Dinner with the Big Cheese: Chef Mickey’s

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Updated: April 2019

When I asked my daughter where she wanted to eat during our last Disney trip, she didn’t even hesitate when she said, “Chef Mickey’s!”  We had been one other time, but she was only two years old.  Since she had seen the pictures of that trip over and over, she knew what to expect.  When she was two, she was really unsure about the characters, but now, she is a pro when it comes to meeting them.  Jeff and I thought, hey, why not? Let’s go!

This place is pretty popular, so I highly recommend reservations.  I make my reservations as soon as the window opens at 180 days.  I easily got a reservation booking that early.  I also got the time I was hoping for.  Chef Mickey’s closes in the afternoon, so you can book at or near 5:00 p.m. and be part of the first seating for dinner.  That is exactly what we did.  We also are afternoon nap people, so we venture back out when it is time for dinner.  After dinner, we head back to a park and start touring again as the sun begins to go down.  This is survival in the summer.

Chef Mickey’s is at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.  For this stay, we rented points at Bay Lake Tower, Disney’s Vacation Club resort that is affiliated with the Contemporary.  It was nice to just walk across the sky bridge from Bay Lake Tower to the Contemporary to have dinner.

Chef Mickey’s: The Restaurant

As you walk into the atrium from the sky bridge, you pass by some shops as you walk to the other end of the main building where the restaurant is.  As you pass by The Contempo Cafe, the Contemporary’s quick service restaurant, you”ll see this:

When we arrived, we were handed a buzzer.  Since we were in the first seating, it wasn’t long before ours went off.  Before we were seated, we took a picture with a Chef Mickey sculpture.  Since we didn’t buy Memory Maker, we don’t have this picture.  But they do ask everyone to take one, and it is uploaded to your account through your magic band.

We were seated at an upper-level table on the far right of the restaurant.  It was near the start of one of the buffet lines.  Our server grabbed our drink order and told us that the characters would be arriving soon.  He also stated that characters would meet guests at a few rows of tables before us.  That was our cue to get some food!

Chef Mickey’s: The Food

Yes, it’s a buffet, but as far as buffets go, it’s pretty good.  I know a lot of people criticize the food here, but we like it.  It’s not gourmet, but it’s not bad either. You can read more about the menu here.  They have some of the traditional buffet staples, like a carving station.

But they also have some other items like potstickers and this clam dish.

One of my favorites was the macaroni and cheese with lobster.  The mashed potatoes with parmesan were yummy, too.

They also have plenty of choices for the younger kids or your picky husband.

Don’t forget dessert!

Or maybe ice cream is more your style.  Have your fill of toppings!

And don’t forget these!  Aren’t they cute?

Chef Mickey’s:  The Characters

We filled our plates and made our way back to the table.  Our drinks were ready for us. It wasn’t long before we had a visitor.  We had our autograph book out and we were ready.

We had other visitors.

(Since this is Kristin’s favorite restaurant on property, we eat here every trip. Here is a picture with Donald from a more recent visit.)

Including Goofy being…well…goofy.

Kristin’s favorite of the Fab Five came by next.  (I’ve included a picture from a more recent visit here.)

We did have to wait a little bit for Mickey to come around.  He had his own handler, and people seem to want to take more pictures with him, so it takes him awhile.  He was worth the wait!

After Mickey came by, we were ready for the check.  We had a night at Animal Kingdom planned.  You can see that Kristin is ready for animals by checking out her outfit.  We had a fun time with good food.  In fact, I’ve asked Kristin where she wants to eat on our next trip, and she says she wants to eat at Chef Mickey’s again.  I promise she knows that there are other restaurants at Disney.  I figure as long as she wants to, we’ll schedule a dinner here.

Read about some of our other Disney dining adventures!

Be Our Guest Restaurant

Cinderella’s Royal Table

Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party