One of the things we love most about EPCOT’s World Showcase is that it gives us a chance to travel the world and maybe see — and eat — things we wouldn’t normally find anywhere else!

Thanks to World Showcase, we’ve had the chance to dive into the cuisines of France, Morocco, the U.K., and more! But our most recent jaunt across the “World” took us to Italy! The Italy Pavilion has multiple options dining options including one of our favorites — Via Napoli. But this go-round, we stopped into Tutto Italia Ristorante for a hearty Italian meal.

We arrived in Italy to have lunch at Tutto Italia Ristorante, which is about as authentically Italian as you can get at Disney World! The menu here was created by award-winning chef Joachim Splichal, and there are a TON of options to choose from, so much so that we think even pickier eaters might find something here to satisfy them.

This spot has a fascinating history to it. The location was an opening day restaurant back in 1982 looking much like it still does today. The big difference? It was named L’ Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante or simply Alfredo’s. You might know the name a little better for the dish it famously gave a name to: Fettucine Alfredo. The spot was owned and operated by the creator of the famous pasta dish from Rome!

As strange as it may sound compared to the location today, this was a destination eatery for many guests. Just think — you could visit EPCOT and have a chance to try the REAL original dish from Italy without hopping a plane to Rome. The location closed in 2007 to reopen as Tutto Italia (meaning All of Italy). The Fettucine was gone (at least the famous authentic recipe) and the ownership shifted to the Patina Group. The spot still served up Italian favorites only this time, the menu spanned across all of Italy.

Atmosphere

When you first enter, you’ll spy a check-in podium currently decked out in plexiglass. We checked in VIA Mobile Dine Check-In on our phone and were texted when it was time to be seated. Fun fact, back in the original days of Alfredo’s there used to be a big window into the kitchen in this lobby where guests could watch fresh-made pasta being cut!

The word here when it comes to atmosphere is “classic.” Inside, crystal chandeliers bring a warm glow to the dark moldings on the ceiling. The walls are covered with murals of Roman scenes in trompe l’œil style. The murals and chandeliers are original from back when it was Alfredo’s. In fact, most of the styling of the restaurant remains similar to how it was back on opening day! Yeah, this place is CLASSY. Like we feel a little out of place here in our t-shirts and shorts.

Inside, seating includes padded booths with plexiglass between each booth.

There are also standard tables and chairs, separated to allow for social distancing. However, if you plan on sitting inside, note that it’s dark — like really dark — in here. This makes it perfect for a date night, but not so much if you like to see what it is you’re eating.

You can get a little more light in an attached sunroom that has large windows that bring in a lot of light. This area feels a little more casual, too. And if you like to eat outside, there’s an outside patio area that lets you take in all of Italy while you dine. 

We prefer this spot because it makes you feel like you’re sitting in a cafe in the REAL Italy having a meal. You can even hear the music playing throughout the Italian pavilion. When given a choice, we’re always going to choose to sit out here! The dark indoors is nice if that’s the mood you’re after.  But we love the feeling that we’re eating right in the middle of Italy! It also just feels a lot less stuffy out here.

Right next door is Tutto Gusto, a lounge that has a full wine bar and a limited menu. This spot has been open since the parks reopened but not allowing guests to sit indoors to enjoy their wine and small bites. Rather, guests can get items to-g0 for the time being.

Settled into our table, we’re ready to EAT!

Eats

Now we like a casual atmosphere, but we want some serious Italian food, too. We want some well-thought-out pastas, cheeses, meats, and more! And that’s where Tutto Italia delivers. The menu can be accessed by scanning a QR code.

But first — drinks! We were given a glass of water…

…but we wanted something with a little more kick. We decided to try two classic Italian cocktails: Italian Sangria and a Bellini. 

The Italian Sangria for $15, though, did not please — it was SO sweet. It’s a Cabernet Terre Di Bacco with Rum and Fruit Juice, but it was so sweet that we didn’t get any of the rum or fruit flavors.  It WAS cold and refreshing, which is sometimes all you want on a hot day, but this is definitely not going to win any awards as our favorite glass of Sangria at Disney World.

Now the Bellini hit all the right notes (it’s pretty hard to screw up pouring two things in a glass though!). The Prosecco made it light and refreshing, and the Peach Puree tasted fresh. This drink more than made up for the unimpressive Sangria. And yes, we would TOTALLY order this again for $15.

Yes, yes, we know, y’all want to know about the food, so let’s dig in! We were brought some warm Bread, which came in large round pieces. There were hints of Rosemary with each bite. SO good. And we also liked the Olive Oil for dipping.

Y’all know us — it’s hard not to fill up on bread, but we started perusing the Antipasti part of the menu.

Traditional Italian dining is often done in courses with pasta being a big focus! Pasta gets its own section of the menu where you’ll find a selection of classics well suited to serve as an entree. We’d wager this is the portion of the menu most guests gravitate towards (because: CARBS!). Secondi, meaning “second” is really just your entrees. In Italy, a heavier meat or fish course often follows a pasta course (gotta love Italian big eaters!). But here, feel free to order as you please.

And we saw the magic word: “board!” And you know what that means – charcuterie! We LOVE us a good charcuterie board, so we had no problem choosing the Tagliere for $39. And look at this beautiful thing — it’s got Prosciutto di Parma, Salametto, Asiago Cheese, Gorgonzola Cheese, Fontina Cheese (ALL the cheese!), Artichoke Hearts, Grissini Breadsticks, and Cerignola Olives.

$39 is on the slightly higher side of boards we often order, but it didn’t disappoint. We have NEVER said no to a meat and cheese board. Like ever! Look at all this yumminess.

The cheeses were all delicious and we spent a lot of time making little sandwiches with the cheese cubes by wrapping them in the prosciutto — it’s our food and we can play with it if we want!

The olives were HUGE and paired well with the meats and cheeses.

But — there’s always a but — isn’t there? We’re not big fans of Artichoke Hearts, and these didn’t change our minds. Chomping into big marinated hearts just wasn’t our thing, especially compared to all the meats and cheeses we had to choose from!

Another complaint we had was that the Grissini breadsticks were long, thin, and flavorless. If you’ve been to Italy, these are actually pretty standard on most tables. They’re fine for wrapping in meal and nibbling, but the heart wanted what the heart wanted — toasted slices of bread! We want to put our cheese and meat onto a nice hunk of bread, but that’s not an option with this particular board. The rolls served initially make a nice alternative if you want something with a little more chew to bite into like we did!

We also ordered the Calamari Fritti for $23. And you know what? We have very few complaints about this appetizer. OBV you gotta like squid to enjoy this (or at least tolerate it — it really doesn’t have a squid-y, fishy flavor!). Our only real complaint — these are lightly fried, and we think maybe we would have preferred them slightly crispier or with a heavier breading. Again, a pricier option. $23 bucks isn’t exactly a cheap appetizer (even by Disney standards!) but it is a good-sized portion for sharing around the table.

Another thing that impressed us was that you actually get enough Marinara Piccante Sauce for every piece — we hate those tiny cups of dipping sauce where you know there just isn’t nearly enough to dip everything. We are big-time dippers! That’s not the case here, though. Sauce for DAYZZZ.

From the Secondi Menu, we selected the Petti di Pollo. Now, this is a pretty simple dish with Grilled Chicken Breast, Fettucini, and Parmesan Cream. And yes…PASTA. We would eat all the pasta things if we could. This is your average Fettucine Alfredo (but no — NOT the version that made the original restaurant famous!). It’s a basic cream-based cheese sauce. No more handmade noodles from the good ol’ days either.

But it wasn’t the pasta that made this dish shine — it was the chicken!!! The grilled chicken cut like buttah and each bite was juicy with loads of flavor.

We felt the Fettucine was a little dry, though, and got very little flavor from the parmesan cream. We were expecting something more like a thick and saucy Alfredo with tangy hits of cheese, but this was not that. Hey, we could still fill up on that fabulous chicken! (And also, come on, you know we scarfed that cheesy pasta regardless!)

We thought the Lasagne alla Bolognese for $29 fared a little better. It was hearty — and meaty — and included Beef, Veal, AND Pork Ragu. This is prepared closer to a REAL traditional lasagna too — no layers of ricotta cheese here. You’ll find layers of pasta, that rich ragu, and bechamel (basically white gravy, for us Southerners). It’s rich and filling even without thick slabs of the creamy ricotta cheese you find in many Americanized preparations. Just be warned — if you’re expecting the likes of a Stouffer’s frozen lasagna, this style lacks the heft the cheeses in other preparations offer.

Now, is this the best lasagna we’ve ever had? Probably not. But it was filling and had a nice flavor to the ragu. There’s nothing super noteworthy here, and we wouldn’t have minded a little extra kick to the sauce. The Parmesan that was added to the dish after it came out also upped the flavor a bit. And yes, we put cheese on everything, including other cheesy things.

It’s a hearty portion and, again, quite filling. With all that pasta in our bellies, we moved on to dessert! We chose the Mocha Tiramisu for $13, and this was literally the highlight of the meal. We don’t typically go out of our way to order tiramisu but this was GOOD. The cake (ladyfinger cookies soaked in espresso) just MELTED in our mouth.

Since tiramisu is typically coffee and chocolate flavors, we’re not really sure what’s different or mind-blowing by calling it “Mocha” tiramisu. But the flavors were pretty great on this. If you’re not familiar with mascarpone cheese, the main ingredient in the filling, it’s similar to a mild cream cheese. Whipped up with whipped cream and layered with the coffee-soaked cookies, it’s rich without being aggressively sweet. The dusting of cocoa on top cuts the sweetness further. 

And that, friends, wraps up our dining experience at Tutta Italia — there were some misses, but there were also a lot of hits.

Nosh or Not

Spend a bella notte at Tutta Italia if…

• You want to chow down on fairly authentic Italian food with an authentic atmosphere
• You’re on a date — we think this is one of the more romantic spots in EPCOT!
• You want a classier meal and a fine dining experience.

Say arrivederci to Tutta Italia if…

• You want to eat somewhere more casual
• Your craving pizza. Make a reservation at Via Napoli across the Pavilion for more casual fare including phenomenal pizza!
• You want something fast and inexpensive — this is where you go to linger over a meal, and it can get pricey.

Overall

Tutto Italia is a step up from regular theme park food, and way better than, say, your local Olive Garden. But the food is good — not great — and you’ll have to ask yourself if you want to pay more for good food just to dine in fake Italy (granted, the theming in “fake Italy” is GREAT). And if you want something elegant — or even something for a great date night — there are better options at EPCOT (hello, Le Cellier?)

This isn’t the only Italian restaurant at Disney World either, and with so many other options, it’s hard to recommend this one as the absolute best. But if you’re at EPCOT and just want a nice sit-down meal with your significant other or family, we won’t tell you NOT to go here either. The prices are on-par with most other sit-down meals in EPCOT. We suspect this spot isn’t topping many guests’ must-do list for a simple reason — with so many decent options for this style of dining back wherever you live, it can get overlooked in favor of more unique eats. But if you want to feel like you’ve been transported to a little slice of Italy while in a theme park in the middle of Florida, it does a pretty good job.

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Have you eaten at Tutto Italia? Let us know in the comments!

The post Review: Don’t Mind Us, We’re Just Pretending We’re Vacationing In Italy…In Disney World. first appeared on the disney food blog.