I don’t usually do two guest reviews in two days, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to share these gorgeous pics from the brand new Via Napoli restaurant! My good friend Jessica Kramer-Teheran from Monocle on the Mouse was in Disney World this past weekend and shares this report full of pics and video…

The best way to enjoy Via Napoli, from my first impression, is to turn it into a “family style” meal. Depending on the size of your party and the depths of your appetite, order a couple of appetizers, a couple of entrees, and a couple of desserts, then ‘Mangia!’ to your heart’s content. We split every dish, and even my good friend — who’s used to his Grandma’s Italian cooking — was impressed.

The Arancini appetizer seems to be emerging as an early front-runner in popularity & taste. Warm mozzarella cheese binds together fluffy rice & lightly seasoned meat inside a perfectly golden thin shell, commonly referred to as a “rice ball.”

Pre-opening I understand that the price tag for pizza was a concern, but I can honestly say that the “individual Margherita Pizza” was worth the $16. It was on par with famous classics like Lombardi’s in NYC, and I wouldn’t make that claim lightly.

We also shared the “pollo parmigiana” which is served on two separate plates; one plate holds the spaghetti torta, served as a disk and stuck together (apologies to my Italian friends if there is a more sophisticated description for this plating style), and one plate holds the actual chicken. The presentation of the pasta portion of the entree seemed [Read more…]