With hundreds of restaurants in Disney World, it can be a serious challenge to decide where you want to eat.
Magic Kingdom
And the one thing we’ll tell you? EVERYONE has an opinion! Ask any person who’s been to Disney World (even if they only went one day, 15 years ago) and they’ll have thoughts on where you should and shouldn’t dine during your trip. But as people who’ve made eating at Disney World our JOB, we’ve got the inside scoop on the eats — and we’re going to be honest with you about some Magic Kingdom restaurants.
In Magic Kingdom, there are two restaurants that are more expensive than the rest, and they’re pretty popular — Cinderella’s Royal Table and Be Our Guest Restaurant. Reservations for both of these locations fill up FAST, and it’s definitely going to take a chunk of your budget to eat at either spot.
Be Our Guest
So which one should you choose? Let’s break it down!
The One You Should SKIP
Of the two expensive restaurants in Magic Kingdom, the one that we’re going to probably encourage you to SKIP is Cinderella’s Royal Table. It’s the pricier of the two spots, with lunch costing $88 per adult and $52 per child. If you’re using the Disney Dining Plan, then it’ll cost you two table service credits per person to dine here.
Cinderella’s Royal Table
The best thing about this restaurant is that you’re dining INSIDE Cinderella Castle, which is super cool. But not every table is a window seat, so you may not get to look out over the park while you dine. The inside has a castle-like theme, but it doesn’t distinctly remind you of a specific movie or character.
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Another big draw for this restaurant is that it’s a character meal. During your visit, you’ll meet several Disney princesses, like Cinderella. Others who may join her include Snow White, Jasmine, Ariel, and Aurora. But this character meal offering is very similar to Akershus in EPCOT — which is significantly cheaper in price.
Aurora at Cinderella’s Royal Table
The big complaint here comes in the form of the food. The eats aren’t exactly known for being spectacular, and when you’ve got the high price tag that this meal does, guests are expecting to be blown away by the food. Most of the menu items are pretty basic and haven’t really “wowed” us in the past.
Beef Tenderloin
So, for the fact that the food is unremarkable and the characters can be seen elsewhere, plus the high price tag, this is the restaurant that we’re recommending you skip. Instead, let’s consider the other option.
The One You’ve Gotta Try
On the other hand, Be Our Guest Restaurant is EXACTLY like you’re stepping into Beauty and the Beast. You’ll feel like you’re walking into the grand ballroom from the movie with the opulent decor and attention to detail that the Imagineers put into this place.
Be Our Guest Restaurant
We think the atmosphere here is overall more stunning, even when compared to being inside Cinderella Castle. As far as characters go, it’s not a character meal, but you can see the Beast walk through the dining room from time to time — he may not stop for photos or autographs but he’s impressive to spot.
The Beast at Be Our Guest Restaurant
The price here is a smidge more affordable than Cinderella’s Royal Table, but still fairly expensive. Adults are $72 per person for lunch, while children are $43 each. Like Cinderella’s, this place also serves a prix fixe menu, and the meal will cost you 2 table service credits on the Disney Dining Plan.
Food at Be Our Guest
However, the menu here tends to stand out to us more overall. We’ve had some average meals in this restaurant, but we’ve also had some pretty spectacular ones! Some of the entrees and appetizers in particular have really impressed us in the past.
Menu front
Ultimately, we usually leave Be Our Guest a bit more impressed and satisfied than we do at Cinderella’s Royal Table. The meal here feels overall less rushed and more thoughtful, and just enjoying the atmosphere of the restaurant can be worth the price.
So there you have it — the expensive restaurant that we recommend you try in Magic Kingdom! Stay tuned to DFB for more news and updates from Disney World.
Click Here for Our Be Our Guest Review!
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I feel that for the price, both are one and done. Unless you are with someone who has never experienced either.
We far preferred the experience at Be Our Guest. We have been underwhelmed by the food, the service (although almost all Disney restaurants seem to have a model of running understaffed), and did not so much feel as much as we *were* rushed the few times we have tried Cinderella’s Royal Table. It’s difficult to take any time to enjoy the ambiance and take character photos AND eat your food before it’s removed from the table, whether you ask to keep it or not. I do recommend it as something a Disney fan does at least once, and I do know people who (inexplicably to me) insist on visitng for every trip. I wish BOG would bring back quick service. While we like BOG better, we still have never been favorably impressed by a table service meal there. We love table service dining, and choose it almost exclusively. But the prix fixe menus at WDW tend to be too limited (and let’s face it, the food is prepared in bulk), and we’re not particularly picky or fussy eaters.
I still want to try the Cinderella castle restaurant at least once in my life. But I probably wouldn’t return to it if its really that expensive and not worth it. Still, you want to check it out at least once to take it off the bucket list.
Ummmm this is the first time I’m on the other side of this. Be our Guest was a flop to us. The food including the dessert was nasty. It definitely wasn’t worth the price. But we enjoyed CRT including in the experience. I would never go to BOG again
I would have to disagree with you. Be Our Guest is nothing more than a well decorated cafeteria. Noise level was awful. If anyone has visited any mansions you would know that it is nothing special. We did the Castle dining many many years ago. It was the best. Although I am sure that the quality of the food has declined
Be Our Guest was a major let down for us. We booked it on Valentine’s Day a couple of years ago, and were sat in the main dining room. The atmosphere was more cafeteria than romantic with wobbly tables in a large echoey room. Little did I know at the time that the food I was eating would give me serious food poisoning that lasted days. I almost had to go to the emergency room, and it ruined the rest of our trip, including special events we paid extra money for. I do not recommend.
Being extremely familiar with Cinderella’s Royal Table, I would say that it would be worth the money for the experience once. I feel it is perfect for a special occasion for the princess lover, or a special birthday celebration.
Breaking it down, I am not a fan of the wait in the antechamber where yo meet Cinderella, especially if those in the group ahead of you camp out at their table, making you late being seated. This throws off the rotation of the princesses to your table. The best way to avoid this is to try and get the 1st reservation at either breakfast, lunch or dinner
The service is very good here, and the majority of the servers have worked there fir many years.
The food is good. I prefer the lunch and dinner to breakfast, but if you are looking for the ess expensive option, unless it’s changed, breakfast is your cheapest option.
There are usually a rotation of 4 to 5 princesses, not including Cinderella that rotate around the dining hall. They have a particular pattern they follow, and will get to you. If, for whatever reason you miss one, let either your server or the host know. The princesses can vary from day to day, or even meal to meal. Last time I was there, Aurora, Snow White, Jasmine, and Rapunzel were there.
I have never gotten the opportunity to dine in Be Our Guest, but my friends have had varying comments. Most say it is less expensive to go for breakfast. I do know that the Beast does not visit the tables, and it really isn’t considered a true “character ” meal. Going in to see the dining room may be worth it, if you are a huge Beauty and the Beast fan, though!
Whatever you decide, these experiences don’t come cheap, but may be well worth your time and money for a special occasion.
Actually NONE of the Restaurants in Magic Kingdom are worth mentioning.
Mostly Chicken Fingers or an abomination of Pizza
Been to Lennedy Space Center…..Why not use their fast food. Great tasting and WORTH the money !!?,