Best Italian at WDW

[Zeike]

We love Mama Melrose but haven't been at any other Italian rest. at WDW. Which ones would you recommend and why? any special entrees, desserts we should be looking for?. Starting planning for a 2015 vacation and food is very essential for us!!:blush: . Thanks!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We love the pizza at Via Napoli ... the melon/prosciutto pizza was amazing!

[disneymom15]

We also like Via Napoli.. Chicken Caesar salad and pizza are favorites of ours. Going to try Tutto Italia in November, we ate there when it was Alfredos and really enjoyed it.

[PETE FROM NYC]

Take it from me, a NYC born Italian American.
There is no edible Italian food south of New Jersey.

[Itchy]

For real Italian we go to Tutto Italia. The food is always great. We just ate there last week and were again totally blown away.

The servers are beyond approach and the atmosphere is of fine Italian Dining without being a signature restaurant.

Via Napoli it good but just does not have the atmosphere of Tutto Italia.

Hope this helps...:mickey:

[SBETigg]

Via Napoli is pretty good. I've had some good food at Tutto Gusto since it opened, the wine bar section of Tutto Italia, mostly small plates. And Il Mulino in Florida (Swan) is pretty much the same as Il Mulino in New York. I wouldn't expect delicious authentic Italian food at Tony's, and I've never been to Mama Melrose. But you should be able to get good meals at a few places in WDW (plus a new one opening up where Kouzzina is now).

[homeschool mom]

We love Tutto Italia! On our last trip we were on the free DDP and we got the Candlelight Processional dinner package so we got the works. Everything was delicious! I enjoyed the olives so much, our server, Paulo, got me a to go container with enough to last the rest of the week. :thumbsup: I highly recommend it! We aren't going to eat there on our upcoming trip. :( Everyone wanted to try some new restaurants, so we are trying Mama Melrose's with the Fantasmic Dining Pkg. I hope we enjoy it.

[DisneyDawgette]

Another vote for Via Napoli here! The pizza with cantaloupe on it is delish! :thumbsup:

[Tigerinvestigator]

It changes for us, but right now Mama Melrose is the best at WDW. Via Napoli is good but not as good as MM. That hasn't always been the case, as MM went through a few bad years. :thumbsup:

[k10]

There's also Portabello's at Downtown Disney for Italian.

[Gator]

I had a fantastic Eggplant Parm at Tony's on our last trip. There are days when that dish is all I think about.

[1goofyfamily]

Just ate at Tutto Italia last week and it did not disappoint. My wife had the Ravioli di Ricotta and it was amazing.

[BJSforVols]

Via Napoli!!!!

We prefer Via Napoli over Tutto and Portobello

[Mfarquar]

Take it from me, a NYC born Italian American.
There is no edible Italian food south of New Jersey.

DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One could also argue that there's very little edible Italian north of Rhode Island as well haha (I now live in MA)!

I'd go with Tutto Italia, I think they do a good job with a decent amount of the menu items. It's the closest to authentic Italian in WDW. Haven't tried Via Napoli, but from the reviews, I'd say it's also a good potential to try for Italian. I'd RUN away from Mama Melrose and Tony's.

[SBETigg]

DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One could also argue that there's very little edible Italian north of Rhode Island as well haha (I now live in MA)!



This idea is just crazy wrong. It's not the location of the restaurant but who is running it, cooking in it. There are Italian Americans all over the USA with absolutely amazing restaurants. Paul Manno's in St. Louis, for example, is as good Italian if not better than some that I've had in NYC and Boston's North End. Il Mulino at the Swan is exactly the same as Il Mulino in NYC, with even some of the same staff has worked at both. Yes, there is a lot of bad "Italian" food out there, and some of it is even in NY, NJ, and Boston.

Location isn't what makes it great. You can't possibly claim to have tried every Italian place outside of your home region (or even in it) to even know what you're talking about. Yes, the Northeast is fortunately rich in great Italian food, but that doesn't mean that there isn't any to be found anywhere else. Perhaps you simply haven't found it yet. Don't be afraid to try.

[Mfarquar]

Sorry if our joking was offensive. I was mostly kidding and all in jest. Of course, there is good Italian food to be found elsewhere, and I have had good Italian food in places like California and Las Vegas. I've even found a great Italian restaurant in Ireland.

Disney World and Montana... first hand experience - not so much :)

That said, it IS hard to find good Italian out of the region where so many Italians settled 2 - 4 generations ago, and have preciously held onto the traditions of their food culture IMO. I live just 13 minutes from the North End, Boston and have eaten in almost every restaurant. A good 70% are absolute tourist traps with many Americanized dishes, IMO - much like many of the NYC Restaurant Row and Little Italy options (always favored Greenwich Village fare).

I wish I was better at executing my grandmother's marinara - I'd save a lot of money searching for Italian in my travels haha!

[Mfarquar]

I am a firm believer in "to each his/her own" and I truly hope that anyone trying the Disney Italian food choices has a very enjoyable experience! :mickey:

[SBETigg]

I am a firm believer in "to each his/her own" and I truly hope that anyone trying the Disney Italian food choices has a very enjoyable experience! :mickey:

Thanks for adding on. I wasn't offended. I just don't want to see people afraid to try new things or seriously believing that the only good Italian food outside Italy is in a certain region of the US. There are too many good restaurants around the country to so easily discount them all, and restaurant people work so hard. :thumbsup:

[Fastpasssteve]

Via Napoli is very good, but good Italian places can be found almost everywhere...at least where I live in Delaware. You might want to try Tutto Gusto for some antipasti that is traditional. I really like their flatbreads and small plates. And wine, of course. :wine:

[PlutoPlanet]

Take it from me, a NYC born Italian American.
There is no edible Italian food south of New Jersey.

I understand. For us Via Napoli for pizza and Tutto Italia are the best in WDW.

[#1donaldfan]

I love the Disney eateries mostly for the atmosphere, secondly for the food. I love Mama M's so I will suggest it. It has a great feel and the food was very good. Speaking of which, I feel most of us like Disney for the feel it gives us, not so much the rides. If you want a true thrill ride, then Universal or a Six Flags will get you that. Disney is about how it feels, not so much on taste and thrills. ...or maybe not, but that is how I see it and how they can get the money out of me at least once a year !

[baldburke]

Take it from me, a NYC born Italian American.
There is no edible Italian food south of New Jersey.

You couldn't even go as far south as Delaware?

[SandmanGStefani24]

gotta give a shout out to Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar. I had an excellent experience there. It's not a fancy dining experience, but it is more of what I like. It feels like a hole in the wall place with a sort of pub vibe. The food is smaller portions, but pairs up nicely with the wine selections. Staff was also very nice and friendly. Although the restaurant manager took exception to my AC Milan shirt and joked that if he had seen me before I walked in that he wouldn't have let me eat there. :D

All around excellent experience and will be back.