Be Our Guest review: is it worth it?

Be… our… guest at Be Our Guest inside Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World!

Do you want to dine in the Grand Ballroom? What about the Rose Gallery? Or, probably the most popular option, the West Wing?

You’ll have the chance to enjoy your meal in one of these rooms inside the Beast’s castle from Beauty and the Beast located in Fantasyland.

This isn’t character dining, but is described as “unique/themed dining.” That said, you do have the chance to greet one popular character from the 1991 animated film — The Beast! And by “greet” we mean wave to him from afar. We’ll get to this more later, but know Be Our Guest is also the only place to say hello to him in all of Disney World.

When you dine at Be Our Guest for lunch or dinner (breakfast isn’t served here currently, unlike in the past), you’ll be served a prix-fixe, 3-course menu featuring French-inspired dishes.

Both lunch and dinner menus are the same. If you’re debating whether or not to book lunch or dinner at Be Our Guest, know that the experience, food, and pricing detailed below are exactly the same.

Here is our honest review of our lunch at Be Our Guest on August 11, 2023. Spoiler: it’s not a cheap dining experience, but remains one of the most popular and hardest reservations to book.

The basics

Be Our Guest

How we got a Be Our Guest reservation

Be Our Guest is one dining reservation you need to book immediately. It’s highly sought after. Really, no matter the restaurant, we highly recommend booking dining reservations as soon as possible.

Reservations for all the restaurants at Disney World currently open up exactly 60 days in advance — and you should book dining as soon as you can.

Grabbing dining reservations at Disney World is extremely competitive. We snagged our Be Our Guest reservation 60 days prior to our trip.

You never know when there will be availability, but the most surefire way to get any reservation is booking 60 days before your trip begins.

Other ways to score a Be Our Guest dining reservation

Set dining alerts

If you don’t get a dinner reservation at Be Our Guest want to try to book one last minute, try setting up a dining alert.

Reservation finding services are built to constantly check for openings at restaurants that you choose. Depending on the service, you can receive an email and/or text alert or a push notification when something becomes available.

Keep checking

You can also keeping checking yourself to see if anything opens up. We’ve had a lot of luck with this method. Trust us when we say reservations become available all the time — even the day of!

Join the waitlist

Many Disney World restaurants also have a waitlist option that you can either join in the My Disney Experience app or in person.

If you don’t have luck snagging a reservation, this might be your next best bet. But, keep in mind, it’s not always a guarantee.

Checking in

Like with many Table Service restaurants across Disney World, you are able to check in for dining reservations 20 minutes prior using the My Disney Experience app.

If you check in via the app, you can only do so up to 20 minutes prior to your reservation time. For our 1:50 p.m. lunch on August 11, 2023, we checked in at 12:46 p.m.

We were immediately called to our table and sat down right away in the Grand Ballroom.

You can also check in outside before heading across the bridge that leads into the restaurant. You’ll see Cast Members standing nearby, so be sure to ask them for any assistance, if needed.

What’s included at Be Our Guest lunch and dinner

Let’s take a look at what’s included during lunch and dinner at Be Our Guest…

Be Our Guests’s 3-course prix-fixe meal includes:

• One appetizer
• One entrée
• Dessert trio
• Beverages (select non-alcoholic specialty drinks are an additional price; all alcoholic drinks cost extra)

You also get to say hello to The Beast in passing. He doesn’t stop for individual photos, but you can snap a picture as he passes by. He also doesn’t sign autographs, nor are you given an autograph card.

As for dining areas, there are three different sections. You don’t get to pick where you sit. You are assigned a table. However, you are allowed to briefly walk into the other dining rooms to see what they look and take some photos. That said, please be respectful of other guests who are eating. You don’t want to interrupt their meal.

The dining rooms include:

The Grand Ballroom

The West Wing

The Rose Gallery

The Rose Gallery was closed during our visit, so we were not able to snag a photo, but, here is what it looks like. There’s a Belle and Beast music box in the center of the room, along with different Beauty and the Beast artwork on the walls.

Also, don’t forget to walk down the hallway (it will be on your right when you first enter Be Our Guest) with the knights. They talk and are very entertaining!

Plus, this hallway leads to another room with The Beast’s chair that you can sit in and take photos.

And, of course, don’t miss the beautiful stained glass window (on your left when you enter the restaurant), which is just like in the movie! This makes for some great photos.

Character Interaction

At Be Our Guest, you don’t really have a traditional character interaction like you do at other character dining locations.

Rather, you get to wave to The Beast as he walks by. If you’re lucky, you may even be able to take a quick video or selfie. He doesn’t give autographs or posed photos. It’s more of like a character sighting.

During our lunch, we actually thought we wouldn’t even get to see The Beast, because he didn’t walk through until the very end of our meal. We asked our server and he was surprised we hadn’t seen him yet. It took forever.

He did a quick walk through the middle of the Grand Ballroom (where we were sitting) and then left. That was all we saw of him.

Our table was along the back wall near the kitchen so we didn’t have the best view of him. He does not stray from the middle of the ballroom, so if you’re sitting in this section behind a bunch of tables like we did, know your view of him will be terrible.

It’s really a shame that they no longer do meet and greets with The Beast. You’re paying a hefty price to dine here and the fact that you only get to see him walk by quickly is extremely disappointing.

Be Our Guest food and drinks

A 3-course, prix-fixe lunch and dinner is served at Be Our Guest.

Here’s what was included with our August 11, 2023 lunch at Be Our Guest (keep in mind that menus and prices change, so the following may not always be the same).

Appetizers (choose one)

You get to choose one appetizer. Here’s what we settled on:

• Felicia: Mixed Greens Salad (Goat Cheese Mousse and Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing)

This was a standard salad that wasn’t anything exciting. There needed to be more dressing, as well.

• Allyson: Potato-Leek Soup (Truffle Potato Chips and Charred Leek Fondue; plant-based)

This potato-leek soup was, well, something. This is an interesting choice, not just for a plant-based option, but for a soup in general.

We’ve never had actual potato chips in our soup, because why would anyone do that? We also thought our server would pour the soup over into the bowl — you know, as part of the presentation — but that didn’t happen.

This was a strange dish that was super salty (probably because of the potato chips) and not good. They definitely need to update their plant-based appetizer.

The other appetizer choices during our meal were:

• French Onion Soup: Au Gratin with Gruyère
• Duck and Pork Terrine: House Pickles and Grain Mustard-Plum Jam
• Escargot de Bourgogne: Baked in Garlic-Herb Butter with Baguette

Entrées (choose one)

For our entrées, we chose:

• Felicia: Grilled Filet Mignon (Smashed Potato, Haricots Verts, and Sauce au Poivre)

This actually was a very good filet mignon. No complaints.

• Allyson: Pan-roasted Zucchini (Eggplant-Black Garlic Purée, Grilled Sourdough, and Olive Tapenade; plant-based)

As for the plant-based option, well, again, Be Our Guest failed this dish. It was a grilled piece of partially burnt zucchini served with a piece of burnt (again) toast on top (why?), and slathered in a horrible olive spread.

This was definitely not worth the price of the meal. The only positive about this dish is it photographed well.

The other entrée choices during our meal were:

• Dry-Aged Duroc Pork Chop: Smashed Potato, Stewed Pepper Piperade, and Sauce Verte
• Trout Amandine: Crab, Smoked Almonds, and Haricots Verts
• Roasted Poulet Rouge Chicken: Truffle-Potato Purée, Wild Mushrooms, and Green Onion Relish

During our reservation, there was also a limited-time special and two enhancements. We didn’t try these, but they included…

A prix fixe adult entrée option (you could choose this instead of one of the other regular entrées listed) — the Wine and Beer Braised Beef Short Rib served with smashed potatoes, smoked bacon, and onion jam.

As for the enhancements, for an additional price, you could add the shrimp with citrus beurre fondue and the smoked pork belly with red onion jam.

Dessert Trio

Finally, dessert…

Each table is served a dessert trio from an adorable trolley. What is this, the Hogwarts Express?

The standard dessert trio includes:

• Lemon Jam Macaron
• Chocolate Tart: Grey Stuff, Crisp Pearls, and White Chocolate Wafer
• Dark Chocolate Truffle: filled with Dark Chocolate Grand Marnier Ganache

There is also a plant-based dessert available upon request that you can get in place of the dessert trio:

• Vanilla Cake with Lemon Curd: with Fresh Berries and Strawberry Meringue

We both didn’t care for either of these options. The dessert trio was kind of blah. The Grey Stuff is usually pretty good, but not this time around. It was such a bummer.

The plant-based dessert was dry and bland. A vanilla cake with lemon curd sounded so good, too, but, sadly, this was yet another fail during our meal.

While we don’t have photos of the kids’ offerings, here’s what you can expect from the kids’ menu…

Kids’ Create-Your-Own Appetizers (choose one)

• Iceberg Salad with Ranch Dressing
• Fruit and Cheese Plate
• Fresh Fruit Bowl

Kids’ Create-Your-Own Entrées (choose one)

• Pan-seared Chicken Breast: Served with choice of one (1) Appetizer, two (2) Selections and one (1) Dessert and choice of Small Lowfat Milk, Small DASANI® Water, or Small Minute Maid® Apple Juice
• Grilled Beef Tenderloin: Served with choice of one (1) Appetizer, two (2) Selections, and one (1) Dessert and choice of Small Lowfat Milk, Small Dasani® Water, or Small Minute Maid® Apple Juice
• Pan-seared Shrimp: Served with choice of one (1) Appetizer, two (2) Selections, and one (1) Dessert and choice of Small Lowfat Milk, Small DASANI® Water, or Small Minute Maid® Apple Juice
• Chicken Strips: Served with choice of one (1) Appetizer, two (2) Selections and one (1) Dessert and choice of Small Lowfat Milk, Small DASANI® Water, or Small Minute Maid® Apple Juice
• House-made Macaroni & Cheese: Served with choice of one (1) Appetizer, two (2) Selections, and one (1) Dessert and choice of Small Lowfat Milk, Small DASANI® Water, or Small Minute Maid® Apple Juice

Kids’ Create-Your-Own Selections (choose two)

• Sautéed Squash
• French Fries
• Steamed Fresh Green Beans
• Brown Rice
• Sweet Potatoes

Kids’ Create-Your-Own Desserts (choose one)

• Fresh Fruit with Honey Yogurt Dip
• Dessert Trio

Drinks

Here’s what you need to know about beverages served at Be Our Guest…

Included

Water, soft drinks, juice, coffee, tea, and milk are all included with the cost of your meal.

Non-alcoholic beverages for an additional price

There are a variety of specialty non-alcoholic beverages available, like lemonades and other concotions.

Alcoholic beverages for an additional price

You can also order beer, cider, seltzer, wine, or cocktails. We didn’t try any during our lunch.

Important: If you or someone in your party has dietary restrictions, many Disney World restaurants have accommodations and they also sometimes list the allergy-friendly items on the menu (online and in the My Disney Experience app). If you have questions, be sure to chat with a Cast Member and they’ll be able to assist you.

Our most recent review of Be Our Guest

Admittedly, we didn’t walk into Be Our Guest with high hopes. For what the current experience is, we feel it is overpriced.

We really wanted to be proven wrong (especially because of the price tag), but, sadly, we weren’t. We still feel very much the same.

First of all, the food was not good. The only thing that we maybe could rave about was the filet mignon and the rolls. Everything else? [insert major disappointment]

The salad was bland. The plant-based options were uninspiring. The desserts may look cute, but they didn’t taste that great.

Then, there is the sighting of The Beast. He literally walked through the dining room for about 5 minutes, waved, and exited. That’s it? If you’re lucky, you may have a good seat to actually see The Beast up close, but that did not work in our favor due to us sitting alongside the back wall.

For $67 per adult and $39 per child, guests should be treated to a traditional meet and greet with The Beast. He’s such a unique character and Be Our Guest is not taking advantage of that. Remember when you could once actually meet him during dinner and PhotoPass was also part of the meal? Why Disney World eliminated both of those, we will never understand.

You’re basically paying to eat inside The Beast’s castle and to wave to a rare character.

If Quick Service was still available here for breakfast and lunch, we may feel differently. That was much more affordable. But now that breakfast isn’t being served and lunch and dinner are only Table Service, guests don’t have much choice. You have to pay too much money for a lackluster dining experience.

TL;DR this Be Our Guest experience was exactly what we expected — subpar.

Is Be Our Guest worth it?

We’re not even going to sugarcoat it. Be Our Guest is not worth the current price tag.

This is one of the most popular Table Service spots in Magic Kingdom and understandably so. If you’re a fan of Beauty and the Beast, why wouldn’t you want to dine inside The Beast’s castle — and see the character, himself?

Is seeing The Beast cool? Yes. Are the themed dining areas neat? Yes, especially watching the “snow” fall in the Grand Ballroom and walking into The West Wing.

While those seem like pros, we do not recommend wasting your time or money at Be Our Guest. The price is not justified by the food and The Beast’s quick appearance. We cannot and do not suggest this dining experience at Magic Kingdom.

If you want to dine inside a castle, Cinderella’s Royal Table is the way to go. Yes, it’s an additional $12 per adult and $10 per child, but we’d rather pay that for a magical dining experience inside Cinderella Castle that serves fantastic food (at least for lunch and dinner), allows you to take a nice photo with Cinderella, and also meet four other Disney princesses.

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Have you ever had lunch or dinner at Be Our Guest? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments.