Hi Brittany and welcome to planDisney!
I grew up on the west coast near San Francisco, so
Disneyland was my happy place when I was younger, but now I'm on the east coast in Florida and
Walt Disney World is my happy place these days. I love going back to California and visiting Disneyland as often as possible and just took my own kids there last summer.
Goofy's Kitchen was a must-do for us and my kids just loved it, especially the different pizza options!
Walt Disney World has many different
character dining experiences. I would say that
Chef Mickey's at
Disney's Contemporary Resort is the closest to Goofy's kitchen because you get to visit with the classic characters like Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto. It is also buffet style, like Goofy's Kitchen. We always have dinner at Chef Mickey's for birthdays as a nice celebration.
If you're interested in the classic characters, but different flavors of food,
Tusker House Restaurant in
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a great option as you can see Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Daisy dressed in their safari gear looking like they're ready to go on an adventure. The African-inspired food is fantastic for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I like to make a late breakfast reservation so I'm there over the transition to lunch and then I get the best dishes from both meals.
One location we love to visit is
'Ohana in
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort for breakfast. Our favorite movie is Lilo & Stitch, so being able to have breakfast with these two trouble makers, along with Mickey and Pluto, is a must-do character breakfast for my family. Here you'll find Stitch character waffles along with flavors of Polynesia and it's absolutely delicious!
Disney dining reservations open 60 days in advance, so knowing where you would like to eat on your upcoming vacation is key at that 60 day point. You can
make dining reservation online or
over the phone. My preferred method to make dining reservations is using the
My Disney Experience Mobile App, which is really easy to navigate.
Please stop back by if you have any additional vacation planning questions.
Have a magical day!
Leslie