Love Italian food? Wait, are there people that don’t love Italian food? Anyway, buckle up, we’ve got a review you’re gonna wanna read!

We’re traveling back in time to the 1930s to pay a visit to an abandoned airline terminal. Okay, okay, maybe we’re just headed over to Maria & Enzo’s Ristorante in Disney Springs but those are the vibes. We’ve been to some fun events and had some tasty meals here, but we thought it was high time we paid another visit for dinner.

Maria & Enzo’s Ristorante is an Italian restaurant located near The Edison in Disney Springs and owned by the Patina Group (They also own Space 220, Via Napoli, and more). Expect a grand atmosphere and a menu inspired by Sicilian cuisine. Did someone say house-made pasta?

We’ve been to a few events at Maria and Enzo’s recently and enjoyed them, but how is a regular old dinner service holding up? Let’s find out!

Atmosphere

As we mentioned, Maria & Enzo’s is themed to be an abandoned-airline-terminal-turned-restaurant in the 1930s.

It’s a unique theme for a restaurant and at times feels a little out of place but it also adds a fun aspect to the spot.

As for the dining room, it’s one large space — with 50-foot ceilings!

There are some tables on the top floor that overlook the dining room.

You’ll spot standard tables and chairs, booths on the sides of the restaurant, and a few banquet-style tables.

There is a window out to the water on the far wall, but you can’t see it unless you’re seated at an adjacent table.

Our table setting featured a QR code menu and a cloth napkin with utensils.

And that’s the atmosphere…but we’re REALLY here to talk about the eats!

Eats

Let’s start by taking a look at the Sicilian-inspired dinner menu! First up, we’ve got the traditional Italian Antipasti course and the Secondi course, A.K.A., your main!

Once you’ve chowed down on cheeses and pastas, you can finish up with the Dolci course. That’s dessert!

Kids have a limited menu with basic options like Spaghetti & Meatball and a Slice of Cheese Pizza.

And the restaurant has a long list of Featured Wines as well…but those aren’t your only drink options.

There are some special limited options as well!

So, let’s dive into what we ate! Maria & Enzo’s features a bread course of beautifully sliced baguette served with olive oil.

We thought this stuff was DELICIOUS! It was warm and had a nice crunchy crust with a soft center. Plus, they offered balsamic and parmesan cheese with our olive oil. It was a great way to start the meal!

For our drink, we went with the seasonal Lucky Leprechaun for $19. If you couldn’t tell, it’s around to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

This was a green vodka martini made with Absolut Citron, Midori, Sour Apple Pucker, Lemon Juice, Sour Mix, and Sprite. After all, is it really a St. Patrick’s Day drink without green apple?

You can probably tell this was a super sweet drink, but it did have a balancing tartness to it. The citron vodka and sour apple pucker help to balance it with the lemon juice. It’s a fun green drink, but not something we’d typically order for a nicer dinner.

As our appetizer, we chose the Polpettine — Classic Braised Meatball, Whipped Ricotta, and Parmesan Cheese — for $16.

These were pretty classic meatballs, and honestly, they were REALLY good! They were cooked well and came with lots of whipped ricotta cheese. They also came to the table SUPER hot which was great.

The flavor added to their tastiness as well. They didn’t have a ton of seasoning, but you could definitely taste the Italian herbs in the meat. They tasted homemade and had the perfect amount of cheese and sauce. Pretty much anyone who enjoys meatballs would like these. The only downside is the price of $16 for three meatballs (Whew!).

We got two entrees for our main course, the first being the Torchio Alla Vedure for $29. We added chicken and note that adding protein is another $9 to $10.

This dish is Twisted Bell-shaped Pasta, Asparagus, Cipollini Onion, Cherry Tomato, Parmigiano, Basil, Calabrian Chili, and Toasted Bread Crumbs.

The pasta was great! It had a spicy kick to it and the peppers and noodles were cooked perfectly. It wasn’t exactly a saucy dish but it was cheesy and creamy enough to not taste dry.

The asparagus had a nice crunch to it and the cherry tomatoes and onions were an awesome addition. The chicken complimented it too, but it was really just fine, seasoned well and moist but nothing noteworthy.

If you love a creamy and fresh pasta dish, this one should work for you but, like the meatballs, it was PRICY. $30 for a pasta dish with NO protein is a LOT.

Our other main was the Costine Di Manzo for $39.

This dish was Braised Beef Short-rib, Creamy Polenta, Fontina, and Roasted Carrots and Onions.

Our first thought was that this short rib would’ve been AMAZING over the Torchio Alla Vedure pasta. It was delicious and fork-tender so that it fell apart. The rib also had juuuuuust the right amount of fat to optimize flavor without any weird textures.

We weren’t as impressed with the accompaniments. The polenta was okay but wasn’t the creamiest and the carrots were very charred — almost to the point of not being tasty. The short rib was the star of this dish for sure.

Of our two entrees, the pasta certainly wowed more. At a price point of $40 for short rib, we would’ve hoped to love everything on the plate!

Now, onto dessert! We started with drinks — a Dessert Flight for $26.

This is an alcoholic Drinkable Dessert that comes with three drinks: the Chocolate Berry, the Pistachio Dream, and the Lemon Cream Pie.

The Chocolate Berry was made with Chambord, Godiva White and Dark Chocolate Liqueur, and Strawberry Puree. It tasted like melted strawberry and chocolate ice cream so it was very sweet but not too strong. It’s fun, it’s pretty to look at, and it definitely has a rich chocolate flavor. We think it might be overwhelming as a full drink but liked it a lot in the flight!

The Pistachio Dream was made with Godiva White Chocolate, Absolut Vanilla Vodka, and Pistachio Syrup. This had a huge pistachio flavor. It was very creamy and the sweetness definitely outweighed any taste of alcohol. We mostly just tasted the STRONG pistachio flavor. We did enjoy the nuttiness of the pistachio flavor but mixed with the white chocolate and vanilla, it’s very, very sweet.

Finally, the Lemon Cream Pie was made with Limoncello, Godiva White Chocolate, Pinnacle Whipped Vodka, Lemon Juice, and Simple Syrup. This was our favorite! This one had a lot more of the liquor taste than other drinks and the lemon gave a tartness that helped to balance its sweetness. It’s still sweet and definitely belongs in a dessert flight but of the three, it is the least sweet and the easiest to sip on.

Overall, ALL of these were very sweet and if you’re looking to try three SWEET drinks this could be an option. If you steer clear of sweeter drinks or if the idea of paying $26 for a small flight doesn’t excite you, it’s a skip!

We also snagged the Torta della Nonna for dessert. This sweet was $15.

The dish is described as Grandma’s Tart, Creamy Custard, Pine nuts, and Almonds.

This was a good and simple dessert! It wasn’t too sweet at all so the powdered sugar on top was a nice addition. It was a pretty basic pie crust with creamy lemon custard.

We were hoping for lemon bar vibes and were a little disappointed to find how light this dessert was but it was still pretty good. If you like almond and lemon flavors, you’ll probably enjoy this!

Nosh or Not

You SHOULD park your plane at Maria & Enzo’s for dinner if…

• You want a laidback atmosphere. This was a good meal in an easy atmosphere with great service.
• You don’t have dinner reservations. This is a large dining space so you can usually walk up and get a table without trouble.
• You want Italian food in Disney Springs and can’t get into Terralina Crafted Italian. We prefer Terralina to this spot but Maria & Enzo’s can still be a nice meal.

You should FLY BY Maria & Enzo’s if…

• You’re on a budget. Maria & Enzo’s is EXPENSIVE, especially for what it is. It doesn’t feel great to spend $30 on meatless pasta.
• You want more affordable Italian. Head on over to Terralina Crafted Italian!
• You want a table with a view. This restaurant has some tables that overlook the water, but you might have more luck at spots like The Boathouse.

Overall

We had a good meal at this spot, but we’re still not feeling like it’s anything special. Nothing we ate was all that mind-blowing and the HIGH prices don’t help to make the meal feel worth it. Still, we had good food, amazing service, and it was very easy to get a table.

We’re also not totally in love with the atmosphere. The space is HUGE and it feels a little underutilized. If you’re not at one of the tables by the windows, it feels a bit like gazing out into an event space.

As far as our food goes, everything was VERY fresh (which might contribute to the pricing) and we did enjoy all of our courses. Still, there are much better locations in Disney World and even nearby in Disney Springs. Pro-tip, though, Annual Passholders can show your pass for a 15% discount on food!

This one is a tricky restaurant to review because the spot didn’t do anything wrong. Our food was good and our service was excellent. It’s just the price point feels a little high and the food feels…just fine. For the price, it feels like the spot could be better. We’re not sure this is one that we’d be hoping to visit again anytime soon — especially when there are other amazing spots so nearby!

Click here to see our review of Maria & Enzo’s annual Carnevale event!

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Will you be making a reservation at Maria and Enzo’s? Tell us in the comments!

The post REVIEW! ONE Thing Is Keeping Us From Loving This Disney Springs Restaurant… first appeared on the disney food blog.