Lunch at Be Our Guest

I had heard many mixed reviews on Be Our Guest, and decided that if I got the mysterious invite email directly from Disney then I would reserve a lunch there. I did get the email, and so here we are.

After checking in and confirming we had reservations (the CM was visibly relieved, she said it was so hard to tell people trying to just walk up that it basically wasn’t possible on most days to get in without an ADR) we walk along the bridge to the entrance.

Such a sad gargoyle.

Once inside – you walk down a hallway, and you can hear Lumiere and Cogsworth whispering.

Then you wait to get into a larger room.

Here you can place your meal order with a CM, or order on a large touch screen. If you’re part of the “test” run you just confirm your pre-selected order on the touch screen. It’s set up so the screen looks like a scroll of paper, and the printer for your order ticket is a stack of books.

They are definitely still in the testing phase, as my carefully considered meal selection does not come up and I have to remember what I picked. Luckily the menu is minimal and it’s not hard to re-select the items again.

We take our ticket and head into the main hall to find a table. Here is where you’re reminded it’s Quick Service. You’re immediately overwhelmed trying to find a clean tabletop with empty seats, and it’s not obvious there are other areas to sit in. (I completely forgot there’s supposed to be a room with the rose in it.) You have to get your own drinks and plasticware from along one wall, and your food is delivered to you.

Chris was creeped out by the cherubs on the ceiling. Some of them have kind of adult faces. A quick google search says generally accepted fact is they are all modeled after either the Imagineers who worked on the building or their kids. (I guess depending on whether they had any.)

After a few minutes a cart is wheeled around (more magic band RFID location triangulating) to us and our food is dropped off.

I picked the Braised Pork (Coq Au Vin Style). Described as Eight Hour Slow-cooked Pork with Mushrooms, Onions, Carrots and Bacon served with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans Jardiniere.

It was – food. It was bland, and there wasn’t a salt or pepper shaker to be had. I picked at it and ate what was edible, but I wasn’t satisfied and can’t imagine having waited an hour as some have reported for a walkup.

Chris’ selection was Carved Prime Chuck Roast Beef Sandwich – Served warm on a Baguette with Horseradish Sour Cream and Pommes Frites.

This was much better. It had actual flavor (I tried a bite) and Chris said he’d have no problem coming back for it again.

For our dessert choices, I picked Lemon Meringue Cupcake. A no brainer if you know me.
This was Vanilla Sponge Cake, Lemon Custard Filling and Flamed Meringue Icing. I thought it was very good and if they want to offer this somewhere outside on a cart I will buy it all day long.

Chris went with The Master’s Cupcake which had Chocolate Sponge Cake topped with Lumiere’s special “Grey Stuff”.
It was good for a cupcake but… is that really the Grey Stuff that everyone gets plates of at dinner? I explained it to Chris and he gave me the same look as when I described the following for the Jungle Juice. This time I was right there with him. It was colored whipped buttercream. I… don’t get it.

Finally, if you’ve learned nothing else, you know I am here because I am a big kid (which is the best kind of person to be at Disney World!) and I HAD to get the goblet. The only annoyance was this was $2 cheaper in a random shop later in the day, and considering my drink is included… :/

A few final shots of the interior:

That was our lunch. I’ve heard the dinner menu (which is Table Service with actual silverware) is supposed to be a better selection. It’s possible I’d come back (especially if the next trip is with someone who hadn’t been to Be Our Guest before), but it’s not high on the list.

Next we go on some RIDES!!