Buongiorno from Italy friends! Today we’re heading back to one of our favorite restaurants in all of Epcot for lunch!

We’ve loved Via Napoli ever since it opened, thanks to its wood fire ovens, incredible pizza, and all the cheesy carby goodness that comes with an Italian meal. However, with so many delicious spots in Epcot and the surrounding resorts to choose from (looking at you, newly re-opened Beaches and Cream), we wouldn’t be very good at our jobs if we only ate here (though we wouldn’t be mad about it.).

So needless to say, anytime we can swing by Via Napoli, we do our happy pizza dance! Let’s get to it shall we?

Atmosphere:

Via Napoli is located in the back of Epcot’s Italy Pavilion.

After checking in, you’ll be greeted by tall ceilings, colorful light fixtures, and giant ovens.

 

The ovens are shaped like giant faces and named after three Italian volcanoes: Stromboli, Vesuvio, and Etna. These wood-burning ovens are the source of Via Napoli’s power (AKA where they cook the pizzas).

You’ll also see vaulted ceilings and hand-painted walls.

Che bello!

There’s a small covered porch on the side of the restaurant, as well as a few outdoor tables.

We were lucky enough to sit outside for our lunch, which was great since it was about 70 degrees out. Possibly not as great in August. 🙂 Speaking of lunch, are you ready to dig in?

Eats

First things first, we had to check out the cocktail offerings!

Being in Italy, Via Napoli has an extensive selection of Italian wines and beers. However, something special caught our eye…

A popsicle IN a cocktail? By (DFB) law, we had to give it a whirl. 😉

The Strawberry Dream Rossini is Prosecco sparkling wine and strawberry puree and topped with a Strawberry Popsicle. 

It was a fun and easily sip-able drink! It was clear the puree was fresh and not a syrup, and we’ll never say no to a glass of bubbly or starting with dessert. (P.S. if you don’t want to start the meal with a popsicle, you can grab these tasty frozen treats at the Italy Donkey Cart nearby.)

You can read our full review of the Strawberry Dream Rossini here!

Another specialty cocktail we love at Via Napoli is the Limoncello Mule.

This adorable creation is a play on the popular Moscow Mule and is made with grey goose l’orange vodka, limoncello, peach purée, orange juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, and ginger beer. This one isn’t as sweet as the Strawberry Dream Rossini, and is a good option for those who want something refreshing and more exciting than a wine or beer.

Now that we had our cocktails, it was time to check out which combination of cheese and carbs we’d be getting into.

While known for their pizzas, Via Napoli also features several other Italian options from soup to pasta to Chicken Parmesan! And when we were scanning the menu, we noticed a few items we hadn’t seen before, which sounds like an excellente reason to try them!

First up, the Fettucine “Via Napoli.”

This dish is fettuccine noodles topped with mushrooms, crispy prosciutto, chicken, and a cream sauce. 

Oh wow, was this a tasty dish. The noodles were perfectly cooked and coated in creamy, cheesy white sauce that was full of flavor, yet not too terribly heavy (all things considered). We loved the big chunks of mushroom in the dish, as well as the crispy pieces of prosciutto which added a nice texture and hint of salt. This is a fabulous option for someone who’s not in the mood for pizza, or could be shared alongside a pie considering how large the portion is! In a place largely known for its pizzas, it’s nice to see they (still) aren’t skimping on the rest of the menu.

Next up, we tried the Lasagne Napoletana.

Via Napoli’s version of the classic dish is made with beef, veal, and pork ragù, fresh egg pasta, and a béchamel sauce. 

As far as lasagnas go, this was quite tasty. The fresh noodles were once again cooked perfectly, and there was a good noodle to meat to sauce ratio. You could tell the sauce was freshly made, with hints of basil and sweetness balancing the meats. And take a look at all this cheeeeeeeese:

While we quite enjoyed the lasagna, and at other restaurants, this might top our meal, we’re not sure if we’d order this again at Via Napoli. There just wasn’t anything overwhelmingly special or unique about the dish, and honestly, it’s gonna have to be phenomenal for us to sway from our true love of pizza.

Both pasta dishes we tried were quite good — perfectly executed noodles, good flavor, and hearty portions. Everyone in our group leaned towards the Fettucine, but still, the lasagna was delicious and a great choice for someone who wants familiar flavors.

But now, the real reason to visit Via Napoli: PIZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Because we’d already stuffed ourselves with two tasty pastas, we opted for one large pizza (20″) but TWO different signature toppings, the San Gennaro and the Carciofi. That’s right — you don’t have to choose! Well you do, you have to narrow the list to two….but then you don’t have to choose! What a time to be alive.

Let’s look at the newest signature pizza option first, the San Gennaro. 

This is a white pizza, topped with mozzarella and fontina cheese, sweet Italian sausage, cherry peppers, onions, and tomato.

First of all, the peppers were incredible and totally what sold us on this pie. They balanced out the richness of the cheese and complimented the sausage nicely. Speaking of which, the sausage was full of flavor with a little bit of heat. It wasn’t overwhelmingly hot, but if you’re fairly heat adverse, this probably isn’t your pizza. We also loved the slightly cooked onions and tomatoes, which added some crunch and sweetness to the slice. As always, the crust was cooked perfectly, and the fresh Italian cheeses just made the dish sing. This is definitely one we’ll order again — in fact, it was a few people’s favorite thing they ate all meal!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pie, we lovingly gazed upon a DFB favorite: the Carciofi. 

This is also a white pizza with artichokes, fontina and mozzarella cheeses, and topped with truffle oil. 

At first bite, we could hear the birds chirping louder, feel the sun shining brighter, and very faintly, a chorus of angels was singing. Too dramatic? But seriously, this is a little slice of Heaven.

The artichokes are perfectly cooked and are complimented perfectly by the richness of the truffle oil and fresh decadent cheeses. Something about truffle oil just makes us feel fancy, and gosh is it perfect on this pie. As with the other half, the crust is perfectly cooked — crispy on the outside and strong enough to hold up to the cheeses and toppings but still has the ideal chew on the inside. (Honestly, it would be real weird if one half of the crust wasn’t as good as the other, right?)

The pastas were really good (and we’d absolutely recommend them!) but nothing beats pizza at Via Napoli. If you haven’t had it, it should definitely be on your Disney Eatin’ Bucket List.

As full as we were, we couldn’t resist a peek at the Dessert Menu.

We were sad to see our beloved Zeppole wasn’t on the menu, but hopefully, they will be returning to the 2020 Flower and Garden Festival!

Our server recommended the Coppa di Brutti Ma Buoni, and who are we to turn down gelato?

The sundae, which is literally referred to as “ugly but good” on the menu, is a vanilla gelato sundae, topped with amarena cherries, fresh whipped cream, cherry sauce, shaved chocolate, and both a chocolate and vanilla Italian cookie.

We didn’t think it was very ugly, but we can sure agree it was good! The gelato was unsurprisingly delicious and was enhanced greatly by the cherry sauce and fresh whipped cream. We enjoyed the crunchy cookies, which we highly recommend eating after they’ve been slightly softened by the gelato and cream.

It was a perfect ending to a fabulous meal! It wasn’t overwhelmingly rich, so we were able to enjoy it after all of the heavy carbs. We do highly recommend sharing as it’s a pretty generous size, especially if you’ve just eaten pizza. And if cherry isn’t your thing, then we always recommend the classic tiramisu. 😉

Overall:

Once again, Via Napoli is a winner. We were delighted to find the pasta dishes were delicious and stars in their own right, while the pizza remains the main attraction for good reason. If you are a lover of Italian food, then we absolutely recommend dining at Via Napoli when visiting Epcot. The best pizza in Disney, decadent desserts and pastas, and popsicles in our cocktails? We’re already dreaming of our next visit.

Want to learn more about Pizza in Walt Disney World? Check out our DFBGuide Video here!

<And if you love this video, there’s plenty more for you to enjoy over on our DFB YouTube Channel!

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Have you eaten at Via Napoli? Let us know what your favorite pie is in the comments!