Columbia Harbour House vs. Pinocchio House

[castleview]

We''ll be visiting the Magic Kingdom on August 12th. I know it will be hot and crowded, so I will be only be there until afternoon with my dh, 2 yr. old and 4 yr. old girls, and my parents.

Most of our time will be spent in Fantasy Land that day and then will head back to the Beach Club. I'd prefer to eat at either Columbia Harbour House or Pinocchio House, but will make a priority seating arrangement at Crystal Palace just in case. Any ideas of which place will be better or more time efficient (if that's possible in August). Keep in mind, my kids are small and will probably have to eat during the crazy hours.

Thanks in advance!

Allison

 

[keriannhoward]

I vote for Pinochio's restaurant, especially if you're eating early or late and not during the normal rush. I haven't ever eaten at Columbia Harbor House since we're not big fish eaters and DH is all about hamburgers. Pinochio's has hot dogs and hamburgers and Uncrustables for kids if they don't want either of those. The toppings bar is GREAT, with grilled mushrooms and onions, cheeses, etc.

The coolest part about Pinochio's is that if you get there early enough or during an off time, you can sit at a table that overlooks the It's a Small World boat loading area, so that's really nice.

Ooooooh, I didn't even mention the fries! You can get fries withj cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing. YUM!

 

[Princess Jennifer]

Pinochios is a big tradition in my family. We always spend our first day at MK and have lunch at Pinnochio's.

In your case, I think there may be a little more seating at pinnochios' than at the Columbia Harbor House. This may make it easier to find a seat at the busier times. Just be prepared, both are very popular counter services, and will most likely both be crowded.

If you are concerned about your kids having to wait, then I would just go with the PS at Crystal Palace. Then there is no wait, and it is Buffet, so they can eat immediately when seated. AND you get to see Pooh and Friends.

Good luck, and have a great trip.

 

[piratesmate]

We've enjoyed both Pinocchio's & Harbor House. I don't know if it was coincidence or not, but Pinocchio's always seems more crowded & seating is harder to find - even though there is more. At HH there are two areas - upstairs seems to get forgotten & we've found seating there.

On the other hand, the chowder-in-a-bowl's portion seemed small when compared to portions at Pinocchio's. We should have planned on sharing food there.

Of course, there's nothing as fun as eating with Pooh & friends for extending the magic!

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

On our last trip we skipped Columbia Harbor House, long a family tradition because of the discontinuation of the bread bowels for the chowder. I vote for Pinochios.

HBC

 

[Planogirl]

It depends on what you want to eat. We always go to Columbia Harbour House because we get a little tired of burgers and we like the atmosphere. DS likes the fish and I LOVE the tuna sandwich.

 

[deb305]

Columbia House is our destination. The kids love to go upstairs. There is a part that juts out over the walkway and you can look out the window to the people below, and coming out of HH. For some reason it is always cooler up there in Summer, and coszy in Winter. But you'd better like fried food

 

[solotraveler]

Columbia Harbor House for me!

I tend to try and avoid standard run-of-the-mill counter service when at Disney because they have some really decent stuff if you know where to look. Columbia Harbor House is one of those places for me. That tuna sandwich is fantastic!

Hope this helps!
Solotraveler

 

[kalamazoo]

Columbia Harbor House is an oasis of calm in a sea of humanity (especially if you eat upstairs). It is made up of a bunch of rooms so usually you can find a nice quiet table tucked away somewhere. The food is great too.

Pinnochio's is good too but not nearly as relaxing and the food, generally, is the usual type of fast food. There are not that many tables that allow you to sit by the window looking down into IASW, so you're lucky if you can snag one of those.

Wherever you decide to eat, if you go just a little earlier than the usual noon lunch hour, like 11:30 or 11:15 you will find an unbelievable difference in the line-ups at the counter.

 

[Harambe]

Pinnochios is fine, but due to it's location, I think it gets more traffic.

You sorta have to seek out Columbia Harbor! The setting is nice, with all the rooms - seems to cut down the noise.

And as others have posted, the food is a nice break from the typical counter stuff. DH is still talking about that tuna sandwich! It was very good!

And it is a two minute walk from Fantasyland.

 

[amymouse]

My vote goes to Columbia Harbour House. It has a great variety on the menu (several healthy choices). I admit, though, that I can't vouch for anything except the chili. I get it everytime. It tastes great and there is lots of it!.

This would be a great place if you've grown weary of burgers by that point in your trip. It's decor is very appealing, too. Lots of rich, dark woods and interesting nautical touches throughout.

 

[HunnyPots]

OK - I gotta know: what could be so special about a tuna sandwich? Tell me more, please!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I too would vote for columbia harbor house. Its more adult themed nautical and it would be a good place to go to unwind from the overload. We go in aug. too and I like the salad that they serve. I dont like big meals in the hot summer. DS like the chicken strips. I think the sandwhich he didnt like either but that was littlest ds. I think it was bologna. or maybe pb and j. It was uncrustable and he was not impressed. He wanted a REAl sandwhich on REAL bread. I just like the quiet atmosphere there. It gives us all a nice little time to regroup and rest.

 

[Harambe]

LOL HunnyPots! I know it sounds weird, but this is the best tuna sandwich! It is made on fresh baked seven grain bread - all white tuna, not too much mayo - with fresh tomato and lettuce.

After three or four days of typical fast food - it just tastes so fresh and wonderful!

 

[alliecats]

Originally posted by Planogirl
It depends on what you want to eat. We always go to Columbia Harbour House because we get a little tired of burgers and we like the atmosphere. DS likes the fish and I LOVE the tuna sandwich.

I can't wait to eat this--I have heard so much about this tuna sandwich