and Biergarten. And with that not of them would I call excellent food. It is still food made in massive quantities for large groups of people to pile high, wide and deep on a plate and to possible repeat. But for me when it comes to buffets, Chef Mickey is the worst of the worst. JMO.

 

[Shanti]

Is it really that bad? Can chef Mickey's really mess up breakfast?

No. We've always enjoyed our breakfasts at Chef Mickey's.

Remember that every restaurant has good and bad reviews, & realize too that some places become "fashionable" to bash. I think the latter is the case with CM on these boards.

 

[huey578]

Had dinner there 2 weeks ago, I thought the food was very good. Not sure why that place gets a bad rap.

 

[goofy4prez]

Had dinner there 2 weeks ago, I thought the food was very good. Not sure why that place gets a bad rap.

I would guess those who don't like it would wonder why it get's a good rep. (It's opinion).