Mar 13
3
Be Our Guest Restaurant Review
The new Fantasyland expansion brought many new things to the Magic Kingdom park at Disney World. There were new shops, new attractions, and new places to find food. One of these in particular is in an enchanted castle. Yes, you guessed it. I am talking about Beast’s castle. The restaurant I am referring to is the Be Our Guest restaurant. For those of you who know me, you know that this was an awesome experience for me, and now I want to share it with you.
Getting a dinner ADR for this restaurant is pretty difficult as it is booked well in advance. So, if you are planning on having dinner here, I would advise you to make that ADR at least 180 days out. I know it may seem a little far-fetched, but trust me, if you make the ADR far enough in advance, you will have a better chance of having that special meal. So, being unable to have dinner there, Mark and I settled for having lunch instead. Upon arriving in the Magic Kingdom that morning, we headed straight for Beast’s Castle and got in line. The line was wrapped around the building and we were worried that the line would take forever, but really it moved very smoothly and quickly. I believe the time between us getting in line and entering the restaurant was about thirty minutes give or take.
Now, let’s talk about everything I saw. The front of the castle was lined with stone gargoyles. I remember reading once that these gargoyles were the early renderings of the Beast before Disney settled on his current appearance. Above the door of the castle, there was a mosaic telling the story of how the Prince met the Enchantress on the night he was turned into the Beast. Then, you get to go into the restaurant itself. To your left as you exit is the mosaic of Belle and the Prince as they dance to happily ever after. Ahead of you, is the hallway which is lined with the suits of armor. This was really cool because they talk! Well, they talk, and they snore. If you remember the scene in the movie, these are the suits of armor that watch Belle as she moves down the hall and Cogsworth says “As you were!”
The talking Suits of Armor
Next, you get to the parlor which is where you order your food. In this room, you have Beast’s chair, tons of books, and a fireplace. The ordering system was really cool here. It was all touch screen. We were given a little red rose that we touched to the Mickey icon before we ordered. Then, we were able to pick our full meal- appetizers, entrees, drinks, and desserts before we went to our tables. We chose to eat in the Ballroom for this trip. This is one of my favorite rooms. We sat so that I could see the snow falling outside the window. The ceiling was painted with cherubs. I was told that the cherubs were actually pictures of the designing imagineers when they were children.
The Ballroom
Our food arrived very quickly. I had ordered the steak sandwich with the pommes frites, and the strawberry cream cheese cupcake. Mark ordered the Croque Monseiur (hot ham and cheese) pommes frites, and the chocolate cupcake which was so decadent and rich. As an appetizer, we ordered the French onion soup. The soup was very well done. The cheese on top was thick and delicious. Over all the meal was wonderful. The ham and cheese was amazing. The steak was tender and mouthwatering. By the time we finished our meal, we were ridiculously full, but it was so worth it. This is definitely a meal that I would not mind having again. And I am thinking that it’s a good thing that I had breakfast because thinking about it makes me hungry all over again!
Our Meal
Now, with me being the type of person who can’t sit still for very long when there is something that has to be explored, I wanted to take a look around the castle. My first stop was the dark and foreboding west wing. This room was filled with torn tapestries, dim lighting, and of course, your eye is immediately drawn to the torn painting of the prince in the back of the room. Next to that is the enchanted rose and magic mirror. Don’t touch it though! The Beast will be angry.. technically the West Wing is forbidden remember? This is where I had an amazing experience. One of the cast members came to talk to me. He was asking me if I knew about the snow outside the windows of the ballroom, and me being a fan since I was about six or seven said I did. Then, he showed me how to find a hidden Mickey in the West Wing in the curtains across from the rose. Now, I won’t tell you where it is because I want you to find it for yourself.
The West Wing
The final room of the restaurant is the East Wing dining area and is filled with pictures from the film and some that were not included in the film, but show a blossoming relationship between Belle and the Beast. Over all, I think this restaurant was amazing. For me, dining here was like stepping into my childhood. I kept waiting to see Belle and the Prince come strolling through their castle. Sadly, this did not happen, but you get my point. I love the way that Disney was able to bring this movie to life. The food was incredible and a great deal for those who may not be on the Disney Dining Plan. This is definitely one place that I will stop to visit on my next trip! Have you been to Be Our Guest? What did you have, and what did you think about the experience?
