DISNEY DINING REVIEW: TOPOLINO’S TERRACE
If you haven’t been to Walt Disney World recently then you may not know about one of the most popular new dining options.
Topolino’s Terrace is located at the top of the Riviera Resort (which is beautiful by the way!). I’m dying to reserve a villa there. But, that’s another story for another time.
I had heard wonderful things about Topolino’s, named for the Italian word for Mickey Mouse. I think it literally means little mouse. If you speak Italian let me know if that’s correct!
Breakfast pricing is $42 per adult, $27 for children ages (3-10), under 3 is free. Breakfast is all you care to enjoy.
The restaurant serves breakfast from 7:30AM-12:15PM, and reopens at 5PM for dinner service. Dinner is served a la cart unlike breakfast. Adult entrees range from $34-$54, with most being around $50.
THE ATMOSPHERE
It’s all about the view at Topolino’s Terrace. The rooftop offer a stunning panoramic view of other resorts, Hollywood Studios, and so much more. While the view is the showstopper, the interior of the restaurant is beautiful as well. With dramatic light fixtures and very comfortable chairs, the vibe is luxurious but comfortable. The service is top notch and makes every meal at Topolino’s feel special.
Keep in mind there is a dress code. It’s not particularly strict, but they ask that guests do not wear swimwear, flip flops, cut-offs, torn clothing, or clothing with offensive language and/or graphics for dinner service.
I love that Topolino’s offers the option to have a character meal that does not feel chaotic. The setting is both relaxing and elegant.
After our meal we spent some time relaxing outside in the sun before heading out. It was so sweet to see my kids making friends and playing with other children on the bocce courts. There are tall palm trees, a variety of lawn games making a lovely setting to enjoy the lake view. It’s a pleasure to stroll the Riviera resort and take in the European ambiance of the fountains with the magical Disney touches in the alcove mosaics.
THE CHARACTERS
Topolino’s Terrace has characters at breakfast only. This is a great option to consider in place of Chef Mickey’s (or in addition to). Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy frequently make the rounds at Topplino’s.
My favorite thing about the characters at Topolino’s are their outfits. They are “in” Europe and have become artists. Mickey Mouse is a painter, Daisy is a dancer, Donald is a sculptor and Minnie Mouse is a writer with the cutest book pages print dress and a red beret.
THE FOOD
Breakfast prix fix, all you care to enjoy. However, it is not a buffet. Once seated a beautiful “paint bucket” filled with muffins, croissants and pastries is delivered with a variety of spreads and the cutest “paintbrush” spreader.
Adults select an entree, however can order sides of any of the dishes. For example, I ordered the fruit plate entree, a side of the sour cream waffle (with roasted apple, chantilly, and orange-maple syrup), and a side of scrambled eggs.
My husband selected the popular wood-fired butcher steak with polenta, pomodoraccio tomatoes, roasted onions, wild mushroom conserva, and watercress. He also ordered a side of eggs.
I wish I could eat more because I would have tried the quiche gruyere as well. If you’re curious here is the full Topolino’s Terrace breakfast menu.
Children also select one entree, but can order additional sides as well. My children had Mickey waffle dippers with a variety of sauces and spreads on a paint palette plate. I don’t know who loves the themed details more! (It’s definitely me)
My kids also shared sides of bacon and eggs. We all ate enough at breakfast to hold ourselves over for most of the day.
I am so glad that we also were able to get a dinner reservation at Topolino’s Terrace.
Dinner is a celebration-worthy dining experience. Perfect for a birthday, anniversary, or just for a special night out.
The menu is inspired by the flavors of the Riviera. We started with the complimentary bread service. The bread was good, not great, but the olive oil was excellent. We ordered a ricotta appetizer with tomato, aged balsamic, cracked pepper, and basil. Some of the other options include gnocchi with duck confit, escargot, and octopus with saffron aioli.
Entree choices primarily include hand-crafted pasta dishes, seafood and steak.
I questioned spending $50 on a fish entree. It was one of my favorite dishes of our whole trip though; classic sole meunière with sea beans, capers, lemon, romanesco, cauliflower, artichokes and petite potatoes. Still dreaming about those potatoes. Every element was delicious.
My husband equally enjoyed his bouillabaisse; provencal fish stew, red snapper, branzino, clams, shrimp, mussels fennel and saffron rouille.
Children can choose between homemade rigatoni with sauce, grilled chicken breast, and petit beef filet. They may also select two from the following; roasted carrots, fruit salad, mashed potatoes and gelato.
We often forgo children’s meals and have our children split an adult entree instead, the food tends to be better and more interesting than the children’s menu. So, for our little foodies we love the flexibility of an a la cart menu.
The food is absolutely some of the best on Disney World property, and I highly recommend both breakfast and dinner.
The service was excellent, and like many other full service Disney restaurants, our birthday child was surprised with a special birthday dessert (both at breakfast and dinner).
RESERVATIONS AND HOW TO GET THERE
If you familiar with making Disney dining reservations, your best bet is to reserve dining reservations at 6AM 60 days in advance of your check in if you will be staying at a Disney World resort hotel.
If your vacation is 10-days-long (or shorter) you can make all of your advanced dining reservations (ADR) at the 60 day mark.
For example, if your Disney World vacation is two weeks long (lucky you!) then you will be able to make reservations for the first 10 days 60 days before your check in. Then, four days later you can make your reservation for the last 4 days of your trip.
The ability to make your dining reservations for the full trip on that 60-day mark is a great perk of staying in a Disney resort for your vacation.
If you are staying off-property you will need to make reservations daily for each day you’d like reservations, 60 days in advance. This gets a bit annoying to need to do this at 6AM each morning, 60 days before any dates you’d like a reservation. For this reason (plus many others!) I’d recommend staying on property.
If you aren’t able to snag every reservation you want, there is still hope! Take a look at my guide How to Plan the Best Disney World Trip to find out how to get those reservations you weren’t able to get at the 60-day mark.
If you have any questions or need guidance, leave a comment or send me a message. I’m more than happy to help!
Riviera resort is near Hollywood Studios. If you are coming from another hotel the fastest way to get to your reservation is likely Uber.
Many of my clients like to book a late brunch at Topolino’s allowing them to arrive to Hollywood Studios during those precious morning hours, take the Skyliner to The Riviera Resort, and then return to the park after brunch.
There is a reason that Topolino’s Terrace is one of the most sought after dining reservations among Disney World guests. While the price is on the high end, it is a good value for the food quality, service, setting and uniqueness. It has become a must do for my family!
Kelly says
Such a helpful article. Thank you for the links. Can’t wait to go!