Written by Tyler Braun

Walt Disney World is home to hundreds of amazing restaurants, but few can claim the high honor of being “Top Floor” restaurants. In the world of Disney Restaurants, these are up there. These elevated experiences are truly top tier establishments. They are at the top of their game. They’re constantly reaching for new heights. If they were trees, they would be redwoods. If they were an Alan Jackson, song they would be “Tall Tall Trees”. If they were cars, they would be airplanes. They’re high, that’s what I’m trying to say!

I’m talking, of course, about California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort, and Toledo, at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in the Gran Destino Tower.

In this blog, I’ll go over each restaurant, what their strengths are, and help you decide which is worth your time (spoiler alert - they all are.) We’ve eaten at all three of these restaurants on multiple occasions over the last few years, and we enjoyed all of them for different reasons.

*The view from Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort*

The Basics

Here are the three restaurants we’ll be talking about in this blog post.

California Grill

Cuisine: American, Seafood, Sushi, Fine Dining

Disney’s Description: Savor delectable, market-inspired cuisine as you take in the sights of Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom park.

Location: 15th Floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Menu: California Grill Menu

Cost: Dinner Only - As of right now, it’s a 3-course menu (1 appetizer, 1 entree, 1 dessert) $89 per adult, $39 per child age 3-9 (they used to do Sunday brunch, but that still is not back)

Disney Dining Plan: Not currently accepted

Topolino’s Terrace - Flavors of the Riviera

Cuisine: French, Italian, Character Dining, Fine Dining

Disney’s Description: Savor exquisite French and Italian cuisine at dinner—or begin your day with a scrumptious Character breakfast.

Location: 10th Floor of Disney’s Riviera Resort

Menu: Topolino’s Terrace Menu

Cost: Breakfast & Dinner: $35 - $60 per Adult

Disney Dining Plan: 2 Table-Service Credits

Toledo - Tapas, Steak & Seafood

Cuisine: Seafood, Steakhouse, Spanish, Casual Dining

Disney’s Description: Dine on tapas, seafood and steak in style at this Spanish haven inspired by surrealist art and the 1930s avant-garde.

Location: 16th Floor of the Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

Menu: Toledo Menu

Cost: Dinner Only: $35 - $60 per adult

Disney Dining Plan: 1 Table-Service Credit

Food

The food at California Grill always stood out as a step above other restaurants in Walt Disney World. We’ve tried all sorts of dishes throughout the years, from pasta to seafood to steak, and they were all incredible. Now, that said, we haven’t been since pre-Covid, and they’ve since changed their operating style. It used to be simply an a la carte menu, but they now operate with a pre-fixe menu. I don’t typically care for this style, because I feel it limits my options. Sometimes I don’t want three courses, and sometimes I would skip dessert. But, for better or worse, it’s currently a 3-course menu where you choose 1 appetizer, 1 entree, and 1 dessert off of an abbreviated menu. That runs $89 per adult, $39 per child ages 3-9. If you’ve been recently, please let us know about your experience in the comments!

Current Menu: California Grill Menu

Topolino’s Terrace has my favorite breakfast in all of Walt Disney World. The food is great, the views are amazing, and you get to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald & Daisy! It doesn’t get better than that! They’ve gone through many iterations - from an a la carte menu, to family style, to what they offer now, which is a pre-fixe menu. This includes pastries & bread, and your choice of entrées. Some of the current offerings include: Quiche Gruyère with house-made pancetta, Sour Cream Waffle, Smoked Salmon, Two Eggs Any Style, and more. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, & Daisy appear in their artist outfits, which are adorable!

The first time we had dinner here, I wasn’t a huge fan. But, we’ve since tried the dinner again, and it was fantastic! They really stepped up their game. Everything from the cocktails to the soup to our entrees were fantastic!

Current Menu: Topolino’s Terrace Menu

Toledo offers Tapas and entrees, depending on what you’re wanting. You can easily make a meal for a table by ordering several small tapas plates, or you can each get your own entree. When we went to Toledo for dinner, we did a hybrid approach. We ordered two tapas plates to share and then we each ordered an entree. The Rioja-braised Chorizo was fantastic! That was one of the tapas plates we ordered. Then Jessica ordered the Vegetarian Cauliflower with Arugula, which she thoroughly enjoyed, and I ordered the Hangar Steak with Potatoes. The steak was pretty good, but I could have eaten those potatoes for breakfast, lunch & dinner for weeks and I wouldn’t have gotten tired of them.

Current Menu: Toledo Menu

Bars

Each of these three restaurants has a bar that doesn’t require reservations. California Grill & Topolino’s Terrace have small bars off to the side of the main dining room. Toledo has an entirely separate lounge area called Dahlia Lounge. If you don’t have a reservation but you’re wanting to go to one of these restaurants, this can be a great option. They are first come, first serve, and some of them are rather small. I think Topolino has only about 10 seats.

History

Really, the only one with history is California Grill. In brief, it opened in 1971 with the opening of Walt Disney World as the “Top of the World Restaurant”. In 1981, the “Broadway at the Top” dinner show debuted and ran until 1993. It was rebranded as California Grill in 1995.

Topolino’s Terrace opened December 16, 2019. Topolino is the Italian name for Mickey Mouse, & it’s inspired by Walt Disney’s travels in through France and Italy.

Toledo opened August 5, 2021. Its “history” has more to do with the relationship between Salvador Dali & Walt Disney than the location itself. They met in 1945 and they began to work on a short called “Destino” together. It never came to fruition, but finally in 2003, Disney released it.

Views

This is where these three restaurants really shine! They are all, of course, top floor restaurants, so the great food comes with sweeping views! All three restaurants have floor to ceiling windows, and all three offer outdoor terraces if you want to brave the elements.

California Grill looks over Seven Seas Lagoon & Magic Kingdom. It does not have outdoor seating, but you can walk outside and watch the evening fireworks at Magic Kingdom. If your reservation time doesn’t coincide with the fireworks, you are welcome to come back to the restaurant to view the fireworks from its outdoor observation decks. California Grill pipes in the music for the show and dims the lights, so you get a spectacular and unique show experience. Any receipt (even from the bar) will allow you to enjoy this!

Topolino offers views of the Riviera Courtyard & pools, Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Skyliner, Epcot, Tower of Terror, Everest, Swan & Dolphin, & World Showcase in Epcot! It’s just as spectacular in the morning as it is in the evening, but if you can find a time at “golden hour” as the sun starts to set, that’s perfect. You can see some fireworks in the evening from Epcot, depending on the time of your reservation. They do NOT pipe in the music as they do at California Grill, so it’s less immersive, but the view is great! I recommend getting a reservation around the time of sunset, so with dessert you might be able to see the fireworks. There are a small number of patio seats available.

Toledo has views of the Swan & Dolphin, the Epcot Ball (in the distance), Tower of Terror, Galaxy’s Edge, Everest, Pandora, and even Blizzard Beach. Dahlia Lounge does have some outdoor seating with chairs, coffee tables, etc, so you can lounge outside if you wish. Here you can see fireworks from both Epcot and Hollywood Studios, but they’re both in the distance.

Ambiance

California Grill - You will check in on the 2nd floor, then a private elevator takes you to the 15th floor. This is definitely the most high end of the three, but that’s “Disney High End”. My advice is to make it a special occasion and aim to dress a little nicer, but inevitably you’ll see jeans and t-shirts. There is a great “onstage” kitchen that is entertaining to watch, and lights will dim as music for the evening castle show is piped in to the restaurant speakers.

Topolino’s Terrace - For breakfast, this is definitely a casual restaurant. In the evening, the ambiance becomes slightly more upscale, but this is not as “high-end” as California Grill. Not that kids wouldn’t enjoy the dinner, but if you have kids, the breakfast is what you’re going to want to do.

Toledo - Of our three contestants, this is definitely the most casual for dinner.

Character Dining

Character dining is only offered at Topolino’s Terrace and only for breakfast.

Our Rankings

Best Food - Topolino for Breakfast (it’s the only option, but I really do like it) California Grill for Dinner

Best Ambiance - Toledo

Best Views - California Grill (for Fireworks only), otherwise Topolino

Best for Adults - Toledo

Best for Kids - Topolino (for breakfast)

This article was originally posted to the Disneyville Podcast Blog

Battle of the Top Floor Restaurants: California Grill vs Topolino vs Toledo