Storyteller's Cafe--A Disneyland Must Do!
Written: Apr 01 '03
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Pros: Dine with Chip and Dale in a gorgeous setting w/ delicious food.
Cons: Pricey.
The Bottom Line: If your kids want to dine with a character this is a great place to do so.
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| merlot's Full Review: Storyteller's Cafe |
My family visited Disneyland last November. One of the things my daughters really wanted to do was attend a character breakfast. At the top of their list was breakfast with Chip and Dale.
I did a lot of research and discovered we could have breakfast with Chip and Dale at The Storytellers Cafe which is located in Disneyland's Grand Californian Hotel. The perfect setting for 2 crazy Chipmunks.
The Hotel
There aren't enough words to describe how gorgeous this hotel is. If you've been to Downtown Disney you've probably caught a glimpse of it. From the outside it looks like a rustic lodge. When you enter the hotel, which you will need to do to get to Storyteller's Cafe, you will definitely notice that this is a 5 star hotel.
You must walk through the Grand Lobby which boasts a high ceiling and several floors of rooms surround the lobby. The architecture is amazing and I highly recommend arriving early or planning to spend a few minutes walking around and enjoying the beautiful hotel either before or after you dine.
The Restaurant
Hurry-we're going to be late for our reservation! When you walk out the back of the lobby you will see the Storyteller's Cafe entrance to your left, the pool to your right. We entered the Cafe and were immediately greeted by a Disney Cast Member (as they like to be called). We gave her our name and we were seated immediately.
Once we were shown to our table, our waiter came and introduced himself. He explained that we had the option of ordering from the menu or enjoying the Breakfast Buffet that was prepared. He explained that drinks came with the buffet, but not with the meals off the menu, drinks would be ordered separately there. We took a few minutes to browse the menu to see what the kids might like.
The Buffet prices are $18 for Adults and $9 for Children. We thought $9 was a bit steep for 2 girls ages 6 and 3, but after looking at the menu we decided it was the best way to go.
There was so much to look at in this restaurant. It's fairly large and seats quite a few people. The decor is gorgeous and the definition to detail is awesome, true Disney style. It is very rustic and lodge looking inside. Everything is done in wood and there are a lot of carvings and murals on the wall. There are carvings of children (think Christopher Robin) lying on a hillside reading a book. The backs of the chairs are carved with a big tree design, there are stained glass windows to look at, illuminated art work featuring miners and cowboys. It's very cozy and rustic.
The Menu
The menu had a fairly good selection of breakfast dishes. Mickey Mouse waffles were $6.50 add a $2 drink and it became almost as much as the buffet. The menu also included omelets, Eggs Benedict, and other traditional breakfast fare.
We opted for the buffet for all 4 of us. It is a bit expensive, but you only live once and this is Disneyland! Besides, the buffet looked too good to pass up.
There was a huge selection of fresh fruit, breads, eggs, omeletes made to order, biscuits and gravy, sausage, bacon, even bagels with cream cheese and some lox. Since it was a buffet you were able to choose what you wanted and the quantity that you wanted. In true buffet style, we just about needed to be wheeled out of there. The food was delicious and plentiful. Good thing we spent the rest of the day walking around Disneyland.
Since we only had breakfast I cannot comment on the dinner or lunch menu, however they are open during these times also.
The Characters
I did quite a bit of research online about these character breakfasts. I had heard that the breakfast at Goofy's kitchen was better, in terms of character greetings, but the food at Storyteller's was far better.
They offer character greetings with Chip, Dale, and Pluto. The difference is that the characters stay in the main lobby area but at Goofy's kitchen the characters mingle in the dining room. We told the kids this and they still chose Storyteller's, which is good since Chip and Dale are a rarity inside the park.
The characters stay in the main lobby area and children are welcome to go up for hugs, autographs, games and stories. Their is a cast member that sits everyone down in a circle and tells a story. They also get the kids up for a game of follow the leader. There are PLENTY of photo opportunities available and we were pleased with our choice of character breakfasts.
Final Thoughts
The character breakfasts at the Disneyland resorts are expensive but you are paying for the experience. The food was delicious and we could have done a buffet at a restaurant for a little less and the food would not have been nearly as tasty.
I highly recommend making a reservation through the Disney Dining number. Although there were guests who had not made a reservation, it will definitely speed things up.
If you want to do a character breakfast I highly recommend this one. The kids had a great time and we had a delicious breakfast and enjoyed seeing the kids with Chip, Dale, and Pluto.
Next time we go to Disneyland we will give Goofy's Kitchen a try.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Get the buffet, although it's pricey it is cheaper than ordering off the menu
Best Suited For: Kids and Families
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Epinions.com ID:
merlot
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: Californina
Reviews written: 295
Trusted by: 321 members
About Me:
Feel The Roar! GO KINGS!!!!
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