Be Our Guest is a Table Service restaurant located in Magic Kingdom. While my impression of the restaurant has improved since my visit during the pandemic in 2021, I still very much think that this restaurant is all about theming and ambiance rather than as a culinary experience. It is a restaurant that every Disney fan should experience once, but I truly believe it is a one and done spot to eat in Disney World.
The pricing at Be Our Guest is prix fixed at $70 per adult. This is a pretty hefty price tag and one of the most expensive prix fixed restaurants on Disney property. You are essentially paying for the theming and the ability to see the inside of the Beast's Castle. That is why, in my opinion, you should pay the cost to eat at Be Our Guests once, fully experience the awe-inspiring theming within, and then you do not have to return.
As you approach Be Our Guest from the park, it appears as Beast's Castle, up in the hills above Magic Kingdom. The walkway is lined with gargoyles, lamp posts, and forestry, making you feel like you are approaching the dark and deserted home of the Beast. This is already indication that the visuals within the castle will be impressive.
You enter the Beast's Castle through an arch, topped with stained glass that has a striking resemblance to the movie. There is a rose embedded into the glass. The arch leads into the waiting area, that you can only go into if you prove to the attendant outside the castle that you do in fact have a reservation. You are only allowed to see the inside of this castle if you are a guest with a dining reservation.
The waiting area consists of a long hallway lined with suits of armor to the Beast's study. This is essentially his library, which is themed as a dark den, complete with a wood burning fireplace. We did find that even though we had a dining reservation, we still had to wait in the Beast's study for about 15 minutes. That was frustrating, particularly because of how many tables are available in this restaurant.
There are three different rooms that you can potentially be seated in at Be Our Guest. The main room is the selling point of the restaurant. It is the iconic ballroom from the movie where Belle and the Beast dance for the first time to Mrs. Pott's serenade of Tale As Old As Time. It is stunning and you literally feel like you've stepped into the movie. The ornate painting on the walls, the detail in the woodworking, and the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling are some of Imagineers' greatest work. There is even "falling snow" seen out the windows. This room right here is a large portion of justifying the $70 per person price. While very beautiful, I personally don't think I'd like to eat in this room. It is loud, crowded, and feels similar to a large cafeteria.
The second room that you could be seated in, is the West Wing. This is meant to be the Beast's private area that is forbidden to Belle in the movie. It is a darker, more sullen room that houses the enchanted rose, slowly losing its petals. This room is not as impressive as the main room with its theming, but is still neat to check out. The only downfall is that it is a little dark if you are trying to see your food while eating.
The third and final room is called "Belle's favorite room." It is not a room from the movie, but instead feels like an extra room tacked onto the restaurant to make room to accommodate more diners. This is a well-lit room, with a statue of Belle and the Beast dancing. The walls are lined with beautiful portraits of the couple together. It feels more cozy and tucked away in this room so that you can enjoy your meal. This is the room I have been seated in both times that I visited Be Our Guest.
No matter what room you are seated in, once you place your order, you are allowed to walk around the entire restaurant and check out the other rooms. I appreciated this, because it would be disappointing to go to this restaurant and not be able to take in the details of the main ballroom or the West Wing.
As I mentioned before, the menu is prix fixed at this Table Service restaurant. For $70 you get to choose an appetizer, entree, and desert from the menu. Drinks such as soda, tea, and coffee are also included in this price. Beauty and the Beast takes place in France, so the menu follows suit with an array of French food.
The menu is my first problem with Be Our Guest. For such a high price, the menu has extremely limited options. There are only about 5 appetizers and 5 entrees to choose from and are not exactly the most picky-eater friendly items. I would advise looking up the menu before visiting this restaurant to make sure you will be able to find something you like. Also, the desert is standard for all guests with no choice available. With the price you are paying, I would prefer to see many more options, and less obscure items.
This restaurant also offers an extensive wine menu, on caliber with a wine list you might expect to see at an upscale steak restaurant outside of Disney World. The waiter also seemed knowledgeable on what wines paired best with what meals, so the dining experience here was obviously staffed and intended to be more of an upscale experience.
The meal starts with a full baguette being brought out to your table. It is very authentic tasting and we enjoyed it. It came in a baguette bag. We did not think of it at the time, but later we saw a couple in the park carrying their leftover baguette in the bag. I will have to think of that next time!
For appetizers, I chose the potato leek soup, and my mom ordered the French onion soup. The potato leek soup was interesting in that it was brought out as potato chips and leeks in a bowl. The waiter then poured the potato-based broth over that at the table. It had an interesting flavor, but I did not love it and could not finish my bowl. It was more like a gravy served over kettle chips. My mom said she really enjoyed her French onion soup, and she did finish her bowl. Your other options for an appetizer would have been a mixed green salad, Duck and Pork Terrine, or escargot. Definitely not items you'd expect to eat at a theme park restaurant.
For my entree I got the filet mignon. This is where my opinion of Be Our Guest greatly improved from my last visit. This meal was fantastic! It was a large cut of beef, cooked perfectly and tasting extremely tender. On my last visit, the portion sizes were extremely small, and I actually left the $70 meal feeling hungry. I am glad I gave this restaurant a second chance, to at least redeem itself for the entree course. My mom ordered the pork chop. Again, this was a huge portion and she felt full before finishing the entire plate. For the price you pay to dine at Be Our Guest, I expect large portions of good food, no matter how striking the theming is. Your other options for entree would have been trout, short ribs, roasted chicken, or pan seared squash (vegetarian option).
The last course served is desert, which is standard for all visitors. You cannot choose any other option. It is a trio served on one plate, consisting of a dark chocolate truffle filled with cherry flavor, the "grey stuff", and a lemon jam macaron. These desserts tasted a lot better than the last time I visited Be Our Guest. The macaron was honestly one of the best macarons I have ever had. I am not a huge fan of chocolate, but I loved the flavor of the cherry in the truffle. Finally, your Be Our Guest experience isn't complete without trying the grey stuff. It can be described as a very airy mouse without a lot of flavor. But it is still fun, because after all where else can you say you "tried the grey stuff."
Be Our Guest is technically a "character meal," but not in the sense of a traditional character dining experience. The Beast quickly walks through all of the rooms a couple of times during your meal. He shortly pauses in the room to wave and take a bow but does not interact with individual tables or take pictures with any guests. It is extremely fast and if you're not ready, you may miss it altogether. This is another downfall of the restaurant. You are paying more than most character meals to eat at Be Our Guest, and you are not even able to meet or take a picture with the Beast. They are also missing an opportunity by not having Belle or other characters like Lumiere and Chip do a meet and greet. It is very strange they chose to do it this way.
Be Our Guest first opened in Magic Kingdom in 2012. It was structured quite differently when it first opened. It served breakfast and lunch as Quick Service and then Dinner was Table Service with a prix fixed menu. I preferred this, because guests who didn't want to pay the high dinner price could still experience the Castle for Quick Service prices during breakfast and lunch. Now, the only meals served at Be Our Guest are lunch and dinner. Both meals are Table Service with the same prix fixed menu of $70 per adult.
When Be Our Guest first opened, it was one of the most difficult restaurants in Disney World to get a reservation at. Your best bet was lunch, as that seemed to be the least popular timeframe. That lasted for many years, but now the restaurant's high demand seems to have finally dwindled. On our most recent trip, I saw reservations still available just weeks before our trip. You no longer have to make this your first priority on your dining reservation day. I believe that is because most people feel as I do, that once you've experienced the theming here once, you do not need to go back again for a while.
I was pleasantly surprised when I returned to Be Our Guest in 2024, after not visiting the restaurant for over 3 years. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who has not been there before and has an adventurous palette. Be prepared for the price but know that you are paying for the ambiance rather than the food. But a plus is that you get a good amount of food, and it is tasty. All in all, I'd give Be Our Guest a 9/10 for first time visitors and a 5/10 for repeat clientele.
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