Dining at Disney World. Do I Recommend Be Our Guest?

Be Our Guest is a very sought-after dining location in Disney World. Check out my thoughts on our experience here.

Many people have that Disney movie and princess that is their favorite. My favorite princess is and always has been Belle, and my favorite animated Disney film is Beauty and the Beast. In December 2012, Disney World opened Be Our Guest restaurant. This restaurant is inside the Beast’s Castle at Magic Kingdom in Disney World. On our 2020 trip, which you can read about here, Be Our Guest was closed due to the pandemic, so we did not have the chance to check it out. At time point, I could only look forward to future trips to have the opportunity to eat inside my favorite Disney movie (okay, so not precisely inside the film, but you know what I mean!).

Making the reservation:

When making plans for this past trip, I didn’t expect to be able to snag a reservation at Be Our Guest, knowing how sought-after it is. Making a dining reservation is a challenge; it is like a sport! You must be awake and ready to get reservations at 6 am on your 60 days out. Once this time comes, be prepared to try for the most popular reservation you want first. Honestly, I was not planning to get a reservation at Be Our Guest. On the day we were at Magic Kingdom, we were a party of 8. Larger parties make it more challenging to get reservations. I made all the reservations I wanted and then decided, why not? Let’s see what is available on our Magic Kingdom day. Surprisingly enough, I booked 11:45 am for eight people! Being able to make this reservation was unexpected but SO exciting!

The Dining Experience:

Ding at Be Our Guest had a few menu options (check out their current menu here). For lunch, adults were charged $67 per person for the following:

Appetizer options (choice of one):

• French Onion Soup
• Duck and Pork Terrine
• Escargot de Bourgogne
• Potato-Leek Soup
• Endive and Roquefort Cheese Salad

Entree options:

• Duroc Pork Chop
• Trout Amandine
• Vadouvan-spiced Vegetable
• Center-cut Filet Mignon
• Roasted Poulet Rouge Chicken

Dessert Trio Platter:

• Lemon Jam Macaron
• Chocolate Tart
• Dark Chocolate Truffle

Children were charged $39 per person for the following:

Appetizer options:

• Iceberg Wedge Salad
• with Ranch Dressing
• Fruit and Cheese Plate
• House-made Peach Applesauce

Entree options, each with two sides:

• Grilled Beef Tenderloin
• Pan-seared Chicken Breast
• House-made Macaroni & Cheese

Side options:

• Sautéed Zucchini
• French Fries
• Steamed Green Beans
• Wild Rice
• Sweet Potatoes

Dessert options:

• Seasonal Fruit
• with Freshly Made Yogurt Dip
• Dessert Trio

Our reservation included six adults and two children. Our server was terrific and told us that the children could order the chicken breast (this was more of a typical breaded chicken finger) and both mac and cheese and fries as a side. I ordered them the same meal. Our daughter wanted the escargot, but that wasn’t an option for her, so she shared.

Of the adults, for appetizers, we ordered four French onion soups and two escargot de Bourgogne. We ordered two filet mignons, one trout amandine, and three duroc pork chops for entrees.

Our food reviews:

The kids enjoyed their chicken fingers and fries, but this isn’t saying much, as they live off this! But the fries were delicious. I love a good shoestring fry, so this was perfect for me. I didn’t find the chicken anything special, but they ate it, so I was happy. I was highly disappointed by the macaroni and cheese. I’ll be honest, I am a picky eater, but I do love a good mac and cheese! This mac and cheese could have been better. It was very dry, and there was just nothing special about it. The kids didn’t even finish it, which is telling to me.

According to others at my table, including my seven-year-old, the escargot was AMAZING! My daughter has only had it once (check it out here). But my husband and sister-in-law have often had it and thought these were great. The French onion soup was just okay; it had a bit of a sweet taste I couldn’t put my finger on it.

As for the entrees, we were 4/6 happy. I was told the pork and trout were great. The filet mignon, however, was a different story. It was small, dry, and had little flavor. I do have to save; the side of mashed potatoes was great! Overall, it was a very disappointing meal.

Overall, the dessert was good. Nothing to brag about, but it was enjoyable. It was nice to have three options to try. The children’s dessert was fantastic. The kids got their own little edible tea cups and edible paints. They were able to decorate their tea cup and enjoy it after. The hands-on dessert experience was super cute, and both kids enjoyed it, so this was a win! Oh, and they got the gray stuff! My Beauty and the Beast fans, you know what I am talking about! If you want the gray stuff but cannot get a reservation at Be Our Guest, Gaston’s Tavern, just to the right of Be Our Guest has gray stuff cupcakes.

Overall experience:

Dining at Be Our Guest is considered a ‘character dining experience’. I don’t consider myself a Disney expert. However, I have done other character dining meals, and they were very different. At these other meals, numerous characters walked around, approached tables, took photos, and signed autograph books. At Be Our Guest, the only character there was the Beast. He did not take pictures around the tables but only walked through the main walkway, waving at guests. Staff also said it is not guaranteed he would show up, so we got lucky, seeing he came out twice while we were there. We were only a table away from the walkway, so we had a decent view of the Beast.

As a major Beauty and the Beast fan, the castle was impressive. It was full of elegance and detail. The main ballroom was beautiful. If I could walk through the movie, this is how I would imagine it to be see photos below.

My favorite part was the West Wing. It was AMAZING; I felt like I was truly where the Beast did not want me to be!

 

Overall thoughts:

Overall, would I recommend Be Our Guest? No, I would not. This dining experience took about 2.5 hours. Some may enjoy this longer dining experience, but this was too long for a family with two young children who wanted to go on rides. They were bored and wanted to leave after 45 minutes, and honestly, I can’t blame them. The decor was excellent, but nothing kept the children engaged throughout this experience.

For the cost, the food was not worth it. We paid $67 per adult and $39 per child plus tax and 18% gratuity (since we were a party 6). Was the gratuity worth it? Yes, our server was terrific. Did the kids eat $39 worth of food (and yes, I understand that ‘the experience’ is included in this price)? No, I don’t even think they ate $20. Maybe it was worth it for those at our table who ordered the escargot and duck or fish. However, the steak was terrible. This was nowhere close to being worth the cost.

The castle itself was beautiful. I feel it is unfair of Disney to keep the Beauty and the Beast experience from their fans. Aside from a show or ‘character experience,’ there is nowhere to experience Beauty and Beast without a reservation at Be Our Guest. So, as impressive as the castle was, the cost of Dining at Be Our Guest cost was not worth it.

Photo pass:

Just outside of the castle is a photo pass location. Scan your Magic Band or Pass Card and get some fantastic photos!

Check out some of my favorite Beauty and the Beast gear here:

During this trip, we stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Have you stayed there? Check out my thoughts on our stay.