Be Our Guest Paleo Lunch
Be Our Guest is a fan favorite at the Magic Kingdom. After all, who would not want to eat in the Beast’s Castle? Today, I want to tell you about my latest visit and my incredible Be Our Guest paleo lunch. Of course, your culinary journey begins when you first spy the castle jutting out in the distance above the rocks.
Outside the castle, you can look at the menus before heading inside. The display case features all options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. After checking in at the outside booth, you will walk towards the castle and wait in an outside line before entering the lobby area. At night, there is no line, and people can sit in the waiting area until their names are called.
The ambiance inside the castle is incredible, and everyone soon discovers their favorite dining area. Breakfast and lunch are quick service – you place your order at a station off to the side of the lobby, and then find a seat in one of the three dining rooms. From there, your meal is delivered to your table inside a beautiful cart – sorry, I forgot to take a photo. You can also do a mobile order – however, as you read on, you will see why I do not recommend it if you have special dietary needs. Dinner at Be Our Guest is table service, Prix Fixe price featuring an appetizer, entrée, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage. If you are on the Disney Dining Plan, you can opt to have an alcoholic beverage as your drink.
There is no allergy menu for you to see. You will speak with a knowledgeable cast member at the ordering station who is well-versed on special diets and allergy-friendly options. Alternately, you can ask to speak with a chef. DO IT! Why did I put that in big bold letters? Because the chef will have other items to offer you that are not on the lunch menu if necessary for your dietary needs. If you place a mobile order, you may miss out on something much better.
As you can see from the menu above, there are many great options for adults and children. What if you are gluten-free, have food allergies, or on a paleo or keto diet? Have no fear, Disney Chefs are a special breed of culinary genius that
My Paleo Be Our Guest Paleo Lunch Journey
Being on a paleo, although sometimes keto-style diet (when I crave cheese), my selections are pretty limited. It does not help that Disney uses canola oil throughout the resort. I was lucky enough on this visit to meet with the wonderful Chef Matt who took his time to discuss the menu while I jotted down some notes to share with you.
Starting with the Braised Pork – it is brined in olive oil, cloves, carrots, onions, and peppers. Unfortunately, it is cooked with canola oil, so paleo and keto dieters, beware.
The French Dip Sandwich, Carved Turkey Sandwich, and the Croque Monsieur are available on a bread made from millet, tapioca, potato starch, and yeast. All gluten-friendly breads served here contain starches.
The Vegetable Quiche is available made from scratch without canola oil, using extra virgin olive oil in its place. Just know that this dish will take a little bit longer to prepare. I was actually leaning towards trying it as my Be Our Guest paleo lunch until our talk continued.
For those of you wondering about the allergy pasta used here, it is brown rice pasta. If you want the Tuna Niçoise Salad, that is an excellent option, just omit the potatoes to make it paleo or keto-friendly.
Now, there is also a Mickey Meatloaf option for children – you could ask for that if you are so inclined. It is a gluten-friendly option, but it does contain dairy. The mashed sweet potatoes also contain dairy.
As we were speaking, Chef Matt asked me if I liked fish, and when I said yes, he offered me cod as another choice. I am guessing they use that as the seasonal fish in the Saffron-infused Seafood Bouillabaisse on the dinner menu. He followed that recommendation up with the option of having lamb chops or a center-cut filet.
Ok, now the decision was getting tough. He said those were selections from the dinner menu that he could prepare for me in a lunch-sized portion and at the same price as the braised pork – one of the highest-priced lunch items at $16.99. Of course, I said yes, and selected the lamb chops. My Be Our Guest paleo lunch came with three tender lamb chops – the perfect amount for lunch. Not too filling that I could not hit my favorite rides after eating.
Next, it came time to discuss the side dishes for my meal. I opted to stick with the wonderful green beans and baby zucchini sautéed in EVOO. Other options included broccoli and carrots. The green beans and zucchini were cooked to perfection. I could have made a whole lunch out of them.
Chef Matt also offered to make me sweet potato wedges as I do allow myself to eat sweet potatoes once or twice a week. He cooked them for me in extra virgin olive oil and asked if I wanted seasonings on them. My sweet tooth kicked in, and I asked for cinnamon and nutmeg, and we decided on adding a honey glaze. The wedges were caramelized and beyond delicious. I must have them again.
At the end of my meal, after checking on me a couple of times, Chef Matt told me to get in touch with him ahead of time before my next visit so he can make me something special. How do you get more special than this? I have no idea. My Be Our Guest paleo lunch was fit for a princess. I kept waiting for the dishes to start dancing and singing. The only option for dessert here for a paleo diet was fresh fruit, but I certainly did not need it, nor did I want anything to replace that final bite of sweet potato.
If you are looking for a magical place for lunch at the Magic Kingdom, this is it. By the way, I made my reservation the morning of – never stop trying! Thank you again, Chef Matt, for an incredible meal! I look forward to coming back for dinner – especially if they bring back their ratatouille.