A dinner here is never second best! Be Our Guest Restaurant at Disney World has a lot to live up to, based on the song it’s named after. So, it’s time to put its service to the test!
Recently, we hopped over to Be Our Guest to check out its menu adjustments and overall new experience since Magic Kingdom Park reopened. While there are some major changes (limited capacity, no breakfast and an all-day prix fixe menu, just to name a few), the restaurant still retains the magical ambience that it’s so well-known for. Be our guest as we review everything from the theming to the food!
Overview of Be Our Guest Restaurant
As one of the most popular dining locations at Disney World, Be Our Guest creates a memorable experience for the entire family with its French-inspired cuisine and elaborate theming. Guests are toadally immersed into a storybook world, as they dine like royalty at the Beast’s enchanted castle in Fantasyland.
Upon Magic Kingdom’s reopening, Be Our Guest Restaurant now offers lunch and dinner, both of which feature the same three-course prix fixe menu. It costs $62 per adult and $37 per child, ages 3 to 9. (Previously, breakfast and lunch were quick-service options, while dinner was table-service only.) Although not considered an official character dining experience, the Beast makes a special appearance as he walks around the restaurant and greets each of the dining rooms.
Before the COVID-19 closure, an advanced dining reservation was highly sought after and hard to come by, as the restaurant would usually be fully booked 180 days in advance. Since Magic Kingdom reopened, it’s been easier now more than ever to snag a reservation for lunch or dinner (though note that the Advance Dining Reservation window is now 60 days). Even with limited seating to allow for physical distancing inside the restaurant, finding a reservation is not unimaginable. While writing this Frog Family foodie review, we checked My Disney Experience and saw that we could make a lunch reservation for a party of four the very next day, as well as some availability every day for the following week. If you’re planning an upcoming trip to Magic Kingdom and dining at Be Our Guest is at the top of your Disney World bucket list, then we highly suggest booking a reservation. It's important to note that for in-park dining, guests must have valid park admission and a reservation for park entry through the Disney Park Pass reservation system — as well as a dining reservation — to dine at an in-park, table-service restaurant (including Be Our Guest). Dining reservations do not guarantee entry to the park.
However, we’ve lucked out with walk-in availability as well. During a recent trip to Magic Kingdom, we stopped by around 1 p.m.and asked the host outside at the podium if the restaurant was accepting any walk-ins. She said it’d be about a 10-minute wait, so we went for it — frogtastic!
Currently, the restaurant is utilizing mobile check-in for Be Our Guest Restaurant to minimize contact with the hosts. Be sure to download the My Disney Experience app (or update to the latest version) to use this feature. There is also a QR code in front of the restaurant that you can scan to download My Disney Experience if you need to do so while you’re there. All you have to do is confirm your arrival time and party details! When you check in, you can request a specific dining room (more info below!). There’s no guarantee, but cast members will do their best to try to accommodate you.
Be Our Guest Restaurant’s Theming and Ambience
All checked in? You’ll then cross over the bridge toward the rocky facade, complete with a flowing waterfall, to enter the Beast’s castle. Gothic-style gargoyles hold up massive lamp posts along the way and large lion statues guard the doors. Once you step inside, there’s a beautiful mosaic of Beauty and the Beast on the left and a corridor with knights in armor on the right. (Listen closely to hear the knights whispering among themselves!) When it’s time to be seated, you’ll proceed through the foyer to enter the Grand Ballroom. (We noticed that the main doors were kept open during our recent visit, likely to increase airflow.)
At Be Our Guest, the restaurant is split into three enchanting dining areas — the Grand Ballroom, the Castle Gallery and the West Wing — transporting you right into a storybook setting. The details are so captivating that you’ll froget you’re at a theme park!
The elegant Grand Ballroom is centrally located and the largest of the three dining rooms. It has a high, domed ceiling, chandeliers, columns and archways, and was designed to be a replica of the ballroom in the beloved animated film. We love sitting by the floor-to-ceiling windows where you can watch snow falling “outside” in the night sky. Be sure to look up at the ceiling as well. You’ll see a mural of cherubs, which are said to be the faces of Disney Imagineers’ babies. Because of its size, the room can be quite loud. However, the tables are spaced out for physical distancing, so the dining room does not fill up as much as before.
The Castle Gallery, also known as the Rose Gallery, features a nearly 7-foot-tall music box centerpiece with larger-than-life figures of Beauty and the Beast swirling atop. Throughout the room, framed portraits, paintings and tapestries of classic scenes from the movie (and new scenes too!) hang on the walls. The bright and cheery atmosphere of this smaller room strikes a nice balance of elegance and simplicity.
Lastly, the mysterious and foreboding West Wing is the smallest dining area and offers the most intimate dining experience. In the dark corner of the Beast’s forbidden room, the enchanted rose sits in its case, as thunder roars intermittently. When a rose petal falls, watch the slashed portrait of the Prince turn into the Beast momentarily. Because of the dark atmosphere, the smallest tadpoles may be frightened. When Lily was younger, she refused to go in there, but during this recent visit, she wanted to get a picture taken in front of the enchanted rose. (She then promptly speed hopped out of the room.)
No matter where you sit, you’ll be entranced by the magical details everywhere you look. Like before, guests are still allowed to wander around the restaurant and visit other dining areas after you eat. However, you must put your mask back on if you’re not seated at your table.
Be Our Guest Restaurant Menu
Time to discuss the best part: the food! Like we mentioned before, lunch and dinner now have the same three-course prix fixe menu. This means you’re able to select your choice of appetizer, entree and dessert for a fixed price. It doesn’t matter which ones you choose ... the price is the same: $62 per adult and $37 per child, ages 3 to 9. Once seated, you’re given a QR code that directs you to a digital menu, along with bread rolls.
As for the appetizers, there are four different options to start off your three-course meal:
- French Onion Soup - toasted crouton, Gruyère and Provolone
- Maine Lobster Bisque - garnished with Crème Fraîche and poached lobster
- Mixed Field Greens (plant-based) - hazelnut brittle and seasonal fruit with a stone fruit vinaigrette
- Assorted Meats and Artisanal Cheese - Chicken Liver Pâté, shaved Serrano ham, chorizo sausage, Pleasant Ridge Cheddar, Truffle Tremor and Stilton Blue with seasonal garnishes
Leap had the Maine Lobster Bisque, while I opted for the French Onion Soup. I really enjoyed my selection — the French Onion Soup was rich, so I wasn’t able to finish it all. But the melted cheese on top was the main draw for me!
Don’t fill up too fast (like me!). You’ll be faced with the hardest decision yet … the entrée. Choose one main dish from the following mouthwatering creations:
- Herb-salted Pork Tenderloin - crispy pork belly, seasonal vegetables-two ways, pork jus and candied pecan
- Center-cut Filet Mignon - robuchon Yukon potatoes, seasonal vegetables and Cipollini marmalade with a red wine glaze
- Poulet Rouge Chicken - savory bread pudding and seasonal vegetables with a chicken glace
- Roasted Corn and Spinach Tortellini (plant-based) - roasted corn and peppadew relish, rainbow cauliflower and asparagus, corn nage
- Pan-seared Sea Scallops - seasonal risotto with wild mushroom and butter sauce
As a creature of habit, Leap ordered the Filet Mignon. He loved the flavors and thought it tasted even better than before. Meanwhile, I decided on the Poulet Rouge Chicken, which was nice and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Tad, who was old enough to order from the “grownups menu” this time, had the herb-salted Pork Tenderloin, and as usual, this growing tween devoured every bite.
The tadpoles have a special kids menu, which allows them to choose their own appetizers, entrée and sides too. For the appetizers, they can choose either an iceberg wedge salad, house-made peach applesauce or a fruit and cheese plate. Each entrée comes with two side selections. Here’s the breakdown of entrées and sides.
Entrées (choose one):
- Grilled Beef Tenderloin
- House-made Macaroni and Cheese
- Pan-seared Chicken Breast
Side Selections (choose two):
- Sauteed Zucchini
- Wild Rice
- Steamed Green Beans
- Sweet Potato Wedges
Lily picked out her go-to macaroni and cheese with sweet potato wedges and green beans. The serving size was just right for her tadpole tummy!
It’s dessert time … FINALLY. The Dessert Trio consists of a lemon jam macaron, a dark chocolate truffle (filled with dark chocolate Grand Marnier ganache) and a white chocolate “Chip” cup filled with the Grey Stuff, which is indeed delicious! The kid-version of the Dessert Trio comes with chocolate “paint” so that the tadpoles can decorate the Chip cup.
Cheers! Beverages such as soda, tea and coffee are included with the meal price. Nonalcoholic signature drinks (which come in light-up souvenir cups), wines, beer, ciders and champagne are available for an additional price (and most, naturally, are from France).
Our Final Thoughts About Be Our Guest Restaurant at Disney World
Tadpoles and frog parents alike will surely love dining as guests of the Beast in his castle. While the breakfast and lunch quick-service options have been removed, you can now see the Beast during lunch and dinner, instead of dinner only. The restaurant is fancy enough to make a meal there feel like a special occasion, but not overly lavish that you'll feel underdressed in your theme park clothes. We definitely recommend taking your time by eating leisurely and roaming around the restaurant so you can observe all of the details! You won't be in and out quickly since it's a three-course meal (we spent about an hour and a half in there). So if you're pressed for time and it's not a must-do experience, it's better to sit this one out. "Beauty and the Beast" fans will appreciate the immersive theming, as they dine like their favorite characters. Bon appétit!
Related: All of the Disney World Character Dining Locations Ranked
Hoppy planning!
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