Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Review: Is It Worth It?

Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast (properly known as Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends) is an upscale, table-service breakfast located on the top floor of Disney’s Riviera Resort. It combines incredible food, stunning views, a beautiful European artistic aesthetic, and most importantly, up-close interactions with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Minnie Mouse!

My wife and I recently ate here with our two-year-old right before he turned three. Why? Because children under three are free! (As long as they don’t order their own entrees and eat off their parents’ plate).

The meal is a prix fixe meal (single cost) that includes a drink (not specialty), basket of pastries for the table, and entrée. Between the food, the character interactions (in their artistic and chic European clothes), the view, and the vibe, this quickly became one of our new favorite restaurants. If only it wasn’t so expensive, we’d be here all the time.

Keep reading for a full breakdown of the characters, the atmosphere, the food, and the view.

Fun Fact: Topolino means little mouse in Italian (also, the Italian name for Mickey Mouse). Disney is the only company in the world that can have upscale restaurants dedicated to mice and rats (former Pizza Rizzo, Remy on the Disney Cruise Line). Chuck E. Cheese doesn’t count.

Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Characters

You can meet Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, and Donald Duck at Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace. Before I describe these interactions, I need to make it clear that you can only meet the characters for breakfast. Topolino’s Terrace is open for dinner, but there won’t be any characters. (I’ve heard the food is still really good though.)

As you’re eating your meal, the characters wander around to each table, goofing around with guests, signing autographs, and taking pictures. Mickey and Donald wear working-class artistic clothing with Mickey as a painter and Donald as a sculptor. Minnie is a fashionable poet, and Daisy is a ballerina, giving a more sophisticated vibe (as usual, they outclass the boys). For some reason, Donald never made it around to our table. Every once in a while, the characters will begin a coordinated dance to music.

Mickey was phenomenal, as always, and our little guy was so excited to see him.

Minnie was playful and sophisticated. My wife definitely needed a picture with Minnie to complete the trip.

Daisy came by to visit us, but then she stopped by when my wife and son were in the bathroom and checked on me. It was just enough flirting to be funny without making it weird (unlike Minnie Mouse at Chef Mickey’s one time).

Me and Ballerina Daisy

Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Cost and Disney Dining Plan

The price as of writing is $54/adult and $35/child. Each person gets pastries from the table pastry basket, an entrée, and certain drinks (soda, coffee, tea, etc., kids have a more limited selection). But most importantly, you can get POG juice (passion fruit, orange, guava). It’s a pretty big deal.

If you’re a coffee snob like me, spend extra on the press pot (serves two, apparently, so I might have let my wife have some). Press pots are the best coffee in Disney World. The best press pot is in Kona Café, which is in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. You can get non-alcoholic and alcoholic specialty drinks, and espresso drinks, for an additional cost.

Here’s all of us hanging out with painter Mickey.

If you have a dining plan, this meal is one table service credit, which is an average deal for an adult, but a great deal for a child’s meal if you’re comparing cash prices. If you have an Annual Pass, it’s currently 10% off the meal. The same deal is currently available for eligible Disney Vacation Club holders. However, there is no current discount for Disney Visa cardholders as of writing. But with all of these, check the current discounts before taking my word for it because Disney changes these things regularly.

The price is steep, but it’s nice not having to think about what you’re ordering after the initial cost. And remember, you’re paying for the character experience, the atmosphere, and the view as well. Also, the food is amazing.

Topolino’s Terrace Location and Atmosphere at Disney’s Riviera Resort

Once again, Topolino’s Terrace is located at the top of Disney’s Riviera Resort, a deluxe villa/DVC resort that has an upscale Italian and French Riviera theme. It’s one of the most beautiful and interesting resorts on property, with great aesthetics, Italian and French movie posters, and the best quick-service restaurant possibly anywhere (Primo Piatto, get the grilled chicken sandwich, trust me). The rooftop, where the restaurant is, offers stunning views of the resort, Hollywood Studios, and to a lesser extent, EPCOT.

The view from the balcony. You can just make out Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios if you zoom in.

You can get there a few different ways. You could take a bus from Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom, drive or take rideshare there (with a reservation), or the best way—take the Disney Skyliner from EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, or one of the other Skyliner resorts. Since it’s on the Skyliner, it’s best to incorporate this breakfast with a day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios or EPCOT. Then you can go straight to the park rather quickly, especially EPCOT (one stop without changing gondolas, which you’ll have to do from Hollywood Studios).

Take the Skyliner from here (EPCOT) to Riviera.

The Topolino’s Terrace dining room has a bright, airy, and upscale atmosphere, but breakfast is still casual and family-friendly. Again, the restaurant sits on the rooftop level, or 10th floor, of Disney’s Riviera Resort, with floor-to-ceiling windows, high ceilings, intricate chandeliers, spacious walkways, and panoramic views. Step outside on the patio for some great photo opportunities. Sadly, they don’t serve out there, probably because it rains every other hour at Disney, just enough to ruin your food.

The beautiful Topolino’s dining room.

The French and Italian Riviera theme is elegant and understated rather than heavily Disney-themed. The characters’ artistic costumes add the Disney element but in a way that fits the atmosphere. Because breakfast is table service instead of a buffet, it generally feels calmer and less chaotic than Chef Mickey’s or Tusker House. The dinner dress code does not apply to breakfast, as you can see from T-shirt, ripped jeans, and hat.

How to Get Reservations for Topolino’s Character Breakfast

Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends is currently available from 7:30am to 12:15pm. Disney highly recommends getting reservations ahead of time because it’s very popular. You may or may not get a table at a decent time if you just walk up. Reservations are extremely important, especially for the early reservations. You (and everyone else) probably want to eat here before the parks open, so you can finish your meal and head to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios (but you still might not make it to the parks before opening, at least for early entry). However, the meal is also great for a nice brunch later in the morning after rope-dropping your favorite attractions.

For finding hard-to-get Disney reservations, check out this article. You can get reservations up to 60 days before your arrival day if you’re staying at a Disney resort (up to a 10- day stay), and up to 60 days before your dining date if you’re staying offsite. Include all guests in the headcount, even if they’re free, otherwise you may have to wait a long time for them to get the right table size for you (or worse, you might not get a table).

A photo of the quiche gruyere. You can see the all important press pot in the background.

I also need to point out that you don’t have to have park admission or be going to a park at all to enjoy this meal, since it’s in a hotel and not in a Disney theme park. In fact, we went the morning we flew home as a last Mickey experience.

Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Food

The food at Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends is amazing, as one would expect from an upscale French- and Italian-inspired restaurant. The adult entrees are unique and amazing. We loved both the quiche gruyère and the wood-fired steak and eggs. Others highly recommend the avocado and smoked salmon toast.

The woodfired steak and eggs, and the POG juice next to it.

Some Disney restaurants don’t try hard on the kids’ menu, knowing that kids just want eggs, bacon, and stuff covered with syrup, but Topolino’s even creates amazing experiences there with the Mickey waffle dippers.

Mickey waffle dipper. So incredibly adorable.

And, of course, the French pastry basket in a cute paint bucket is absolutely fantastic, especially the chocolate croissant and honey butter for the other bread (our son was a big fan of the chocolate chip muffins). It comes several pastry options, which can include chocolate chip muffins, various croissants, bread, Danishes, or other pastries and breads. The basket of pastries also comes with delicious honey butter, house-made jam, and (our favorite) chocolate-hazelnut spread.

The awesome basket of pastries

Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Menu

Here’s a link to the actual menu for you to take a look. Topolino’s Terrace Breakfast Menu.

Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Review

Again, the food is amazing. Even though our two-year-old was technically free, they brought us an extra entrée anyway (the sour cream waffle) and brought him a separate Mickey waffle dipper. I’m pretty sure that’s out of the ordinary, so don’t expect that for a freeloading toddler, but I want to highlight it because so many of our experiences at Disney go above and beyond when we aren’t expecting it. Maybe they were being nice to me because I bought two press pots of coffee. I have a problem. I know.

The sour cream waffle. Incredible.

In short, the food was so good that it was almost worth the money without the character experience, especially given that many non-Disney, upscale hotels charge that much for breakfast anyway. Combine that with the beautiful view and great aesthetic, and it might just be our new favorite character meal.

Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast with a Two-Year-Old

This is where the character dining experience at Disney really shines. Getting the character experience without having to pay for the toddler really creates a reasonable Disney magic price. Also, Topolino’s is not a buffet, unlike many other character meals. Buffets are great for picky, elementary-aged kids, but they are chaos with a toddler. We have to decide who’s going to get food for the toddler while one of sits there with the toddler. Then each parent has to get their own plate separately.

Little guy contemplating the meaning of this waffle dipper.

Not so at Topolino’s. Having them bring the food to us is so much less chaotic and stressful with any child under five in our experience. Despite the upscale feel, I would rather bring a two-year-old to Topolino’s than any buffet. And let’s not forget. Toddlers (if they aren’t scared) absolutely love the characters.

Our little guy chillin with Minnie Mouse. Just six months ago, he would have been terrified.

Is Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Worth It?

In short, yes, Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends is worth it for the amazing food, atmosphere, and character interaction. We wouldn’t come here repeatedly on the same trip, but it is definitely worth coming a couple times for the food and memories, even at the elevated price.

Conclusion

Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort is a great way to spend time with Mickey and friends, eat good food, and see amazing views in a relaxing and pleasing atmosphere. We definitely plan to make it a regular stop when we save up enough money to keep hanging out with these classic characters. 

One more picture of the fun.

If you're interested in other Walt Disney World Character Breakfasts for your next family vacation, check my article on Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort as well. Have you been here? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, even if you completely disagree (though I don’t know why you read the whole article if you already don’t like it).