It Takes a Village

The Pinocchio Village Haus Restaurant complex makes up a large part of the town within the walls of the castle. Yesterday, we took a look at the exterior and saw how this large building is broken down into smaller facades, each with a different character, to better fit the story and the charming scale of Fantasyland.

Today, we'll explore the inside of the restaurant. Before we go in, though, take note of the wagon parked nearby. It belongs to that master showman, The Great Stromboli.

Stepping into the main room of the restaurant, we find ourselves in the Village Tavern (aka The Stromboli Room). Beer steins and mugs are on display, and you can almost picture Beauty and the Beast's Gaston kicked back in a corner or the weasels from The Wind in the Willows swinging from the iron chandelier.

Even though the restaurant takes its inspiration from Pinocchio, an Italian story, it combines design elements from all over Europe (it's called "Village Haus" after all, a decidedly German reference). Most notable throughout the space are the large frescoes painted on the walls. Done in a storybook style, they help tell the tale of the little wooden boy.

Following Pinocchio's lead to the food service area, we step through this archway and find ourselves...

Back outside! Well, sort of. The counter service area of the restaurant is designed to look like an exterior courtyard (notice the shingles, windows and balcony). The skylight above is meant to give the impression of natural light in the space.

Leaving this courtyard and exploring the rest of the village, we flow through each of the rooms of the restaurant. Along the way, the murals tell the rest of the story in beautiful, hand-painted art.

Be sure to look for the collection of cuckoo clocks (just like some of the ones Geppetto might make) in the Cleo Room, and take a moment to appreciate the finely-crafted woodwork in the Figaro and Jiminy Cricket Rooms.

The story frescoes even include the parts of the tale where Pinocchio found himself in a bit of trouble, from misbehaving with Lampwick on Pleasure Island to his run-in with Monstro the Whale. Naturally, the Monstro Room sits at the western edge of the village, overlooking the Seven Seaways of "it's a small world."

In the end, everything works out for Pinocchio and for us. He gets to be a real boy, and we get a great meal in a wonderful fantasy village setting.