DH and I are pondering whether or not to make a dinner ADR at Chef Mickey's for our November trip. has anyone been there before and what did you think? I've heard it's crowded with screaming kids (which I guess is to be expected 
). We did lunch at Tusker House last trip and the food was great but the atmosphere was a little hectic. I have a feeling that Chef Mickey's is probably along the same line. Do you think a later dinner be less crazy?
We did a dinner at Chef Mickey's and we won't be going back. We found it kind of disgusting that birds live in there and are flying all over the place. Yes, even over your table. You just never know what you might find in your food. The buffet seemed really small, the food was ok. Not great. I remember the dessert selection being HUGE compared to the food selection.
On a positive, if you are seated just right, there are GREAT photo ops with the Monorail passing through overhead. That's very cool!
Tammi
I'm always a fan of a larger dessert section 
Not sure about those birds flying around though....
I had dinner there a couple of years ago. I didn't care for it. The characters were great. I didn't have an overall good experience. The food was ok (some of it was cold). I didn't have a good server.
If you are looking for a good character meal, try breakfast at Cape May Cafe.
I had breakfast at Chef Mickey's and I wasn't impressed either. I am not much of a buffet person but there are definitely other restaurants that may be better choices.
I had dinner there a couple of years ago. I didn't care for it. The characters were great. I didn't have an overall good experience. The food was ok (some of it was cold). I didn't have a good server.If you are looking for a good character meal, try breakfast at Cape May Cafe.
We are actually doing breakfast at Cape May cafe 
I'm glad to hear it's good
Breakfast Nay
Nay! Ys Cape May Cafe is great!
Thanks for the responses! Seems like a place to skip. I checked out reviews on tripadvisor as well and most people said the food was poor but the character experience was great. Since we are already doing Garden Grill (where we have been before and really loved) and Cape May Cafe (which is sounding promising) I guess theres no need to do Chef Mickey just for the characters. We're more about the food anyways since we can just see the characters in the parks.
Thanks again for the help
JoAnn C wrote:I had dinner there a couple of years ago. I didn't care for it. The characters were great. I didn't have an overall good experience. The food was ok (some of it was cold). I didn't have a good server.If you are looking for a good character meal, try breakfast at Cape May Cafe.
We are actually doing breakfast at Cape May cafe
I can also vouch for the Cape May Cafe breakfast. They have a very varied selection of food, all good; the atmosphere was relaxed; and the characters were fun. (That breakfast replaced our original Chef Mickey's breakfast reservation, and based on the above reviews I'm glad we made the switch.)
I vote a big nay for Chef Mickey's as well. I think I went when I was around 10 with my parents and baby sisters and I remember even then being very turned off by it. There are much better character meal options!
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Another Nay from me. Loud, crowded, rushed, just average buffet food. I don't ever need to go back, and quite honestly my kids (teens) said the same thing.
Chef Mickey's was ok.... but I would definitely go with Cape May and O'hana. They both have great character breakfasts...
I'm a little biased as I've worked at Chef Mickey's and I've eaten several times there as a young adult without kids and now as a Mom of a preschooler.
It's definitely an experience to try at least once. I still love the Parmesan mashed potatoes and the wide variety of desserts (although found at any Disney buffet).
If there are kids in your dining party, they will love it. Yes, it can get loud when the characters are dancing around, but that is just it. It's a place where the kids can play and dance around with the characters, something you can't do at every character meal.
If this scene doesn't appeal to you, skip it. But honestly, I've never had a bad time there 
"If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day,
so I never have to live without you." - Winnie the Pooh
The first time I ate there was about 20 years ago. Since then Jan and I ate there about a dozen or so times. The first few times I didn't think the food was very good but it changed to not bad. Jan was like a kid and just loved the whole show at Chef Mickeys and I loved to see her happy. It has since gotten a bit pricey and Jan is no longer here so I don't do it any more. You should try it at least once. Weather you like it or not depends on your own attitude..
Joe
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Thats exactly right Joe, everyone has their own likes and dislikes. Nice picture of Jan by the way!
i usually go with first timers, so they get the experience. I agree with Joe, its what you will make of it.
Member of the 6 castle club and working to pay for my next Disney vacations: 1/5-10/18, September 2018 for my 50th and 2018 the year of Disney cruising.
That's very true. I've read bad reviews on other places that I love. I guess everyone had their own opinions which can be different from your own
I love that pic Joe 
I love that picture too! Plain ole Disney joy. I haven't gone to Chef Mickey's yet, as buffets are a terrible value for this light eater...but I may do it at some point for the experience. Now that my own kids are grown, I actually love watching the kiddos having fun. I teared up in Enchanted Tales with Belle...what can I say.
