Are you looking for a little dining with character? Goofy and his pals have returned to Goofy’s Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel. Gawrsh, that's great! A-hyuck! Now you can once again fuel up with a fun breakfast, brunch and dinner meal while getting to see some of your favorite Disney characters dance by your table. Character dining at Goofy’s Kitchen is a big-time favorite for the tadpoles with the kid-friendly foods and dessert station (not to mention seeing Chef Goofy himself!). If you have visited Goofy’s Kitchen in the past, the food and the character selections are just how we remember it ... a little goofy and a whole lot of fun.
Character Dining at Goofy’s Kitchen
We have been hopping by each of the Disneyland character dining experiences as they have reopened to get the dish on how things are at this time. It felt so good to see Goofy and his besties in their chef outfits hopping by our table during breakfast and dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen. And we have hopping good news! The characters once again stop at your table for hugs, photos, autographs and high fives. Woo hoo!
Planning for Character Dining at Goofy’s Kitchen
Goofy’s Kitchen serves breakfast and dinner daily. Breakfast includes brunch items, as well, and reservations on weekends run later than during the week. So you can consider it breakfast or brunch depending on your dining time.
First of all, you’ll want to make a reservation to attend character dining at Goofy’s Kitchen. Reservations open up to 60 days in advance. If you cannot secure a reservation, you may be able to join a Mobile Dine Walk-Up List at the restaurant if there is availability.
Arriving at the Hotel and Restaurant
The restaurant is located in the Disneyland Hotel. If you are not staying at the hotel, you can access it in a couple of ways. You can walk there from other nearby hotels. If you are driving in for a meal and that’s all, you receive up to three hours of free self-parking at the Disneyland Hotel. Remember to ask for validation at the restaurant's check-in stand. You will not get validation for the Downtown Disney parking lot, so do not park there unless you plan to do some shopping and can get validation in Downtown Disney. Our Downtown Disney post has all of the details.
Don’t stay longer than your three hours, or you may return to a large parking bill. The first hour after the validation ends is $25, and then it’s $10 an hour for each hour after that (up to a $65 maximum). You may as well park in the theme park lots for $30 per day if you plan to stay much longer after your three hours.
If you have a theme park ticket and reservation for the same day you dine, we suggest parking at a Disneyland theme park lot. The parking structures are about a 10-minute walk along a pedestrian ramp from the second story of Pixar Pals parking structure. The Toy Story lot off Harbor Boulevard has buses that drop you off on the other side of the theme park entrances and then you’ll walk through Downtown Disney to get to the Disneyland Hotel. You’ll have to go through security after leaving the hotel to enter Downtown Disney to get to the parks so don't bring any selfie sticks or other banned items with you.
When you check-in at the restaurant, let them know if you have any allergies or are celebrating any special occasions. It was Lily’s birthday and she got a special cupcake and a birthday button!
Once you check-in at the restaurant, you’ll take a group photo in Goofy’s Kitchen. The PhotoPass photos are included, so have your photo code in the Disneyland app ready to go. Goofy is there to greet you but sometimes Pluto steps in to let Goofy to go check on things in the kitchen.
When they call you to be seated, you’ll receive complimentary Goofy’s Kitchen buttons for each member of your party! When you get to your table, your server will bring your drinks (there are adult or specialty options for an additional fee). You’ll pay your server at the end of the meal. Tax and 18-percent gratuity are automatically added to the bill. Be sure to show your server any discounts, such as Magic Keys, before you pay.
Food at Goofy’s Kitchen
So the food at Goofy's Kitchen is, well, a little Goofy at times. We expect nothing less! But it also has the biggest variety of food out of all the Disneyland character dining choices. It’s very kid-friendly, but adults who are looking for typical favorites or healthy choices will be happy too. And adults who are kids at heart will be thrilled to find their childhood favorites. There’s something for everyone, from chicken tenders to avocado toast and smoked salmon. It's a self-serve buffet and you can enjoy as much food as you like.
Breakfast at Goofy’s Kitchen
At breakfast, you have your normal breakfast foods (with a Disney flair): Mickey Mouse pancakes, Mickey Mouse waffles, French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon (regular and turkey), sausage, hash browns, eggs Benedict, made-to-order omelets (you can request egg whites), chilaquiles and more. Also, there’s oatmeal, fruit, and a build-your-own yogurt granola parfait. You can make a salad and enjoy deviled eggs, avocado toast and smoked salmon.
Then there are the nontraditional fun breakfast foods of pizza, mac and cheese and chicken tenders (which are also out at dinner). But besides your usual cheese pizza, you may find s'mores pizza, peanut butter and jelly pizza, or breakfast pizza. A-hyuck! Don't knock chicken tenders for breakfast. They pair nicely with Mickey waffles.
To finish off your meal, there’s a whole island of desserts and soft-serve frozen yogurt with toppings. Yum!
Dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen
Goofy's Kitchen offers the only character dining dinner option. The menu has a carving station (we saw sirloin, turkey breast and sausage), fresh catch of the day, veggies, sides, salads, fruit, fried shrimp, pizzas, mac and cheese and more surprises.
Dessert at Goofy’s Kitchen
Chef Goofy must have a sweet tooth because the dessert selection is much bigger than the other character dining locations for both breakfast and dinner. There are cookies, muffins, cakes, pastries, lemon bars, macarons, gelatin, warm desserts, seasonal items and more. But what really takes the cake is the soft-serve frozen yogurt bar with toppings. It’s available for breakfast and dinner.
Characters at Goofy’s Kitchen
You go to character dining to see characters. Right? Here's what to expect. You’ll typically get Goofy, Minnie, Pluto and Chip 'n' Dale at breakfast and dinner. (Mickey used to join in the fun during dinner at Goofy's Kitchen, but now you can catch him at his own character dining experience at Mickey's Tales of Adventure at Storytellers Café). The characters are dressed in their chef hats or aprons so they can whip up some mealtime fun. Goofy is mostly outside the restaurants posing for photos, but sometimes he wanders in.
One of the biggest differences during the Disneyland reopening period is that characters used to parade through the restaurant. That recently changed. Now the characters stop by your table to visit with you. One tradition at Goofy's Kitchen is the twirling of the napkins. You’ll hear the music change and an announcement to swirl your napkin. The characters all come out for a little dance moment and then they'll circulate past every table.
You can now hug and get close to Goofy in his "kitchen" before you are seated. Your PhotoPass photos with Goofy (or Pluto if Goofy is not available) are included in the meal.
Prices, Dining Times and Service at Goofy’s Kitchen
You have meal choices at this Disneyland character dining location. This restaurant is dedicated to just character dining, unlike other character breakfasts, which serve other meals without characters later in the day. You can have breakfast (with some brunch options thrown in) or dinner.
Dining hours do vary slightly by day:
- Breakfast is from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, it can stay open later, up until 1:30 p.m.
- Dinner is from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday but starts at 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
Your server will bring your beverages. Water, juices and soft drinks and specialty coffees, etc. are included. Adult drinks and nonalcoholic mocktails cost more. You'll have proper serving utensils and a cloth napkin. We only mention this because Plaza Inn has plasticware, paper napkins and self-serve drinks in paper cups at this time. It feels more civilized to have a metal fork and cloth napkin even if you are using it to eat peanut butter pizza. Just sayin'.
You will serve yourself at the buffet. The kid favorites are at a lower height, allowing them some independence. That makes it easier on you, but keep an eye on their choices. The dessert buffet is quite tempting. Soft-serve for breakfast? Can you blame a tadpole (or husband with a sweet tooth) for trying?
The last parade of characters through the restaurant is either 20 or 40 minutes after closing, depending on the day. If you are planning a late reservation, you'll want to book 30 to 60 minutes before closing so that you can get your character fill.
Breakfast is $49 per adult and $29 per child ages 3 to 9 before tax and gratuity. Tax and 18-percent gratuity are automatically added to the bill. You'll pay your server at the end of the meal. Adult and specialty drinks cost extra. Dinner costs a little more (but the cast members were unable to provide us with pre-tax/gratuity prices). Before tax and tip, dinner for adults is $59.99. After tax and tip, dinner is $69.93 for adults and $40.49 for kids. (Adult breakfast after tip and tax is $61.73, so breakfast will save you over dinner if the cost difference is the decision-maker.)
During certain holidays, such as Thanksgiving day, the price is higher, hours may vary and more festive foods are added to the menu.
Tips for Visiting Goofy’s Kitchen
We have a few tips for getting the most out of your character dining at Goofy's Kitchen:
- Bring your appetite and an open mind (you know you want to try peanut butter and jelly pizza).
- Make an advance reservation to dine at Goofy's Kitchen.
- Time your meal right. Do you want to fill your bellies before hitting the theme parks, or do you want to visit the theme parks at rope drop for the lowest crowds of the day and work up an appetite with a later breakfast time, making it count for lunch too? Or does dinner sound appetizing so you can relax?
- Bring your camera to capture the memories.
- Choose a day and time where you will not feel rushed.
- Talk to the check-in host and your server about special dietary needs.
- Let them know at check-in if you are celebrating a special occasion.
- Apply discounts such as Magic Key or Disney credit cards.
- Ask for a table that makes it easy to see the characters coming.
Are you looking forward to character dining at Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel? You can save money staying at the Disneyland Resort hotels or even other nearby hotels when you book through Undercover Tourist. You can also save on multi-day Disneyland Resort theme park tickets. All those savings can be used to enjoy yummy extras (give us all of Mickey pretzels!) and character dining experiences such as Goofy's Kitchen.
Related: Disneyland Character Dining: Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park at Plaza Inn
Related: Disneyland Character Dining: Mickey's Tales of Adventure at Storytellers Café
Hoppy planning!
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