Last month we finally had the opportunity to check out Via Napoli which is located in the Italian Pavilion of the World Showcase in Epcot.
This was one of the newer restaurants I was looking forward to dining at after reading so many good reviews. Right off the bat, I will say it didn’t disappoint. It is now on our EPCOT “must-do” list.
We checked in for our reservation about 15 minutes early and we were sat within 5 minutes right in the middle of lunch rush on a Saturday afternoon. Because most of the restaurant is very “open,” bright and airy it can be quite loud in the main seating areas. But it is a bustling restaurant which makes the atmosphere very upbeat. There are several servers running around and setting up everywhere.
The hostess took us through a few dining areas out into the indoor porch/patio area and sat us at one of the best tables in the house (in my opinion). It was a gorgeous day and my daughter doesn’t like to sit outside, but I do…so our seat was the best of both worlds.
Our seat was right next to the open porch separated by a sliding glass door where my daughter sat and my side of the table was in front of the open part of the door that opened out to the outside porch. It was PERFECT on this gorgeous Florida way with almost no humidity present and that’s a rarity for sure!
Within a few minutes our server, Beatrice greeted us, as did a server who brought waters for us as well. We saw him many times during our visit, as well another beverage server, they always made sure our glasses were full with water so we didn’t go thirsty;-)
First off, I asked Beatrice how to correctly pronounce the restaurant’s name. I found out I was mispronouncing the name as I was saying (na-pole-aa) when it is indeed pronounced (nap-ol-ee) like “Roly-poly”. That was the first thing I had to straighten out.
I started with a glass of white wine sangria. It was a nice light sangria with a refreshing fruity bite, just enough to satisfy that sweetness without being too strong. It had a chunks of green apples as well as a few small pieces of orange. This would be my 2nd choice to a margherita;-) I already had one the night before so I went with the sangria LOL!
We asked Beatrice what she suggested for an appetizer and she recommended their signature appetizer Frito Misto. This is an appetizer for 2 which is an assortment of fried seasonal veggies and some of their signature appetizers. It sounded delicious but, I knew it would be too much for just the two of us because I really wanted to try a pizza for lunch so we went with their signature “Arancini” which was her next suggestion.
Arancini is fried risotto balls filled with mozzarella, risotto of course and a meat argue center, then breaded and fried. There are 3 served in an order and it’s served on top of their perfectly seasoned marinara sauce. It was enough for my daughter and I since we’re not big eaters. One person can easily order this.
These were delightful. They were a nice change from the ordinary fried mozzarella as these had a nice texture. They do look a little like meatballs until you look closely and then when you bite into them you get quite a nice array of flavor and texture. They weren’t real heavy and they are lightly breaded so they don’t have that “oh I’m full already and haven’t even eaten my main entree yet” feeling;-)
For the main part of the meal, my daughter ordered the Vitello which is a veal parmigiano dish prepared with their tangy tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese and roasted fingerling potatoes. She loved this especially the potatoes. The rest of our trip she was comparing any potatoes she had ordered hoping to get them as good as these, lol, none compared to these.
The veal was like butter, so tender and bursting with flavor. The sauce is very light and has a nice flavor, almost a little sweetness to it. The veal was not drenched in the cheese or the sauce so it allowed you to really enjoy the veal and the cheeses. There were 2 generous sized pieces so this can be shared by 2 people if you order an appetizer or a small pizza too.
I was so undecided as to which pizza to order. I was a little apprehensive about ordering the Prosciutto e Melone because I thought it was a strange combination but Beatrice highly recommended it so I decided to be adventurous and order it.
I ordered the individual sized Prosciutto e Melone pizza which was actually way too much for me. Like I said you can easily split dishes and individual pizzas and have a taste of a few things here.
I just have to say, WOW…what an amazing combination of flavors! I would never think something like this would be so good, but it was, better than good, it was excellent! OH YUM, YUM!!
The crust was divine, I could eat it alone and dip it in olive oil. Anything on this crust would be great. It’s so soft and tender, yet it had a slight crispiness to it. It was topped with a light amount of fresh buffalo mozzarella and then topped with fresh crispy and some wilted arugula and a few small slices of cantaloupe, just enough, much more would be over-powering. And then it was topped with several fresh slices of prosciutto that were warmed but not cooked so they were tender as opposed to that crispy or tough texture that it can sometimes have. This combination is so unique, it’s like nothing like I’ve ever tasted before.
The saltiness of the prosciutto and sweetness of the melon combined with the peppery flavor of the arugula and richness of the mozzarella was a like… a party in you mouth. All that on top of the most amazing pizza crust was just heaven.
The most unfortunate thing was I could only eat half of it, not even half, it was so sad and my daughter doesn’t like all that fun going on when it comes to pizza, the most she’ll put on her pizza is meatball slices. (The fancy stuff like this is an adult thing I guess?) I carried around my leftovers hoping to salvage them but it was out too long so I had to dump it, I could cry, I even asked a few cast members if they would have liked it but of course they had to say no:( I have actually been having cravings for this pizza and have attempted to make similar pizzas at home since!
During our meal, we were watching quite a few servers carting out these really large pizzas. They have 2 more pizza sizes other than the individual size. There is a large and a Mezzo Metro. These are served from a pizza cart.
We saw the large Quattro Formaggi (being carted out). It has mozzarella, parmesan, fontina and provolone cheeses on that amazing crust which is then topped with a drizzle of olive oil. (this was my other choice by the way). It looked delicious but I was very happy with my choice as if you couldn’t tell.
We also saw the grand daddy of them all which is the Mezzo Metro Margherita pizza which is a caprese pizza, basically tomato, mozzarella and basil. Looked delicious as well.
All in all service was very good. Beatrice was very efficient and as I mentioned we had 2 other servers that checked on our drinks. Beatrice was close by so we knew if we needed anything else she was right there. We opted out on dessert because we were quite satisfied…and we knew if we had dessert then we’d be too full;-)
I would return here in a heartbeat. They have a hit on their hands in Italy. I hear Tutto Italio is also good as well but it would be real difficult to give this one up for Tutto unless we had another day during a trip;-)
The theming of this restaurant is quite remarkable and fits in so nicely within the Italy pavilion. Through the entrance way as you approach the hostess podium the place is overwhelming with so many things to look at all around you. There are tons of windows so it is very open and lets in a great deal of natural light by day. The first thing I couldn’t help but notice was this colorful chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the foyer area. As you walk around the restaurant there are so many little knick-knacks and fun thingamabobs to look at. The pizza ovens are a hoot as they have character faces surrounding each of the 3 ovens.
The restaurant has such intricate detail which is probably modeled after the Italian buildings in the Italy pavilion itself. They are beautiful.
I’ve always loved the architecture and character of these buildings. I drew one of them for my college art class many years ago.
As for Via Napoli, it has definitely imprinted in my mind as one of the most positive dining experiences I’ve had in Epcot for a long time. Can’t wait to go back:-)
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The Adult Side of Disney 
We love this place! Something for everyone!