Be Our Guest Restaurant

Be Our Guest Restaurant is a quick service for lunch and a table service for dinner.  Lunch service usually begins promptly at 10:30am, but it may be served as early as 10am during extremely crowded times like Easter and Christmas.  They aim to have the last people ordering at 2:45pm.  Wait times are consistently 20 to 30 minutes throughout lunch service, most of which is outside on the bridge.  In order to minimize waits as much as possible, you’d want to be in line around 10:20am.  However, that puts you in line for lunch at one of the better times to tour in low crowds and short waits.  I recommend lining up for lunch right around 2pm.  Overall crowds will peak and you won’t be wasting valuable touring time in line.  Still, expect to wait 15 to 20 minutes and have lunch last 60 to 90 minutes.  Only one person from the group needs to be in line.  Others can meet the group in the front of the line or inside.

Location: Be Our Guest Restaurant is located in New Fantasyland across the bridge.

In between Enchanted Tales with Belle and Gaston’s Tavern.

Food type: Salads, Hot Sandwiches, and a Pork Entree.

Dining Plan: One quick service credit for lunch.

Menu:

Unique Items: Everything.

Process:

Before ordering, you’ll be given one of these red roses, which is embedded with an RFID chip that will let the food runner know where you’re sitting.

Unlike most Disney quick services, guests using gift cards, credit cards, or room keys will order at a kiosk.  The screen will display the various options and you choose what and how many of each you would like.  If you’re using cash, you’ll be directed to a cast member at a typical register.

You then swipe your card at the kiosk and proceed to an open table.  Your food will be delivered.

Advantages:

• The theming, particularly in the Rose Gallery and West Wing, is pretty amazing.  It feels like you’re dining in Beast’s Castle.
• Some of Disney’s freshest, most innovative quick service food options.  For a resort known for its hamburgers and french fries, steak sandwiches and tuna nicoise salads are a welcome respite.  Quality can be hit or miss, but most people seem to enjoy their meals.
• Self-serve soda dispensers so you can grab a refill on the way out.  Don’t tell anyone, but the cups are out in the open for anyone to grab.
• Food is delivered to you tableside with real plates and silverware.  Once you finish, a cast member cleans up.

Disadvantages:

• The outdoor wait is the biggest detraction.  You’ll be waiting outside for 15 to 40 minutes in the sun or rain.
• Food quality probably does not match the hype.  People enjoy their meals, but it isn’t exactly out of this world cuisine.
• No “safe picks” for “picky eaters.”  There are no chicken nuggets or hamburgers on the menu.  Kids may not see something they like.  You can bring in food from another location – Pinocchio Village Haus is nearby.

Value: High.  For just a dollar or two more than a burger, you’ll have the opportunity to try some relatively upscale fare in one of Disney’s newest, most elaborately themed settings.

Reputation: People have strong feelings on this one and most will report either a very good or very bad experience with the food.  Just about everyone is enamored by the location.  It’s certainly worth having lunch here if the wait is tolerable.  Even if you don’t love your sandwich, the setting is fun and the drink refills are free.

Food Choices:

Quinoa Salad – $9.99

With Green Beans, Potatoes, Olives, Roasted Red Peppers, Golden Beets, and Tomatoes.  A tasty vegetarian entree that’s a little different than most.  The salad is fresh and the quinoa provides a healthy serving of protein.

Croque Monsieur – $10.99

Grilled Sandwich with Carved Ham, Gruyere Cheese, and Bechamel with Pommes Frites.  “Good, not great” with a smaller helping of ham than you might be expecting.

I was hoping Disney would serve up the delicious fries that accompany the steak at dinner, but that doesn’t look to be the case.  These appear to be extra limp.

Carved Turkey Sandwich – $10.99

Served warm on a Baguette with Dijon Mayonnaise and Pommes Frites.

Sorry Mom, but I can’t take credit for subbing the fries for green beans.  The beans came mistakenly.  I briefly considered logging into the DIS to complain about the TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE, but the food delivery person promised to bring a side of fries, so I calmed down a bit.

The sandwich was okay.

Be Our Guest seems to be taking a page out of the Diamond Horseshoe playbook – there is no cheese.  It’s just a couple pieces of turkey, greens, four bits of red onion, and the mayonnaise which didn’t have a ton of flavor.

It wasn’t bad by any means, but it didn’t stand out as being outstanding either.  The baguette was indeed served warm and the meal was quite filling.

The green beans were quite good I thought.  I’m not sure how healthy they are rolled around in butter.  Originally, the ordering kiosk had a button that would tell you the nutritional information of each item, but I think it was removed.  It probably added to ordering time and Disney doesn’t necessarily want you knowing their steak sandwich weighs in at 1,100 calories.

Braised Pork – $11.99

Slow Cooked Pork with Vegetables and Bacon with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans Jardiniere – 492 calories according to the kiosk.  The Steak Sandwich is just north of 1,000.  I enjoyed the Pork quite a bit – it was tender and flavorful.  It was easy to cut with a fork.  The picture insinuated peppers and onions along with the green beans, but we seem to just have green beans here.  They were probably cooked properly – which is less than I normally do myself.  Still, very good.  Overall, I would recommend this highly, though it isn’t a ton of food for the money.  But the fact that Be Our Guest doesn’t serve up gut bombs is probably good.

Potato Leek Soup – $4.49 (pictured from dinner)

It was served piping hot with a thin potato consistency, which kept it from feeling “heavy,” while still offering a steady potato flavor.  One of the best soups I’ve ever had.

Lemon Meringue and Strawberry Cupcakes:

They are good, but I would be more likely to spend that $3 later in the day.  For $4 – $5, you’d get a much larger cupcake at the Confectionery or elsewhere.

Seating:

Be Our Guest has three distinct rooms – the first and largest is the ballroom.

The Rose Gallery, off to the right, is brighter and comfier with bench seating and tables that aren’t quite so close together.  Don’t sit in the center near the Belle/Beast music box unless you want to be in 1,000 photographs while you eat.

Finally, the West Wing is the darkest, creepiest, and coolest room.

Here, you’ll find a portrait of the Beast.

And the famous rose.

Condiments:

You’ll need to ask the food runner for most condiment needs.  Fries are served with ketchup.