The long-awaited moment has arrived…

So, in the (slightly paraphrased) words of Lumiere, “Now, we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair, as Be Our Guest Restaurant proudly presents… your Breakfast!”

Since the day Be Our Guest Restaurant opened as part of New Fantasyland in November of 2012, it seems to have only picked up steam. To say that its initial offerings of a Table Service Dinner and Counter Service Lunch have been successful would be an enormous understatement. The popularity and demand for meals at Be Our Guest have led to a third offering for the day, which is the new meal and experience that we’re here to review now: Breakfast at Be Our Guest Restaurant!

UPDATE: Please note that as of June 2015, the original test phase of breakfast at Be Our Guest Restaurant has been extended and Advance Dining Reservations are available for breakfast through October 3, 2015. 

Before we step inside, though, it’s worth exploring the outside grounds a bit, since that’s where you check in for your Advance Dining Reservation. But mostly, it’s just a neat hour to be in New Fantasyland and experience some of the quiet among the earliest breakfast arrivals.

With the Daylight Savings Time change being so recent, the sun had not been out long before my friends and I arrived for check in, so the natural light in the area was especially beautiful.

But it’s also the indoor themeing of this restaurant that makes it so special, so let’s step once more into the Beast’s Castle…

Atmosphere

We’ve taken one or two (or three) tours around Be Our Guest Restaurant before, but it’s undeniable that the exceptional theming has been the top draw for guests hoping to dine here. And since, as with lunch, you get to choose where you sit for breakfast, you’ll want to give each of the three rooms consideration before your visit.

I don’t know which of the rooms has been most in demand since Be Our Guest opened. I’m guessing that it might be the Ballroom, since it so perfectly captures the scene where Belle and Beast dance together in the film, and is complete with elegant seating, stunning chandeliers, and falling snow.

Many guests, though, are eager to dine in the West Wing: the place Belle was forbidden to go due to the presence of the Enchanted Rose.

Aside from the magically falling rose petals, amazing special effects in this room include the sound of periodic thunderstorms, simultaneously revealing glimpses of the Beast in the portrait of the prince.

While the third room, the Rose Gallery, isn’t open for dinner, it IS open for both breakfast lunch. The highlight is the

much-larger-than-life music box centerpiece of Belle and Beast dancing together.

Dark woods provide hints of elegance while pastel greens — along with portraits of the film’s beloved characters — add light, whimsical touches.

So we’ve had a brief tour, but what’s new here is breakfast, and Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, and Cogsworth “only live to serve.” So let’s let them do their eagerly anticipated task of serving up the food, shall we?

Ordering Process

Breakfast at Be Our Guest is unprecedented in two ways: first, like lunch, it is a Counter Service option, which counts for one Quick Service credit for guests on the Disney Dining Plan; however, as with lunch, guests are able to make Advance Dining Reservations for this experience (an option typically reserved for Table Service meals). Additionally, breakfast is a prix fixe meal. There is one set price, which includes your choice of entree and beverage, and an assortment of pastry selections for sharing at your table ($19.99 for Adults, $11.99 for children).

Because every meal offering at Be Our Guest works a little differently, let’s briefly go through the breakfast logistics. When you check in outside for your ADR, you may take some time to look at the printed menus available. The front, of course, has all the meal options for ordering.

The back, however, lists the steps for ordering at breakfast.

Upon entering the Castle, you’ll stroll past the Knights in the hallway…

… and proceed to the ordering room to begin the process listed above.

My friends and I received a Magic Rose to begin the process. Prefer to use your Magic Band? Go right ahead… but no Magic Rose for you 😉 !

You will use the touch screens at the ordering kiosks to select your meals (you can read more about that process here, which is the same as that for guests not utilizing the pre-order option for lunch). Plenty of Cast Members are also available for any needed assistance.

While you’ll see the individual options on the screen, full menus are available on the wall to refer to as well.

After placing your order and paying in full, you’re presented with the final steps:

Next, select your table in your choice of the three rooms! No need to notify Cast Members of your seating arrangements, as they will “magically” locate you thanks to your Magic Rose or Band.

Because it was the first day, things were flowing a bit differently than they will for future visits, so the Rose Gallery was unopened the very first thing in the morning when we arrived (it did open not too long after we were served), and the West Wing was already full.

Rather than have us wander around, Cast Members helpfully notified us about seating availability, so we were able to select a table in the Ballroom (my personal favorite section) with ease.

We placed our Magic Rose on the table (as seen above), which gave us the freedom to leave our table and fill our own beverage cups at the refill station, and grab our utensils and napkins from the silverware carts.

As promised, our food found us! The charming food carts used for dinner and lunch are utilized for breakfast as well.

You may recall our Everything on the Dinner Menu review when Be Our Guest Restaurant first opened. Well, we’ve opted to do the same thing for breakfast so you can check it all out! Are you ready at last to dig in? Then, here we go!

Eats

Let’s take one more look at that menu before we go through each of the Adult entrees.

You’ll notice the text at the bottom mentions “assorted Pastries presented tableside.” We received two trays for seven entrees (all 6 adult entrees as well as one Kids’ Meal).

Mini muffins, pastries, and croissants round out the offerings, which are similar to what you will find at grab-and-go stations in the Resort food courts.

Parents, you may want to “solve” the inevitable argument among the kiddos over who gets the coveted chocolate croissant… by grabbing it for yourself 😉 .

You receive a beverage part of your meal as well, and you are welcome to visit the refill station as often as you like (and, Mom, if you’re reading this, I only have soda for breakfast, like, once in a blue moon, I promise!).

And now, for the entrees… starting with the Open-Face Bacon and Egg Sandwich. This toasted baguette is topped with poached eggs, Applewood bacon, brie, and a bit of tomato and arugula to provide a nice pop of color along with a bit of lightness among the other rich ingredients and textures.

This sandwich is — in a word — delicious. I’m never one to order anything with the words “poached eggs” in the description, but these wonderfully prepared eggs proved me wrong.

The smoky, thick slices of applewood bacon and the creamy brie were terrific accompaniments in both texture and flavor. Additionally, the toasted baguette was soft enough for ease of eating, but hearty enough to stand up under the very substantial toppings. Our whole group agreed that this was the overall table winner, and in speaking with some of the managers, it seems it was a huge hit at other tables as well.

But that’s not to say the other dishes were slouches! Moving on to the highly anticipated Croissant Doughnut…

Also known as a cronut (but unable to officially be called such due to trademarks by the genius who came up with it), the fried, flaky doughnut is dipped in sugar and cinnamon and arrives topped with a banana caramel sauce, vanilla pastry creme, and chocolate ganache. Oh, and a dollop of whipped cream because YOU’RE ON VACATION!!!

This gooey, decadent splurge definitely has a pronounced banana flavor from the sauce, which brought to mind the Bread Pudding at ‘Ohana, while having its own distinct flavor with the cinnamon and chocolate. You definitely need to be in the mood for some serious sweetness, though, as just a couple of bites did me in.

There isn’t anything I would change about the doughnut itself — it’s as yummy as it appears. But because it is so very sweet I think this dish might be helped with a small side of bacon or something else savory to balance it out, especially considering that the starters for the meal are other sweet pastries. Overall, though, this is a fun and unapologetic dessert-for-breakfast with a LOT going for it!

The Assorted Cured Meats and Cheese is a beautifully presented charcuterie tray, with the featured meats being Alpine-smoked ham, prosciutto and sopressata served alongside brie, strawberries, and a toasted baguette. There’s also a marmalade to add sweetness.

All of the meat I sampled was nicely fresh and, as a huge fan of brie, I found the pairings to be tasty.

Simply put, it’s quite well done, and an unexpected option for a theme park breakfast. This dish is the most likely to undergo a few changes based on seasonal availability. According to a Cast Member, it’s possible that in the future it may be served with grapes, or figs and honey, or other variations.

The Vegetable Quiche is the same as that served at lunch, featuring mushroom, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and chive.

It was packed with much more flavor than I expected, with lots of bell pepper providing a really nice bit of zest. I am also a fan of the buttery crust for this dense, filling meal.

The Scrambled Egg Whites are topped with chives and served with roasted tomatoes and two multigrain croissants.

The eggs themselves were rather nondescript, despite the presence of chive — which, alas, is the fate of egg whites in general.

The highlight of this dish was actually not the featured eggs but the multigrain croissants, which were buttery, but still had some nice texture to them.

There isn’t much to say about this dish. I understand the importance of having such a meal on the menu for varying guests’ needs, but with the standout quality of the other options, I’d recommend passing on this one.

The Eggs Florentine is a puff pastry shell filled with scrambled eggs, cheese, and spinach, with country ham and a roasted plum tomato on the side.

If you’ve tried the Sauteed Shrimp and Scallops in its current form for dinner (it differs slightly from when it made its debut), you’ll be familiar with the style of the pastry shell, which is light and flaky and not at all soggy, even with the dense amount of filling.

It’s not mentioned on the menu description, but my friends and I all really picked up on the chive in this dish, and that small bit of sour cream you see dotting the top gives and extra bit of richness to the already hearty egg. Altogether, this dish packed much more flavor than expected.

The country ham on the side was fine, but somewhat an afterthought when compared to the great main dish.

While we didn’t have any children with us on this visit, we just couldn’t resist trying an item from the Kids’ Menu.

We went with the Crepes de Cogsworth.

Stuffed with straight vanilla yogurt, blueberries, bananas and strawberries, the plate is enhanced with Wildberry Foam.

While we weren’t wowed, the crepes themselves were prepared just fine — light and fluffy. However, some children may not be a fan of that pronounced yogurt taste, which is very prominent in this dish. If your child does, however, enjoy vanilla yogurt, the Crepes du Cogsworth offer a fun departure from the more standard pancakes.

So, we’re pleasantly full from enjoying the most important meal of the day at Be Our Guest, which gives us the energy to discuss our thoughts on the whole kit-and-kaboodle…

Overall

Before we sum up the experience, let’s chat a little about value. For guests on the Disney Dining Plan, breakfast at Be Our Guest is a clear win for one Quick Service credit. Portions are hearty enough that you could do a later breakfast and an earlier dinner and easily get by with a midday snack to tide you over.

Guests paying out of pocket, of course, have a little more to consider. I’ve tried to break down the value, but I should stress that this is based on estimations with offerings at other Disney Counter Service restaurants. With this prie fixe meal you receive your choice of entree, and I would guesstimate Disney prices for these items ranging anywhere from the Scrambled Egg Whites entree at around $8 to the Open-Face Bacon and Egg Sandwich around $11-12. The cost for a regular-sized Fountain Soda beverage is $2.99, typically sans refills depending on where you dine (the price of the other selections vary; for instance, bottled water is $2.50). Similar pastries as those served here go for about $2.99.

So, you’re looking at a meal value of $14-18 with the rest, I suppose you could say, paying for the experience of dining for breakfast at Be Our Guest. Personally speaking, I would not typically get a pastry prior to an entree, so as a non-Disney Resort guest who is ineligible for the Dining Plan, that’s something I need to consider, just like other guests paying out of pocket need to decide if the value is there for them.

The nice things is that — no matter which meal of the day you decide holds the best value for you — the breakfast option at Be Our Guest obviously does something that has been necessary for quite some time: it opens up more opportunities for people to dine here, and now with three distinct experiences to boot. So, let’s say you decide lunch is what offers you the best value, now you’re in better shape for getting an Advance Dining Reservation for that time slot thanks to the opportunities that the breakfast service opens up.

Speaking solely to the breakfast experience, though, I really think that Be Our Guest offers some truly special dishes for the occasion, very much in keeping with their grand settings. Many of the dishes are a great step above what you would find in other Counter Service breakfast locations, in both quality and originality. Given the truly enchanting setting, it all comes together for another memorable meal at Be Our Guest Restaurant.

Will you be starting the day at Be Our Guest Restaurant? Please let us know with a comment!