Be Our Guest Restaurant -- Lunch -- Quick Service -- Magic Kingdom
*This gluten free dining experience took place in June 2018.
Lunch at Be Our Guest Restaurant
Be Our Guest Restaurant is a restaurant in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom that serves both quick service breakfast and lunch and table service dinner. I haven't eaten lunch at Be Our Guest Restaurant since 2013, so it's been a very very long time. Recently, we asked you, the readers, what quick service restaurant we should eat lunch or dinner at, and Be Our Guest was the most requested. So, given how long it had been and your requests, we had to go! Brandon has also never eaten at Be Our Guest for any meal, so he was looking forward to checking it out too.
Atmosphere
When it comes to a well-themed restaurant, Be Our Guest is definitely one of the best. From the moment you arrive, you'll feel like you're transported to the Beast's Castle with Belle.
If you do have the time, I highly recommend taking a moment to look around at the exterior of the restaurant. There's so many beautiful touches and great photo opportunities.
I love everything about all the details and theme, including these amazing beast busts built into the outside lighting fixtures.
There are three dining rooms in Be Our Guest -- each with a distinct and unique theme. The first is the main ballroom. From the gorgeous chandeliers to the impressive floor to ceiling windows that make it look like it's snowing outside, this is definitely the definition of grand ballroom.This room also has the most seating, which is helpful if you're eating lunch here on a busy day.
The second room is where we ate -- the Rose Gallery. This is a smaller but equally impressive room. There are lovely paintings of Belle and the Beast and even a large music box style scene of Belle and the Beast dancing that actually moves.
The third and final room is the West Wing. This room is well themed and detailed, that it is a must visit anytime you're at Be Our Guest Restaurant. I've never been able to dine in here because it's so popular. But, it's definitely worth taking a quick peek into just for the theming.Pro Tip if you have children. This room is both dark and can be a bit scary. If you have children who might get scared by this, I would probably avoid visiting or dining in this space (and would request to not be seated there during dinner).
The Food
Of course, we were at Be Our Guest Restaurant, not just for the theme, but the food! This restaurant does not include an allergy-friendly lunch menu. That's because guests typically order meals from a self-serve kiosk. These kiosks will let you add your special dietary need to the selection and automatically tell you what you might be able to order. This can be handy if you have a common or single special dietary need, but not in other cases (or if you have questions). So, definitely speak to a cast member if you want to talk to a chef or manager.On our visit, a cast member directed us to stations typically used for mobile ordering. Because it was so busy, the cast members there assisted us with the ordering and did let me look at their ordering screen to determine the options. As it turns out, everything Brandon wanted was also available as a gluten free option, so we ended up making our entire order gluten free so that we could try multiple dishes.Once we placed our order, we then found seats in the Rose Gallery and waited for our food to arrive. I was at the drink station when the food arrived. But Brandon noted that the manager was actually with several cast members to ensure that everything arrived safely and was gluten free.
The first dish we ordered was the French Onion Soup. This dish can be made gluten free by omitting the bread/croutons. It was also listed as a vegetarian option, and I have heard mixed reports as to whether this is a vegetable stock base or beef broth based soup.Both Brandon and I thought this soup was the better of the two soups we tried. It was also insanely cheesy. So, if you enjoy cheesy French Onion soup, you'll be very happy with this option.
The next item we ordered was the Potato Leek Soup. This dish is marked gluten free on the menu and does contain dairy. Both Brandon and I liked this soup a lot. But, the French Onion was hard to top. We would recommend ordering this soup, especially if you're not a fan of French Onion or want a soup that isn't as filling.
For entrees, we ordered two. The first was the Braised Pork (Coq Au Vin Style) which included Eight Hour Slow-cooked Pork with Mushrooms, Onions, Carrots and Bacon served with Mashed Potatoes and Green Bean Jardiniere. This dish can be made gluten free by omitting the gravy but does contain dairy.Both Brandon and I thought this was the better of the two entrees. The pork was extremely tender and flavorful, and the mashed potatoes were also very good. I actually loved the green beans with onions and peppers and ate a good amount of them. Brandon is not a green bean fan, and even he liked them when combined with the pork and mashed potatoes. We both agreed we would not hesitate to order this again.
The second entree we ordered was the Carved Turkey Sandwich served warm on a Millet Chia gluten free bread with Dijon Mayonnaise and Pommes Frites. This dish is both gluten free and dairy free. Both Brandon and I thought this was a solid lunch option and a huge portion -- perfect for sharing. The turkey was actually proper real hand carved turkey -- not deli turkey. The millet chia bread (which is from Udi's Gluten Free) was quite tasty and paired well with the turkey, Dijon mayonnaise and arugula on the sandwich. The only real bummer from this entree were the French fries which seemed lukewarm by the time they got to our table.Though we both preferred the pork, we would also order the turkey again. Plus, it's a great option for guests who are gluten free and dairy free.
And, finally, we had to order the Lemon - Raspberry Cream Puff which is gluten free. Unfortunately, this does contain dairy. But, I've heard you can get sorbet at Be Our Guest too.I should have known better ordering this, as it is a gluten free and no-sugar added dessert, and I do not typically think those two combinations mix well. Even though I love lemon, this dessert was super dry and had a weird flavor. I can guess it was due to the sugar free substitutes used in the cream puff. What a bummer and a missed opportunity, to make a decadent and fantastic gluten free cream puff!I have to admit that I do not like sugar substitutes or no sugar added desserts typically and have not usually enjoyed the ones I've tried at Disney. Next time we'll skip the dessert and get one elsewhere. However, I've heard lots of guests rave about this cream puff, so if you think you might like it, I would say give it a try. It's just not something I personally enjoyed.
As you can see from this photo, we had a TON of food! We definitely over-ordered for lunch (even a late one at around 2 p.m.) and were full for the rest of the day. Next time we would skip the dessert and maybe share a soup and split two entrees.
Overall
We were pleasantly surprised by the lunch we had at Be Our Guest Restaurant. It's not a location we'd dine at all the time. But, it's nice for something completely different than traditional quick service in the park. We both thought the soups and entrees were quite good and moderately priced. My only negative would be that some of our food wasn't as warm as other dishes. But, this may also have been due to the timing and special dietary needs requests. But, this wouldn't deter us from going again. With great theming and a ton of gluten free options (and some dairy free options), we will definitely go back sooner than 4 years now!Have you been to Be Our Guest Restaurant? What did you order when you dined here?
Be Our Guest Restaurant -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Magic Kingdom
*This dining experience took place in January 2014. It also contains a vegan dinner review in addition to my gluten free & dairy free review.
Bonjour! It has been over a year since my last dinner review of Be Our Guest Restaurant. With Advance Dining Reservations being incredibly hard to get, it's no wonder that it's taken me so long to get back to this table service location in the Magic Kingdom. My last visit was during the Tables in Wonderland preview before the restaurant officially opened, and I was looking forward to checking out the new menu changes.I was so excited when my friend Krista Joy from Disneyways.com sent me a message that she got a last minute ADR and asked if I would join her. How could I say no to the good company and the chance to go to Be Our Guest?! The dinner was set for 8:30 p.m. which was a wee bit late considering I was running a 5K early the next morning (4:30 a.m. wakeup call), but I was up for the challenge! In addition to Krista, I was also joined by Tony Caselnova from Disney by the Numbers who also happens to be vegan, so you'll see some of the photos from his meal here as well. I have to say that the castle is so pretty at night, and the interior is even more impressive when visiting in the evening. When we got in line to be seated, a cast member brought us out something I'd not seen before -- our very own table candelabra. Why it was our very own Lumiere! We were given it and were asked to bring it with us to our table. Pretty cool! Don't believe us? Well..you know the rest!
We were then greeted by our server who was quite lovely (and who's name I can't remember) who then said she would notify the chef. The chef then came out and she seemed...well, a bit perplexed by me. She looked at Tony and immediately said, "Oh vegan, I've got you covered." and then sort of looked at me. She went over options, and it seemed strange that some might have dairy. When I double checked that there was no dairy in certain dishes, she said, "OH, you can't have dairy either. Well that changes everything." Oh boy, statements like that always worry me!The pork, shrimp and scallop dishes were completely out, but she said she could do most of them gluten free & dairy free modified. She tried to sell me on the Layered Ratatouille which is their vegan & vegetarian dish. She said this was gluten & dairy free, but I really wanted something more substantial. I ended up going for the Pan Seared Salmon minus the leek fondue. She said she would serve it with roasted potatoes and some type of seasonal vegetable. I was given several options, and I asked her to choose what she thought complimented it best and was seasonal. She also offered me gluten free rolls with Earth Balance.While I didn't get an appetizer, Tony did, and surprisingly the French Onion Soup is gluten free (without the crouton) and dairy free and vegan without the cheese. They use a vegetable broth base instead of beef broth, which is what French Onion Soup is traditional made with. Who knew?! He did say it was quite good.
While appetizers were served our rolls also came out. They were the Ener-G rolls which is surprisingly uncommon these days on Disney property, so I'm always surprised when I see them and that they were still at Be Our Guest. I will say, they were very hot when they came to the table, but as with most Ener-G rolls, they get hard quite quickly. Eaten hot though, they really aren't bad.
Our entrees came out fairly promptly, and I will say that mine had a nice presentation.
Here's Tony's vegan (and gluten free) Layered Ratatouille
Tony said his dish was good, and it looked nice. I'm not sure I personally would have been satisfied by the entree, but I'm glad that the restaurant created a vegetarian dish that was also vegan. Still, Disney seems to be on a quinoa kick lately. I wish they'd offer some variety of vegan & vegetarian dishes that weren't quinoa based.For my dish, I thought it was just OK. First off, I find the portions at this restaurant strangely small given the price. Second, this fish was not the greatest. It didn't taste as fresh as I would have liked and hoped. It was cooked medium, which was not told to me. Thank goodness I don't mind it cooked this way, but I could have been quite off put by semi-raw salmon if I didn't like it in general. The sear on the skin was not good at all, which means the skin and anything touching it was not particularly tasty (more fishy and not in a good way). The roasted potatoes were good but not very hot. Honestly, my favorite thing about the dish was the brocollini which accompanied my salmon. It was the only thing properly cooked on my plate (in my opinion) and was bursting with garlicky flavor and sauteed well. It can get bitter if over sauteed, and this was just perfect.Both Tony and I did not get desserts, though we were both offered sorbet and fruit (and Rice Dream for me).After our meal, we did get a chance to explore and also see the Beast who was walking through the restaurant and posing for photos.
Overall, I love the ambiance of Be Our Guest. It's just a gorgeous restaurant. And I like the food for lunch, but dinner I find to be underwhelming. The meal should have been fantastic but instead it just wasn't. If there had been some tweaking and better preparation it could have easily been an awesome meal. I hope that in the future, they'll continue to work on making their menu the best it can be and work on the food timing. I'll definitely try again, but I have a feeling it will be a while before I go again for dinner (especially considering how hard it is to get ADRs). I'm so glad though that Krista & Tony joined me at dinner -- their company made this a great meal experience.I'm giving this restaurant a 6 out of 10 for lukewarm and mediocre food.
Guest Review -- A WDW Vacation Free of Gluten -- Day Four
Friday, November 29, 2013Today is Ethan’s first day ever in the Magic Kingdom! I’m not sure who was more excited!Breakfast was granola bars in the car because we wanted to go to Be Our Guest for lunch, which meant getting in line early and eating an early lunch. I went picture crazy just standing in line!
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
Ethan found a Hidden Mickey on the last suit of armor on your right!
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
It took about 15 minutes to get up to a cashier. I had been hoping for one of the self-order kiosks, but it wasn’t a big deal. We told him there was a wheat allergy and he listed the 5 items on the menu that were safe or modified to be safe. He rattled them off very quickly I might have gotten 1 or 2 wrong (I believe he said “tuna, quinoa, ham, roast beef, turkey”). (Sarah's note: See Sarah's post with some of the gluten free options listed HERE) I ordered the roast beef; Ethan got the turkey. We don’t normally get desserts, but I just had to try the lemon and raspberry cream puff. Because we had Magic Bands, they scanned that instead of giving us a rose tracker. We were free to find a table and get drinks (and wander and snap photos!).
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
We were served fairly quickly – but no trolley for us! Our food came out on a human!
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
I’d seen photos of other gluten free sandwiches here and they always came out on bread, so we were really surprised to see the buns! And, I don’t know if it was the ambiance or the company or the food, but this is the best roast beef sandwich I’ve ever eaten…
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
The only thing that made this lemon raspberry cream puff “raspberry” was the single raspberry sitting on top. It’s just lemon flavored otherwise, but it was still very good!
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
Ethan and I agreed that if every meal at Be Our Guest was this good, we don’t want to ever eat anywhere else again!Dinner is at Tony’s Town Square.I haven’t eaten here in probably 10 years, but I kept seeing good review after good review for their GF pasta, so here we are. We checked in and found a seat in the waiting area (no pager, they call your name) where there’s a TV for the kids playing what appeared to be an endless loop of the movie Lady and the Tramp. One of the waitresses was coming around with a tray of tiny hot cups – they were handing out hot chocolate since it was really, really cold out (the low was supposed to be 37!)We were seated fairly quickly and the waitress was wonderful. She went to get the chef who was out extremely fast (I really wish I could remember his name) and was very helpful and friendly. We both ordered spaghetti and meatballs. He said he’d send out rolls first.
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
These rolls were HOT! They were also very good and didn’t even last until the pasta came out! Bonus points on your rolls, Tony’s!Then there was the pasta and meatballs.
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
Ethan proclaimed the meatballs bland. I thought the whole dish was just so-so. I can make GF pasta at home better than this. (Now I remember why we didn’t come here for 10 years.) It wasn’t “bad”, just not anything you can’t do yourself.Now I know I said we don’t do desserts, but the waitress tells us the crème brule is GF – the Pistachio crème brule… we decide we can split it. It was fantastic.
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
So aside from rolls and dessert, I’m done with Tony’s Town Square… again…Stay tuned for Day 5 of Jaime's trip report!
Be Our Guest Restaurant -- Lunch -- Quick Service -- Magic Kingdom
*This dining experience took place in June 2013.
Bonjour mademoiselles and messieurs! I've once again returned back to Be Our Guest Restaurant at the Magic Kingdom for another quick service lunch experience. I recently went there and enjoyed lunch for the first time (see review HERE). On my second visit, I opted to be more adventurous on my food choices, as well as explore all of the gluten free & dairy free options available to me both on the adult and children's menus.When I arrived this time, it was a weekday (I normally go on weekends) and right around the noon time frame. Because it had been quite busy the few days earlier, I expected it to be really busy at noon. The line itself was longer than it was that previous Saturday, but it seemed like there were more cast members working to ensure people were hydrated and had umbrellas. Have I mentioned how much I really want one of those umbrellas?! Those Disney golf umbrellas are quite sturdy--perfect for Florida rain! I have to admit our wait time outside was actually shorter than it was that Saturday (even though the line was longer).
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| That's a lot of umbrellas! Or should we call them parasols? |
Once we got in the building, we followed past the suits of armor and onto the rose distribution station. For some reason, I never seem to get the self service station. I ended up going to a cast member manned cash register. When I told the CM that I was gluten and dairy free, she added it to the computer, and then told me I could come around and look at the screen. Of course, I didn't get any pictures but I did make sure to note all of the options both on the adult and children's menus. Here's what is available GF/DF:Adult Menu:
- French Onion Soup (without the cheese and crouton)
- Tuna Nicoise Salad (no modifications needed)
- Quinoa Salad (no modifications needed)
- Carved Turkey Sandwich (on an Udi's bun)
Children's Menu:
- Carved Turkey Sandwich (with french fries and peach applesauce on an Udi's bun)
- Slow-cooked Pork (with green beans and NO mashed sweet potatoes)
I was a bit surprised at the few options available. Of course the menu itself isn't huge, but still. In any event, I ended up deciding on the Tuna Nicoise Salad. It was really humid that day, so I wanted something light and cool.
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| Ordering Station |
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| RFID Rose & receipt |
We ended up in the main ballroom to eat, but the rose gallery was by far the calmest room to enjoy lunch in. In fact, we ended up going there to get our drink refills!
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| Drink station |
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| The food is delicious! Don't believe us? Ask the dishes! |
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| Tuna Nicoise Salad |
I very much enjoyed the salad--it was the perfect kind of food for a hot summer day. The tuna was seared well and was good quality. The egg was hard poached and the veggies on the salad were good but a little stingy on the amount. I would say for the price ($17 with a drink), it wasn't very much food. I could easily get a decent salad at a table service location for that price. I'm thinking I'd get the cobb salad at the Brown Derby any day over this! It's a much better bargain!Overall, I enjoyed the lunch and as always the ambiance is unparallelled. I wouldn't say it's the best food ever, but it's one of the better options in the Magic Kingdom and it's a good alternative to burgers and fries. My one disappointment is that there is a major lack in variety for multiple allergies. I think gluten free folks have better options that those of us who have multiple special dietary needs. I was a bit bummed by the kids choices alone!
I'd give this a solid 8 out of 10 for great atmosphere and good food.
Be Our Guest -- Lunch -- Quick Service -- Magic Kingdom
*This dining experience took place in June 2013.
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| Check out those lines... |
"Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest, put our service to the test..." Why that's just what I did recently when I finally made it over to Be Our Guest (BOG) for lunch service. I've been trying to visit this location for lunch for what seems like forever (really just a few months), and I was thrilled that I finally had the opportunity to enjoy lunch during their fast casual service.As a general tip, plan ahead if you are hoping to dine at this location. For lunch BOG is a quick service location, meaning there are no reservations. It is a very large restaurant; however, it's also hugely popular and popular means long lines and wait times. Additionally, when you come to this location, you will line up outside of the restaurant (which is slightly different from many locations that have indoor lines that accommodate huge crowd) until they clear you to come into the ordering lines. If you're really hungry, you might want to find another location unless you're ok with waiting. It also pays to get there earlier or later in the day if you're hungry. My family and I showed up, for instance, at almost 1 pm and were told the wait time was 35 minutes. Yikes!! Fortunately, our wait time was more like 15 minutes, but still. If you're hungry, you could have a very rumbly tummy by the time you get in and eat. Also, if you're heading out during the summer months, it is HOT out there. And I mean hot. Fortunately, Disney is prepared. As of June 2013, they were handing out large Disney golf umbrellas and cold ice water. That's good because I'm pretty sure suffering from heat stroke does not make a magical vacation or lunch for that matter!
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| I'm one hot chickadee in the summer sun! |
Once you are cleared to enter the building, you proceed to another queue. There, you walk past suits of armor that actually talk! You also see the menu displayed on screens between 2 rows of line queues. This is good because it gives you an idea of what's available while you wait. You can also ask a Cast Member for a paper menu, and they should be able to give you one.
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| Menus |
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| We are the knights who say "Nii!" Ok, they didn't say that, but it would be cool if they did! |
Once you get further up in the line, you are met by a cast member who asks you how many in your party. They then give you a plastic RFID rose (love the theming of this) to hold on to while you order and then find a table. Now comes the interesting part for special diets. You are either taken to a Cast Member manned station or a self serve station to order. In both cases, you either tell the CM your special diet or you select it on the screen. At anytime you can ask for a manager and they will come out. But, still...it's a little strange. It's rather like what they did for a while at Hollywood Brown Derby, where they used iPads to make interactive menus. In this case, once the special diets are entered, the menus then display what you can and can't have. For me, I wanted to order one of the kids meals because I wasn't overly hungry. I wanted the mahi mahi but evidently it's not safe for one of my dietary needs (I was at a CM booth, I'm hoping to go to the self serve station next time because I actually want to see all the choices). Boo! So, I ended up with the Carved Turkey Sandwich on a GF bun. It was supposed to come with Sweet Potato Wedges and Peach Applesauce. Th e sweet potato wedges are not safe (probably gluten is my guess), so I couldn't have those but the applesauce was. I ended up getting regular fries...sorry, Pommes Frites, n'est-ce pas?!
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| Cast Member manned station |
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| More of the menu--the screens cause too much glare with a camera! |
Next up, it was on to find a seat. At lunch, it's pretty much a free-for-all. There are 3 rooms in which you can dine. The main dining area - ballroom (which is hugely popular) and also the West Wing and the Rose Gallery. Personally, I'd avoid the ballroom unless you are there for dinner. It's 1) highly crowded and 2) ridiculously loud. It's much better at dinner, imo. The West Wing is quite dark and some younger children may find it scary. The Rose Gallery is bright and lively and where we ended up--and thankfully not that crowded!!As we waited, we helped ourselves to the drink station and to the silverware (no plastic forks here! Only the real stuff!).
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| View of paintings and the drink station |
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| Centerpiece in the rose gallery |
You keep your roses on the table with your receipts and the cast members bring the food to you. They use the same carts that they use for desserts at dinner. In one respect, I'm actually glad that they bring the allergy food in person outside of those carts, because those things carry a LOT of glutenous desserts in them. And while I'm sure they are well cleaned, I just don't love the idea of it. But that's just me. And interestingly enough, my food came out really quickly compared to the rest of the family's! Sometimes, it's good to be the food allergy person! :)
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| My receipt, so you can see how it rings up |
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| Carved turkey sandwich with fries |
What I love about this location is that everything is served on real dinnerware. It's like Landscape of Flavors--which has that fast casual vibe. Very nice! I will say, that I was shocked at the portion of my meal. It was quite generous and really almost the same size as the regular adult meals. I liked it especially because I got dessert and a drink included. That's a bargain!! I'm going to start doing this more..sheesh! First up were the fries. Yes, they were nothing to write home about. They are the regular fries you get at Disney. Good...yes. Special...err not so much. The turkey sandwich came only with tomato and turkey. I imagine this is partially due to the fact that this is a kid's meal and those usually are filled with tons of condiments. We asked a CM by the drink station for plain mayonnaise which they were happy to oblige. The turkey was the real star of this sandwich. In fact, it was quite moist and flavorful. I was surprised by it. But the thing that made me the most happy....it was an Udi's bun! hallelujah!!! It seems like they have a variety of bread products at BOG because I've been served Ener-G rolls for dinner. So, this was great to have at least variety. And, I personally love Udi's buns. They even toasted it a little. Overall, the sandwich would have been better with a little bit of greens (like some arugula) and/or some Dijon mustard. Maybe that's what the adult version includes!Another fave of the meal was the peach applesauce. Yummy. I'm a huge applesauce fan and this one was delicious. It was really peachy in flavor, and the texture was quite nice. It was the perfect "dessert" after the meal.
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| Serving carts |
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| Peach applesauce--looks bland but was delicious |
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| Busy ballroom |
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| Beautiful snow in the windows |
While, I wouldn't say my meal was anything overly spectacular, I would say that for a quick service it was quite good. It was so much better than typical burgers or fries. And my family really enjoyed their non-special diets entrees (they got the croque monsieur & the steak sandwich). My hope is to go to a self serve kiosk the next time so that I can actually see more of the menu. I also want to try something different. I hear rave reviews about the quinoa salad as a great gluten free option.Also, as an adult ordering the kids meal, why you couldn't beat the portion or the price. They had some really good healthful options and the applesauce made for a great addition. Also, where else can you get a complete meal at Disney with a drink for $9?! Love it!I'm giving this a solid 8 out of 10 for this experience and hope to be back soon to get more details and try something new. Also, gluten free diners will have a lot more choices. Let's just say dairy free and French food don't always mix so well!!In the meantime, what do you recommend? Is there something there I simply must try?For a full review of dinner (on the opening menu): Check here!
Be Our Guest Restaurant -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Magic Kingdom
*This dining experience took place November 2012.
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| Entrance to Be Our Guest Restaurant |
With the official opening of the New Fantasyland Expansion on December 6, 2012, many of us have been waiting patiently for a peek into the new restaurants located there, especially Be Our Guest Restaurant. Located next to Enchanted Tales with Belle, Be Our Guest Restaurant (BOG) transports diners into the French Countryside and to the Beast's castle. ADRs for this restaurant have proved to be difficult and highly coveted. In fact, I originally didn't get any reservations until January 2013! However, special previews have been happening for press, cast members, and select guests during the preview period. As a Tables in Wonderland member (a discount card for dining at Walt Disney World restaurants), I received an email a few weeks ago to get a special preview of the restaurant. I was so excited, but didn't have any high expectations that I would get an ADR due to the difficulty Annual Passholder previews had been for the Fantasyland expansion itself (it was crazy!). However, I was lucky enough to score a reservation at 4pm on November 18. I should note that the restaurant is also open for lunch, but that lunch is a quick service meal--similar to how La Cantina de San Angel and La Hacienda de San Angel in Epcot run.With that in mind, I began busily planning out my meal (or at least what I thought might be my meal!!). The menu for BOG is decidedly French, as one might expect from the French inspired decor. Lots of gratins and sauces. In looking at the menu ahead of time, I had suspected that the Rotisserie Cornish Hen was likely the safest option. And so I patiently waited for our ADRs!
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| Lunch and dinner menus outside of Be Our Guest |
On the day of our reservation, we headed to the new Fantasyland area. We got there about 30 minutes early, so it was a good time to check out the sights and sounds. We tried to check in early, but were not able to do so. At this time (due to high capacity and requests), they ask that you check in at exactly 15 minutes prior to your ADR. In fact, we were not taken in to the restaurant until exactly 4pm when the restaurant opened.
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| Waterfall by Be Our Guest Restaurant |
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| Waterfall and Mountains |
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| The Beast's castle off in the distance...gorgeous! |
While we waited, we were given a pager and told to wait in front of the bridge and that once our pager went off we would be seated inside. During this time, we took a look around and took some pictures.
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| Our pager |
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| Details on the bridge |
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| Beast gargoyle.. |
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| Entrance to the restaurant |
Finally, the time came for our pager to go off! We were so excited to head into the restaurant. I had been able to check it out during the Annual Passholder preview but was not prepared for the amazing ambiance in the restaurant. It was truly breathtaking. The dining room is a mammoth ballroom with huge chandeliers (like in Beauty & the Beast) and amazing murals. There is a side room that is dedicated to the Beast (more on that later) as well. The one thing that I will note is that the lighting is not particularly great for taking photographs, so some of my photos may seem a little dark, especially in the Beast's room.
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| Ballroom |
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| Chandeliers and Mural |
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| View of the ballroom from our seats |
We were seated at the very back of the ballroom, next to the large windows with scenes of the French countryside. Wow. This was so amazing. The windows made it feel like we were transported to France. The mountains were in the background with beautiful pine trees and snow. Yes, it was snowing. The way Disney Imagineers designed this was brilliant, and really made the ambiance come to life. It was gorgeous, and we were so excited to be seated there. The table settings were also lovely. The napkins were folded into gorgeous red roses. Beautiful!
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| Napkins |
Our server greeted us, and she could not have been more in character. Disney has done some wonderful training and character background for these servers. Ours was very polite and conscientious--we had lots of refills on our drinks and excellent service. She took our drink order and said she would get the chef. This was exciting to be in a new restaurant and to see what French inspired foods might be available.
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| View of the countryside--you can almost make out the snow |
The chef greeted us by asking what I might like. The first thing I asked about was the appetizer. We had been very hungry (having missed lunch due to a very busy day at the Orlando Premium Outlets) and wanted something to nosh on before our entrees. I had been eying the Assorted Cured Meats and Sausages appetizer. The chef told me that this would be gluten free with the change out of bread but that he needed to see if the pates were dairy free. He said he would include the regular baguette for my guests and include gluten free/dairy free bread for me. I forgot to ask him what the bread was (sorry, I was in awe of the restaurant). We then talked about the entrees. He said that we could do the rotisserie Cornish hen without any modifications--so if you're gluten and dairy free, this is the easiest one for you. He also said he could do the thyme scented pork rack chop (which I later wished I had ordered) and sub out the sides with roasted fingerling potatoes and a roasted vegetable. The steak is also a very good option for gluten and dairy diners. The only modification would be the removal of the garlic herb butter. He indicated that the ratatouille would be OK, but since I didn't want that one, he didn't go into major details with this. The salmon and sauteed shrimp and scallops were the two hardest to accommodate for the special diets. I decided to play it safe the first time and go with the rotisserie Cornish hen.I also asked the chef about the dessert options, knowing that there is a gluten free lemon-raspberry cream puff. This is not safe for dairy allergies (as I expected). The only options they had at this time for gluten and dairy was sorbet and fresh fruit. Since neither really appealed to me, I opted for no dessert.First up came our appetizer. Wow, this was actually my favorite part of the meal. I loved it. The chef said when he brought it out that the only thing he couldn't include was some type of pate/mousse which contained dairy. Everything else was safe. So, we definitely dug right in!
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| Cured meats and sausages board. Gorgeous presentation! |
The board contained a variety of meats and accompaniments. If you look at the picture, I'll start from left to right on the items. The first is the cornichons. I love all things related to pickles. These had a lovely flavor, good crisp and weren't overly salty. These went fast! Next up was the salami. This was nothing to special--good but your basic salami. Next up was the prosciutto. Love! One of my favs. Then you see the two sausages. The one on the top had a slight sweet taste to it. I still can't put my finger on the flavor, but it was quite good (some of the folks at my table did not like it as well). The other sausage was more savory. This was excellent. I might have to stake my claim on all those the next time! Next up were the pickled onions. I admit, I skipped this one, but the rest of my table really enjoyed them. In the front, you see the pate. This was not such a winner for me. I tried it, but not a fan (sorry, liver is an acquired taste that I don't seem to have every acquired!). Luckily, we had one guest at the table who loved it. The stone ground mustard was fabulous. I was scarfing this down with the meats and bread. And the last cured meat was a type of ham that was very smoked and divine. Another one of my favorites.
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| Unidentified brand of gluten free/dairy free rolls. They weren't bad! |
The rolls I had with this I could not place. They were not Udi's and not GNI brand. I still can't figure it out! I didn't get a chance to query the chef again because it was so busy in there. However, next time I will ask for sure! I'm wondering if it's the frozen dough that I've heard about from other Disney guests who said they are using it for pizza dough and rolls. It really had an interesting combination. I think it must have had a fair amount of tapioca in it because once they cooled down, they got pretty hard. They had a slightly spongy texture and were a cross between an Ener-G roll and Udi's. If anyone knows what brand these are, I'd love to hear about it!Then it was time for the entrees. I will say that Cornish hens are kind of a pain to eat! Little birds equal difficulty cutting and eating. My poor plate was not holding up well while trying to cut it; it kept sliding on the tablecloth. Taste wise, it was OK. I wouldn't say it was the best rotisserie poultry that I've ever had, but it wasn't the worst. It was pretty basic roast hen. The roasted fingerling potatoes were also nothing to write home about. Just basic, but good. Same with the roasted asparagus. I will say I like the grilled asparagus at Boma much better, but I also love asparagus, so I didn't dislike it. It also came with a pan jus, which was quite good and added some needed moisture to the plate. The portions I think are fairly good. Between the appetizer and entree, I was very full. The other diners at my table had dessert and they were stuffed. I will say that one guest had the thyme scented pork chop and they raved about it. I wish I would have ordered that instead. I've included a picture of it, so you can see what it looks like (but note that the sides are NOT safe).
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| Rotisserie Cornish hen, asparagus, roasted potatoes and pan jus |
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| Thyme scented pork chop is safe--other items on this entree are not deemed gluten/dairy free (at least the mac & cheese) |
Lastly, we came up to the dessert portion. I was slightly bummed they didn't have a more creative dairy free option, but no worries. I was pretty full. I did however take a picture of the gluten free cream puff. Note that it was in the same cart as the rest of the desserts. Not sure how I feel about a gluten free dessert in with the rest of the others. Seems like a higher chance of cross contamination in my opinion. Still, it looked delicious.
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| Dessert cart. Gluten free cream puff is on the left side. |
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| Close-up of the gluten free cream puff |
Overall, I thought BOG had a really good variety of options for gluten and dairy free. I wouldn't say I was overly wowed by my entree, but I thought it was a solid meal. I loved the appetizer. I think this will be a terrific option for anyone wanting table service without eating at a buffet or a very costly 2 credit meal in the Magic Kingdom. I'm looking forward to going back and trying out some of the other items on the menu and seeing how the restaurant evolves in the future.I would give it a solid 8 out of 10 at this time for good service, food allergy accommodation and general ambiance.If you get seated in the main dining room, don't forget to check out the Beast's room, located on the side. It's fairly dark and perhaps slightly scary for children but a real visual treat if you get the chance to see it. Here are some pictures from it:
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| Fireplace with a torn painting of the Beast before his transformation |
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| Unfortunately the flash warped the image, but this is the rose. The animation on this was incredible. |
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| Ladies restroom at BOG |