Last weekend, I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in Entertainment Management and a minor in dance! To celebrate this milestone, I knew I wanted to eat at a nice restaurant on Disney property (since I trust their kitchens so much with my family’s food restrictions). I was able to snag a reservation at Topolino’s Terrace, a beautiful restaurant on the top floor of Disney’s Rivera Resort described on the app as “a signature dining experience at dinner, featuring elevated French- and Italian-inspired cuisine.” As you can see from the pictures below, it has an amazing view of the EPCOT fireworks and they even play the Luminous soundtrack in the patio, so I recommend trying to snag a reservation around the time of the fireworks (currently 9pm). Our reservation wasn’t until 9:20pm but we were still able to go out to the patio to view the show while we waited for our table!
Before I get into my experience with the food and service, I’ll also add that the restaurant itself is beautiful! It’s very elegant and expensive feeling, but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves!
Okay, now for the food! When we were seated, my sister and I received an allergy menu but were not given an option to speak to the chef. Typically, this is something that Disney restaurants encourage for those with allergies (especially severe ones). Our waitress informed us that the allergy rolls were gluten free but were not egg free (my sister’s allergy) and that she could eat the regular bread service instead. We didn’t feel comfortable with that since she usually eats from the allergy kitchen so we requested to speak with the chef, who informed us that the allergy rolls WERE in fact free of the top 9 allergens and would be safe for both of us to eat. This was off-putting for us because we were hearing conflicting information about the ingredients of their food and naturally made us a bit nervous to eat it. He then also mentioned that he can’t guarantee that any food item is free of allergens for those with anaphylactic allergies, which was odd to us because we have spoke with chefs from other Disney restaurants in the past who were very confident and reassuring that they could cook us safe food.
Because the waitress thought that only I would be able to eat the rolls, she brought out one singular roll for me. Now, I know fancier restaurants usually give smaller portions, but I am 100% a bread girly and I would probably eat an entire loaf of bread if you let me. The single roll felt odd to me and honestly a little insulting. Yes I am gluten free but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to indulge in a basket of some good old gluten-free bread and butter!
About 5-10 minutes later, the chef brought out a fuller basket of bread for my sister and I to share. When it came to ordering food, I decided on the scallop enhancement and the shrimp enhancement. My sister did not feel comfortable ordering food other than the rolls after speaking with the chef. I will attach pictures of the allergy friendly menu below. The waitress also informed me that they have gluten free pasta which isn’t on the menu.
My food was delicious, especially the scallops! Scallops and truffle-flavored anything are some of my favorite foods and combined, it was amazing. I would say these were the largest and best cooked scallops I have ever had and the jam was perfectly sweet without being overpowering. My other family members said the same about the quality and prepration of their steaks. The flavor of my shrimp was also amazing however, I wished they were a little warmer than luke-warm.
Overall, we enjoyed our food and I am already craving those scallops again. Neither I or my sister got sick from eating here which is great, but I can’t say I recommend Topolino’s Terrace for those dining with allergies unfortunately.
Have you eaten at Topolino’s Terrace with allergies before? Share your experience in the comments below, I would love to know if you had a different experience!