Best Italian Place for Families?

[BekahBelle]

What would be your recommendations for the best Italian food at Disney? My family LOVES Italian food and I have researched some good options but I was wondering what you guys thought. Atmosphere is especially important to us, and while we are willing to dine in Disney Springs, we would prefer to eat in the parks or nearby resorts.

 

[gharter]

Depends what you are looking for and if you have kids.
With kids, Via Napoli is really good.
We have had good meals at Tutto Italia and the atmosphere is very nice inside.
Best Italian we have had at WDW,Il Mulino at the Swan. Excellent food, and love the decor. Less crowded than the park restaurants.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I take my 8 thru 17 y/o olders to Via Napoli because we love the Neapolitan style pizza there but have also enjoyed lasagna and meatballs and pasta as entrees, various salads, and appetizers like arancina, fritti misto and verdura, and prosciutto and melon there. The brutti sundae makes a fine dessert as well and I plan to try the zeppole next time around. We are in a dilemma for where to eat pizza next trip and might consider returning to Pizza Ponte @ DS after a morning at one of the water parks. This restaurant makes a nice Sicilian style pizza and needs no ADR.

So far these are the only Italian spots we have eaten at in WDW although I've enjoyed Il Mulino in NYC and doubt that I would enjoy Tony's anywhere. The other restaurants in the Italy Pavilion read well but think I'll wait until we are on an adult trip for either of them assuming we want to eat Italian. That's still one of the easiest cuisines to eat in NYC so it has to be really good for me to eat on vacation outside of Italy.

 

[Dean Marino]

Il Mulino at the Swan - hands down. TIW accepted, no DDP.

 

[CynBeth]

It gets mixed reviews but we love Tony’s at MK. Also Tutto Italia at Epcot.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Il Mulino at the Swan - hands down. TIW accepted, no DDP.

No DDP? Then it' not really Disney is it....

We think it' great too.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

We had a great meal at Trattoria Al Forno a few months ago.

 

[Farro]

We love Via Napoli for the pizza. Pasta is very subjective, I've yet to find a great Italian restaurant at Disney when it comes to pasta and sauces.

We also love it because it's loud. We are Italian - we are loud (not really, but we definitely aren't the dining dead type).

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If you aren't on the dining plan, I would go to Il Mulino at the Swan. The food is excellent and the atmosphere is really lovely.

Though the food isn't as good, we also like Trattoria al Forno.

We like Via Napoli, but the menu is very limited.

I'm not a fan of Tutto Italia. I think it's really overpriced for subpar Italian food.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

It gets mixed reviews but we love Tony’s at MK.

If by "mixed reviews" you mean 99.9% hate it, then sure

 

[piratepride]

Via Napoli!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Via Napoli - Good Pizza, noisy and sketchy service
Tony's - Don't care for their food (red sauce in particular)
Tutto Italia - OK, decent, nothing to get me coming back.
Il Mulino - Quite good, Italian appetizers galore, lovely restaurant but pricy
Tratorrio AL Forno - Haven't been, limited menu is a drawback.
Mama Melrose - To my shock and surprise, have had couple of good meals as a walk in, no ADR

Looking forward to trying something new at Disney Springs, Mario and Enzo's Ristorante.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[ErinTwinmom]

None of them are super fantastic, none but Tony’s super bad either. That being said if you are not going signiture Mama Melrose is one of the better places to eat in Hollywood Studios and is one of the places with the Fantasmic package so I would pick there.

 

[helenb]

Any word on whether Pinnochio Village Haus will be offering the Italian buffet?

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Via Napoli. Always get the pizza. Yum! Lasagna excellent too. Husband got chicken palm on our last visit. Delicious!

 

[rentayenta]

Il Mulino at the Swan - hands down. TIW accepted, no DDP.

DH is a huge fan of Italian food. I went through all the menus like mad and Il Mulino looks amazing. So excited to try it.

 

[Roy Disney]

It all depends on what you consider good Italian food.
Some people think Olive Garden has good Italian food. Italians consider Olive Garden equal to McDonald's.
The best Italian food is in NY, CT and NJ, where most Italians settled when they came from Italy.
Not saying you can't get decent Italian food outside of tri-state area but it's harder to find then in NY.
Most Italian restaurants in NY are very good to great. There are a few bad ones but if you walked into a random Italian restaurant in NY it would be better than most if not all
Italian restaurants in any other state. That's because they are run by Italians not by a chain.

I'm 100% Italian from NY.
I make my own sauce, pasta and pizza from scratch.
We usually don't get Italian food when we go out because we have it often and it's usually not as good as ours, especially if we are out of state.

I have had the pizza in Via Napoli and thought it was good. Closest thing to NY pizza I've had at Disney.
We've eaten at Alfredo's in Italy before it became Tutto Italia. It was good, not great.
We've eaten at the Swan before it was Il Mulino. That was probably the best Italian food I've had at Disney.
We have an ADR for Tutto Italia when we go this year. I'll let you know how it is.

 

[Dean Marino]

DH is a huge fan of Italian food. I went through all the menus like mad and Il Mulino looks amazing. So excited to try it.

Yes, it IS. For reference? I was raised Sicilian. Personal opinion.... Il Mulino is to everything else as honest Italian Restaurants are to
Chef Boyardee. If the restaurant does not have SQUID (Calamari) with serious al dente pasta? Not real. Avoid the tourist traps..... head to Il Mulino, at the Swan...

Try the Mussels with White Wine Sauce, followed by "Spaghetti frutti di Mare" . Have a hand truck handy for significant other when they serve you their famous Limoncello . Italian Cheesecake is stunning

12 years, twice per year.... we go to Il Mulino every vacation .

All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Via Napoli. The pizza is great and so are the pasta dishes. Plus it is big for large parties.