You could tell me ’till you’re blue in the face NOT to eat at this Disney World restaurant, and I STILL wouldn’t listen to you.
I’ve eaten at a LOT of Disney World restaurants, where some were more memorable than others in more ways than one. While we have our list of favorites around here, and a short list of places we prefer not to choose to eat when we can help it, there’s one particular restaurant that everyone keeps trying to get me to avoid at all costs, but I just won’t listen.
Eating my way around Disney World is one of the biggest pieces of my job as an AllEars reporter that I enjoy the most. Trying all the flavors, savoring new recipes that chefs experiment with, and bringing you my honest opinions of how the food tastes and if it’s something you should consider spending valuable time and money on during your vacation comes with a host of responsibilities behind it.
While it sounds like a dream (and believe me, it TRULY is), there’s one particular restaurant I just can’t seem to jump on the same bandwagon about as the rest of our AE team. Even after repeat visits for updating reviews, I’m still legitimately shocked that more people don’t like dining at Be Our Guest Restaurant in Magic Kingdom.
One thing I think we all can agree on is that dining at Be Our Guest Restaurant falls into a league of its own. Its experience and decor are jaw-dropping, and getting the opportunity to book a meal to enjoy INSIDE the Beast’s castle is an experience you won’t soon forget!
There are so many callbacks to the animated film from the castle’s entrance doors that tower above you…
…the stained glass window from the ending scene of the movie where Belle and the Prince are dancing…
…and even talking suits of armor to eavesdrop on while you wait for your table.
Arguably, the best part of dining here is just how close it is to the major settings of the movie. You could find yourself dining in the grand ballroom (where Belle and the Beast fall in love dancing while the snow falls outside the window panes that line the back wall)…
…the Rose Room where a statuesque Belle and Beast are found front and center to the room, while the walls are adorned with family portraits that depict life with their cast of characters around the castle…
…and the ever memorable West Wing, where the Beast’s enchanted mirror and rose blooms until the last pedal falls.
It’s probably the most animated with the thunder and lightning strikes you’ll find inside, as well as the torn decor and portrait of the Beast in his human form. But, the theming isn’t the only thing that keeps me coming back time and time again here, it’s also the food!
I was lucky enough to be one of the first to try the Steak Frites on the menu when it first debuted a little over a year ago. My server and the chef must have been nervous about presenting this new offering because they went to great lengths to explain just what care had gone into crafting all of its flavor against the marbled steak bites and cut fries, and were eager to see if I would try it for that visit.
As the story goes, I DID in fact make it part of my order, and I STILL to this day dream about how easily those steak cuts melted in my mouth against the sauce and accompaniments.
This restaurant tends to get a bad rap over its food, but this is just a notion I can’t get behind. In its more recent days, Be Our Guest serves a pricey prix fix menu that knocked out the beloved quick service meals for both lunch and breakfast and replaced the a la carte offerings for dinner.
While I, too, was a mega fan of these options, since switching to a prix fix dinner, I feel like I’m fairly justified for the portion size of the prix fix meal, including bread service, an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert of choice during my visits.
When we heard Be Our Guest was making more changes to the menu recently, I was ecstatic to try them out to see if my positive experience with the Steak Frites debut here was just a fluke, but it turned out to be a limited-time offering that stuck around and even underwent a sauce change to include a red wine reduction. Even with the changes to the entrees, appetizer offerings, AND desserts, it’s still a solid meal choice in my opinion.
While I can say there were parts of the former meal that I really loved and miss (even with the latest prix fix changes), it’s still not enough to deter me from booking this restaurant again as a priority choice. To me, it’s hard to find another experience like it in the parks that feels like I can swallow the price tag without feeling like I’m leaving the meal after burning a hole for nothing in my wallet.
I get it — there are a lot of naysayers out there that just don’t like this restaurant and its latest changes, and that’s totally fine. That’s what makes this truly special because not every restaurant and dining experience will speak the same way to different people. However, if you’re brave enough to take me up on the challenge of deciding if this was a worthwhile meal for you during your next visit, I don’t think you’ll be walking away too easily dissatisfied.
REVIEW: This Disney World Restaurant Gets a 10/10. No Notes.
Have you ever dined inside Be Our Guest at Magic Kingdom? Leave your thoughts on your meal and experience in the comments below!
It’s odd. I understand you being puzzled but at the same time I see the other side. When I ate at Be Our Guest I found it fun and interesting but the food was only good, not fantastic and the atmosphere was also just good, not fantastic. Flying Fish and Jiko are both easily better food and the atmosphere and fun-ness are actually better at 50’s Prime Time Café. That isn’t to say BOG isn’t worth it. It’s just that I understand that some people were possibly expecting it to knock their socks off but some socks simply stayed on.