Recently, my family was joined by Traci, owner of Middle of the Magic Travel, and her girls to experience Topolino’s character breakfast. This dining experience takes place atop the new Riviera Resort at Walt Disney World. Fun fact-Topolino is Italian for baby mouse! Of course, that means the main Mouse himself is to be found here! Mickey is also joined with his gal Minnie and best friends Daisy and Donald Duck.
The theming here is different than other character meals as it gives a more European vibe. The Disney website refers to it as “Breakfast `a la Art with Mickey and Friends.’ It is offered daily from 7:30-11:00 am and is considered one credit on the Disney Dining or Disney Deluxe Dining plans. If not on a dining plan, it is $41 per adult and $24 for children ages 3-9. They did take Tables in Wonderland, DVC and club 33 discounts at the time of our visit.
You will find Mickey dressed as an artist, Minnie the poet, Daisy the Dancer, and Donald the sculptor. All The character interaction at our breakfast was spectacular. They circled around the restaurant greeting every table, but because we had a later in the morning reservation they stopped by multiple times! The restaurant was almost empty when we left, giving us perfect rooftop views out all the tall windows. There is even a deck area that you can go out and see views of the resort, skyliner, and Caribbean Beach Resort.
Enough on the characters, let’s talk about the food! As someone who has celiac and doesn’t have choice on if I eat gluten free or not, I am always nervous to see what will be offered. Especially when somewhere is so new. I was offered to speak with a chef, but our waitstaff was knowledgeable about what we could and could not have so I declined speaking with the chef. Topolino had me covered! When we first were seated, we our waitstaff presented with POG juice. For those of you who do not know, this is wonderful juice served across many Disney restaurants. Passion fruit, orange and guava juice. So delicious. Because we were on the dining plan, they even added vodka to my husbands as his free alcoholic drink. Traci had a Classic Bellini that I did try and have to say from someone who does not drink alcohol, it was delicious! The had several different alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks to choose from, including fresh pressed coffee, I stuck with POG juice and my daughter opted for the hibiscus green tea.
After we had our drink orders placed, we were given a pot of pastries. This included gluten free muffins and donuts! I believe they are Kinnikinnick brand, which is one of our favorites. They are 100% free from gluten, eggs, dairy, nuts, peanuts and soy making them a great option for allergy families! The dipping sauces are a clotted cream, hazelnut chocolate (like Nutella) and strawberry preserves.
For my entrée I had decided that I did not want anything heavy after all those pastries, so I opted for the two eggs any style with choice of protein and potatoes. This is a simple, classic breakfast but do not let it fool you. It was all cooked perfectly and delicious! I am not a fan of onions, so beware that they are mixed in with the potatoes. But you can order them without. Other options available gluten free were the wild mushroom scramble, wood-fired butchers’ steak, Mickey Waffles (not on the menu), and the fruit plate. I really enjoyed seeing that they offer a seed granola in place of an oat granola since not all oats are gluten free.
My daughter, who also must eat gluten free was able to order the kids Mickey Waffles even though it is not on the allergy menu. Our waiter was great in that she couldn’t decide between scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon or fruit so he brought them all for her! If you have an allergy and see something on the regular menu that you want but it is not listed on the allergy menu, speak to the chef or the waitstaff. The waffles came presented on a stick like lollipops with 3 dipping sauces. A caramel, berry and chocolate. My daughter said she liked to dip the chocolate and berry together, so it tasted like a chocolate covered strawberry. On the menu it is presented to select one entrée and two selections, but from our experience, do not hesitate to ask for additional items.
Important to note-you can only get to Topolino’s using the East Wing elevators. The lack of lobby in Riviera makes it hard to navigate coming from the West Wing. If you are coming from the West Wing, cut through the lobby and take the elevators to the 10th floor. If you are coming from the Skyliner or Caribbean Beach, that is the East Wing elevator and you will go right up to the 10th floor. No need to go to the lobby.
As far as service went, we had to ask for water for myself as well as the baby 3 different times and we did not get it until right as we were leaving. Our waiter was kind, but service was very slow and inattentive. For as empty as the restaurant is, we had a hard time understanding why he wasn’t coming back to bring all of our initial drinks or check about refills. Overall it was a great experience and some of the best character interaction we have had at a character meal! High recommend for those who need to eat a gluten free diet. Be sure to check out those plant-based options on the menu also!
