Did I make a poor choice in Tony's?

[phoenixflight]

So, I made a ressie for my family to have lunch at Tony's Town Square on our day in MK. I was looking for a TS restaurant, and to be honest there just weren't that many choices. DH and I like Italian food, and DS is not particularly picky. But, I've heard it compared to Olive Garden quite a bit, and just not spoken of very well in general. DH is not wild about Olive Garden, prefers something more authentic, and we are going to Tutto earlier in the trip.

I know every meal at WDW is not going to be fantastic. Just wondering if I could have made a better choice? What do you think?

 

[Havana]

Everything at WDW is worth a try.

Personally, we ate here once and it's not on our repeat list. The food is fair. It is convenient for being in the MK where there isn't much regarding choices. If you are looking for something a little better, maybe try one of the restaurants in the monorail resorts.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

We have had very hit & miss experiences at Tony's. Our lunch in August was a hit though. We didn't get anything with red sauce though as it is sweeter than we like it. We had flatbreads and paninis and enjoyed our meal. The restaurant is really very pretty inside.

It is definitely more comparable to Olive Garden (which we do like for what it is) than authentic italian. I think if you eat there not expecting true italian food, you will be fine. I don't think it will compare to Tutto Italia.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Its ok, nothing that is outstanding by any means...we prefer dinner there.

I would rather eat at The Plaza or leave the park and have lunch at Kona

 

[DVCconvert]

Did I make a poor choice in Tony's?

You really need to try it once for yourself, so you can make up your own mind....

 

[phoenixflight]

You really need to try it once for yourself, so you can make up your own mind....

Fair enough. (Repeats to self) Go with an open mind, go with an open mind...

I really need to lower my expectations overall. Can't go expecting every instant to be super-magical. My family is still my family, and something will go wrong, and we will live through it. Don't need to set myself up for disappointment.

(Gets off soapbox.)

I'm sure it'll be very nice.

 

[sukhakuli]

There have been some good reviews lately, so we booked it as well. My family loves pasta, so I think it will be a good safe meal.

And it sounds like you have a good idea about reasonable expectations. Have fun!!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I've eaten lunch at Tony's about 9 times in my life and I've always enjoyed it. The food is good and the service is fine. Is it the best meal I've ever had? No. But I guess I go in with the expectations that it will be decent.

I think too many meals at WDW are built up to have to be the best meals/experience ever because of what we're celebrating or spending. I've always enjoyed a yummy meatball sub sitting in the glass patio area of Tony's, knowing we had a fun-filled day ahead at the MK . Try not to sweat the small stuff if you had to wait a few minutes for a refill on your drink or it wasn't the earth-shattering lunch you were expecting. If it's a REALLY bad experience be sure to speak to a manager, but try not to get worked up over it. No need to waste precious vacation time!

 

[DVCconvert]

Fair enough. (Repeats to self) Go with an open mind, go with an open mind...

I really need to lower my expectations overall. Can't go expecting every instant to be super-magical. My family is still my family, and something will go wrong, and we will live through it. Don't need to set myself up for disappointment.

(Gets off soapbox.)

I'm sure it'll be very nice.

I'd Say that sounds like a good outlook to have on alot of things in life!
I bet you all will enjoy it!

 

[xipetotec]

So, I made a ressie for my family to have lunch at Tony's Town Square on our day in MK. I was looking for a TS restaurant, and to be honest there just weren't that many choices. DH and I like Italian food, and DS is not particularly picky. But, I've heard it compared to Olive Garden quite a bit, and just not spoken of very well in general. DH is not wild about Olive Garden, prefers something more authentic, and we are going to Tutto earlier in the trip.

I know every meal at WDW is not going to be fantastic. Just wondering if I could have made a better choice? What do you think?

Everything is opinion. For example, our family really disliked Yak and Yeti, yet, other people seem to love it on the boards.

I will say, we *HATED* Tony's. But it was still neat to be at the place right on Main Street. ( at least once ). I would recommend checking out the online menus for the place and see what you think.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . I've heard it compared to Olive Garden quite a bit . . .

1) Compare it down to Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee level.
2) Definitely not up to Olive Garden level.

 

[mom2val]

[.

 

[phoenixflight]

(Boggles.) Oh dear.

Well. the menu did look decent, and I've got to try it before I know for sure. Somebody must like it since it stays open, right?

I'm so sorry it tasted that mediocre to you!

 

[POLY1985]

My problem with it is I like to have a glass of wine with Italian food and there is no alcohol in MK. It doesn't bother me in any of the other restaurants but it does in that one. So, if you like your vino, skip it.

 

[TIME2DISNEY]

(Boggles.) Oh dear.

Well. the menu did look decent, and I've got to try it before I know for sure. Somebody must like it since it stays open, right?

I'm so sorry it tasted that mediocre to you!

We enjoyed it so much last fall that I booked it again for our arrival day this Saturday!
Food was good, service was great and we got to watch the 3:00pm parade from our outside table.
Great way to start a vacation!
Enjoy!

 

[kissy]

We just ate at Tonys for dinner 2 weeks ago. One of us ordered the spagetti and meatballs (really good), I ordered the lasagna (amazing!), Hubby ordered the steak (bland and boring). I would say, stick with the pasta and you'll be good! We ordered some cheese bread for an appetizer that was really good but was such a small amount, it wasn't worth the money....All in all though we really enjoyed Tony's and would do it again.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I went to Tony's with very low expectations and with an open mind.....and it was the worst food i've ever had in my whole life. Awful. The spag/balls were so gross, i couldnt swallow it. Chicken parm was nasty too. Never again.

I think if you stay away from anything with tomoto sauce in it, you should be ok (I HOPE!). The tomato sauce totally kills the dishes, guaranteed.

I would change the ADR to something else. Lunch at Liberty Tree is delish. Crystal Palace is always good. Whispering Canyon and Kona are also great.

 

[phoenixflight]

Crystal Palace--we're having breakfast there on the day in question. Liberty Tree Tavern DH and I have never been crazy about.

Kona--I was surprised to find it was actually possible to get lunch ressies this close to my vacation. I am not sure about it, since we're already going to the "Spirit of Aloha" luau as well. I suppose I will see what DH wants to do when he gets home from work.

Sounds like Tony's is even more polarizing than I thought--you either love it or you hate it. And I don't know, we could end up liking it. Maybe I just need to step back from the whole issue for a bit.

 

[tinkerbelx]

I am a total food snob-i don't like hardly anything at the magic kingdom, the worst for me is CP and then the LTT. I only like to eat at CRT, if i can't get that PS and we don't want to leave the park to eat, we eat at Tonys or the Plaza. If your going to Tony's i would stick with sandwiches, flatbreads and salads. Its not that bad but its not a great meal- i feel it beats most of the CS.

 

[amym2]

I wouldn't say Tony's is as authentic as Tutto Italia, but then Italian food is so variable by region that it's hard to compare (we lived in Florence, where the red sauce is not like the red sauce in Sicily, and the focus was more on grilled meats than sauces).

We ate at Tony's last week and really enjoyed it. DH had the lamb shank, which was tender and delicious, and even the polenta was good. I had the steak which was good, but had we not been on the DDP I don't think it would have been worth it. The kids really enjoyed their meals- Mickey ravioli and pizza- and the calamari was just okay. We thought the setting was lovely, service was fine, and the food was good. We didn't order anything with red sauce, but next time we probably will give it a try.