You can find this at Het Witte Paard, and it looks beautiful!
With thanks to Ronald at pinparade.nl
30 Sunday Jun 2019
Posted All Updates and News, Food!, Updates from 2019
inYou can find this at Het Witte Paard, and it looks beautiful!
With thanks to Ronald at pinparade.nl
06 Thursday Mar 2014
Posted All Updates and News, Food!, Updates from 2014
inThe White Horse restaurant was recently renovated, and Efteling have posted a little ‘making of’ video to show the transition.  They have also created a story to go with the new theming of the restaurant.  We’d like to say thank you to our friend Milena for providing a translation of the story.  You can read it on her website here in both Dutch and English, and we’ve also included it in English below.
The White Horse
There was once a poor work horse that spent its days with a mean old farmer. The horse stood lonely and alone in a damp shed. Its fur was grey and drab.
âOh if I only had a little friendâ the horse thought often. One day the farmer harnessed him to the plough. The ground was hard and progress was difficult.
âFaster, you lazy thing!â the farmer who whipped him ranted. âWork! Until you drop!â Suddenly a coach drove past. It had little children in it who were singing cheerful songs. But the horse was especially interested in the strange black stallion who pulled the carriage. Its long tail shone blue-green in the morning sun.
âWhat are you staring at old nag?â shouted the farmer. âGet!â The whip cracked again while the coach disappeared from view. That evening there sat a peacock on the roof of the shed. He put his head through a hole in the roof.
âI saw you getting fiercely whippedâ
âOh you saw that?â the horse asked with some surprise.
âIt has always been like that unfortunatelyâ
âThen its time you escapedâ
âBut where would I go?â asked the horse.
âWalk into the forest straight awayâ Said the peacock
âThen everything will be all rightâ The next minute he disappeared. The horse decided that the peacock was right. The misery had lasted long enough. The next day was a Sunday. The horse knew that the farmer always went away on that day although he did not know where. But this was the best time to escape. With a savage kick the horse kicked the shed door out of its hinges. He trotted into the forest and enjoyed his freedom. But after a little while he grew tired and hungry. Suddenly the peacock appeared again.
âHold on!â the bird shouted cheerfully.
âYou are going the right wayâ. And he was gone again. The horse walked on, deeper and deeper into the forest. But his courage was sinking into his hooves. The next day the peacock crossed paths with him again.
âHold on! You are on the right trackâ Again the bird vanished into the forest. The horse just about saw a glimpse of its beautiful tail. He was suddenly reminded of the stallion that had the brilliant tail, the one who pulled the carriage. Also in the following days the peacock came for a moment and kept telling him to hold on. But the poor horse couldnât. He had been dragging himself along for too long without food or drink. On the morning of the seventh day the peacock again stood before him.
âOh noâ The horse shouted angrily.
âHere he comes again with his âhang on!â
But the peacock said happily: âNot this time because you are there.â And sure enough, the very next moment he came to a sunny spot. There stood a stately white house with peculiar vases on the roof. Through the open doors happy voices sounded and on the terrace children were playing. They ran to him and patted him gently on his flanks.
âHe looks so dreadfulâ A girl said. âSo thin and dirtyâ Then they let the horse eat off their plates and drink from their glasses. It tasted delicious. The host of the teahouse came outside.
âNow, now youâre a sight old boy! We will give you a thorough makeover.â As soon as the horse had eaten his fill the children started on him with buckets of soap. They scrubbed and brushed his fur, washed and combed his mane and kept hugging him. The work horse felt like a luxurious horse and was enjoying it very much.
âYou look like a parade horse with that lovely shiny fur!â said the host. He took the horse inside, where cheerful people were sitting at splendidly decked out tables. âDear peopleâ shouted the host. âDoes anyone recognise this beautiful horse? It walked in today. Most people shook their head. Suddenly the horse was terribly frightened. Right by him sat the mean farmer! But to his surprise the farmer didn’t recognise him. The farmer said
âWhat a nice nag you’ve got there, host! Itâs very different from the ugly beast that ran away from me last week. Well… its best days were behind it anyway!â Relieved the horse turned its head. Then he saw his reflection in a big shiny vase. But it wasn’t a drab, grey horse that he saw. No, there stood a splendid white horse straight and proud. It gave him a warm proud feeling. The host took him outside. âWell if you donât belong to anyone then you will just have to live here. And from now on my establishment will be called âThe White Horseâ!
âYou see donât you?â said the peacock to the horse a little while later.
âAs long as you hold onâ,
âYes certainly, thanks to youâ The horse answered happily.
âIf you say soâ the peacock laughed. And before his eyes the bird turned into the blue tailed stallion. The white horse was speechless.
âIf you will be living here from now on, we could be friends.â said the other horse.
“This is the best day of my life!â cheered the white horse. He reared in his joy. The new friends were strung in front of the carriage together. The children climbed inside and they rode away singing. Their song sounded like music in polished clean ears of the overjoyed horse:
âOn Sundays we drink lemonade And eat whipped cream pie Then we play the whole day long At âThe White Horseâ!â
01 Saturday Mar 2014
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inIt has been closed for a little while to be given a makeover, and now it is open once again! Â The White Horse (Het Witte Paard) has been transformed to give the feel of a tea room; very classy!
Photo by Eftelwesley.nl
There are teapots, plates and elaborate decor everywhere! Â It is definitely an improvement on before, theming-wise, and is even brighter and looks more spacious than before as well.
Click here for a LOT more photos by our friend Eftelwesley, plus a few more.
And remember the big white horse? Â He’s been evicted. Â However, we have it on good authority that he is still alive and well, living elsewhere…
03 Friday Jan 2014
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inTags
cafe, eating in efteling, efteling, eftelinguk, food, het witte paard, restaurant, the white horse
We have recently learned from Eftelist that the White Horse restaurant is getting a renovation. Quite a few years ago it had a clean-up, and it looks a lot better than it did, but it is lacking something Efteling-y when you take a look at other similar restaurants such as the Octopus and Station de Ooste.
There are two main issues that we have with the White Horse (Het Witte Paard). Â Firstly, it can get a little draughty; it doesn’t feel cosy, as they always seem to have the doors open on each side of the building. Â Secondly, the toilets. Â They are tiny, and every time we have visited, they haven’t smelled too great either! Â Otherwise it is a nice enough place, lots of food variety and lots of tables.
Some better theming would be nice in the restaurant, and we know that Efteling can do theming really well, just look at Polle’s Keuken! Â At the moment, there are chairs that don’t match, and of course, a White Horse shoved in the middle of the floor. Â Just in case you forgot that you were in the White Horse, maybe.
The renovation is due to take place in February, and we look forward to seeing what they do with the place!