One of the most important things to strive to do as a person doing food reviews is to write for a larger audience. Now, it is nice to tell people if you liked the food or not. Yet, the key variable comes down to whether other people will like it. The highly sought-after dining reservation on today’s agenda is Be Our Guest restaurant at Magic Kingdom. This signature dining option offers the guest many solid features. There are lots of reasons to visit Be Our Guest.

The Be Our Guest restaurant sits themed around the idea of Beast’s castle. This place functions a bit differently than you may remember if you have not visited it in a while. Currently, the restaurant serves lunch and dinner only. Lunch starts at 10am. However, from 10am-12 noon, guests may purchase limited “Brunch” elements for their meal instead of the lunch/dinner options. All diners order from a Prix Fixe menu here. If you remember the days of ordering counter service for some meals here, that is not an present choice.  Current pricing:

$62 per adult (ages 10 and up), plus tax and gratuity

$37 per child (ages 3-9), plus tax and gratuity

 

The current three course Prix Fixe menu looks like this:

Appetizers (choose one)

—Captain Nemo Octopus- Seaweed Salad, Cucumber, Pickled Beets, Hearts of Palm, Tapioca Crackers, Beets Mousse, and Carrot-Ginger Silk

—French Onion Soup- Toasted Crouton, Gruyère, and Provolone

—Country Seasonal Salad- Toasted Walnuts, Fresh Fruit, and Seasonal Vinaigrette Dressing

—Assorted Meats and Artisanal Cheese Selection

—Maine Lobster Bisque-Garnished with Crème Fraîche and Poached Lobster

 

Entrées (choose one)

—Herb-salted Pork Tenderloin-Crispy Pork Belly, Seasonal Vegetables-Two Ways, Pork Jus, and Candied Pecan

—Sustainable Market Fresh Fish with Rock Shrimp, Leek Sauce, and Seasonal Vegetables

—Vadouvan Spiced Vegetables-Sautéed Seasonal Vegetables, Crispy Corn Cake with Coconut-Vadouvan Jus and Pickled Mustard Seeds

—Center-cut Filet Mignon-Robuchon Yukon Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, and Mushrooms with a Red Wine Sauce

—Poulet Rouge Chicken-Savory Bread Pudding and Seasonal Vegetables with a Chicken Glace

For dessert each guest gets a dessert trio. Plant based diners may request a vanilla cake with lemon curd as an alternative.

The kid’s Prix Fixe menu reflects a similar pattern. For appetizers, they choose one item between a salad, applesauce, and a fruit/cheese plate. The entrée choices range from beef tenderloin, chicken breast, or mac and cheese. These entrées come with a choice of two sides such as zucchini, green beans, sweet potatoes, fries, and wild rice. The dessert choices are a kid size dessert trio or seasonal fruit,

Now, if you wonder about those brunch options, I did not forget. The two most commonly available ones are an omelet or mickey waffles. As of the time of writing, I hear more brunch options could be commonly available. This “brunch experiment” could expand or contract at any time.

Okay, so is this worth your time and money?  I shall start with the easier aspect. How does your group wish to use their time. This three-course meal will take more than an hour out of your Magic Kingdom Day. Some guests have reported the meal taking two hours from being seated to leaving the restaurant. You will need to decide about the time issues based on if you only have one day at Magic Kingdom or will visit more often.

Related to that, the biggest issue revolves around if the children (and adults for that matter) need to see the incredible setting within and/or interact with Beast. If so, then make a reservation for this place now! If not, please read on.

The bigger question for me rotates around if the dining experience provides value for money spent. If your child (or another adult in your group) qualifies as a picky eater, you should get a dining reservation somewhere else. The Prix Fixe menu limits your choices. Therefore, in an earlier review I suggested “Skipper’s Canteen” as a more cost-effective table service option. I can confidently state if you have a picky eater over the age of 10, since they would cost $62 plus, this place will disappoint in terms of food options.

If you want/need an alcoholic beverage with your table service meal, those will cost more so your price tag went up again. Of course, this is Magic kingdom so alcoholic beverages will only be found at table service places where you will pay a premium.

Based on the current Prix Fixe menu, this place is hard to recommend with limited menu options. The set price point fails to make a recommendation easier. This place and others give people like me good reason to suggest taking a break from Magic Kingdom to visit a monorail resort table service dining option. The food will be of equal quality and cost less that way. Also, depending on your experience, you might use less time dining at Steakhouse 71 for example compared to Be Our Guest.

However, the setting within Beast’s castle looks wonderful. The overall theming works exceptionally well. Beast comes out to interact with guests. This serves as the only place you can count on seeing Beast.

If you choose to make a reservation here, I suggest on the adult menu to order the French onion soup and the filet. In fairness, in both cases, you will find better versions of those menu items at numerous other Walt Disney World resort restaurants. Yet, if you want to soak up the theming, the price point makes sense for you.

On the negative side, for a signature dining three course meal, the environment creates too much noise. Since reopening, service quality ranks as average. You do get bread service before your first course. However, the rolls often taste dry and the butter for them arrives in too solid a form to spread well on the rolls.

Last thing, this menu offers some hearty style entrees. For me, this looks like a dinner location. I have a hard time visualizing eating a three-course meal then riding the Space Mountain attraction. Is this place worth paying almost $150 with tax and gratuity for just two adults? I think not but can understand that for some people this would be ideal. If children are a primary consideration, they need to like Beast. You also need to be comfortable with the chance they will not eat very much for over $40 when you think tax and tip.

I realize I sound negative about this place. The food served here is good. Yes, this shows common theme park pricing. Yet, even considering you are in Magic Kingdom, the price point exceeds what I would expect for a signature dining three course meal of this quality. I will wait and hope that the Prix Fixe menu goes away. Yet, I respect the table service options look bleak in Magic Kingdom. I still proclaim a trip to Steakhouse 71 or Grand Floridian Café would be a better use of time and money. Please bear in mind my own offspring are past high school age, so the pull of character dining often gets lost on me. However, you are paying for theming so consider than when making advance dining reservations for your vacation. As always, eat like you mean it!