What’s Via Napoli, you ask? It’s the promise of something new and better, coming to Walt Disney World this Fall! (Well, new and better if you haven’t been thrilled with the Italian food options at Walt Disney World up until now, which many guests haven’t.) But many Disney World guests are already concerned about one unknown — the price.
Via Napoli will open in September as Disney World’s newest Italian eatery, located in the back of Epcot’s World Showcase Italy Pavilion. This restaurant will feature Neapolitan dishes (Naples is located just south of Rome) along with Via Napoli’s spotlight item — wood-fired pizzas. The pizzas will be thin-crust, Neapolitan-style (which many of us know as New York-style), and will come to your table straight from one of the massive pizza ovens.
The Disney Food Blog has been speculating about the cuisine for weeks now; they have locked in their thoughts on what the pizza and other Italian offerings might be like based on the menu over at Naples in Disneyland, a restaurant run by the same off-site company that will be running Via Napoli — The Patina Group (who is also responsible for Epcot’s Tutto Italia).
But while expectations are high for this restaurant, one of the biggest complaints already being lodged by Disney guests is the price. Pizzas at The Patina Group’s other restaurants — including Naples in Disneyland — average around $16 for a personal pizza (10 inches), $27 for a large, and $44 for a family-size. Even though the restaurants tout the use of flour imported from Italy, imported water with the same mineral content as that in Naples, and handmade mozzarella, Disney guests aren’t sure the pizza will be good enough to make them part with quite that much of their Disney dining budget. However, those who typically purchase the Disney Dining Plans are optimistic — this could end up being a great deal for a Disney dining credit!
What are your thoughts? Is $45 too expensive for a large pizza, even if it is made with imported water, or are you ready to pay any amount to finally have great pizza in Disney World?
In the meantime, we’ll have to make due with the Italian restaurants currently running on Walt Disney World property — Tutto Italia, Tony’s Town Square, Tutto Italia, and Il Mulino.
I hope September gets here soon.
This post is part of the DisMarks Disney Blog Carnival! There are lots more great articles over there, so be sure to take a look and support other Disney sites at the same time!
Photo Source — Patina Group
