Nervous about Chef Mickey's

[PhillyPiglet]

I 've been reading some negative comments about CM and am starting to wonder if it's going to be a disappointment. Has anyone eaten here recently and can give me an honest opinion about the food and the place in general. I have a PS for September 8th for 2 adults and don't want to waste my VERY hardearned money if we won't be able to eat much or have good time.

THANKS!!!!

 

[travelbug]

Our whole group ate there this last New Year's and we loved it! The food was delicious, with plenty of choices to suit all of us. Character interaction was wonderful, and we thought the whole atmosphere was lots of fun.

All I can say is, I'd go there again in a heartbeat.

 

[jeleadams]

I can only comment on breakfast we were there in Jan and it was yummy!! The characters were awesome with our kids LOTS of time with them it was jan and not as many people were there. but none of the other character dining experiences even came close!

 

[Kallison]

Personally if I didn't have kids with me I wouldn't go to CM's. It's a zoo with kids. We had our best meal ever at the Brown Derby in MGM and some nice character interaction. If you want to see characters I would pick someplace a little more quieter, Liberty Tree Tavern is nice, calmer atmosphere, a little nicer seating arrangement for privacy.

 

[jwfla422]

HONESTLY, a fun place for character interaction, probably the best and widest assortment of disney characters....but the food is only OK. I think it depends on your taste. It's typical buffet food. It's not bad but wouldn't say it's great. It's OK to good (the desserts are pretty good). It's worth the splurge for the atmosphere. It's a rowdy fun place.

AND I agree if you don't have kids I'd go elsewhere. If you're looking for a good character dinner for adults with good food I'd recommend the Garden Grille at EPCOT. The food is good, atmosphere relaxing and the characters spend some time with you. Just depends if you're looking to hang out with the characters.

DH and I liked to do the character breakfasts over the dinners. Then we'd find a nice relaxing place for dinner. We still try to do that with dd but it depends on where we are that day.

 

[BeamsofLight]

My husband and I have eaten here several times (with no kids) and we've always enjoyed the food. I wouldn't say it's super-high quality, but it's good quality buffet food, and we've always found it yummy.

We've also had good interaction with the characters. They didn't ignore us just because we didn't have any kids at the table.

I do agree that it's *very* noisy in there. Our last meal there (last September) was *extremely* noisy, complete with kids running in the aisles and jumping off of things. I think it depends somewhat on where you get seated. Our first experience there wasn't nearly that raucous, though. But if you're looking to have a real conversation over dinner, you might be better off with one of the other recommendations people have made here.

 

[don8life]

It's the best. Our trip just wouldn't be complete if we didn't have brk. with Mickey. The food is the best you can get around. I just made our PS this morning and I want to go now!

 

[momxx5]

We have eaten there twice.

Last summer we had the best time there. Good food and excellent character interaction. We were seated in the main dining room. We have 5 children and the characters were great with all of them. Our family picture even turned out great.

A few weeks ago, it was a nice time. The food was okay(not spectacular but good) and most of the characters were great. We were again seated in the main dining room and we saw all the characters in a timely manner except Mickey. DD, 2 yr old, kept asking all the other characters "Where Mickey Mouse?". Finally, after 50+ minutes, I stopped a CM(manager looking person) and asked them when Mickey would be coming, that we had been there over 50 minutes, new people were getting seated and Mickey still had not made it into the main dining room. She said to give it 5 minutes. Very soon after, she brought Mickey straight over to our table and all was well. When you are having dinner with 5 children 10 and under, planning and timing is everything.
DH & I both noticed how empty the main dining room compared to last year. It was fun and the kids had a great time, but I think next year we may try LLT.

Wishing you a magical time

 

[Abracadabra]

Is there a big difference between breakfast and dinner (I know the food is different )? My wife and I are taking my niece and her step-sister on their 1st trip to WDW in November. We were planning to go to Chef Mickey's for 1 meal, but are waffling between breakfast or dinner. The young ladies are not too picky: my niece is 6, her step-sister is 8. I'm leaning toward breakfast then head to MK (we're staying at the Contemporary BTW).

 

[jwfla422]

From the posts I've read about CMs over the past year or so, it seems to definitely be more of a favorite for breakfast than dinner...as far as the food is concerned.

 

[crystalrp]

Here is a suggestion that worked very well for us. We made our Chef Mickey PS for the very latest breakfast time we could get. I think it ended up being around 11. We grabbed a bite in the room for breakfast, then went to the MK. When it came time for our PS, we hopped the monorail over to the CR. With it being so close to the end of breakfast, the crowd wasn't bad at all and the restaurant was pretty much emptying out. We had lots of time with the characters, and never felt rushed. When we headed back over to the MK, there were hardly any other people on the monorail so we were able to ride up front with the driver. We were told that we might not be able to ride in front all the way to MK, but as it turned out, nobody else boarded at any of the stops! An added bonus was we didn't really need to eat lunch, since we had such a late breakfast. Really worked out well all the way around. Just a thought!

 

[robmary]

We ate at Chef Mickey last year for dinner. The food was Ok, but character interaction was very good. We also ate Crystal Palace and the food was better there and the characters were also great. If you would like a nice dinner with character interaction, might I suggest Liberty Tree Tavern. Ate there this past July. Food was excellent and charaacter were great. ALso there were several singles and couples dining there. Hope that helps.

 

[CamColt]

Not sure if you are talking about breakfast or dinner, but Chef Mickeys is our favorite Character breakfast. We have eaten there 5 times in the past 6 years. Weve even tried other CBs but none have measured up to Chef Mickeys for us.
The food is always plentiful and delicious with a wide variety. The service is very good as is the character interaction. Be sure to check out Goofy at the entrance as we always find him to be the best.

 

[Abracadabra]

Do the characters at the character meals sign autograph books? I bought books for my niece and her step-sister for this trip and know from experience they can get loads of autographs in the parks. Is it OK to take the books to Chef Mickey's for breakfast? (Like I said ... it's probably a dumb question).

This is my first trip to WDW with children so this will be a whole new experience. I think I have a lot to learn and prepare for!

 

[Deweysgirl]

Yes, by all means, bring your autograph books. The character interaction is wonderful here. They spend plenty of time at each table for picture taking, signing books and general interaction.

We went a week ago Monday for breakfast (8/2). I can't tell you what an awesome experience this was. I was celebrating my 40th (UGH!) and the characters went out of there way to make me feel special. I received a special laminated placemat signed by all of the characters suitable for framing! It was so nice I didn't realize I was allowed to keep it until we were leaving and our waitress asked me if I wanted it. The food was all so delicious, we stuffed ourselves and when we were finishing up they brought out a cupcake with candle and sang to me. Minnie helped me blow out the candle and Mickey gave me a big hug and kiss. I felt so special! The kids danced and twirled napkins and had a ball!

We have also eaten here for dinner a few years ago and remember the food being very good and the characters were just as attentive.

The last PS for breakfast is 11:20am and the Characters leave at 12noon. The characters were Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale and Goofy.

Have fun! Hope this helps!

 

[Abracadabra]

Thank you, Deweysgirl. That helps a lot. This is my 1st trip to WDW with children (YIKES!) and I'm afraid I might goof up the experience for them (it'll be their first time at Disney).

Happy belated birthday! I'm glad you had a really magical experience with the characters. I hope our young princesses have an equally wonderful time.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[deanna2426]

A few years ago we had breakfast at CM and hated it. The place was a zoo and the food was only average. We swore we would never go back.

I kept reading good reviews, so this past October we decided to give another try, but for dinner. We are so glad we did. It is still crazy, but not as bad as breakfast. The kids LOVE it and the food is ok. Our DS (now 5) loved it so much we actually went twice on our last trip and have PS for our next trip (still not for breakfast)!

I say give it a try!

Have fun!

 

[bunnyfoo]

If you're going for breakfast, I agree with the going later suggestion. We usually try to get a seating for 10:30 or later and find that most people are usually headed out of the restaurant or will be leaving soon. It usually isn't too crowded and the food is still fresh and plentiful

 

[gogiant]

We just came back last week. We had dinner there (6:30), we also have an 11 year old. The food is not something I would recommend. I would not go back there, there were plenty of characters and being you are not bringing chldren there are much, much better places to eat. Go to Bomas if you want a great, great buffet. I don't even eat Mexican food and I loved Boma's food.

 

[ducklite]

IMHO there are so many places that are so much better. I've eaten at CM's many times, and it's just not very good. Not at all. The food is pretty bad and the atmosphere is just frenzied. Noisy and manic.

I'd pass and rebook someplace else instead.

Anne