Pinocchio Village Haus -- Lunch/Dinner -- Quick Service -- Magic Kingdom
*This dining experience took place in August 2015.
Pinocchio Village Haus located in Disney's Magic Kingdom is a charming restaurant -- one that I've visited many times but actually never eaten at. I've never been keen on the options available, which have always seemed limited at best.Recently, blog reader Priscilla G. shared the new allergy friendly lunch and dinner menu from Pinocchio Village Haus. After reading the new menu, I saw there were at least a couple of options to choose from. And good thing too, as I recently stopped by the restaurant to grab lunch.When I got to the cash register to inquire about special dietary options, the cast member presented me with the new allergy friendly menu. I could quickly see that the Mediterranean Salad was on both the gluten and dairy free menu options, and I asked to order it. The cast member did not flag a manager, but rather, flagged gluten and dairy in the order and gave me a pager, which would alert me when my food was ready.About 10 minutes later, my pager went off, and I was greeted by a manager who served my food on a green tray (to denote food allergy) and saw that my salad contained what looked like "cheese." She confirmed that it was Daiya cheese. The one thing they did not tell me was that I needed to grab the salad dressing from the condiment bar. I quickly found the dressing noted as safe (and double-checked the ingredients) but found it odd that they didn't tell me this.
As far as the salad, I found it to be just OK. It wasn't my favorite quick service salad but certainly not the worst (one of my least favorites being the Garden Harvest Salad at Columbia Harbour House).I actually don't prefer the non-dairy cheese on my salad, so I have to admit I picked off the Daiya cheese (though the other diner with me - who is not gluten or dairy free - actually really liked the Daiya shreds, so I think I'm just picky in this regard).Overall, I would probably dine at Pinocchio Village Haus in a pinch, though it wouldn't be my first choice for a Magic Kingdom quick service location. My go-to is always Columbia Harbour House, but if I was with others dining at Pinocchio Village Haus I know now that I have at least a few options when ordering, which is great.Have you been to Pinocchio Village Haus in the Magic Kingdom? What did you order when you dined there?
Pinocchio Village Haus New Menu Updates
*This information was valid as of June 2014. I consulted with a manager at this location but chose not to dine there due to limited choices.Nestled in Fantasyland, Pinocchio Village Haus is a quaint quick service restaurant with tons of seating and great atmosphere. With a view of Small World from some of the seating area, you can't help but feel immersed in the Disney magic when you are there.As a gluten free and dairy free diner, I haven't eaten at Pinocchio Village Haus in years. The menu has always seemed fairly limited for those of us with special dietary needs, so it hasn't been high on my list to revisit. However, with the recent refurbishment of the restaurant, I was curious to see if any of the menu offerings had changed.On this particular occasion, I popped by earlier in the day, around 11 a.m. It was already busy. This place is popular! In looking at the menu, I could see that it consisted primarily of flatbread pizzas. Not really so much my speed but I thought I'd see what they could do.
I happened to catch a manager very quickly during my arrival, and she met me over by the cash register. There she got out the allergy binder and started going over options. I had mentioned that someone posted to Twitter that they had enjoyed the Caprese Flatbread gluten free (not dairy free), and I asked if that was possible dairy free too. According to her, she said it was not available for either gluten free only or gluten free & dairy free diners. She said my options were the following:
- Gluten free (and also dairy free option) pepperoni pizza
- Gluten free (and also dairy free option) cheese pizza
- Mediterranean Salad with non-dairy cheese
She said these were my only options and also suggested that I go to Columbia Harbour House or Be Our Guest Restaurant if I wanted more of a variety (which I agreed with). With that in my, I opted not to eat lunch here. On the way out I did take a few photos of the lovely interior.
As you can see, the restaurant is really charming. I wish that they had more options here for special diets diners. It is nice to know though that they do have a few options and that they do carry a non-dairy cheese (at the time of this review Tofutti Soy Cheese). However, if you're dining in the Magic Kingdom, I would recommend Columbia Harbour House, Be Our Guest, or Pecos Bill Tall Tale Cafe & Inn for quick service lunch.Have you been to Pinocchio Village Haus either before the new menu updates or after? What kinds of special diets offerings were you able to get?