Lunch at Pinocchio Village Haus Review
I still can’t get over that Pinocchio Village Haus is the one and only quick service restaurant serving pizza at Magic Kingdom. Pizza is probably the most all-around family-friendly food out there, and at the most family-friendly theme park in the world, it’s about as hard to get your hands on as limited time merchandise! Pinocchio’s Village Haus is the only place in Magic Kingdom where you can grab a quick cheesy bite, and that’s exactly what my family and I did a few weeks back!
The Atmosphere
It may be buried deeply in your sub conscience, so deep that you’ve never even realized its importance; your dining experience begins the moment you enter Pinocchio Village Haus. You become aware of smells, lighting, and overall ambiance begin to influence your experience, just like Pinocchio’s did for me!
The interior wall murals of Pinocchio and Geppetto play out the story of Pinocchio and perfectly reflect the restaurants’ location in the heart of Fantasyland! Fantasyland pays homage to classic fairytales that we’ve all grown to love, and the dark, woody interior makes you feel like you’re in Geppetto’s quaint Italian workshop.
Photo Credit: http://allears.net/2012/07/09/the-pinocchio-village-haus-in-the-magic-kingdom/
The crown jewels (yes, plural!) of Pinocchio Village Haus are clear, though. First off, it’s two stories! On crowded days at Magic Kingdom, you can sit on the restaurants’ second level and catch a birds eye view of the bustling Fantasyland- both inside and out!
The second gem of this tiny restaurant is the it’s a small world viewing windows. As a child aboard one of the boats, the highlight of it’s a small world was waving to the happy diners high above water level in Pinocchio’s Village Haus! It wasn’t until I was older that I was on the other side of that glass, and I wish it hadn’t taken me so long! If you’re a parent of a youngster who needs meal entertainment, this is the perfect spot to sit! Waving is encouraged, as long as it’s between bites of pizza! Speaking of pizza…
The Food
When I had a hankering for pizza and visited for an early lunch, there were approximately 12 people in the restaurant. In all of the many, many times I’ve been inside, I’ve never seen it this empty. I was thrilled because I was able to slide right into one of those it’s a small world tables I mentioned without having to elbow jockey other guests! Score one already!
TIP: If you’re visiting during a busy time, you can use mobile order at this restaurant to skip the lines!
I came for the pizza, and that’s exactly what I ordered. If you’re a pizza stickler like me, the ‘pizzas’ here are technically flatbreads with very thin and crispy crusts. I knew what I was getting into though and proceeded to order a caprese flatbread. Mine was served very hot and exactly as pictured on the menu. This is not the best flatbread you’ll ever eat folks, but for its purposes as a Magic Kingdom quick serve, the quality was as good as it’s going to get.
When pizzas, especially flatbreads, have been sitting around for awhile, they get soggy. The crust on mine was very crispy and it was clear that they had made mine to order. The slightly sweet sauce wasn’t my favorite, but balanced with thick, round discs of melted mozzarella and finished with a sweet balsamic glaze drizzle, it worked.
For the heck of it, I also ordered a side of breadsticks and fries…because why not? I learned ‘why not’ very soon after I tasted the breadsticks…they were very simply, flavorless. The (very cold) side of marinara sauce that came with the breadsticks didn’t do anything to help in the flavor category, and the garlic topping descriptor on the menu was nonexistent in my order. The fries on the other hand, were fine. They were hot, salty, and about as good of a Walt Disney World quick serve fry you can get….so we of course ordered a second round!
The Verdict?
I might be tainted by nostalgia, but I’ve had a special place in my heart for Pinocchio’s Village Haus since I was a giddy toddler looking up at the restaurant from my childhood favorite ride. The ambiance and overall interior, in my opinion, epitomize the tale of Disney’s Pinocchio in the ever-classic Fantasyland. I love that, despite the changes Fantasyland has seen, Disney has left this restaurant in place to hopefully turn the next generation onto a film they may otherwise have never known about.
Overall, the food was pretty good. You can ask me any day of the week and I will tell you that Magic Kingdom has by far the WORST food options of any of the Parks, so to find one that is semi-decent is a win for me! My flatbread was hot, fresh, and about as good as a flatbread from a quick serve restaurant can be.
If you go and order a classic caprese flatbread and pair it with a side of piping hot fries and sit at one of those famous window tables, that right there is a quick lunch that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters! Just skip the breadsticks. So, have you eaten at Pinocchio’s Village Haus in the past? If so, I want to know what your experience was like- leave me a comment and let me know!
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