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Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera is a premier, high-quality table service dining option at Disney’s Riviera Resort in Orlando, Florida.
It is a Disney World Signature Dining experience, meaning you can expect fine dining, higher-quality foods…and a higher price tag. In this blog entry, I examine whether or not dinner at Topolino’s Terrace is worth the cost, based on my family’s experience at the restaurant, by giving you reasons why it is worth the price tag and reasons why it isn’t.
Why Topolino’s Terrace Dinner Is Worth It
The Food Is Delicious
The food here is incredible. The menu features French and Italian cuisine. I am a big of both those cuisines, so I suppose it’s not a surprise I really liked the food here.
But the food here was exceptionally good. Take, for example, the Filet Mignon. The meat was so good you could practically use a fork to cut it.
And not every restaurant at Walt Disney World serves Classic Sole Meunière.
It was a dish we had been wanting to try – and we were glad we did, because it was delicious!
So as long as you’re going to be spending a lot of money on food (which you always do at Disney World), it’s good to know you’re eating delicious, high-quality food. And that is certainly the case when you have dinner at Topolino’s Terrace.
There Are Great Drinks Available
In addition to delicious food, there are wonderful drinks available at the restaurant. There is a sit-down bar in the restaurant
They have a wonderful mix of cocktails, beers, and wines, with many being from the Mediterranean region. You can also get a glass or bottle from Disney Family of Wines.
You Can See Fireworks During Dinner
Topolino’s Terrace is on the top floor of Disney’s Riviera Resort. So that means if you time your reservation right (and we absolutely recommend you make a reservation – you can learn about Disney advanced dining reservations here), you can see the Epcot fireworks right from the restaurant! We could see it right from our seats!
Want to get pictures and videos of the fireworks without having to look through a window? Step outside onto the Terrace! Yes, this restaurant is, after all, called Topolino’s Terrace for a reason. There’s an outdoor balcony, and you can step outside there at any time during your meal. So you can watch the fireworks from there.
You Get Great Views From The Terrace
Speaking of the outdoor balcony, you can step outside there and get great views anytime during your meal, not just during the fireworks. And you can get wonderful views from there. You can see both the Caribbean Beach Resort and the Riviera Resort.
It’s also a nice place to relax and perhaps have a drink while you wait for your food to be ready.
You Feel Special
This restaurant feels special, and that can make your Walt Disney World even more, well, magical. I went on my sister’s birthday. To make the experience more special, we dressed up. I packed a dress and nice shoes, and I had fun dressing up. We were staying at the Riviera, so it was very convenient. Sometimes it’s fun to dress up and have a nice dinner.
Now I should say here, you absolutely do not have to dress up. The dress code is “resort casual”, so I think we were some of the only ones really dressed up (though we didn’t feel out of place in the nice restaurant at all). So you don’t have to pack a fancy dress or tuxedo or anything. A spirit jersey and jeans (as long as they aren’t ripped), for example, are fine.
But if you want to dress up like I did, you can, and I think that can make the dining experience a bit more special than other restaurants at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Also, speaking of feeling special, since it was my sister’s birthday, we told them, and she got a special treat for her birthday.
That’s just something extra you don’t get at every Disney restaurant that we liked.
Beautiful Decor
Part of why we felt so right dressing up is that the restaurant itself is beautifully decorated.
It has an upscale look and feel that adds to the experience.
Why It’s Not Worth It
It’s Expensive AF
The price tag in some ways is not surprising. After all, you’re getting high-quality, delicious food. You’re in Walt Disney World. The atmosphere is great, and you get a great view of fireworks.
But yeah, it is really expensive. For example, remember that Filet Mignon I mentioned before? It costs $63. When you add in things like the tip, your drink, etc., this really adds up.
I do, however, have a great hack to make the overall price cheaper, which I discuss later in this blog entry.
No Characters
Now, this might not matter to you. There are a lot of features this restaurant offers (such as the view of fireworks, delicious food, etc.) that it’s not as if this dinner needs characters to justify the price tag.
But this is Disney World. And I know a lot of our readers love the character dining experiences. And some of you might be expecting characters at this dining experience, especially since there are characters at breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace.
I also know that for some of you visiting Disney World, if you are going to splurge on, for example, just one great dining Disney experience, you will want there to be characters at that dining experience. And that is simply not the case with dinner at Topolino’s Terrace.
Out of the Way
Unless you are staying at Disney’s Riviera Resort (or a short walk away at Disney’s Caribbean Resort), then eating at Topolino’s Terrace can be a bit out of the way. You can take a Skyliner from the Skyliner Station outside the World Showcase entrance of Epcot. But you’ll have to leave the park.
But there are signature Disney dining experienes that are actually in the parks, such as Be Our Guest at Magic Kingdom, The Hollywood Brown Derby at Hollywood Studios, Tiffin’s Restaurant at Animal Kingdom, and Monsieur Paul at EPCOT. These would be more convenient if you are already at the park. It means you can, for example, enjoy attractions at Magic Kingdom, have your dinner at Be Our Guest, and then do a few more rides. No wasted time on transportation to and from the park.
So that is something to consider when deciding if the price of this dining experience is worth it.
Of course, it is incredibly convenient if you are staying at the Riviera Resort.
Saving Money at Disney’s Riviera Resort
And if staying at Disney’s Riviera Resort is something you would like to do for your next Disney trip, there are ways you can do it at a discounted price using these hacks. Use some of these hacks, and you could save a lot of money on your stay – and you could even use the money you save to eat at Topolino’s Terrace!
Other Restaurants at Disney’s Riviera Resort
Topolino’s Terrace isn’t the only restaurant at the Riviera Resort my family loves. You can read more about their restaurants in our Riviera Resort Dining Guide.
Hack to Save Money at Topolino’s Terrace
Remember how I mentioned there was a hack that could help you save money on your meal? Well, I want to finish by telling you this one hack that will save money at Topolino’s Terrace (which, of course, makes the experience more worth it). And that is to use Swagbucks.
Swagbucks is a free website where you earn money doing things you may already be doing. You can earn Swagbucks by playing games, uploading receipts from the grocery store, doing internet searches, etc. You can then redeem these Swagbucks for Disney gift cards. And then you can use Disney gift cards to help pay for your meal! Find out more about Swagbucks here.