Has Be Our Guest gone downhill?

Minnie1986

Minnie1986

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Starting to do some preliminary research on places t dine, etc. I haven't been to WDW since 2017, and at the time, I LOVED Be Our Guest, however, I've read a few reports mentioning how it's just not the same. Folks that have done dinner there recently (or at least more recently than I have) what are your thoughts? Is it still worth a dinner reservation?
 
M

Marionnette

Well-Known Member
Ever since they went to a fixed price menu, the food has gone downhill. We waited a very long time between courses and when my medium rare filet was served, it was what my brother would call a "black and blue" steak (charred on the outside, raw on the inside).

The sides are okay. Nothing special at all. I've prepared better meals at home on a weeknight.

I will say that having to pay for 3 courses when I rarely order desserts really turns me off to this restaurant.
 
networkpro

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
My wife and I eat there at least three times a year, the last being the 19th of September so our judgment scale is punctuated at 3 to 6 month intervals the longer one being the heat of summertime which we skip. The menu has changed over time with the current one thankfully omitting the charcuterie board and lobster bisque (they waved it over a pot of cream). Nothing too exciting with salad, onion or potato-leek soup, escargot, and a duck and pork terrine as starters. Entrées are a pork dish, filet mignon, a veggie option, trout almondine, and a chicken breast. Dessert is pretty sad these days with either three lumps on a plate, or a cake with lemon curd. Same menu all day long.

The starters were wonderful (potato leek for me and onion for my wife), entrées excellent (rare filet for my wife..excellent cut and cooked to perfection, something California Grill has failed at for years; and trout almondine for me crispy skin, flakey but not dry flesh) , dessert was a miss. The three lumps: insipid raspberry macaron, dark chocolate mousse in a shell, and the Grey stuff in a supposedly edible crust/shell.

I long for the day when white chocolate chip returns as the delivery vessel for the gray stuff.


It's improved greatly since 2019...kind of rough in 2020 after the reopening, but on an upward trajectory since they did away with the quick service. Bring on the hate qs aficionados!
 
D

DisneyHead123

Well-Known Member
I think BOG will be a more reasonable proposition when / if more restaurants open at Magic Kingdom. Right now there aren’t enough themed dining options so I think BOG commands kinda absurd prices based on supply and demand. Back in the days of QS breakfast / lunch I think it was a fun themed restaurant, I don’t know that it lives up to the current price tag.

The general consensus seems to be that the food is “plated wedding dinner” quality - good, up to a certain standard, but not going to blow anyone’s mind. The castle is gorgeous but they don’t really “do” anything with that ambiance - no character interactions, no Belle and Beast dancing, no fun staff interactions in the style of Roundup Barbecue or Whispering Canyon Cafe. I don’t know if it’s just me but I always felt like some last extra step in the immersion was missing. Tables tend to be pretty close together as well and I think some rooms are very noisy.

Personally after looking at it long and hard for our next trip with the Grands, I decided on Liberty Tree Tavern instead. Honestly Liberty Tree would not have been on my list if not for the rave reviews, so I’m hoping it lives up to its reputation.
 
H

Hockey89

Well-Known Member
Lilofan said:
How can one screw up making eggs? Does the place cheap out using powder eggs like a high school cafeteria or microwave eggs like in McDonalds ?
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Tons of people cook poor eggs, but in this case, it had to be powder eggs. My now wife and I could not believe it and the egg sandwich from McD would have been much better..
 
JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
As others have stated it has changed for the worse. It once was a spot we always grabbed up as one of our first ADR's. Now I gladly pass it by and seek out other dining. It is sad because the castles insides is fabulous but the dining doesnt come close to matching the atmosphere. Its a shame Disney doesnt recognize what makes a spot so desired and they change for the sake of change and profits.
 
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aladdin2007

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
JIMINYCR said:
As others have stated it has changed for the worse. It once was a spot we always grabbed up as one of our first ADR's. How I gladly pass it by and seek out other dining. It is sad because the castles insides is fabulous but the dining doesnt come close to matching the atmosphere. Its a shame Disney doesnt recognize what makes a spot so desired and they change for the sake of change and profits.
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funny how Imagineering has good ideas for these type of locations but then it gets in the hands of park ops and bean counters and forget it. Its all ruined.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
Poseidon Quest said:
The food was already pretty poor quality in 2017, but I most recently dined there in 2022. I can't say that it was any better than a school cafeteria. Be Our Guest is for the theming, not the food, sadly.
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And unfortunately the theming isn't even that great, although I think some of that is due to operations.

I wasn't overly impressed with it -- the ballroom is neat in a vacuum, but it's kind of ruined because it feels like you're in a cafeteria. The tables, chairs, etc. (not to mention the noise levels and people) don't match the surroundings. The West Wing is a bit better because it's not so big and open (and thus has less people) but when I was there the lighting was so low it was hard to even see.
 
JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
And unfortunately the theming isn't even that great, although I think some of that is due to operations.

I wasn't overly impressed with it -- the ballroom is neat in a vacuum, but it's kind of ruined because it feels like you're in a cafeteria. The tables, chairs, etc. (not to mention the noise levels and people) don't match the surroundings. The West Wing is a bit better because it's not so big and open (and thus has less people) but when I was there the lighting was so low it was hard to even see.
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When it first opened we dined in each of the rooms to try them all out and the West Wing became our favorite area. We would always request seating there and didnt mind the wait for a table to become available. We enjoyed the dark atmosphere and theme and the smaller table area gave us more personal service and attention from the CM's.
 
Disney Dead Head

Disney Dead Head

Active Member
Beiing that you hasve 12 Time optionsd for Dinner @ BOG on a Saturday speaks volumes to sub par over priced meh


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Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
Lilofan said:
How can one screw up making eggs? Does the place cheap out using powder eggs like a high school cafeteria or microwave eggs like in McDonalds ?
Click to expand...
I would hazard a guess and say just about all scrambled eggs in WDW are made with liquid egg product. Nothing wrong with that - it is usually just egg and a preservative like citric acid. Heck I have even bought them when I was planning breakfast for multiple people during the holidays. Powdered eggs are actually more difficult than liquid egg, but come in handy if you have no refrigeration.

No matter what egg product you start with, holding it on a steam table like WDW does is going to make it go downhill quickly.
 

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