I’ve got a little secret, and it’s something you probably know if you’ve been reading the Disney Food Blog for a while. I have some serious favorites among Disney restaurants.
But when it comes time to discuss great dining spots at Epcot, the competition suddenly grows fierce. Still, relative newcomer Via Napoli has won out as tops on my list since it opened a few years ago.
There are lots of reasons for that. The restaurant boasts the best pizza in all of Walt Disney World in my opinion — it comes closest to ideal than anything I’ve tasted since I moved from NYC a few years back. (Sigh. I still miss a Lombardi’s slice now and then.)
Via Napoli Window
And truth be told, we visit Via Napoli pretty much every time I set foot within those Big Purple Gates. But we are creatures of habit, so I try not to report TOO much on dishes that you’ve seen before. Recently though, we visited and ordered some new things! So it’s high time to share with you the story of our latest visit.
Atmosphere
Via Napoli is a study in contrasts. From the outside, the restaurant, which anchors the back of the Italy Pavilion, is stately and grand, with an imposing, almost temple-like facade.
Via Napoli — Outside
But inside, the space is one part grandiose, and one part whimsy, with just a sliver of chic thrown in for good measure. The feel here is that someone with a wonderfully modern aesthetic decided to open a restaurant in an ancient building. They kept the best of the old, and overlaid a feeling of modern and new.
Huge, floor-to-ceiling arched windows separate the waiting area from the dining room, and you begin to catch a glimpse of the action from here. Look up in the foyer to see this gorgeous, colorful chandelier that puts me a little in mind of Mardi Gras.
Entryway Chandelier
The main dining room is one huge, cavernous space (and LOUD!!!), but it’s broken up a bit by the ceiling of all things! Seriously — look up. There is a soaring atrium in the center, allowing for plenty of natural light. But you also have vaults supported by columns, which rescue the space from feeling like one large warehouse-type room.
Dining Room with Vaulted Ceilings and Arches
The actual walls of the restaurant are covered in frescoes that have been chipped at to convey a sense of age. The blue and green backgrounds of the paintings contrast nicely with warm colors on the floor and ceiling.
Seating is mixed, featuring both banquettes and chairs.
Via Napoli Seating and Frescoes
Hand-Painted Floor Tiles Contrast Warm and Cool Colors
While the building appears to be ancient, wall art also conveys a look at the past — the more recent past, though. You’ll find lots of interesting Italian travel posters throughout the restaurant.
Ah…Napoli
Once you’re in the main dining room, you’ll spy a long, beautifully appointed communal table dominating the center of the room. Guests can choose to be seated here, regardless of the size of their party.
You’ll notice that table settings are sort of grouped in fours, making it feel a little less like you’re sharing a table with strangers. Then again, you may sit down and meet your new best friends! Who knows?
Center Table
As with lots of other Disney restaurants like Tutto Italia and Les Chefs de France, what was once an outside seating area has been glassed in to accommodate more indoor (read: air-conditioned) space. It’s sad that you can’t replicate European outdoor dining in Florida during the busy-and-hot summer season. But the tradeoff is gorgeous weather year-around, so I suppose it’s worth it. 🙂
Former Outside Seating
Although the communal table is an option, if you prefer a little privacy, be sure to request an individual table.
You’ll see different finishes on tables and chairs, lending a mismatched, casual feel to the place.
Window Side Seating
Pizza is the name of the game here — since it’s the dish that Naples is most famous for, of course — so wood-fired pizza ovens figure prominently into the set up of the on-stage kitchen. But with true Italian-meets-Disney flair, these are more than just ovens. They’re characters.
The wide-mouthed ovens have faces! And are named after active Italian volcanoes! Would you like your pizza to come out of the mouth of Stromboli, Vesuvio, or Etna?
Via Napoli’s Pizza Ovens
Of course, part of the fun of dining at Via Napoli is watching the staff put together those amazing pies.
Via Napoli Pizza Chef
Checking out the cast member’s handiwork definitely had me thinking of the menu and what to order. Let’s grab a seat and make some selections. And with a big crew of us dining together, you’ll get to see LOTS of pics from this visit!
Eats
Via Napoli is owned by the Patina Group, the same company that runs the other restaurants within the Italy Pavilion. So the same emphasis on providing authentic Italian options at Tutto Italia and Tutto Gusto are also going on here.
One thing that you’re sure to encounter are some really interesting Italian Wines and Beers. You’ll find plaques on each table outlining some of the more notable selections, as well as information on some fun Wine Flight options. I’m gonna try that Bubbles Flight one of these days!
Wine Flight Information — Click to Enlarge
If you think that pizza and beer is a match made in heaven, you’ll definitely be interesting in ordering either a Beer Flight, or one of the other Italian beer offerings here. The limited offerings come in bottles large enough to share. Since wine overshadows beer consumption in Italy, the latter hasn’t been as popular, but its appeal is growing steadily. Check out this post on the Craft Beer Program at Via Napoli for more info!
Because many of the craft beers are truly made in small batches, these really are constantly changing! Be sure to note the selections that you enjoy, because they will most likely be completely different during your next visit!
List of Craft Beers and Beer Flight Options — Click to Enlarge
Beyond beer and wine, however, there are some additional interesting drink options here. Acqua Fresca, colorful fruit water coolers, are a signature item, and are so refreshing. Especially on a hot day! And Italian Sodas in Orange and Lemon flavors are also options. (Sigh…I love you Limonata.)
As you choose your beverage, you can also begin to check out the Pizza options. Select from Signature Pies, or opt to Build Your Own.
Menu — Pizzas and Beverages — Click to Enlarge
I sort of skipped over the top of the menu in order to keep all of the beverages together! But there’s also a variety of Small Plates and Appetizers available as starters, as well as the shareable Fritto Misto. A few pasta dishes, salads, and other dishes round out the Entree Menu.
Menu — Starters, Pastas, and Entrees — Click to Enlarge
One of the most striking visuals as you enter the main dining room is the display of Acqua Fresca. Isn’t it cool that when food and drink actually becomes part of the decor?
Acqua Fresca
After spying those gorgeous colors, I couldn’t resist indulging. I skipped two of my normal favorites, San Pellegrino Limonata and the Italian Margarita, in favor of Blood Orange Acqua Fresca. It was the perfect balance of sweet, tart, and bitter — just like the fruit it’s named for.
Blood Orange Acqua Fresca
One of my friends decided to indulge in a Strawberry Margarita.
Margarita
Another pal took one for the team as he tried the Gusto Coffee Porter, which was commissioned specifically for neighboring Tutto Gusto. My friend said that, although it was somewhat light-bodied for a porter, it had a rich and delicious coffee flavor that he enjoyed.
Craft Beer
We decided to order a couple of starters and share. To begin, we chose the Fritto Misto. This combo platter comes with a variety of fried bites, including Calamari, Arancini, and Mozzarella, in addition to battered and fried veggies like Asparagus, Eggplant, Zucchini, Artichoke, and Mushrooms.
So, basically — everything that you can get fried above in the appetizer section is combined into one handy sampler. Sounds good to me!
Fritto Misto, with Calamari Up Close
All of the selections are delicious, and the batter is so, so light. The risk you always take with deep-fried options like this is an over abundance of breading and oil. But I don’t ever find that to be the case here. And the mozzarella comes in the shape of these little nuggets, rather than the sticks you might be accustomed to seeing. It’s served with a fresh Tomato Sauce.
Now, here’s a DFB TIP!!!!! I lurved the fried Mozzarella here…it really reminded me of the old curd version of Tavern Fried Cheese at Liberty Tree Tavern (those who have had that version — now, sadly gone — will be totally with me!). So, SO flavorful!
So…I asked if they could bring me a WHOLE PLATE OF THE MOZZ NUGGETS! And they DID!
Hubba Hubba!!!
Fried Mozzarella — Up Close
The cheese is beautiful, creamy, and rich, not tough like pre-packaged frozen cheese sticks can sometimes be. Take it from me…DO NOT SHARE THESE.
Mozzarella Cross Section
We were split around the table in our votes for entrees. Some of us couldn’t pass up pizza, while others had a pasta craving to satisfy. In the end, we decided to get a variety individual pizzas and share! This was a fun way to try lots of different things.
One friend ordered the Pizza Carciofi! This White Pizza (so named because of the absence of regular, red pizza sauce) features one of my favorite cheeses — Fontina! There’s also Mozzarella to add some additional richness. To the cheese, they add Artichokes and Truffle Oil for the most luxurious vegetarian dish you will ever eat.
Pizza Carciofi
I, of course, couldn’t resist the siren song of my Quattro Formaggi Pizza. This totally fabulous white pizza is covered with a mixture of Mozzarella, Parmesan, Fontina, and Provolone, and is worth every. single. calorie.
Quattro Formaggi Pizza
My husband was so smitten by the Build Your Own Pizza topped with Prosciutto during a recent visit that he decided to go that route again.
Build Your Own Pizza with Prosciutto
We had a couple of tablemates who weren’t in the mood for pizza, and decided to go the pasta route.
First up was the Mezzi Rigatoni alla Crema con Pollo — the Rigatoni with Chicken and Peas in Cream Sauce.
I love the short, fat rigatoni noodles that you get here, and how it’s different than what you can buy at your local grocery store. However, this wasn’t the hit of the night. In fact, I don’t think I would order it myself.
Mezzi Rigatoni Alla Crema con Pollo
Another guest decided to just Via Napoli on its ability to execute a classic! And so, it was Spaghetti e Polpettine for her. Fine Pasta with a fresh Tomato Sauce and Veal Meatballs was absolutely delicious!! This is a winner of a pasta here.
Spaghetti e Polpettine
We opted not to get desserts during this visit, but we have gotten them on other occasions, and we’ve mostly really enjoyed their selections. Naples is known for its Gelato almost as well as for its pizza. So we love getting a serving of this Italian cousin to ice cream. Flavors vary seasonally, but the Pistachio is delicious.
Pistachio Gelato
But one dessert I rarely pass on is the Zeppole. Italy’s answer to doughnuts, these light and airy fried bites are made with a rich dough that includes Ricotta Cheese. They’re so delish dipped into the rich Chocolate Sauce and Whipped Cream served on the side.
Zeppole with Chocolate Sauce and Whipped Cream
And with that, another super fantastic happy awesome Via Napoli meal came to a close.
Overall
Via Napoli continues its run in my book as a reliably delicious stop on the Disney culinary trail. The food is always delicious and fresh here, and the service is reliably good to great mostly. These two factors guarantee that you’ll just about always find my name on their books when I visit the ‘World.
Sure, it’s a little pricey, which makes it feel like a step above casual dining, even if the food and ambiance do not. But I am willing to overlook that fact for the terrific quality experiences that I always have here.
Is Via Napoli one of your favorite Disney Dining Destinations? Leave a comment and tell us your thoughts!
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One of my family’s absolute favorites. We are from the Boston area and Via Napoli’s pizza is the only pizza in WDW that can live up to the pizza in the Northeast! We usually always do pizza and the delicious and simple house salad. The red sangria has a refreshing fruit flavor especially on hot Florida days. We’ve never made it to dessert as we usually like to walk the World Showcase and stop later at the Werther’s shop or France for a pastry.
AJ, do you know what size (inches) the three pizzas are? They tell you how many they serve, but that’s terribly subjective. The prices seem really high, but it sounds like you think it’s definitely worth it. I might try this on my visit next month.
On my first visit, I had the pizza and absolutely loved it! One thing I did learn though was to keep it simple – I had a bunch of meat put on, and it overpowered the fresh sauce and bread. Speaking from experience, keep your pizzas to one or two toppings. Next time, I’m going to get all sausage!
The food at Via Napoli was amazingly delicious. The pizza was fantastic and so was everything else. I tried some of the chicken parmesan also, and it was great. My only complaint is that this restaurant is very loud. The high ceilings and tiled floors make everything echo. It was difficult to hear the server when he was asking questions and impossible to hear anything that the rest of my family was saying at the other end of the table. This is not the place to go for a family meal where you want to be able to talk to the others in your group, but the food was phenomenal.
You are from NY and you think Lombardi’s is considered good pizza? I guess you have never been to Totonno’s or Patsy’s. Lombardi’s is a tourist trap. Fail.
Via Napoli is my favorite table-service restaurant at WDW. Pizza and beer is always a winner in my book. The eggplant “parmigiana” is also fabulous. Can’t wait to eat here on our next trip!
I totally agree with this article! However, my favorite part of the whole Italian experience is spending an hour at their wine bar with a fantastic appetizer tray. Heaven!!
I wish I could give this place a resounding 5 star rating, but I just can’t… I’ve eaten there twice, once in February 2013, and again on February 6, 2014.
On the earlier trip, I had the Veal Paramagiana. It was bland. The choice of including roasted potatoes as the side was interesting, but I didn’t think it really added to the dish. I also enjoyed the melone e prosciutto appetizer. Good, but I prefer this made with Honeydew, not Cantalope. I totally enjoyed the Zeppole for dessert. My wife had pizza, and thought it was petty good.
On this trip, I had the Candele. The meat included in the candele was savory and quite good. The candele itself was a healthy portion and properly cooked. The tomato sauce was bland. The waiter neglected to mention that the plate was SUPER HOT as it just came out of the oven. Yes, “ouch!”, as I turned the plate to a better position to eat the candele. I had the same appetizer and dessert. My wife had the pizza. This time, the pizza was not cooked as long as the previous time, so the cheese didn’t have those yummy carmelized spots. She liked it, although she considered it “under done” compared to the coal oven pizza we have here in the Philadelphia area, or “average done” compared to pizza joints with metal pizza ovens. I tried it, and found the dough to be absolutely perfect in taste, the sauce too bland, the cheese properly proportioned and creamy, and the pepperoni to be the overpowering taste to the exclusion of all others. Without the pepperoni, I suspect it would be incredibly bland and tasteless.
Note that if you “build your own”, and specify only pepperoni, the waiters will cleverly substitute you to a “signature pizza”. The “build your own” with pepperoni would be $20.50, but the “signature pepperoni pizza” is $21. The size of an individual pizza is about 9″ (63 square inches of pizza). Our bill for the meal for 2 (Candele, Pizza, one appetizer, 2 Zepolle desserts, and ice tea), with tip, was $97.
Perhaps I find things bland at this restaurant because I grew up in an Italian family, in an Italian neighborhood, surrounded by Italian restaurants, and moved to an area with a lot of Sicilians and superlative Italian restaurants and pizzerias. My expectation for authentic Neopolitan pizza and Roman entrees was high, and Via Napoli disappointed me on two occasions. Not as bad as a well known chain restaurant where I once ordered Fettucini Alfreddo and received a plate of buttered fettucini with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, but close. In the infamous fettucini case, I was so outraged that I got the manager and his “chef” to my table (and then his kitchen) and gave the chef a recipe for the alfreddo sauce and explained how to combine the ingredients so that they’d emulsify and stay creamy without separating as he prepped the remaining dishes for the table. In the case of Via Napoli, I would have liked to tell the chef that real Italian restaurants tend to use more basil, salt, and hot peppers in their tomato-based sauces, and cook those sauces longer than the time needed to heat up plain pureed tomatoes.
I ate here for the first time in December and got the Quattro Formaggi Pizza based on your previous recommendation. Yum! I usually don’t like desserts in Italian restaurants but was there with the Candelight Processional package so, with no choice, I got the “ugly but good” sundae. It was also delicious! I wasn’t thrilled with the service as we waited about 45 minutes to be seated while many larger parties who checked in after us were seated; I finally asked where we were, and they had lost our names and made no apologies about it, but did seat us right away at that point. Oh well – this does appear to be an anomaly, and our waitress was very pleasant and attentive.
Yeah so no mention of the hot manager, Gabriele? I don’t know if that is even how you spell his name. But really…I go weekly for a strawberry agua fresca and the Gabriele sightings.
We tried it a few years ago when it had it’s soft opening, and have been hooked since! IT IS A MUST VISIT every time for us. During Food and Wine, we have taken part in the Food and Beer Tasting and LOVE IT. Our Favorite Pie is the Quattro Formaggi. I Loved it so Much, I brought the recipe home to my hometown pizzeria and he makes it every week for us now! P.S. Chef JOE turns out to be the nephew of one of my closest buddies when I worked for UPS. Small World after All! He hooked me up with my buddy who met us the next night there, and we had a Family Reunion! I wish I could open a franchise here in N.J. Please keep up the Great work!
My friends and I ate here for the first time last Nov. I wasn’t super excited about eating here because I’m not such a huge pizza fan, but am so glad we tried it. It was one of the best meals of the whole trip! Food was wonderful and I loved the atmosphere. Just a very friendly place. I had the Prosciotto and Melon pizza, unusual but delicious!
We have reservations for this restaurant in May. Does someone know what size pizza or number of toppings you can choose when you’re using the dining plan table service credit? Thanks!
Craig: you sound fun.
We ate here last year over spring break and loved the pizza margarita. However, we had problems with the service. Our table ordered two pizzas, and the server brought out the wrong pizza. So we had to wait for the second pizza only getting a taste of the margherita which the kids devoured until the server finally brought out the correct pizza. And then he charged us extra for it, because he hadn’t warned us that with the dining plan any toppings other than the basic tomato sauce and cheese were extra. So we ordered only one topping on our pizza and got charged for it which was annoying after having to wait an extra 20-25 minutes to get the correct pizza.
That pizza margarita was wonderful though, so I think I’d still try it again!
Graig: You actually gave the people at the Olive Garden a talking down to and suggested to their ‘chiefs’ a new recipe and wrote it down? I’m sorry…but you where probably the high point of the kitchen staff’s day there…between taking preformed frozen sauces out of the bags and warming them up—I bet they had a good laugh.
Just a note for you Disney Dining Plan folks – this restaurant will not allow two people to share a meal. We have never had a problem with this and have been doing it for years!! My daughter and I can easily share a meal which allows us to stretch our meal plan. The folks at Via Napoli told us even if we ordered two meals they would have to use three table meals. They told us Disney made them do it and were quite rude about it also.
We promptly left and went to Customer Service and reported them. Customer Service got us another dining reservation for the evening and a $25 gift card.
Nice to see Craig’s rebuttal. Sometimes I think reviews of Disney restaraunts on this blog are done by folks who have never really had outstanding food. I have always found the food in the Italy pavilion to be hit or miss. At these prices it should always be a bit.
@mark
I think you’ll find that in most Disney resturants you’ll find the food a bit more bland than what you’d expect from a “non-chain” owned placed. Chain places and Disney cater to people that might not be familure with ‘exotic’ flavors—and its unfortunate that today some of the things we take for granted are considered exotic. So at Disney you’ll find spices ‘dumbed down’ than your local ethnic privately owned resturants.
This is both good and bad…for those of us that are familure to the tastes we get disappointed. (tho not compared to any “Chain” resturant which are also ‘dumbed down’)
We took our niece and nephew to disney (they where 9 and 11) and one of the things they remember most was the food…and trying things they’d never try. Scotch eggs, And my Brother In Law berated me for turning his daughter into a “Sushi Monster” after she tried sushi (Sashimi and the sunomo salad with octopus and miso soup) for the first time at the Swan and again at Tokyo in Epcot..and they learned to eat with chopsticks.
So, now, I’m at fault for creating sushi monster.
This is my husband’s favorite food on property. We aren’t ‘foodies’ and our kids are really picky but this place is a hit for all of us. In fact, when we decided that we would drive from Houston to S. Florida to see family at Christmas my husband suggested a few days at WDW just we we could stop in at Epcot to eat at Via Napoli. The pizzas that we’ve had are great, the service was as well. It is pricey, but it’s WDW. I would rather play for pricey Via Napoli than a pricey and not good burger and fries.
Craig, you might be talking about American Italian. On my several trips to Italy pizza sauce is usually very simple, and the people who work at this restaurant are from Italy. Born and raised.
I love Via Napoli. I’ve been 4 times since I’ve opened with lots of different people, and they’ve all enjoyed it as well. With Tables in Wonderland, it’s a reasonably priced meal. Without TiW, it’s reasonable for Disney, expensive for the real world. It’s also large enough that I’ve also had a lot of luck with same day reservations.
Living in Jersey where there’s a great pizza place on every corner, my wife and i were hesitant about dining at this restaurant. What a disappointment. Our food was good but not great. At these prices it should be. Disney wants you to think that because its expensive its also great. Doesn’t always happen.
I ate here for the first time last December with a Candlelight Processional package and was disappointed. Maybe it’s all the hype Via Napoli receives, but I expected a freaking amazing dinner and received slightly above average. One party member ordered the arancini, which sounded great and was such a disappointment. I had the mozzarella caprese, and I did enjoy it but don’t think it would be worth $9 OOP. My candele pasta was ok, nothing special, the person who ordered the veal parm enjoyed his, and the only person who ordered the pizza didn’t think it was worth the hype it receives. Also, she wanted pepperoni and sausage, and the waiter informed her build your own pizzas weren’t allowed on the dining plan, despite the fact only two toppings were cheaper than their specialty pizzas, and he wouldn’t allow her to pay OOP for the sausage even though she offered. When it came to dessert, I was scared to try the zeppoles after the disappointment with the arincini, since I’d thought they both sounded so good, and I stuck with the trusty tiramisu.
With that said, I did love the atmosphere, and the servers are incredibly good looking. I would give it a second chance.
The building is beautiful and a feast for the eyes, but that is about it. I guess we simply had a poor experience but Mom and I didn’t care for Via Napoli much. It was much too loud and we had a hard time holding a conversation, and the candele was okay but somewhat bland and certainly way overpriced. Mom didn’t like the bechamel sauce in the candele and I didn’t care for the pizza and it was simply a cheese pizza that they had cooked and then tossed on the cold prosciutto, cantelope, and greens. Overall, we gave this a DNR (Do Not Return). The pizza we had at Wolfgang Puck’s at Downtown Disney Marketplace was much better and so was the price.
What passes for real Italian food in America is not the same as what Italians in Italy actually make. I have also found that east coast American Italian food and west coast American Italian food are different, just like the food in northern Italy is different from southern Italy. So if you are used to what you find at home, you probably won’t like Via Napoli.
I ate here in 2011 when me and my partner went to WDW together for the first time. It was one of the first places I ate at with my dining plan and I will be going back when I return this year with my parents and cousins.
I had a margarita pizza and my partner had pepperoni and we have the pistachio icecream for dessert. I really enjoyed the bread and oil to start with. (The couple next to us had 5 baskets of bread…I mean seriously, who eats that?)
The pizza was a perfect size, maybe a little big for us but after a day in Epcot it was fine. We ate around 7pm so we could be done for the fireworks. The server was amazing.
I don’t really like American pizza, especially ‘pie’s which seemed to be the case everywhere I went but the pizza I got was thin and misshapen which made me really happy. It tasted wonderful and reminded me of a pizza I had had in Amalfi the year before when I went to Italy (we stayed in Naples!) I think the pizza was very authentic just like much of the food in Epcot (French Bakery was brilliant, however I was disappointed by the mushy peas in the UK which are not sweet…or mushy and it was much better when Harry Ramsden’s was franchised there) but overall, I’ll be going back, by far the best pizza I’ve had in the USA.
Could I please have the recipe for the lasagna verde………. please I just fell in love it was sooo great.
Thank you
Rachel.
Be sure to try their tiramisu next time you’re in. It’s one of the best I’ve had anywhere. Oh, and the build-your-own topped with prosciutto – I get it every single time. 🙂
I have five 5 children so I ordered two large pizzas an got one. By the time the first one was gone they started cleaning the table. I was so pissed that I didn’t even want the next pizza that the waitress totally forgot about. Pizza wasn’t as good as people told me about. Extremely disappointed and left there hungry. It was almost like they wanted us to leave
I only wished you had commented on the various sizes of pizza they offer. It’s very confusing to read their menu online because the sizes aren’t listed as Individual, Small, Medium, and Large. It’s Individual, 1/2 Meter Mezzo Metro (whatever that is), Large, and Mezzo Metro. I have no idea what a Mezzo Metro is or a 1/2 Meter Mezzo Metro.
Trying to decide on whether or not to book a reservation there, but without knowing what their size names mean, it’s hard to determine whether it’s an acceptable Disney price or an outrageous one. Had hoped to find the answer here. Guess I’ll just pass on making a reservation there.
Hi, Peg! As you’ve seen, the sizes in inches/centimeters aren’t listed on the menu, and we’ve never actually measured. 😉 The Mezzo Metro is roughly rectangular and a half meter, or about 50 centimeters long (about 20 inches) by maybe 10″ across. The large is about 16″ (cut into eight slices). The individual is 10″-12″ (cut into four slices). The elasticity of the dough and baking do make these estimates, but if you go, you’ll find pretty close to these sizes. Hope this helps!