We have been visiting Disneyland every year since my daughter, Claire, was 2 years old, sometimes we go to more than once annually. Vacationing at Disney is a luxury and for some it may be a once in a lifetime event. Claire is now 5 and we have tried most of the character meals at Disneyland. Although we have never been to Disney World (it will be our first visit this Fall!!!), Disneyland has much fewer character meal options than Disney World. We have tried almost all the character meals that Disneyland currently offers except for PCH Grill at Pixar Pier and the Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures.
Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park
Each of the character dining that we had experience all have its pros and cons. However, if you are looking for a character meal where you get to meet a diverse group of characters or the meal with the most characters, your best bet is the Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park. This character meal is located at the Plaza Inn and it has one of the better Character interactions and they do take the time to interact with your children. Some of the characters we have met that you won’t find around the parks are Max and Rafiki. Other characters include Fairy Godmother, Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Chip & Dale, and Captain Hook. The food is ok… typical all you can eat breakfast items. I usually go for the omelet station. It is the hardest to get a reservation as it is always filled up.
Goofy’s Kitchen
Goofy’s Kitchen offers both Breakfast and Dinner character meals. We have only tried their breakfast offerings. Character interactions here are a hit or miss. We have had our breakfast and only one or two characters come over and they are not as interactive as the meals at Plaza Inn or Storytellers. Although our last breakfast meal in June, the character interaction with the kids were even more awesome than it was in February. Characters we saw were Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto.
The service provided by the waiters were below my expectation mainly because they are not attentive, and they don’t bother to refill your drinks even when the restaurant is not busy (I would see the server’s chit chatting in the corners). What irks me is they would automatically include the tip (I think it was 18%) when you pay for the meal. My guess is these servers do not see any reason to work for their tip since it is automatically added on top of the cost of the breakfast. That has been my experience on both occasions this year. Although Goofy’s Kitchen is my least favorite character meal at Disneyland it is my husband’s favorite due to the breakfast offerings. They do not have the regular breakfast offerings like other character meals. Basically, if you have a sweet tooth, you will love their P&J pizza, Smores Pizza, and Crème Brulee Pizza. They have more variety of deserts as well.
Storytellers Café
Storytellers Café is my favorite character meal at Disneyland. The food is the best in terms of quality and flavor out of the other two character meals we have experienced. One of the unique items they have was the cereal milk, which is delicious! Their hot food options are also the tastiest compared to the Plaza Inn and Goofy’s kitchen. Character interactions are awesome. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Chip, and Dale. Sometime during our meal, the kids would gather to dance around in a parade throughout the restaurant with the characters. Claire had a blast doing that. In terms of character the level of interaction the characters had with the kids, it is comparable to Plaza Inn although Storytellers wins by a hair because of allowing the kids to be involve in their ‘mini’ parade around the restaurant.
Which Character Meal Is A Must Try For First-Timers?
If you ask me which character meal is a must try for first-timers at Disneyland, it will depend on what everyone is looking for. For unique (and very sweet) breakfast offerings but not the greatest character experience (hit or miss), Goofy’s Kitchen. To see the greatest number of characters and unique characters that you will not meet in the parks, Minnie Mouse and Friends at the Plaza Inn. For a great character interaction with the children and awesome food and service, Storytellers Café.
