This was our second visit to Be Our Guest Restaurant located in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Our first visit was a couple years ago when the restaurant first opened, and we could only get reservations there at 4:15pm for dinner due to the popularity of the restaurant. This visit we had reservations at 7:30pm, and we were just as excited, if not more so, than our first visit. The restaurant is themed after the Disney movie “Beauty and the Beast”, and is specifically named after our favorite song from the movie, “Be our Guest”.
The restaurant is popular, and quite hard to get reservations unless you book months out, so we were pleasantly surprised to find an open on our recent stay-cation at Disney World. Now that Disney charges a fee if you don’t cancel your dining reservation in 24 hours, it does help a bit with dining availability, especially closer to the desired dining time. And what might have Walt Disney rolling in his grave, this was the first venue that allowed alcohol sales in the Magic Kingdom; something Walt never wanted to happen. He was fine with booze everywhere else; hotels, the other parks etc, but Magic Kingdom was supposed to be a family place and pure. We have to wonder if he would have changed his mind today, with the changing times and keeping up with consumer demands. I’m jumping ahead a bit, but here our waiter opens a nice bottle of Cabernet for us.
Anyway, we had reservations for 7:30pm, and were seated within 10 minutes of the scheduled time. The restaurant is located beneath the Beauty and the Beast Castle facade located high up on the ‘mountain-side’.
There are three dining rooms for guests to feast in, and we were seated in our favorite, and the largest of the rooms, the elegant and huge Main Ballroom, with high painted ceilings, fancy chandeliers, and large ‘windows’ that allow for viewing of the “snowy” night.
While the seating is a bit tight with the tables quite close together, it makes for a bit of camaraderie among your table-mates, and we met several people seated next to us throughout the night, including a newlywed couple, a mother and grown daughter celebrating the daughter’s birthday, and two ladies on the Disney College program.
We had excellent service throughout the night as we enjoyed the leisurely dining experience in the ‘Castle’. Disney has changed the menu and format at Be our Guest Restaurant due to the popularity of the restaurant. When it first opened, it was reported on Disney blogs that many people who were coming to dine, only ordered cupcakes (instead of a meal) so they could ‘dine in’ the restaurant, and later meet the “Beast” on their way out.
Now “Be Our Guest Restaurant” has a price-fixed 3 course dinner instead of an ala’ carte selection. You select an appetizer, main course, and then the dessert is a fixed selection of treats (including the ‘grey stuff’ – it’s delicious as so the iconic song says.)
We also ordered a bottle of Silverado wine, a Napa Valley vineyard we have visited, and also owned by one of the Disney family members. And just because we could, I also ordered a brewski pre-dinner.
I must say the dinner was outstanding, and the food top quality. Since we were having wine, we both ordered the cheese platter, which was very nice paired with the Cabernet Sauvignon. Here is our cheese appetizer, along with the descriptive narrative of each piece served.
For our main course, we both had the Filet Mignon, which was outstanding, and cooked just the way we ordered, a perfect medium rare.
And for dessert we had the pre-selected Disney assortment of Disney treats, including the ‘Gray Stuff’, which according to the song (and our taste) was delicious! Our waiter told us everything on the plate was edible, including the fancy designer lining the dessert was served on, as well as the chocolate ‘tea cup’!
After paying for our check, (using the Tables of Wonderland card we have, which gives us 20% off the meal and alcohol), we headed towards the exit, where we met the “Beast” in person in the Reception Hall. We shook the “Beast’s” huge hand, and got our photo taken with him.
‘Twas a wonderful and special night of dining in Magic Kingdom, at “Be our Guest Restaurant” and we truly felt like we were the guests of honor! Highly recommended restaurant for your visit to Disney. We were not on the Disney Dining plan, which some people complain about because it takes two dinner coupons for dinner here, but for regular paying guests (and those of us using Tables of Wonderland) it’s quite reasonable, and a fun night out. Enjoy!
