Ciao! Morgan here, with Neverland Navigation Co., your personal guides to all things Walt Disney World and beyond. Disney Character Breakfasts are classic. It is one of the quintessential Disney must-do, especially if you have kids in your group. But MANY of the character breakfasts are very expensive and the food is just so-so. I have walked out of many of the breakfasts unable to focus on the cute experience I just had because I can't shake the sour feeling that I just spent over $100 on scrambled eggs and mickey waffles that had been sitting under a heat lamp. Not to mention my concern with germs at a buffet. I have been a server at a buffet restaurant and I have seen some things that were nothing short of traumatizing. Because of all of these reasons I have been on the lookout for a BETTER character dining experience. And guess what? I found it! Come with me as we try Topolino's Terrace - Flavors of the Riviera.
Check out our full review, in the video, by clicking below!
Topolino's is located in the GORGEOUS Riviera resort. The Riviera is a new hotel and it is STUNNING. It is themed to look like a resort on the breathtaking Italian Riviera. Topolino means "baby mouse" in Italian, and it is what Italians affectionately call Mickey Mouse. Topolino's Terrace is rooftop dining at the Riviera, and it has magnificent views. The Riviera is also on the Skyliner loop! So it is a convenient location before your Epcot or Hollywood Studios day!
The characters that you will get to see and interact with are Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy. They are all wearing artist costumes, which thought was such a cool twist. Mickey is a painter, Minnie is a poet, Daisy is a dancer and Donald is a sculptor. They come to your table and you can get autographs and pictures. This is really part of what you pay for at these restaurants. If you were to want a picture with a character in the park you would wind up waiting in line for hours to get to see 4 characters.
Painter Mickey Above.
Poet Minnie Above.
Sculptor Donald Above.
Ballerina Daisy Above.
The service we received at this location was over-the-top excellent. I almost didn't mention it, because you very well might end up with a different server, but it wasn't just the server that was amazing. The host, the food runners, and the manager were ALL especially friendly and welcoming.
The food here is what made it for us. As I alluded to at the beginning of this post, the food has seemed like an afterthought when it came to character dining in the past. That is still true at some of the character dining locations. Not here. It is not a buffet but a prix fixe menu. It is kind of like a cruise in that if you want more you can get more. They used to allow you to even order more than 1 entree, but people took advantage (shame on those people!) so they had to change it. But we were allowed to order an entree and ask for a side of something else.
They start you off with POG JUICE!!! Our favorite! Most Disney breakfasts start you off with POG juice. It is a blend of Passion Fruit, Orange, and Guava juice and It is amazing! It is sweet and lightly tangy and a wonderful morning beverage. They also bring you coffee or another drink if you would like. Standard drinks are included in the price.
They then bring you a paint can filled with pastries! How fun is this?? They were also pretty good! They didn't taste like "Sams club" pastries from a box - if you know what I mean. There was an assortment of pastry toppings like jam, Nutella, and butter as well as a fun paintbrush-shaped spreading knife. What a cute start this was.
For entrees, we got a bunch of things to try. Let me start with the avocado toast. Pictured above. When I saw this on the menu I didn't think it would be anything special or worth the price. I was wrong. It was amazing and fresh tasting and we absolutely loved it. Our server said it is her favorite thing on the menu.
In addition to this, we got a side of Smoked Salmon. Since it was a side it came with half of an everything bagel, a slice of tomato, red onion, cream cheese, and capers. It was average. Nothing special I guess but it was good.
We also got the 'Bread Pudding' entree. This one was confusing. It is written:
"Bread Pudding
Roasted Potatoes and Seasonal Compote, Choice of Bacon, Ham, Sausage, or Plant-Based Sausage."
Because there were no flavors or descriptors about the bread pudding I thought it was going to be savory. But it wasn't, it was sweet. I guess the word compote should have tipped me off. The other thing is, I LOVE Bread Pudding. We get it every time it is offered and eventually, I will be bringing you a "Bread Puddings of WDW ranked" article. (Raglan Road is winning now. See that article here if you love bread passing -->. https://bit.ly/3RNiBgK). BUT, this one was not good. It was dry and didn't have any fun flavors. I was disappointed in this dish which is weird because I love bread pudding so much.
We also had a Frittata, which has since been replaced by a Quiche on the menu, but the ingredients are the same. The only difference between a frittata and a quiche is the quiche has a pie crust. We really liked the frittata. the consistency was perfect and the seasoning was good. This item came with a side of breakfast potatoes (which came with a few of the other entrees as well) and the potatoes were great. They were cooked perfectly and seasoned well.
We got a side of Fresh Fruit. They had a fruit plate on the menu, but we asked about getting a side of the fruit and they said they could do that at no additional cost. Jake said the fruit was to die for. I appreciated that it wasn't cheap and flavorless fruit like you get from a fruit bowl most of the time.
I told the waitress I was torn between the Bread Pudding and the Sour Cream Waffle and she suggested I get the bread pudding and a side of the waffle. (Again, this is something they do since this is kind of like an all you can eat) The Sour Cream Waffle was the best thing I had. It was AUH-MAZING! When I go back this is what I will be ordering and suggesting that my friends and family order. It was fluffy in the middle, crispy on the outside, and had a scoop of creamy Chantilly cream, fruit, and maple syrup with a hint of orange flavor. The flavors and textures that this dish had were mind-blowing. I don't usually get worked up over things like waffles. But this one was different. I loved every bite of it.
We also got a Wood-fired Butcher's Steak. It was flavorful and buttery and served on a bed of polenta. It was quite good! It's also probably the best bang for your buck value-wise.
Pricing-wise, Topolino's Terrace is expensive. But I felt it was worth it. It costs (at the time of this writing) $42 per adult and $27 per child 9 or under. They do give discounts to pass holders and possibly other groups such as DVC and/or Disney Chase card members so make sure you ask your server.
All in all, I cannot recommend this restaurant enough! The food was so yummy, the characters and their outfits were so cute, and the restaurant was gorgeous. What an AWESOME way to start your day.
Did this review help you? Please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel to stay in the loop! Our home base is NeverlandNavigation.Co, we do a weekly YouTube review and we do a podcast. In addition to being on Facebook, and Instagram and selling shirts on ETSY! Check out our links below!
YouTube
ETSY
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NeverlandNavigation
https://www.instagram.com/neverlandnavco/
TikTok
Podcast Links- (We are on pretty much all podcast suppliers! Just search Neverland Navigation Radio)
Apple Podcast Link
Spotify Podcast Link
Google Podcast Link
Thanks for your support! See ya real soon!
Check out our YouTube review! We love filming Disney reviews!
Comments