Walt Disney World’s Be Our Guest Restaurant {Review}

Even before I finalized the details of our most recent Walt Disney World vacation and long before I booked the tickets for our flights I knew the place I most wanted to dine while there was the BRAND NEW  Be Our Guest Restaurant in the New Fantasyland expansion of the Magic Kingdom park. It was set to open in November of 2012 and the reservation system was set to open to availability sometime in early fall. Like many other fans I kept my eye on the Walt Disney World Facebook page and read their blog updates to be sure I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to make a reservation as soon as they opened up. Finally, the date was announced and I marked my calendar, or I added it to my Google calender and the calendar on my phone, so I wouldn’t forget or miss my chance. Apparently a zillion other people did the same thing because as hard as I tried, I could not find availability online or by trying to call the reservation line. Not one to give up, I checked the website nearly every single day and called almost as much in hopes that someone would cancel their reservation and I could guarantee my family and I dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant during our stay in late November. As our trip drew closer and I kept getting “no availability” every time I checked online or called on the phone, I decided I would continue with the same strategy once we arrived in Orlando. Honestly, I wasn’t feeling very hopeful, but I just had to keep trying. The first few days I called every evening in hopes of getting a reservation for the following day, but I still had no luck. Then something magically amazing happened. On about the fourth day of our trip I walked up to the restaurant’s check-in desk and while waiting for my turn I overheard the hostess telling the guest in front of me that there weren’t any reservations available for that evening because, they were in fact completely book through April of 2013, but she then asked a question. It was a question that the person in front of me answered “no” to, but I couldn’t step up fast enough because my answer to her question was going to be “YES“, or more like “OMG, YES!” Yes, we have tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party tonight! I may have even shed a few tears because there is even more to this dramatic story, but I will spare you the pathetic details. I couldn’t believe it. All of my effort paid off and we were going to dine in Beast’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Oh I know. Totally amazing, right?!?!?! Okay, on to the details of our dining experience. As we sat with our pager eagerly awaiting our turn to walk over the bridge and into the castle, I of course had to snap a few photos.

When our pager vibrated we all bolted walked over to turn it in so we could be escorted to our table, which included walking over a little bridge and through an iron gate and then the magic began. At the entrance there were two huge doors and rather than just enter through one, like in many plain old restaurants, both were opened in dramatic fashion as we got our first glimpse of the ballroom where we were going to dine. It was gorgeous and beautiful and I felt like I stepped into the Disney film, Beauty and the Beast. We were led to our table, which was perfectly set, down to every last detail, like these elegant place settings. Yes, Disney is all about the details.

I kind of just wanted to stare at my napkin rather than actually use it, but for the sake of good etiquette I gently placed it across my lap. We all spent a few minutes oohing and awing at our surroundings, from that table setting to the beautiful ceiling, and of course our menus.

Oh sorry! Were you hoping for a glimpse of the inside of the menu? I didn’t get one of that, but you can view it in its entirety at the Be Our Guest Restaurant website. I was actually grateful there weren’t many choices because it made everyone’s decision easy. Our server was very sweet and attentive and probably equally as excited to be working in such a beautiful restaurant as we were to be dining there. The only meat I eat is fish, so I chose the salmon. Doesn’t it look delicious? Also, I very rarely order a beverage other than water when dining out, but I made an exception since we were, ummm, dining as a guest of the Master himself. What made my decision super easy was the fact that each choice on the menu has a wine suggestion. This one was perfect! More than I would pay for a glass of wine, but again, it was a special occasion.

The rest of my family made their decisions as easily as I did, with Paul and Nick choosing the steak and Cody choosing the dish that included Au Gratin Macaroni (Macaroni and cheese). The protein on Cody’s plate was pork and he enjoyed it just as much as he enjoyed his macaroni. Paul and Nick both expressed how wonderful their steaks were, practically melting in their mouths. The steak arrived as a rather generous portion and included pommes frites (french fries), which I can personally attest to being yummy. I should probably also mention that my salmon was perfectly cooked and those creamy saffron crushed mashed potatoes were incredible. Unfortunately I couldn’t get a decent photo of the steak, but here is a peek at Cody’s pork dish:

As we all stuffed our faces and filled our bellies, enjoying every last bite on each of our plates, something really special happened in the dining room. A dramatic gong rang through the entire space, capturing everyone’s attention, and for very good reason. An announcement was made welcoming us and thanking us for dining as guests of the Master and informing everyone that he would be taking guests in his study following dinner, and then he made his way through the dining room and into his study to await visitors. I was seriously giddy. I did not expect a greeting with Beast because quite honestly our dinner was already pretty darn special all by itself, but I will admit that I could not wait to devour my dessert so we could make our way to the study.  No matter how many times we get to meet a character at Walt Disney World it is always a truly magical experience and it never, ever gets old. Oh right. I mentioned dessert. I’m not sure I can put into words just how decadent our desserts were, so I will just show you. First, they showed up table side encased in a trolley so we didn’t have to just go by the description on the menu to make our decision. This way we could drool over all of them and try to narrow our choice down to just one. Yeah, it was challenging! Ultimately Paul went with the chocolate cream puff and the boys and I went with the chocolately chocolate cupcake.  They were all scrumptious!

I really hate sharing such a blurry picture of that cupcake, but I have never claimed to be a good photographer. Hopefully you can still appreciate just how sinful it was and appreciate that is was a  really wonderful ending to such an amazing dining experience. Wait……it wasn’t the ending because one of the BIGGEST treats was still yet to come as we made our way toward the exit. Remember? We got to meet the Master and take a photo! Oh yes we did!

The bottom line is that you truly must dine at Be Our Guest Restaurant if you have the chance because it was an absolutely unforgettable experience for our family and I’m pretty confident it would be the same for your family, too!