Opinions of Mama Melrose

[Tink&Goofy]

I am planning one night out in our March trip, for just DH and I. We both like Italian, and have never tried any at WDW. I am sad I never got to try Alfredo's. So I tentatively booked the restaurant in Alfredo's place (can't remember the name), but have seen really mixed reviews of it. I was wondering what Mama Melrose is like. Not sure if we will be on the dining plan or not, but thats not significant. DH likes pretty ordinary Italian. I like a little more uniqueness, and am willing to try new things. What is Mama Melrose like?

[Here we go again...]

I did not care for Mama Melrose. I think the fact that we had the worst service ever may have played a big part in that though.
The food was just okay... no where near as good as it smelled out side.
We might give it another chance one day.

[pogo]

We've never eaten there. :sorry:

I think you should ask Natazu ! He is our Intercot dining expert ! :D

[merrymouse]

We were at disney in Sept of 06 the last time. We had the dining plan and it was fantastic. Most food was very good, some just ok. The only exception was Mama Melrose's. I did alot of research before going because I was planning a trip for 8 people some of which weren't big on the idea of going to disney so of course it was up to me to convert them. Ok, I'm getting off topic.

We thought Mama Melrose's was the worst meal we had that week by far. The flat bread pizza appetisers were pretty good so we were encouraged but our meals were aweful. Most of us just picked at them and didn't even eat. Maybe we are spoiled by good food being Italian and living close to some big cities with great dining, I don't know. It was just not up to par with anything else in the park. Good luck with your planning but I would definitely skip Mama Melrose's.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I find that opinions on restaurants are just that, opinions...you just have to go out and try things to find out what you like....but, here's mine anyway....
We ate at MM Jan. 06 (party of 8) none of us really cared for it...we had flatbreads and one person had chicken parm (which he said was okay)....however, I see rave reviews on it now, so maybe things have changed....I also see mixed reviews on Tony's in MK, but we are going to give it a try on our next trip....

[DDuck66]

We tried it once and like many of the posters here, it was just so-so. The food was okay, but the service was the worse that I had ever had in WDW. I have seen several good reviews but unfortunatly that one bad meal is hard to live down. Maybe it has changed for the better in the last couple of years.

[Momof2boys]

We ate at Mama Melrose and not only was the service poor, the food was less than acceptable. It was hands down our worst dining experience at WDW.

[VRod RS]

Unlike some of the other opinions, we like MM and in fact we have been to WDW 3 times in 2007 and we eat lunch there regularly. I think we may have only eaten dinner there once.

Service, yea, probably not the best. I will agree with that.. Compared to Alfredos, the service wasn't there, however, there were some dishes I liked better than Alfredos.

We are just getting ready for another week there starting on the Jan 20 and we will eat lunch at MM and at the new place, Tuttos.

[SBETigg]

If you're really into Italian, I think Il Mulino at the Swan may be your best bet.

Tutto Italia has been getting mixed reviews (though it has to be better than Alfredo's- I love Italian and I was not a fan) and the reviews for Mama Melrose are also mixed but I see more bad than good ones.

[laprana]

We ate at Mama Melrose last June and no one in our group liked it. It was the worst meal of our entire 10-day trip. The service was just OK (brought the wrong dishes, took a long time getting the right dishes, no drink refills, etc.), and the food was not good at all. My sister ordered the salmon and it was almost completely raw when the server brought it out. :sick: She had to send it back 2 times to be cooked some more, and it never was cooked all the way through. She finally gave up. I would recommend trying something else. We recently ate at Tony's in MK during our December trip, and it was much better than I expected it to be. It gets very mixed reviews here, too, though. Good luck with your choice! :mickey:

[VRod RS]

I would recommend trying something else. We recently ate at Tony's in MK during our December trip, and it was much better than I expected it to be. It gets very mixed reviews here, too, though. Good luck with your choice! :mickey:

This just shows how everyone expects different tastes.. We really didn't like Tony's at all when we ate there.. To much like an "American Italian" experience but everyone has their own expectations.

With the salmon, she was just getting sushi at a lower cost.. :D

[Polynesian Dweller]

As another poster said, opinions are just that opinions. Opinions also depend a lot on what you are expecting. We like Mama Melrose's for lunch (haven't tried it for dinner) and given where it is we don't go in expecting a fine dining restaurant like we would at Epcot. Does it fit Epcot standard, no but I don't think it is attempting to do so. So I think its doing what its attempting to do and reasonable well. Its providing a decent meal in a Theme park that isn't designed for fine dining.

The food is good and we have never had a problem with service. Don't know why but at lunch at least our service has been fine.

So, my opinion, if you are looking for something close to a fine dining experience then its Epcot or the resorts. Good meal, along the lines of your neighbourhood restaurant, Mama Melrose's is fine.

[pox24]

Didn't care for it much...:ack:

[Natazu]

Hiya hun. Not so much of a Mama's fan here. The flatbreads are good but most of the menu is Olive Garden level or so - good but not great.

I haven't been to the new Italy restaurant but haven't heard the greatest reviews. It really hasn't been around long enough to eek out its own reputation. I'd go there before Mama's though.

The real gem for Italian food at WDW is the non-DDP Il Mulino at the Swan. The food is amazing. Four star all the way, right down to the cost. But in spite of the cost, it's a great "night out" restaurant for Italian.

[bigbabyblues]

We enjoyed our food at MM, but the service was, um, nonexistent. Our waiter took our drink orders, our food orders and brought our check. The rest of our meal he was busy talking to a table full of girls that I guess were in his section. We had to find another server twice for refills and I was NOT happy.

[Tink&Goofy]

The real gem for Italian food at WDW is the non-DDP Il Mulino at the Swan. The food is amazing. Four star all the way, right down to the cost. But in spite of the cost, it's a great "night out" restaurant for Italian.

Thanks. Some else mentioned this, so I checked out the menu, and it looks good! Plus we are staying at BWV, so it will be convenient. Can I make ADRs for there?? Cost is not really a factor. If we use the DDP, we will then be able to go for a signature dining. So thats the next thing.....

[Natazu]

Thanks. Some else mentioned this, so I checked out the menu, and it looks good! Plus we are staying at BWV, so it will be convenient. Can I make ADRs for there?? Cost is not really a factor. If we use the DDP, we will then be able to go for a signature dining. So thats the next thing.....
They take ADRs through WDW-DINE.
Oh, here's a quick read about Il Mulino (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=117852) from some dude.

And of course, your signature meal will be at Flying Fish. When shall I tell Tim you're coming?

[FromKnoxvilleto Disney]

I agree with what most have said here. We have been a couple of times and it was OK. Some food items good and some not so good. I will day I have never had good service here. The only plus side is you can do the fantasmic package which our family finds beneficial to us with regards to time. But like others have said opinions are just that and you may love it because we know many people who do. You never know till you try it yourself!!!!

[SteveL]

I think Natazu nailed it- Olive Garden type restaurant, good but not great.
I just keep reminding myself that I AM chosing to eat in an amusement park.
As far as service at Mama Melrose, you gotta get Kevin as your waiter. He is one of the best in all of WDW.

[joeyGibson]

My wife and I used to eat there during the mid- to late-90's and it was our favorite place to eat. We'd sometimes eat there three times during a trip. We had dinner there Christmas '06 and it was disappointing, though not horrible.

[EJS-Houston]

Well...I have to say it...I'm absolutely gobsmacked over the negative reviews here for Mama Melrose's. I live in the dining-out capitol of the US; we're used to great food in any cuisine you can name. We've been to Mama Melrose's (stumbled into it two years ago) the last two times at lunch and thoroughly enjoyed it. Is it the best Italian food I've had?...no. But the flatbread pizza was very good, and both times there was nothing wrong with the service at all. I didn't go to the Italian restaurant at The Swan when my friends did on this last trip, but they came back from that dinner saying it was far and away the worst meal they had during the entire trip. They detested it.