We’re taking in a meal at a classic stop in Disneyland — The Village Haus!

I don’t get to this corner of Disneyland nearly as much as I should. It’s waaaaaaaaay in the back corner — head into Fantasyland and hang a left.

But since a very similar restaurant exists in Walt Disney World — Pinocchio Village Haus in Fantasyland — I usually find myself skipping THIS Village Haus in lieu of one of my favorite spots, like Cafe Orleans.

But that’s hardly fair, right?

So when I was in California recently for the kickoff of the Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration, I headed over to this hideaway for some eats.

Atmosphere

There are three Village Haus…es in the Disney parks — Disney World, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. All three take their style queues from Bavaria, so it’s sort of a Germany-meets-Italy feel.

While the similar restaurant in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is named Pinocchio Village Haus, that famous little wooden puppet isn’t named in the title here. But there’s no questioning who the story here is about.

At the entrance here in Disneyland, you’ll immediately see the theme begin. Gideon and Honest John are depicted in this beautiful carved work, leading Pinocchio astray. (Don’t do it, Pinocchio!!)

The doors open, and you’re entering a small “village.”

It’s interesting to note if you aren’t familiar with Village Haus — it may look like that previous picture is of an outside spot, but it’s not. Skylights over the ordering area allow for lots of natural lighting. This area is meant to represent a Village square or center, with the surrounding dining rooms being different shops and village buildings.

There’s plenty of artwork throughout the restaurant depicting scenes from the story. In this picture, high above the ordering area, we see Pinocchio living it up in Pleasure Island. There’s even a donkey gingerbread boy… .

Tole paining, heavy lanterns, and flagstone floors lend to the immersive feel in the area. And…of course…Olaf.

Next to the register, you’ll find some Fresh Fruit and Cookies that you can add to your order. And Olaf.

Once you place your order and pick it up, you’ll have a chance to gather up any condiments that you’d like before finding a seat.

Your choices for seating are extensive here. There are themed rooms to choose from as well as an outside patio. Each room boasts beautiful murals with scenes from the film, but you’ll also find other special touches, like cuckoo clocks and stained glass windows. And, of course, puppets.

To enjoy the beauty of Village Haus, try to time your visit outside of peak lunch hours. When the massive restaurant fills up, it can get very loud, very fast.

Oh, and one more thing about this Village Haus (and the other as well) — be sure to find the image of Figaro the cat. Here in Disneyland, he’s covering up an ages-old mistake that an exit sign was installed off-center!

Eats

One of the biggest differences that you’ll notice between Pinocchio Village Haus in Walt Disney World and Village Haus in Disneyland is the menu. While the menu in the ‘World is strictly Italian-influenced, Disneyland’s Village Haus hosts a menu that boasts both Italian and German tastes befitting the Bavarian style setting of the Italian story.

The menu went through a refresh a few years back, but the same options have been in place for some time now. While you’ll find regular fast food options, like Pizzas and Burgers, there are also a few slightly more interesting options. More about those — with pics! — in just a sec.

There are Kids’ options as well, of course.

And in this case, I really appreciate the menu with pictures. This is a great way to go when trying to help a hangry preschooler figure out that what they want to eat.

Village Haus also features a Monstro Blue Lemonade, which looks an awful lot like the Blue Fairy Raspberry Slush we enjoyed last Summer at Pinocchio’s place in Magic Kingdom. Maybe it’s a teensy bit less electric blue than the Blue Fairy, actually. But the flavor here is Blue Cotton Candy — way different than Blue Raspberry, of course.

And…you can get this one with a Glow Cube!

Once we made our selections and found a spot to sit, it was time to dig in. I went with the Pastrami Cheeseburger. Here it is all bundled up.

The Angus Chuck Burger is topped with Pastrami, Swiss Cheese, Caramelized Onions, Lettuce, Pickles, and Creamy Horseradish Sauce.

While I appreciated the flavor that the Pastrami added to the sandwich, I wanted more Cheese and Onions for sure. And the burger was more done than I’d prefer, which is usually the standard for Disney counter service.

The Cheeseburger was served with my choice of Fries or Fresh Fruit. I went for the latter. A little melon-heavy if you ask me, but the pineapple was a nice and plentiful touch.

Next up was the BLT Flatbread. This one had been highly recommend to me, so I was super intrigued. Incidentally, you’ll notice that Village Haus doesn’t use real plates and silverware like some other counter service spots in Disneyland.

The thin, rectangular-shaped flatbread was sprinkled with a good amount of the toppings: Bacon, Caramelized Onions, and Tomatoes. A thin layer of Aioli as spread across the crust, and fresh Salad of Arugula and Fennel topped the whole thing.

And maybe I was just hungry, but this thing was awesome! It was served hot — which, believe it or not, isn’t always a guarantee at Disney counter service spots — and the flavors were just right together. Winner winner chicken dinner.

So you’ve seen the Italian influence in the menu. Well, what about the German side of things? Well, that’s where dessert comes in. I couldn’t pass up the Apple Strudel, which is served with a Vanilla Sauce. I appreciated that the sauce was served on the side, so the strudel wasn’t all soggy by the time I finished my meal.

And I think this is a hidden gem as far as counter-service desserts go. Disneyland counter-service is, by and large, better than Disney World counter-service IMO, so they have several desserts that are better than average. But this one took me a bit by surprise. It was a good-sized portion, and had great flavor.

Overall

Okay. So if you only have one meal to eat at Disneyland, I’m probably not going to tell you to head to Village Haus. That said, if you find yourself back here after a morning in Fantasyland, grab that BLT flatbread and some apply goodness and know that you’re getting some goods.

Is Village Haus on your list of Disneyland Stops? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!