Sometimes you just wanna chow down on hearty, cheesy, carby, Italian food, ammiright?

Guess we better head on over to Disney World to review a few Italian bites! We’re headed to Terralina Crafted Italian in Disney Springs to try out some fare created by James Beard Award Winner Chef Tony Mantuano. Plus, we can check out some of the current safety measures and changes. Let’s DIVE in!

Terralina Crafted Italian is located in The Landing at Disney Springs right on the water. This table-service spot has indoor and outdoor dining. Get ready for a menu of Italian favorites, and you know what that means…CHEESE (duh, of course we ordered cheese.)!

We’ve had pleasant experiences with the food, atmosphere, and service here in the past, but admittedly, this isn’t always the first spot on our list when visiting Springs (there ARE about 5000 food options there!). With so many other options (including a number of dedicated Italian eateries), how does it compare? Let’s see!

Atmosphere

Terralina Crafted Italian is a more casual dining spot that’s designed to look like Italy’s famed Lake District (you know, the picturesque area of the world people like George Clooney choose to have huge houses and hang out near cause it’s gooorgeous).

Inside there are lots of European details and a little waiting area with a fireplace and some candles.

Guest can check-in at the host stand.

Terralina has a pretty large dining room with separate areas. But, there’s still a lot of open space! This location doesn’t look as expansive from the outside as it is once you’re in — it’s a big restaurant!

On our visit, tables were distanced to make sure that guests had plenty of space between one another.

Looking for a drink? Terralina has an indoor bar you can sadle up to.

But all the seating isn’t confined to the indoors! Terralina Crafted Italian also has an outdoor bar.

Bonus! You can walk right up to this spot if you’re spending the day in Disney Springs!

The pretty Italian design continues into this area!

The outdoor dining option also has outdoor veranda seating that wraps around the side of the restaurant.

The veranda is right on the water which makes for a pretty seat but beware of birds! This was where we were seated for this adventure.

Our table setting featured cloth napkins and some utensils, plus paper bags to keep your masks.

But enough about the atmosphere, let’s talk about the FOOD!

Eats

The menu here is pretty big! As a health measure, you’ll receive a disposable menu.

One page of the menu is devoted to wine…

…and the other has the full list of eats. Expect to see Italian favorites like pasta, pizzas, and more.

And there’s a list of beers, cocktails, and desserts too.

While we looked over the menu, we got to start with the complimentary Bread Service.

It’s pretty hard to complain about free bread. Here, the bread service is a nice Italian loaf with a a slightly chewy exterior and a nice soft center.

It was served with a simple olive oil for dipping. Pretty tasty!

Well, that bread certainly helped hold us over while we ordered our meal! For an appetizer, we opted to try the Italian Fries for $16.

Over the top cheese sauce content in 3…2…1…

…boom. That’s the stuff right there. These are Fries topped with Creamy Cheese Sauce and Salami. Sounds simple enough, right?

The fries were hot and crispy and the cheese was VERY tasty. The sauce was a thick, rich cheese sauce with loads of flavor. You know how sometimes you get cheese fries and are like, “umm, ‘scuse me. WHERE is the cheese?!” (Basically the “Where’s the Beef” lady but of cheese for all of you old enough to get the reference!) These fries don’t suffer that same issue. There’s practically a waterfall of thiiiiick cheese sauce on these! We also noticed there was a pretty generous amount of salami. 

Salami strips on top of cheese fries is a bit unique (and kind of a stretch to call them Italian fries TBH), but we ain’t complaining. The salami is salty and flavorful (almost like a pepperoni, if you’re not mega familiar with salami). Altogether, we liked it a lot. We WOULD say that the fries would’ve been even better with some melted cheese in addition to the cheese sauce (because we’re cheese gluttons so of course we want more cheese!). Shredded Provolone or a hefty sprinkle of Parmesan would be fab here. The portion was quite heavy so this is definitely a shareable bite or a great option if you’re just stopping in for drinks and apps.

But why just snag one appetizer when you could snag two? Let’s try out the Mozzarella-stuffed Rice Balls for $15.

This dish is Fried Rice Balls stuffed with Mozzarella Cheese and topped with Tomato Basil Sauce and Parmesan Shavings. Most Italian fried rice balls are stuffed with risotto and called Arancini — this looked like risotto rice to us. Compared to other fried rice balls we’ve had, they were a bit small (if you thought they were actually lil jalepeño poppers at first glance…same!) but they made up for the size in flavor.

These were amazing! They were super cheesy but still loaded with lots of rice and had some good crunch. The sauce was served on the side and was light and not overly spicy or seasoned. We loved chowing down on these! Granted, for the price, we would have like to see at least one more on the plate. We thought both of these apps were yummy options, but if you’re looking for something light, you might want to skip it. Both are cheese and carb HEAVY!

Mooooving on to the main course, one of the entrees we got was the Toasted Gnocchi for $24.

Note that this isn’t actually showing on the online menu currently — only a Pork Gnocchi with pork ragu is — but we’ll still share this with y’all! This dish is made with Lightly Fried Potato Dumplings, Seasonal Vegetables (mushrooms and asparagus for us!), Crispy Pancetta (basically Italian bacon), Brown Butter, Sage, Balsamic Drizzle, and Shaved Parmesan.

Brown butter and sage are a classic combo with pan-fried gnocchi and it didn’t disappoint here. The gnocchi was good — not too chewy — and had great flavor, but it was still a bit on the unique side. It’s definitely not a standard plate of spaghetti! We loved the salty pancetta with the semi-crisp, semi-soft fried gnocchi and toasty buttery sauce. The veggies were nice and hearty — if this is available on your visit, be sure to ask what the veggies are being prepared at the time!

If you tend to like saucier dishes, this might not be for you. The “sauce” is really just butter, so it’s lightly dressed in it, meaning you won’t have a thick sauce to sop up your food in. The drizzle and butter were enough for us but the gnocchi could seem on the dry side to some folks. We’d also say you can skip this if you’re hoping for a more traditional pasta dish.

Our other entree was the Chicken Parmesan Sandwich for $19.

This sammie is Chicken Parmesan with Mozzarella and a Basil Pesto Sauce served with House-made Pecorino-truffle Potato Chips and Pickles. Wow, color us intrigued!

This was a HUGE sandwich! Chicken parmesan sammies can immediately conjure up images of BAD chicken parm sammies (we’re talking gummy, dry chicken patties and lifeless cheese). Thankfully, that is NOT the case here. It was very tasty and we loved the addition of the pesto to brighten it up. The bread had a good balance of crunch and softness that helped to soak up the flavors of the pesto and marinara but the chicken was also well-prepared. It was nice but also very filling — definitely a shareable portion!

The truffle pecorino chips were tasty as well. The truffle was the more pronounced flavor of the two.

And for dessert, we tried out the Lemon Panna Cotta for $9. This gorgeous treat had Candied Thyme with it!

We tasted this way back when Terralina first opened in 2018 and enjoyed it. Panna Cotta can be a love it or leave it dessert for many (we have all too frequently heard it referred to as just milky Jello!), but done right, it can be a great end to a meal. The Panna Cotta was DELIGHTFUL and very light. The lemon flavor was prominent in a bright citrus-y way but without being sour. Add the fresh fruit and you’ve got an AMAZING bite. We thought this was the perfect way to end the meal with something sweet but not too filling.

If you enjoy citrus desserts and are looking for something light and refreshing, snag this one! If you wanted a rich dessert or something chocolate, this may not be your choice. Sadly it is rather expensive, too ($9 for a couple of spoonfuls!).

Now that we’re TOTALLY stuffed, we’ll bring ya our final thoughts.

Nosh or Not

You SHOULD eat at Terralina Crafted Italian if…

• You love Italian food and are looking for a casual setting to chow down on your favorite cuisine.
• You’ve got a larger party to please. This spot has a lot of food and drink options!
• You want to enjoy some outdoor dining in Disney Springs. Bonus points to a table by the water!

You should SKIP Terralina Crafted Italian if…

• You don’t have time for a lengthy sit-down meal. This is a great spot to devote a bit of time to enjoy it fully.
• Dining in Disney Springs isn’t in your plans. Terralina is great, but we’re not sure it’s worth a trip to Disney Springs when you don’t have time for it! If you’re still craving Italian food in the parks, try Via Napoli in EPCOT.
• Italian food isn’t your favorite. It’s not all spaghetti and meatballs, as you can see from what we ordered, but it definitely is heavily Italian-influenced.

Overall

We had a delightful meal at Terralina Crafted Italian! The food was hearty, the service was great, and we loved the option of sitting outside on the water. Plus, it’s a nice option for a Disney Springs day meal. Is it the best of the best sit down restaurants in Disney Springs? That’s for you to decide. If you LOVE Italian food, possibly. Compared to Disney Springs’ other Italian Eateries, Maria and Enzo’s Ristorante and Enzo’s Hideaway, we find it more affordable for the portions served and appreciate the variety. We don’t always crave Italian (and when we do, you can still probably find us inching closer and closer to Via Napoli) but, if the mood strikes, it’s a solid option.

We were very happy with our experience. Some of the menu items can get a bit pricey, especially if you’re used to Italian fare from home. Compared to most prices for sit down meals in Disney World, it’s really not too bad though. However, if you’re looking to share you can definitely get your money’s worth. We recommend checking the menu before visiting and deciding what you want and what’s a good value to your crew. If you want to enjoy a glass of wine (or two!) and a casual meal, this is a great spot to do it, especially if a lot of other spots around Springs are already booked up. Plus, they offer a nice happy hour from 4-6PM at their outdoor bar.

Now, this isn’t the most exciting dining option in Disney World or even in Disney Springs, but if you’re looking for a tasty Italian meal, head on over! And you should probably look into those fries too — they were REAL good and cheesy!

Click here to see us review MORE eats at Terralina Crafted Italian!

What do you think of Terralina Crafted Italian? Tell us in the comments!