We learned earlier this month that Cinderella’s Royal Table at Magic Kingdom would be reopening soon with no princesses. After a soft opening on September 23, the restaurant fully reopened on September 24. For those of you looking to dine at this popular signature restaurant in the Magic Kingdom, read on to find out what the current dining experience is like.

Exterior

Check-in for the restaurant is at the back of Cinderella Castle. Guests are then led up to the restaurant inside.

There are physical distancing markers and hand sanitizer outside.

Guests can check in or check availability by scanning a QR code near the entrance.

While you can view the menu on your phone by scanning a QR code, there is a paper menu on display outside, complete with glass slippers.

Interior

The waiting area on the bottom floor no longer has seating, and there are physical distancing dots for parties to stand on.

The room is roped off into a makeshift queue.

A sign tells guests that castle royalty may make a “surprise stop” by the restaurant, but that guests should remain seated if this happens.

Only one party is allowed to go up or down the stairs at a time and Cast Members routinely clean the handrail.

Guests were seated at a safe distance, with tables left empty between them.

While we were given a paper version of the wine menu, the rest of the menu was accessible via QR code.

Cinderella

Though no other princesses appeared, Cinderella herself did step out for a few minutes at a time to wave to guests and pose for photos.

Cinderella also recently made a surprise appearance outside Princess Fairytale Hall. Hopefully, we will continue to get these special glimpses of the park’s main princess.

Cinderella posed in a couple different areas of the restaurant so every guest could see her. She continued to come out every thirty minutes.

At the end of their meal, guests get a double-sided card autographed by Cinderella.

You can watch how this limited character interaction worked in the YouTube video below:

Menu

Prices were lowered at Cinderella’s Royal Table before reopening due to the lack of character greetings. For now, Cinderella’s Royal Table is only open for lunch and dinner, with the same items available at both mealtimes. An adult meal is $62, while a child’s meal is $37. Adult meals include one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert. You can view the full menu here and read on for our reviews.

Appetizers of the Court

Soup of the Day

The soup of the day was butternut squash. It was rich, creamy, and full of fall flavor. This was our favorite of the three appetizers.

Charcuterie

A Chef’s selection of Cured Meats, Castle Pickles, and Accompaniments

The charcuterie is the oddest we’ve had. It’s not bad, but it’s as if you told a person who had no idea what a charcuterie board was and then asked them to make it. The chicken pâté and other meats were enjoyable enough.

Castle Salad

Hearty Mixed Greens, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, Riesling-marinated Golden Raisins, Pink Lady Apples, and Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette

The salad is nice and fresh, but there is the occasional bitter bite.

Entrées Royale

Chickpea Panisse

Crispy Chickpeas Panisse, Tomato Jam, Roasted Carrots, Chermoula-spiced Garbanzos, and Chive Powder  

This dish has a lot of variety in a beautiful presentation.

It almost tastes like a softer potato knish. The garbanzo beans and other assorted vegetables are a nice touch.

Overall, this was a great dish.

Roasted All-Natural Chicken Breast

Pan-roasted Chicken and Fingerling Potatoes with Haricot Verts and Spinach in a Leek-Mustard Cream Sauce  

The chicken isn’t a great value for the price, but it’s still good.

The creamy sauce makes the dish; it’s great with the perfectly-cooked chicken.

The potatoes and green beans were both pleasant and plentiful.

Tenderloin of Beef

Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Celery Root Mash, Seasonal Vegetables, and Sauce Bordelaise  

For being the fancy beef tenderloin, the steak here was just fine.

It was tender and not too gristly, not to mention it was a sizeable portion… but it tasted like it wasn’t seasoned at all.

Finales

Jaq & Gus

Whipped Cheesecake with Seasonal Flavors and Garnishes  

Jaq & Gus is basically a deconstructed cheesecake. The current flavor is gingerbread, with creamy filling accented with fall spices and a touch of molasses and cinnamon in the cakey pieces.

This was our favorite of the desserts.

The Clock Strikes Twelve

Dark Chocolate Mousse with a Dark Chocolate Ganache served with a Raspberry Coulis  

This mousse is very rich, but perfect for chocolate lovers. It’s a sizable portion too, and unique with the chocolate clock piece.

Coffee Pots de Crème

Coffee-infused Coconut ‘Custard’, Passion Fruit Gelée, and Crumbled Chocolate-Espresso Beans 

This was gross. It tasted like coffee and dirt.

The passion fruit gel didn’t help the taste at all.

Lemon Sorbet

They also brought us lemon sorbet from the children’s menu.

It was a pleasant palate cleanser, but we can’t imagine a kid wanting it.

Overall

Though we enjoyed some of the food, we didn’t feel this experience was at all worth the price. We felt that way when the characters appeared as well, but now it’s even more true. It might be good for families if you want to see Cinderella, but you can also see her in the The Royal Princess Processional. If you want true signature dining, you should probably go to other signature locations. However, we can’t argue with wanting to see inside Cinderella Castle, and if you haven’t been able to get reservations here before and suddenly find availability, this is the only way to do that.

Will you be dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table soon? Let us know in the comments.

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Shannen Michaelsen