Greetings from the grand opening of Walt Disney World’s newest resort property…Disney’s Riviera Resort! Today we’re here with a full review of the Topolino’s Terrace vegan dinner offerings.
Disney’s Riviera Resort is a brand new dedicated Disney Vacation Club Resort, which makes it the second of its kind behind Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. The deluxe hotel pulls its design and inspiration from Europe and the Mediterranean.
Topolino’s Terrace is the resort’s signature dining location located on the rooftop of the west wing. The restaurant is open daily for both breakfast and dinner service and offers panoramic views of the resort, Skyliner and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.
Topolino’s Terrace Vegan Dinner Review at Disney’s Riviera Resort
Topolino is the Italian name for Mickey Mouse and the Topolino’s Terrace menu draws much of its influence from Italy.
Topolino’s Terrace Atmosphere
The restaurant itself has an open and airy feel with large picture windows, dark woods and gold accents. We especially loved the chandeliers which mimic the hand made pasta displayed in the entryway.
True to its name, the restaurant offers guests access to an outdoor terrace with a limited amount of lounge seating and a small bar which was open during dinner service only.
The terrace views are unparalleled. You will especially love this area at sunset.
Topolino’s Terrace Vegan Options
Our dining party took dinner in the restaurant’s lounge area. The lounge has a small tapas menu but if you’re looking for full dinner service it’s provided upon request.
We started with two of the restaurant’s signature cocktails. These were recommended by our server when we asked which beverages proved to be most popular during cast member previews
This is the French Rose ($14). It’s a blend of Grey Goose Le Citron vodka, Combier Creme de Pamplemousse Rose Liqueur, raspberry, agave, lemon and soda water. This tasted like pink lemonade and vodka.
The second cocktail we sampled was the Modern Fashioned ($17) made with Knob Creek rye whiskey, Appleton Estate Reserve Blend rum, vanilla bean and bitters.
This cocktail is garnished with a single vegan Luxardo cherry and served over an ice cube with the Riviera Resort logo stamped in it. Très chic!
The complementary bread service here is vegan as-is and comes with two varieties of olive oil for dipping, one French and the other Italian. This is called Epi Bread and it is meant to resemble a wheat stalk. Each small section was easy to tear off and share with the table.
From the “Antipasto” section of the menu we ordered the Olives Marinees ($9). This was a selection of olives in olive oil, lemon, garlic, marjoram and bay leaf. The Olives Marinees is the only vegan small plate you’ll find on the abbreviated lounge menu if not requesting full dinner service.
The olives were delivered to the table with two small wooden bowls, which we thought might have been for the olive pits. However, all of the olives were pitted. We found out later that those were the vessels that the olive oil which accompanies the bread service would go into.
From the “Starters” section of the menu we opted for the Beets Barigoule ($17). The plating of this dish was a show stopper.
The base of the dish is a white bean purée. That purée is topped with roasted red beets, beet foam, paper thin slices of garden radish and watercress.
The beets are then covered in what one can only describe as a tent of lemon meringue. The lemon meringue is made from aquafaba and dried into sheets. These sheets, when sampled alone are tart and sweet, but when eaten with the earthy beets, make for the perfect bite.
Our entree selection was the Tarbais Bean Cassoulet ($34).
The cassoulet was presented in an individual Le Creuset casserole dish with tiny roasted heirloom carrots and a loaf of Epi Bread along with a bulb of oven roasted garlic for spreading.
The cassoulet itself was made with whole white beans in a mince of king trumpet mushrooms and plant based sausage topped with a layer of toasted bread crumbs.
We couldn’t get enough of this savory offering.
The vegan Dessert is Fruits of the Forest ($14). It was not listed on the menu with the new plant based leaf logo as the previous three dishes were, but it is vegan as-is.
A hibiscus cake is topped with black currant mousse and raspberry sorbet. The plate gets a garnish of macerated berries and an edible flower finishes the dish.
We were too full to sample it but here is a gorgeous photo that my girlfriend Carise from TheDisneyFox sent over.
Dinner at Topolino’s Terrace meets the quality and service level of established Disney signature dining locations such as Jiko, Narcoossee’s, Citricos and California Grill. Service was phenomenal and the entire restaurant ran like a well oiled machine. You wouldn’t have even had any inkling that it was opening night.
Our server was knowledgeable and attentive and let us control the pace of the meal as our group wanted to linger and enjoy each other’s company. We never felt rushed or neglected.
We will be adding Topolino’s Terrace to our rotation of fine dining while visiting Walt Disney World.
As of this publication, no cast member, Annual Passholder or Tables in Wonderland discounts are available. This seems to be the norm when a new restaurant opens and may change in the future.
Topolino’s Terrace is accessible via the Disney Skyliner, motor coach and personal vehicle.
