Character dining experiences are part of the fun of Disney World. You can have breakfast with everyone from Mickey and Minnie to Lilo & Stitch!

Santa Claus in Hollywood Studios

But did you know that this is the time of year when you can have breakfast with someone else who only comes around during the holiday season? Yep, that’s right — you can have breakfast WITH SANTA in Disney World! And that’s exactly what we did!

So where does this magical breakfast happen? Well, join us as we head on over to Maria & Enzo’s Ristorante in Disney Springs to check it out!

Atmosphere

When we arrived, there was already a line of people waiting to get inside — as you can see, this experience is already a hit with the kids!

Waiting in line

The line continued inside where we checked in at the restaurant.

Checking in and waiting for our seat

Maria & Enzo’s is themed to be an abandoned-airline-terminal-turned-restaurant in the 1930s, but for this occasion, the restaurant was decorated for the holidays with festive garland…

A FESTIVE abandoned airline terminal

…and a Christmas tree!

The tree!

Gotta’ love those SUPER high ceilings, right? Plenty of natural light gets in there.

Eats

Okay, so we’re here to have some breakfast, so what’s on the menu? We’ve got typical breakfast foods, like bacon, sausage, potatoes, pancakes, and eggs. Also, adults can get a complimentary Prosecco mimosa!

The Menu

We started with some breakfast pastries, oatmeal, and a selection of seasonal fruit.

How it started

The pastries selection included Muffins and Croissants.

Muffins, croissants, and assorted pastries

For protein, there’s bacon and sausage. 

Meats

Pancakes are served plain with syrup on the side. These are just regular old pancakes, though — there isn’t anything special about them (yes, we’re spoiled because we love Mickey-shaped breakfast food).

Pancakes

We also had Scrambled Eggs — we’ll be honest, this was our least favorite breakfast item.

Eggs

However, the Potatoes were our favorite item, but we do love some potato barrels (or tater tots, or whatever you want to call them).

Taters

Overall, it was an average Disney breakfast — nothing too special.

Check out the spread for Breakfast with Santa! pic.twitter.com/arSzvpKspl

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 26, 2022

But that’s not the main reason you come to this event — it’s Jolly Old St. Nicholas!

Santa

At the event you’ll get a meet and greet with Santa! We noticed him walking around the restaurant first while we ate and then we were later called to get in line to meet him.

We know him!

Hi SANTA!

It’s breakfast with Santa time over at Maria and Enzo’s! pic.twitter.com/84gLpI8h2B

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 26, 2022

We also liked the entertainment in traditional Dickensian costumes!

Entertainment

The breakfast does include a family photo with Santa, as well as a goodie bag…

Goodie bag

…with take-home treats! We got a candy cane and a Ginger Molasses Cookie.

Snacks!

Regular seats at the breakfast are $50 for adults and $30 for kids, however you can upgrade to platinum seats which are $55 per adult and $35 per kid. Those with platinum seating get priority seating at the tables with the best views of the lake and get to be first in line to meet Santa. Also, note that children under 2 can attend for free! The entire experience is about an hour and a half.

Here are the rest of the dates you can have breakfast with Santa — December 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th.

Nosh or Not

Head to Breakfast with Santa in Disney Springs if…

• You want a unique opportunity to visit Santa in Disney World. It’s not every day Santa is walking around while you eat breakfast!
• You only want standard breakfast fare. The food here is not very exciting…but that’s not always a bad thing! This event is geared towards the kiddos and if they are picky eaters, we think they will be pleased with the food.
• You ONLY want to meet Santa. There are lots of character dining options in Disney World that have multiple characters — this event is limited to Santa, however there are carolers that help set the mood.

Skip Breakfast with Santa in Disney Springs if…

• You want to meet Disney characters — the only character you’ll meet here is Santa.
• You want more variety in food. This is classic breakfast food and no one item stands out.
• You’re on a budget — character dining, even with Santa, isn’t cheap in Disney World. You pay for the experience.

Overall

If you’re really wanting to meet Santa in Disney World without a park ticket, this breakfast could be perfect for your little ones. However, there are other opportunities to see and meet Santa in the parks, so if you have park tickets, it might make more sense to see Santa that way — he greets guests in EPCOT during the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays.

This is a unique way to have breakfast with Santa, but if you’re really wanting a full character dining experience with a holiday theme, you might want to check out something like Minnie’s Holiday Dine at Hollywood & Vine in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. For about the same price point, you’ll meet a lot more characters, and many kids might prefer Mickey and Minnie over Santa, even at this time of year. 

Queso, Tacos, and Amazing Service? Here’s Our REVIEW of La Hacienda de San Angel in EPCOT

Which would you prefer: Breakfast with Santa or Minnie’s Holiday Dine? Let us know in the comments!

The post We Tried the NEW Breakfast With Santa Event in Disney World — Come With Us! first appeared on the disney food blog.