Character Dining

Character Dining. It's a great chance to get some good food and meet some of your favorite characters for a semi okay price! Now, during my time there, I actually was able to go to every character dining (yay, holiday coupons!). I am here to tell you the ones I recommend, best characters, and best food. I hope I can help all of your character dining needs!

Plaza Inn

Disneyland

Breakfast

Buffet

$$ ($15 - $29.99)
Plaza Inn is located right at the end of Main Street on the right side next to Tomorrowland. It is a fantastic restaurant to go for character dining or just go for dinner (their fried chicken is the best food in Disneyland).

Food: I really enjoyed the food! Most of the character breakfasts have the same general food, eggs, bacon, Mickey waffles, omelets, all the basic breakfast foods. There isn't much that's original about this place. 

Characters: I think this dining has the best characters. I was able to meet Chip, Dale, Minnie, Tigger, Eeyore, Captain Hook, and the Fairy Godmother.

Overall: I would definitely recommend. The food and characters were great! If you are going to character dining for both the characters and quality of food, I would definitely say Plaza Inn is the place to be! I had a such a great time and found it very convenient that we could go straight to a (calm and not too dizzying) ride since we were already in the park. It is also nice to have the option to eat inside (near the food and to keep warm) or eat outside and people watch or enjoy a warm morning.  

Ariel's Grotto

California Adventure

Breakfast and Lunch (Dinner is a World of Color Package)

Menu

$$$ ($30 - $59.99)
Ariel's Grotto is located right next to the Paradise Pier and right before the Cove Bar (great lobster nachos!). It is the place to be for all those princess lovers.

Food: I thought the food was okay, not outstanding by any means. The meal is a set price and comes with a drink, soup or salad, main dish, and dessert. I ordered crab chowder as my appetizer and steak as my main dish. The dessert was three little mini desserts like a chocolate covered strawberry and creme brûlée. All of the food was good, but I would never pay $60 again for the meal I had.

Characters: This place is definitely for the princess lovers. You see five princesses, including the picture with Ariel when you first walk in. I was able to see Repunzel, Cinderella, Belle, and Tiana. The princesses change every meal but I am pretty sure you're guaranteed five. 

Overall: I probably would not go back. I think a "I've done it once, I'm good for now" will suffice. The only way I might do it again is with the World of Color dinner package, but probably not. 

Storyteller's Cafe

Grand Californian Hotel & Spa

Breakfast (Lunch & Dinner without characters)

Buffet

$$ ($15-$29.99)
Storyteller's is located in the back of the hotel past the gift shop and next to Napa Rose. It is a nice place to dine if you need somewhere to go before going into California Adventure or during your time at the hotel. 

Food: Storyteller's is one of my favorite places to eat for breakfast. The buffet has pretty much the same food as all the others, but for some reason I really enjoy eating here. The Mickey waffles will always be my favorite! The sauce and syrup they have for them are delicious. 

Characters: Now this place has characters that are definitely not the norm. The hotel is an arts & crafts theme, so the restaurant follows suit. You are able to see all of the woodland creatures, the fox, the bears from brother bear, meeko, chip and dale. 

Overall: I think this is a great place to have breakfast! Not too expensive if you are more interested in the food than the chaacters. If you are there for the characters, I would recommend somewhere else, but it's a lot of fun to meet characters you will never see in the parks! 

Goofy's Kitchen

Disneyland Hotel

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Buffet

$$$ ($30-$59.99)
Goofy's Kitchen is located right next to the convention center and their fine dining restaurant, Steakhouse 55. Many people consider this the best character dining on the Disneyland Resort Property. 

Food: Again, all the food was pretty much the same for me. The difference at Goofy's Kitchen is that they have some unique pieces like mac&cheese pizza and pb&j pizza. Both were okay, not fantastic. 

Characters: This is another great place for characters. I was able to see Goofy, Chip & Dale, Alice & the Mad Hatter, and others I honestly cannot remember. 

Overall: I think I just went at a slow time, but it was just alright. I've heard (and seen from outside) that the characters dance and music is playing. None of that was happening when I was there. It was so dead that the characters were pushing in chairs and fixing the napkins on the tables. I don't think I'd ever eat there again unless there was some discount or I knew it was a busy time and a bit more lively. 

Disney's PCH Grill

Paradise Pier Hotel

Breakfast (Dinner without characters)

Buffet

$ - $$$
The PCH Grill is located towards the right of the hotel when you walk in the main entrance. 

Food: I feel like a broken record, BUT it was all the same. I enjoyed my Mickey waffles here just as much as the other character dining. I do feel like the food was a little more eh than the others. It just didn't taste as fresh.

Characters: The biggest upside to the PCH Grill (and honestly the only reason why I think a lot of people go here) is that it is the ONLY character dining that guarantees Mickey. So if that's a big deal to you, I'd recommend here. I also met Stitch, Daisy, Pluto, and Minnie. 

Overall: I thought this was a fun place. The characters were great and very animated. I would go again if I had the chance.

Overall, I would definitely recommend character dining while you are at Disneyland no matter what age you are. It's a fun time and can be good food! One recommendation I do have is to make reservations. I think with any Disney Dining, reservations are a must! If you have any questions, let me know!