We’re welcoming back guest author Melissa Sue Sorrells Galley with a review of Pinocchio Village Haus. And since the new menu was recently revealed, we’ll also include a review of one of the new flatbreads available!
After recovering from One More Disney Day, I headed back into the Magic Kingdom where I found myself exiting Mickey’s PhilharMagic to the realization that I was starving.
That’s when a Cast Member with a puppet waved at me, and I knew what I had to do.
No strings!
Atmosphere
Tucked between the new Fantasyland construction walls and it’s a small world, Pinocchio Village Haus is a bit confusing. It’s in Fantasyland, and the food is Italian, but the restaurant itself is based on the Bavarian architecture that Walt and Lillian Disney were so fond of.
Pinocchio Village Haus
In fact, it’s set in a little German village, where there’s oompah playing over the speakers and you order lunch in what appears to be a charming courtyard.
Once you’ve got your food in hand, it’s time to find a seat. The dining room is massive — much bigger than you’d think to look at it from outside. I was there at a peak lunch hour, and it felt busy — but never crowded.
The building is split into a variety of smaller rooms, each decorated with intricate cuckoo clocks and colorful frescoes that depict scenes from the story of Pinocchio.
Murals tell the story of Pinocchio
If you plan to eat during a less busy time, make a beeline for the Monstro Room, which overlooks the loading area for it’s a small world, or the second floor, which gives you a birds-eye view of the action.
View of it's a small world loading area
Upstairs Balcony Seating
View From Outdoor Balcony Seating
No matter where you end up sitting, you’ll still enjoy the great touches. The tables and chairs have a rough-hewn alpine feeling, with hearts and pine trees carved into the chair backs. Authentic beer steins adorn the shelves, and serviceware is displayed in a partitioned barrel.
Stained glass windows in Cleo’s Room
And, if you don’t want to dine among the alfrescos (and love heat stroke for some reason), there’s even an entire outdoor seating area.
Outdoor seating
Eats
Despite the German décor, the food here is decidedly Italian, including chicken parm, meatball subs, and a Mediterranean salad. Your order here goes much the same as at any Disney quick service location: order and pay, then head up to the counter to exchange your receipt for your food. It can be a little hectic at busy times, but it works.
Now, for a little news flash before I move ahead with my review: the Pinocchio Village Haus menu changed shortly after my visit! New flatbreads were put on the menu to replace the standard pizzas. The new menu shows a choice of Pepperoni, Barbecue Chicken, Caprese, and Cheese flatbreads.
Pinocchio Village Haus Menu - click image for larger version
Luckily — AJ’s got a quick review of these for you before I talk about side dishes…
Editor’s Note: Our roving reporter, Erin Foster, shares her thoughts on the Caprese Flatbread:
They’re trying. And it’s definitely better than the pizza they had before. But still not stellar. All the flavor is in that balsamic glaze ribbon. And I wish the basil had looked fresher. It tasted fine, but could have been prettier.
Caprese Flatbread
Thanks, Erin and AJ!
So while I unfortunately wasn’t able to try the new flatbreads, I was coming off more than 14 hours without food, so my eyes were a bit larger than my stomach. I ordered a personal pizza with a side salad, an order of fries and a chocolate cake.
The food wasn’t anything special. The “Caesar” side salad was really just romaine lettuce with some parmesan cheese. You can pick up your croutons and dressing at the condiment carts.
And color me nerdy, but this was my first experience with Disney quick service chocolate cake, and I was pretty excited to try it. It’s extremely moist, very rich and sweet, sweet, sweet. It’s also sort of addictive. I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!
Quick Service chocolate cake
First bite of chocolate cake
Overall
I can’t really say there’s anything wrong with Pinocchio Village Haus. But I can say I won’t be rushing back any time soon. With Sleepy Hollow (and their delicious waffle concoctions) just a few steps away and a wide variety of more adventurous mid-priced options a mere monorail ride away, I’ll probably be spending my Disney dining dollars elsewhere.
That said, if you’re a big fan of Disney’s take on quick service Italian, have a hungry brood about to melt down in Fantasyland, or really love Pinocchio, don’t hesitate to stop here. You’ll appreciate the speedy service, the hearty menu and the warm sustenance.
Are you up for trying the new flatbreads at Pinocchio Village Haus? Let us know in the comments!
Melissa Sue Sorrells Galley works in higher education communications in upstate New York, where she lives with her husband, Robert, and her cavapoo, George. She’s is the co-editor of Mouse on the Mind.
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I heard that Pinicchio Village house has great tomato soup, but I don’t know when I’d ever want to try soup after walking around in the hot sun! Perhaps I need to schedule a January visit?
Tracy — I LOVE the tomato soup at Pinocchio’s! Luckily, it survived the menu change!
Hot soup? Why couldn’t they offer a nice chilled gazpacho – just made for WDW weather.
I miss the burgers – we no longer eat here due to the burgers being off the menu
Oh, Disney! What is the obsession with flatbread? They’re EVERYWHERE in Walt Disney World! Are they cheaper to make than pizza? Less difficult? A favorite of some food & beverage exec at Team Disney Orlando?
I too have to ask what is with the flatbread? Disney seems to be going the way of the chain restaurants with their menu updates and atmosphere redos. There are some things that just shouldn’t change. I am tired of flatbread pizzas. Sometimes you just want an average old personal pan pizza. Glad they didn’t change the decor that Walt & Lillie loved so much. I’m still reeling about the change over at Tutto Italia. My daughter likens all the non-nondescript, cold atmosphere restaurants to IKEA regurgitating.
Haven’t been to this place for years, I love the themeing tho!
I actually prefer flatbreads to personal pan pizzas–they are less filling since the crust is thinner and don’t make me feel stuffed after eating. Does anyone know if the barbecue chicken flatbread has onions on it?
I can’t wait to try the pepperoni flatbread!
I’m excited about the new flatbreads! The caprese sounds really good and a nice change from some of the more basic vegetarian type of offerings. A caprese flatbread and a mango gelato sound like a nice light lunch at the Magic Kingdom.
I REALLY dislike this place: crowded, loud, messy (sad for a WDW joint) and the food is mediocre. Yet, each time I visit the MK, I end up eating here, usually because one of my travel mates either likes it or wants to try it. I guess I need some new people to travel with! :^D Just kidding, loved ones!
I’m amazed no one has mentioned the late, lamented Figaro Fries. They were the only decent thing this place served.
We just ate there on Sunday. I hadn’t eaten in there in YEARS! We all tried flatbread pizzas. I had the caprese, and I actually found it to be delicious! I ordered a cheese flatbread for my kids, and my son (2 years old) preferred to eat my caprese flatbread! 🙂 I was able to get a side of fries and grapes with the kids meal, and my kids shared it and it was plenty for my 2 and 3 year old. They had great hostesses during the lunch rush to help you find a seat, and it was nice to have a cool place to get out of the heat and enjoy a meal.
This isn’t a MUST HAVE on each visit, but definitely a place we enjoyed and would return to, if we happen to be in Fantasyland during lunch time.
Thanks for the update! Hearing about changes like this make me feel like it’s an awesome time to be a foodie and a Disney World fanatic. I’m really excited about the creative energy that’s coming from the Food & Beverage Product Development team. I think like any new roll-out, there might be a learning curve to overcome. I’m looking forward to trying a Caprese flatbread!
Okay, first things first: Pizza, salad, fries and chocolate cake? I think I love you. Meanwhile, I love finding out about what might be considered overlooked things… for example, despite having eaten here several times, I had no idea about the outdoor balcony upstairs! I’ve always been intrigued by this particular venue because it really is one of those rare examples of a Disney spot where the theming has practically nothing to do with the food. Not sure why, but I’ve always been drawn to this place for a quick meal…
@Richard: I am married, but we can eat pizza, fries and cake together any time!! Call me, maybe? I love the balcony seating at Haus–it has a great view of the restaurant!
My entire family still misses the Village Haus’ Geppetto (turkey) burgers 🙁
Gotta say, the sunset view on the balcony makes it worth while in itself. however that meatball sub is delicious
I use to work at PVH when they still served the Figaro Fries (which were so delecious!!) and Turkey Panini’s (also very delicious!!) I was very sad to see them both leave the menu. But I am looking forward to trying the BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza!
How did I NOT know that they have seating overlooking it’s a small world? I’m adding this to the (already long) list for our upcoming trip.
AJ – so glad you did a review – my family has decided to make a stop by bc our kids love “it’s a small world”. I think they will love attempting to look out and see the little boats go by as we eat… that is if we can snag a seat!
Can’t wait to try it out.
This and a waffle at Sleepy Hollow!!!!!!!
Great blog – love it,
Eric
I have always loved the atmosphere and views from this restaurant. I have been disappointed with the menu and food quality, however, for about 15 years now. I miss the really old days when they used to make actual peanut butter and jelly sandwiches – you know, on real bread, unlike these weird, pervasive Uncrustables.
We really liked eating here. Actually, it was probably our favorite meal within Magic Kingdom for the 2+ days we were there. I got a meatball sub, which was ok. The flatbread pizzas my wife and son got were great, though! We got our food quickly, and there were plenty of open tables. I can’t really comment on the rest of the menu, but just for the flatbread pizzas alone, this place was a hit for us.
We really enjoyed our flatbreads here! We had a large group, so I was able to sample the caprese, pepperoni and bbq chicken flatbreads. We enjoyed them all but the bbq chicken was my favorite. The chicken was nicely cooked without being overdone, and the crust of the flatbread was really flavorful. I wish there had been a bit more cilantro on it but otherwise I was very pleased. The Mediterranean salad also was a hit with our group.
We went in December and I was in LOVE with the caprese pizza flatbread so much. We actually went back a couple times with our 3 little kiddos just for the flatbreads! Way to go disney!!
I’m addicted to the caprese flat bread. Not a fan of thick crust pizza of tomato sauce either. This is the best of both worlds…fresh tomato, crispy crust, yummy cheese. I have not problem polishing off one all by myself 🙂 They also make them at Saratoga Springs counter service. I’ve taken one to go and ate it in the car on the way home…my favorite “one for the road” meal
Awesome food the children pizza was cook just right ! The flatbread was not crisp should have been in the over for about 3-4 more minutes Flavor is great ! Another guess beside me thought the same thing. Flatbread should not sit heavy on the tummy. I wish made a cauliflower crust pizza . Low carbs . Still had a wonderful time the children were very Happy !
I Loved the BBQ chicken flatbread pizza here. One of my favorite things I had to eat the whole visit at Disney World. My son and I shared it. We also enjoyed sitting by the window over looking Small World.
We visit Pinocchio ‘ s every visit. Always something a bit different. Not just burgers and chicken sandwiches. The deli sandwich on Flatbread was fantastic. It was all good.
I know this is an older article, but my son loves the décor here (and they do have his favorite chicken nuggets and fries). I had the caprese flatbread last time and loved it. Wish it had been a smidge hotter, but still a wonderful find for a vegetarian eater. We are big fans of the Disney chocolate cake too, but I was happy to see a nice Greek yogurt as a dessert choice as well. Columbia Harbor House remains my favorite, but when I’m in MK with just my son, we’ll head to Pinocchio’s for an early lunch.
Sandra — Thank you for reading, and for providing such great input! While we are always re-visiting restaurants, our readers also rely on older posts to provide accurate information too, so we love hearing what your latest experience was. 🙂
My daughter and I were at DisneyWorld last weekend, we both loved the Caprese flatbread pizza. Don’t change it!
My daughter and I were at DisneyWorld last weekend, we both loved the Caprese flatbread pizza. Don’t change it!
I love Pinocchio’s village Haus , but I miss the puppeteer burger They used to have at one time.