When Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera first opened in late 2019, initial reviews ranked it very high among guests who frequent Walt Disney World.
However, since Topolino’s Terrace re-opened after the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant went under several changes that led guests who frequented the signature-dining restaurant to change their views. After having gone to Topolino’s Terrace multiple times in the last year both for breakfast and dinner, I can confidently say that this rooftop restaurant still remains on my short list of top Disney World restaurants – and one that I intend to go back to again and again. This Topolino’s Terrace review will cover many of the latest dinner offerings at this signature dining rooftop restaurant.
As the name suggests, Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera offers European dining options inspired by the French-Italian Riviera. With steak, lamb, seafood, pasta, and plant-based options, guests have plenty to choose from to suit their palette. Topolino’s Terrace also features one of my absolute favorite character dining experiences for breakfast which is a completely separate dining menu from the dinner menu.
Let’s take a dive into this Topolino’s Terrace review!
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Disney’s Riviera Resort Overview: A Showcase of Walt Disney’s European Travels
Walt Disney and his wife Lillian spent much of their travels throughout Europe and the Mediterranean coastline – especially France and Italy.
To pay homage to his travels, Disney Imagineers designed the entirety of Disney’s Riviera Resort with inspiration from European art, architecture, and stories. From the outside, guests looking at the building first take note of all the rooms seemingly squished together, just like apartments across the French-Italian Riviera. On the inside, guests are treated with European-inspired interior design that feels elegant but still homey.
And of course, in addition to everything that inspired Imagineers when designing this resort, the restaurants, bars, and lounges are a major part of the guest experience.
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Topolino’s Terrace Review: The Basics
Let’s start off with some useful information to help you plan your next Disney World vacation.
Topolino’s Terrace participates in the Disney Dining Plan as a 2-credit table service restaurant for dinner. It also accepts Disney Vacation Club and Annual Passholder discounts. In terms of food pricing, Topolino’s Terrace is comparable to that of California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Narcoossee’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. So, expect entrees to cost around $50. And while there is a dress code at Topolino’s Terrace, khaki pants, polo or dress shirts, skirts, dresses, and even non-ripped jeans work just fine here. Finally, Topolino’s Terrace is open from 5:00pm to 9:30pm for dinner.
Topolino’s Terrace Review: Design and Theming
With “Topolino” being the Italian name for Mickey Mouse, there are subtle but tasteful nods to Mickey as well as great design and theming to the French-Italian Riviera.
What I love about Disney’s Riviera Resort and Topolino’s Terrace is that its theming and décor are elegant and refined without feeling overdone. Inspired by cliffside restaurants along the French-Italian Riviera, the colors are warm, and with windows almost fully surrounding guests, greet guests with a very open and embracing atmosphere. And with modern refinery and Mediterranean touches, guests are able to view the restaurant’s fresh cheeses and handmade pastas, and marvel at how their food is made at the expo kitchen.
These characteristics alone make Topolino’s Terrace a wonderful restaurant to dine in.
However, being a rooftop restaurant gives a lot more perks to guests dining here.
Situated on the top floor of Disney’s Riviera Resort, guests get spectacular views of Orlando and Walt Disney World. Enjoy the sunset while dining inside, or take a step outside with a drink in hand to soak in the sunset with the welcoming breeze. And when the time comes, enjoy the nighttime spectacular at EPCOT.
Topolino’s Terrace gives a lot of other signature dining restaurants a run for their money!
Topolino’s Terrace Review: Menu
Let's go through the menu focusing on starters, entrees, and dessert for my Topolino's Terrace review.
Topolino's Terrace Review: Starters
Just about everything from the dinner menu at Topolino’s Terrace is everything to write home about.
Your meal starts with the complimentary the bread service, which consists of house-made French bread with cold-press olive oil. Although the bread service is simple, both the bread and olive oil are of high quality and very enjoyable. Not to mention the bread is baked in the shape of olive leaves! I personally like to add a splash of balsamic vinegar in my olive oil for a little extra taste.
From the current list of starters, I’ve had the pleasure of trying the Burrata, which I’ve been told is imported from Italy, and pairs well with the beets and candied walnuts. My wife and I are big fans of burrata, and the Burrata here tops our list of cheeses we’ve had. Add some burrata to your French bread, and you have a wonderful match.
I’ve also tried the Ratatouille Fritter, which is a fried and breaded variation on the traditional Ratatouille dish. When dipped in the piperade sauce, this starter adds a whole lot of flavor to your meal.
Topolino's Terrace Review: Entrees
The beauty of dining with family and friends is the ability to try multiple dishes (assuming your companions are open to sharing). Let’s go over some of my favorite entrees on the dinner menu.
Classic Sole Meuniére
The Classic Sole Meuniére is arguably the most popular entrée at Topolino’s Terrace. Take 1 bite into this fish and you’ll understand why: it’s crispy on the outside and loaded with flavor that sends you straight into an Anton Ego Ratatouille moment. The lemon and butter add a nice contrast to the overall flavor of the dish. And with the petite potatoes, baby squash, and cauliflower add a variety of texture and flavor to compliment the fish.
Filet Mignon
The Filet Mignon, while not my first choice at a restaurant like Topolino’s, is still a really solid dish. To be fair though, there are a handful of restaurants at Walt Disney World that do steaks extremely well. The steak itself (which was ordered medium rare) is really well-cooked – some crispiness on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. And while the truffle pomme purée does elevate its flavor making it a contender for my top 5 steaks on Disney property, there’s a small handful of steaks that sit far and above this one. Don’t worry – the Filet Mignon is still a solid choice.
Braised Lamb Shank
The Braised Lamb Shank was so tender that the meat easily fell off the bone – easily one of the best lambs I’ve ever had. And both the polenta and jus added such different and wonderful flavors and textures to add to the overall experience.
Sea Scallops
The Sea Scallops are some of the best scallops I’ve ever had. Scallops are easy to overcook, so it was wonderful to bite into these tender and soft scallops. And while I miss the risotto it used to come with, the potato garlic crisp add a contrasting texture I enjoy.
Bouillabaisse
To me, the Bouillabaisse is a homey stew with a wonderful mix of red snapper, branzino (sea bass), clams, shrimp, squid, mussels. The saffron really pulls through to add to the overall taste. The only thing I wish there was more of was the sliced French bread to dip into the fish stew.
Rigatoni
Lastly, the Rigatoni is the first entrée I ever had at Topolino’s and a crowd favorite that I keep wanting to get again but talk myself out of only because I want to try a new dish. The house-made pasta is cooked al dente (as expected) and the braised chicken sugo is flavorful and is wonderfully soft. But what really makes this dish shine is the black truffle, which elevates the flavor of the dish above and beyond other pasta dishes on Disney property.
Enhancements/Add-Ons
For those looking to add even more flavor to your meal, you have the option of adding Grilled Shrimp, Seared Scallops, or Brussels Sprouts to your entrée.
The Brussels Sprouts are really tasty and have that classic crunchiness to it. However, if you’re looking for an excellent combination, I recommend adding the seared scallops to the Filet Mignon for a wonderful surf-and-turf dish. The texture of the perfectly cooked scallops are an excellent pair to the flavors of the Filet Mignon.
Topolino's Terrace Review: Dessert
The dessert at Topolino’s Terrace is absolutely worth capping your night off with.
The Vanilla and Citrus Créme Brûlée, originally made for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration, has come to stay at Topolino’s Terrace, and for good reason. Its light and citrus flavors make it a great way to end your meal. And while the mini beignets had the consistency more akin to donut holes, the créme brûlée itself paired really well with the citrus.
However, the Warm Chocolate Cake is something I would get again and again. The combination of the deep chocolate flavor of the cake and oozy salted caramel filling was wonderful and very rich. With this much flavor, it’s likely a good idea to share this dessert. And to top it off is the Chantilly and raspberries, which send your taste buds on a trip to the moon.
If you’re deciding on whether or not to get dessert after such a filling meal, the answer is always “yes” at Topolino’s Terrace.
Topolino’s Terrace Review: Best Time to Dine
Like many signature dining restaurants on Disney property, the best time to dine at Topolino’s Terrace is right before the sun starts setting.
One of the luxuries of Topolino’s Terrace is its location on the top floor of Disney’s Riviera Resort. And with windows on 3 of the 4 sides of the restaurant, guests get a wonderful view of Orlando, Disney property, and EPCOT. So as you get seated, order from the menu, and enjoy your food and drink, I highly encourage you to take your time while soaking in the sights with your loved ones, savor your food, and interact with your Cast Member servers.
But that’s not all.
Starting your dining experience around sunset gives you the chance to truly enjoy the outdoor terrace, which you’ll be encouraged to walk to as you wait for your food. And toward the end of your dining experience, if you’re there after sunset, you’ll want to walk out to the terrace again to enjoy one last magical experience: the nighttime spectacular at EPCOT. Topolino’s Terrace gives you a wonderful view of the fireworks while the music gets piped in through their speakers!
This dining experience is what makes Topolino’s Terrace an excellent value for your money.
Topolino’s Terrace Bar Review
With how wonderful the overall experience at Topolino’s Terrace is, I’m about to let you in on one of the best-kept secrets of Walt Disney World dining.
When it comes to the signature-dining restaurants across Disney property, guests have the best chance at getting a table by making an Advanced Dining Reservation. However, Advanced Dining Reservations for Topolino’s Terrace tend to fill up very quickly, and I understand if you’re not so keen on waking up at 6:00am EST (or 3:00am PST) to 60 days in advance to make your reservation. More so, while Disney does accommodate walk-up reservations, you’re not always guaranteed a table.
So unless you’re one of the lucky ones with an Advanced Dining Reservation, you’re out of luck, right?
Not so fast – let me introduce you to the bar at Topolino’s Terrace.
Like many other signature dining restaurants, Topolino’s Terrace does have a bar that accommodates guests without having to make an Advanced Dining Reservation. However, unlike other bars at signature dining restaurants, Topolino’s Terrace is able to accommodate at least 20 guests – that’s double the amount other signature dining bars can accommodate! To make the deal sweeter, guests can order from the exact same dining menu that dinner guests order from, making your dining experience very similar.
A very similar dining experience with the same great Disney service without the Advanced Dining Reservation? Sign me up! (pun intended).
However, if you need tips on how to get a last-minute dining reservation at Walt Disney World, click here!
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There are so many wonderful entrees at Topolino’s Terrace that it can be difficult to decide what to get. For fans of seafood, both the Classic Sole Meuniére and Sea Scallops are great options. However, for those who are looking for a more “meat-and-potatoes” meal, the Filet Mignon is an excellent choice.
Both for breakfast and dinner, Topolino’s Terrace is not all you care to eat. While dinner at Topolino’s Terrace has always been a la carté style, breakfast used to be all you care to eat but changed to a Pre Fixe menu with pastries for the table and your choice of 1 entrée.
While the dress code at Topolino’s Terrace isn’t very strict, I would definitely avoid wearing swimwear, casual shorts, t-shirts, or ripped jeans to this signature dining resetaurant. Generally, khaki pants, polo or dress shirts, skirts, dresses, and even non-ripped jeans are acceptable here.
One of the biggest draws to Topolino’s Terrace is that you can see the fireworks from this rooftop restaurant. In addition to being able to see the fireworks from your table if you’re seated next to a window on the right-hand side of the restaurant, guests have access to the outdoor terrace to enjoy the fireworks as well.
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