Be Our Guest Breakfast Review

We had the chance to eat at so many awesome places during our trip to Disney World in August, and I wanted to share my experiences with you. There are so many options for dining in the parks that it can get very overwhelming. I may or may not have a spreadsheet just to help me keep everything sorted. Here's the breakdown of the only real breakfast we had in the parks (my husband and his parents are not big breakfast eaters).

Be Our Guest Breakfast, August 2015
Making Reservations
I feel like we really lucked out in terms of our reservations. Being slightly Disney obsessed, I get a lot of news updates for new and exciting things happening around the parks. I knew they had been doing a test-run of breakfast at Be Our Guest, but it was scheduled to end before our trip and all the remaining lunches and dinners for the duration of our stay were already booked. Luckily, I saw the news that breakfast was being extended, and after a brief consultation with my mother-in-law we made the booking. The process was very easy online, and you use a credit card to hold your reservation.

A few weeks before our trip I was skimming through the MyDisneyExperience app and saw that there was an option for ordering our meal in advance. There is little in this world that my hubby and father-in-law hate worse than standing in line, so we went ahead and ordered based off of the online menu. I was very interested to see how this worked, and morning of we took a quick (actually very slow and long line) jaunt on the Seven Dwarves Mine Train then headed to the restaurant.

Checking In
To be honest, the check-in process was much, much clunkier than I expected it to be. There is a single (and at that moment swamped) staff person trying to direct traffic, and no signage I could see telling you where to check-in. Eventually we were pointed to the little booth to the left of the bridge, where a cast member was checking in reservations.

Now, I should say that 98% of the cast members we met across the parks are not only nice, but the trademark Disney cheerful and seem genuinely happy to help. We unfortunately caught two people almost in a row who seemed off their game. The gentleman who checked off our reservation was, by Disney standards, downright rude. I was actually very taken aback by this. He sent us back towards the bridge, where we were instructed to stand along the right hand side and wait.

This was not ideal, as there was no seating and zero shade on what was already shaping up to be a blisteringly hot day. We stood for about 10 minutes and finally were admitted inside, where we stood in another line, although this one was shaded and had some fun suits of armor. People kept touching them, which drove the curator in me crazy, but they did have really neat displays with sheet music showing Be Our Guest in French.

We were then sent by another cast member up to a kiosk. I kept telling people that we'd already placed our order online and nobody really acknowledged what I said, but they did send us right up to the check-out. Other guests were directed first to a computer station where they placed their order. Here was our second less than stellar cast member, who wasn't rude but had obviously just had something go wrong and had a look of panic on her face. It took her a few minutes to acknowledge us, but we got it all figured out. We were handed our receipt and told to go find a table in any of the three rooms.

The Ballroom (the dark hallway leads to the West Wing)

Seating/Atmosphere
There are three different rooms available during breakfast, each with a different theme. When you first walk in you enter the ballroom. It is very pretty, with the painted ceiling and windows showing snow falling. But, it is also the first room and everyone walks through, so it was quite loud and crowded.

To the right is the Gallery room, featuring a giant music box in the center of the room with Belle and her Beast spinning slowly around. On the walls are paintings apparently done pre-curse lifting, as it features all of your favorite characters from the movie still as furniture and household items. This is supposedly Belle's library, but I didn't really get a strong "book" sense from it.

The third room, straight through when you enter the dining areas, is the West Wing. This is by far some of the best theming I've seen in the parks, and where we decided to find a table. The whole room has a dark, ominous feeling, so I know that some parents with young kids steer clear. But, for us, it was really fun. Throughout the meal, thunder rumbles and crashes "outside," shredded curtains hang from the ceiling, and by the window the rose shimmers under its dome. It really is all exceptionally done, and you should make it a point to check out the portrait hanging on the wall!

It was crowded when we came in (and throughout our meal) but we were able to snag a table that was in the process of being cleaned and sat down. We set our receipt on the table, grabbed drinks, and had just enough time to really look around when our food arrived.

Cured Meats & Cheese, pastries, and the bacon & egg sandwiches in the background

Food
Here's what we ordered:
Me - Assorted Cured Meats & Cheese (Alpine-smoked ham, serrano ham, sopressata, and cheese with marmalade, fresh fruit, toasted baguette, and a selection of pastries)
Hubby - Croque Madame (Open-faced ham sandwich topped with a fried egg, Gruyere cheese, and Béchamel served with fresh fruit and a selection of pastries)
MIL & FIL - Open-Faced Bacon & Egg Sandwich (Poached eggs, applewood bacon, brie cheese, and arugula on a toasted baguette served with fresh fruit and a selection of pastries)

Both of my in-laws were happy with their sandwiches. It seemed like everything was a good balance. Unfortunately my husband's croque madame was definitely sub-par. I feel bad about this because it is usually one of my favorite foods (I ate them all the time in France) and I convinced him to get it. The sauce really lacked flavor and it just felt heavy.

My plate, however, was delicious. There were figs alongside the brie and meats, and I greatly enjoyed making little mini sandwich combinations. It was one of the better meals I had during our time in the parks and I would highly recommend it, even if it seems strange for breakfast. I seriously didn't even miss the fruit bowl.

My MIL and I were both served our meals without the fruit, I honestly didn't even notice but she asked and one of the cast members brought her a cup. The pastries were delicious, and they brought out two plates with six mini-pastries. It was hard to not gorge ourselves, and the chocolate croissant was particularly good.

Overall, the food was decent, especially for many of the breakfast options, and I really enjoyed my meal in particular. I'm looking forward to seeing how their lunch menu holds up.

TLDR Breakdown
Food Rating: A-
Atmosphere Rating: A+
Service Rating: B-
Overall Rating: A-
Bottom Line: Will definitely try to eat there again, especially if we can get a table in the West Wing. Would love dinner, but am definitely making lunch reservations for our next trip.

*Update* We officially have lunch reservations for our January trip, so stay tuned for a lunch review!

Check out my other Disney dining reviews and planning tips here!