Chef Mickey’s dinner service has returned to Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Like with the restaurant’s breakfast service, guests can still see Mickey and friends during their meal, but from a distance without the full meet-and-greet experience. The meal is a prix fixe all-you-care-to-enjoy family-style dinner. It’s $55 for adults and $36 for children (not including tax and gratuity).

Chef Mickey’s Dinner – Arrival and Seating

Dinner is daily from 5:00 PM through 9:30 PM.

As you arrive you get a great preview of the available cocktails and the dessert trays.

COVID-19 health and safety guidelines are still in place throughout the restaurant, so expect your table to be distanced from others. Because this is a dining location and completely indoors, distancing is still six feet and masks are required unless seated and actively eating or drinking. You can check in ahead of time for your reservation on your phone via My Disney Experience.

What was a waiting area and a photo-op is now additional seating. I’m not sure I would want to eat in the makeshift room with the temporary plant wall.

Chef Mickey’s Dinner – Characters

Chef Mickey

Chef Minnie

Chef Pluto

Chef Goofy

Chef Donald

Just like at Chef Mickey’s breakfast and other modified character dining experiences, guests get a signed autograph card at the end of their meal since they can’t get an autograph from the gang.

Same as for breakfast, characters come around and spend a few moments at each table taking distanced photos with guests. There is also the occasional sing-and-dance-along to “Biscuits in the Oven” and a maddeningly repetitive “toddler-techno” music loop that is far more grating than the old, corny children’s music loop of the past at this establishment:

Chef Mickey’s Dinner – First Course

Seasonal Composed Plant-based Salad

The salads are all pretty forgettable. They’re underdressed and the greens in them are bland for the most part. Some individual ingredients stand out, but they fall flat as a whole.

Chef Mickey’s Caesar

Caesar salads at Walt Disney World are usually pretty consistent, but this one breaks away adding tomatoes and onions. Again, it’s underdressed and the added accompaniments that aren’t a constant Caesar staple just drag it down.

Citrus-poached Baby Shrimp

With Creamy Cilantro-Lime Broccoli Slaw, Greens, Avocado, Tomato

This was probably the best of the 3 salads, if only because the shrimp wasn’t fishy and the avocado tasted fresh. The “Cilantro-Lime Broccoli Slaw” that is definitely mostly carrots is likely not going to be a hit with anyone at the table.

Pastry Chef’s Bread Selections

The “bread selection” is a singular offering: Parker house rolls with seasoning. Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and salt give it something akin to an everything bagel taste. The bread was soft and buttery, which is good, because we weren’t brought any butter. These are enjoyable.

Chef Mickey’s Dinner – Plated Signature Items

With the buffet currently suspended, food is brought out family style with a skillet and 4 plates. The presentation may change based on party size. You can order more of anything brought to the table, it is all you care to enjoy.

Potato Gnocchi

With Roasted Mushroom Cream, Baby Spinach, Parmesan, Herbs  

Let the surprises begin! I am shocked to report that nothing served in this course was downright “bad”. Chef Mickey’s has never been know or loved for its cuisine. It has always been about the characters and the restaurant’s place as a perceived necessity of a Walt Disney World vacation. We warn people that the food is not good, but we never tell readers that they shouldn’t eat at Chef Mickey’s if they feel they have to as part of a “rite-of-passage”. I’m happy to say that now, a Chef Mickey’s dining experience may not leave you disappointed, at least with entrees.

For those unfamiliar, gnocchi is typically a dough lump seasoned and served with a sauce. The gnocchi here is soft, buttery, and has a hint of the mushroom cream flavor in each bite. They’re quite good.

Roasted Garlic Gratin Potatoes

With Mickey’s Parmesan Frico  

The potato gratin is what you would expect: creamy, soft, thin slices of potato. Despite the roasted garlic in the name, the taste is more subtle than overbearing.

They won’t disappoint, and neither will your photos with the Parmesan Mickey. He tastes good too if you choose to eat our Mouse-overlord.

Plant-based Farro Wheat Fried Rice

The wheat fried rice is a great option for those who can’t or won’t eat meat. It is very much like a fried rice dish, just supplanting the rice with a food that carries a wheat grain flavor, as you would expect from the name.

Chef Mickey’s Dinner – Accompaniments

Baby Carrots

With Dijon-Tarragon Butter, Brown Sugar  

Asparagus with Gremolata

There’s nothing wrong with the carrots, asparagus, or the accompanying summer succotash, but they aren’t going to blow away anyone at the table. They’re prepared well enough, serve a need to diversify the meat-heavy skillet, but they won’t be something you likely remember after the meal or even ask for more of.

Chef Mickey’s Dinner – Protein Selections

Prime Rib

with Mushroom Ragoût and Roasted Onions  

The prime rib is extraordinarily tender, so much so that we could cut it with a spoon (someone at our table dropped their knife and attempted this, so that’s how we know). It is quite juicy and well-accompanied by the mushroom ragout. The roasted onion comes in the form of one large item to the left of the meat.

Traditional Roasted Breast of Turkey

with Summer Succotash and Gravy  

The turkey is standard, but it wasn’t dry and will hit the spot.

Roasted Salmon

Sweet Mustard Glaze and Southern-style Braised Kale  

The salmon was our favorite entree. It is perfectly prepared, but the sweet mustard glaze countering the salty crumble of the top makes for a really wonderful dish. The kale is fine, but the sweet and salty mix over the tender and flavorful salmon is a winning combination.

Tofu Bowl

Available upon request (Plant-based)

Chef Mickey’s Dinner – Desserts

Mickey Mousse Dome

The desserts are pretty disappointing, so you may want to fill up on dinner. This is an Oreo topped with chocolate mousse. It’s good, offering a rich chocolate flavor, but feels out of place for a Disney table service restaurant.

Apple Crumble Tart

The apple crumble tart is the star of the plate. The buttery crust, fresh apple, and healthy dusting of cinnamon make for an all-around pleasant after-meal snack.

Strawberry Cream Cake

I’m a sucker for that 1990’s version of the Disney’s Contemporary Resort logo on the chocolate piece, but even that couldn’t make me like this. The strawberry flavor is very artificial, and the cream frosting was way too sweet for me. Hard pass.

Chocolate Chip Cookie

The standard Disney World chocolate chip cookie is present, and it is as bad as ever. A flavorless cookie with occasional bursts of chocolate, it was one of the worst I have had in my entire life.

Plant-based Chocolate-Raspberry Tart (On Request)

OVERALL

As bad as I thought dinner at Chef Mickey’s was going to be, it wasn’t even close to that preconceived notion. In fact, it is vastly improved over the buffet version that last existed in early 2020. The salads and desserts are forgettable, but the entrees were really quite solid. It isn’t the best meal you’ll have on your trip, but it may not be the worst as it once was. Let’s hope it stays this way, even if it does go back to a buffet at some point down the road.

Make sure to read our review of Chef Mickey’s breakfast too. Would you prefer breakfast or dinner at Chef Mickey’s? Let us know in the comments.

Tom Corless