*This gluten free dining experience took place in September 2020. It includes information about dairy free options, as well as fish/shellfish, peanut, hazelnut, cabbage, and chicken & turkey allergies.

Breakfast at Topolino's Terrace

Topolino's Terrace, located at Disney's Riviera Resort, has quickly risen to be one of our top restaurants at Walt Disney World. With outstanding food, beautiful atmosphere and theming, and excellent special dietary needs accommodations, there's a lot to love about Topolino's Terrace. We first dined at the restaurant in August 2020, and after such a great meal we knew that we had to dine here for their character breakfast. During a mini-staycation at Disney's Polynesian Resort, we decided to enjoy a last minute brunch at Topolino's Terrace when we saw a late morning reservation open up.

COVID-19 & Reopening Notes

On this particular visit, we made reservations for the restaurant a few days before we dined there. I used the My Disney Experience app and found that there was a late breakfast seating, which we decided to book (the restaurant closes for breakfast at 11:15 a.m. currently). The app worked as it normally does, and we were able to add in our special dietary needs in the app and alert cast members of our needs when we arrived at the restaurant. We also utilized online restaurant check-in when we arrived at Topolino's Terrace. Online check-in includes using your My Disney Experience app to check-in yourself. It’s super easy, and I hope Disney keeps this going forward too.

Disney's Riviera Resort itself featured many mechanisms to provide sanitization, social distancing, and safety for both guests and cast members. All cast members wore facial masks and some cast members also wore protective shields, as well. All servers in the restaurant wore both facial masks and protective shields. In addition, there were many portable hand sanitizer stations for guests to use. We also saw cast members regularly cleaning surfaces and restrooms throughout our visit.

In terms of the crowds, we found that the resort itself was moderately busy compared to our visit the month before. The restaurant was also a bit busier in the waiting area, as the character meal is quite popular. However, there were very few tables with diners at them by the time we ended our meal, and we both felt the social distancing was excellent in the restaurant.

As a note, at the time of writing this review, we have been to several of the Disney Resorts, including the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Boardwalk Resort, Contemporary Resort, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Old Key West Resort, Polynesian, and Riviera Resort. All locations have the same protocols, as far as we have observed. Be sure to check with restaurants and the official Disney World website for additional information about current guidelines and recommendations.

Atmosphere

Topolino's Terrace is inspired by the French and Italian Rivieras. Beautifully decorated, bright, and refined, both Brandon and I fell in love with the decor of this restaurant the first time we dined there. Located on the top floor of the resort, the restaurant has outstanding views of the Walt Disney World Resort, and it has a lovely outside observation deck that's perfect for fireworks displays too.

Topolino's Terrace - Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

In the evening time, it has a slightly different feel as the lights dim and the Florida sunsets brighten the dining room. In the daytime, the restaurant is bright and chipper -- perfect for a character breakfast.

The restaurant includes standard seating and spacious booths. During our character meal, we were seated in one of these booths, and we absolutely loved the seating and social distancing it provided.

Topolino's Terrace / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Speaking of social distancing, at the time we dined there, Topolino's Terrace was offering a character meal experienced that was slightly modified due to COVID-19. This meant that characters did not come to your table to take photos or sign autographs. But, that didn't mean the interactions weren't just as good.

In fact, as an adult couple, both Brandon and I actually preferred the social distancing experience because we could still interact with the characters but could still enjoy our meal during the experience. Topolino's Terrace also offers an adorable show/presentation throughout your meal and that was really fun for all ages too.

The characters at the time of this review included Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Daisy Duck. Each one of the characters is dressed in outfits related to an artist outlet, such as poetry, painting, and dance. Currently, you can only see the characters in these outfits at Topolino's Terrace.

Our favorite by far had to be Donald Duck. Daisy Duck was a close second, as both the ducks were super sassy and personable. If you want to see more of the show, character interaction, and restaurant interior, be sure to check out our YouTube vlog for videos from the visit.

The Food

Like most restaurants at Disney World, Topolino's Terrace does offer an allergy-friendly menu. We also spoke directly to a chef to ask questions, including ordering dishes that could be modified to be gluten free -- but weren't listed on the allergy-friendly menu. We always recommend speaking directly to a chef for this reason.

One word about coffee if you need a bit of caffeine to start your breakfast. If you're gluten free or dairy free, most of the specialty beverages won't be an option here, as we were told they use a shared coffee maker and cannot guarantee allergy safety or cross-contamination. They do offer dairy free milk options, but I was told that plain coffee was my best choice for a safe option. Brandon was able to get a mocha on our visit, but I stuck to iced tea rather than order a plain coffee.

After speaking with a chef, Brandon and I were brought a basket of breakfast pastries to share. This visit we were served Udi's Gluten Free brand muffins, including a double-chocolate chip and blueberry muffin. We were also served Kinnikinnik brand allergy-friendly donuts with a vanilla glaze on them.

We get the donuts a lot on the Disney Cruise and are big fans of them, so those were a definite hit. The muffins we could take or leave as they're just OK in our opinion. As an aside, guests are often served butter and spreads, including a hazelnut spread. Because Brandon is allergic to hazelnut, we were not served any side accompaniments.

Topolino's Terrace - Gluten Free Crustless Quiche — Topolino's Terrace / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

For my entree, I had heard from Paleo Disney that you could order the Quiche Gruyère gluten free upon request. When I spoke to the chef, he said that it was an option but that it would take a bit of extra time to prepare. The gluten free version of the quiche is crustless, so it is more like a frittata, and it does contain dairy.

I have to say that this was definitely worth the wait. The frittata included a house-made pancetta and gruyere cheese and was really flavorful. The textures were also great. The roasted potatoes were outstanding, and my surprise favorite side was the salad. Light and refreshing, it went perfectly with the rich flavors of the GF quiche. I would absolutely request this dish again, and it might be one of the best breakfast entrees I've ever had at Disney World.

At Topolino's Terrace, you typically order one single entree. However, I did ask if I could pay an upcharge to try the large allergy-friendly Mickey Waffle. On this visit, the chef said it was no problem to order it as a second dish and that there would be no extra charge, but your mileage may vary when you visit.

The allergy-friendly Mickey waffle at Topolino's Terrace is unique in that it's a large waffle versus the smaller individual waffles you get throughout Walt Disney World. The only other location I've ever seen a large allergy-friendly waffle at was at Disneyland at Steakhouse 55.

This version came with Roasted Apple, Chantilly, and Orange-Maple Syrup. It can be made dairy free by omitting the Chantilly whipped cream. I was absolutely blown away by this waffle. The accompaniments were really flavorful and added a lot of flavor. I especially loved the orange-maple syrup. The roasted apples were a nice touch too. The waffle itself was really good -- a little dry -- but the flavors were great (and the accompaniments helped with the dryness).

When I asked about the mix, I was told that Topolino's Terrace is currently using Bloomfield Farms gluten free pancake and waffle mix. One of my biggest tips is to ask before you order about allergy-friendly waffle mixes as some on property are better than others. Overall, I would not hesitate to order this again because the flavors were all excellent.

Brandon opted for the classic Two Eggs-Any Style served with roasted potatoes and bacon. This was safe for peanut/tree nut, fish/shellfish, cabbage, and chicken & turkey allergies. It can also be made gluten free and dairy free too. While nothing special, Brandon said the entree was great. He really liked the potatoes and bacon and said he'd definitely get this again.

If you want to get more information about our visit to Topolino's Terrace for their character breakfast, we did film our visit for our YouTube channel.

Overall

Topolino's Terrace offers wonderful meal options for dinner and breakfast. If a character breakfast experience is something that you're interested in, we can't recommend Topolino's Terrace enough. We found the character experience to be great, the food and special dietary needs accommodations outstanding, and the theming to be excellent. We especially loved the unique characters and the upscale breakfast offerings. It was a great experience, and we're looking forward to going back to the restaurant for another fun character breakfast again soon!

Have you been to Topolino's Terrace for their character breakfast? What was your experience dining there?

Topolino's Terrace Character Breakfast Review

Breakfast at Topolino's Terrace

COVID-19 & Reopening Notes

Atmosphere

The Food

Overall

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