Is Tutto Italia worth the cost?

[disney_dreaming_mom]

We ate there in March 2009. We were not on the dining plan and did not have an ADR but Tutto accomodated us. I think we waited about 15 minutes for a table. Our waitress wasn't very attentive. It was very busy the evening weate there. My husband's lasagna was cold but we never complained since we felt lucky just to get in without an ADR. My dish was some kind of white cream sauce pasta with peas and bacon or ham in it. It was extremely rich and I couldn't finish it. I liked it though. We both had a non-alcoholic beverage and skipped dessert. I think with tip our meal was in the $70 dollar range. Was it worth it??? We wouldn't do it again unless we had the dining plan or we might split an entree if we went there again. I think the ambiance makes it a romantic place to eat though. We loved that part of the experience! We really enjoyed Chefs de France a lot more. The food and ambiance were surprisingly fantastic! You might consider that as an option with a grand marnier slushie afterward.

 

[Gizmo1951]

The canolli was very good also

 

[Took]

We won't do TI again. So many better restaurants in WDW that we all agreed this one was a waste of 4 dining credits. Unlike several other places, too, TI is a stickler on the 'no sharing' rule, a pity for me since I'm not a big eater. I barely ate my entree (which was only okay) at all. We did get pretty good service (not stellar but acceptable).

 

[wdwtweets]

We won't do TI again. So many better restaurants in WDW that we all agreed this one was a waste of 4 dining credits. Unlike several other places, too, TI is a stickler on the 'no sharing' rule, a pity for me since I'm not a big eater. I barely ate my entree (which was only okay) at all. We did get pretty good service (not stellar but acceptable).

I'm not sure what the "no sharing rule" is. You mean that everyone who eats there is forced to order an entree? Why?

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I'm not sure what the "no sharing rule" is. You mean that everyone who eats there is forced to order an entree? Why?

I'm thinking he/she means they wouldn't let them share one person's dining plan credits (like share the entree/dessert that comes with the TS dining plan credit(s) between two people instead of using both people's credits and getting two entrees/desserts).

 

[wdwtweets]

Oh, ok. That makes more sense than what I was thinking. But if you payed OOP, they wouldn't stop you from sharing, would they?

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Oh, ok. That makes more sense than what I was thinking. But if you payed OOP, they wouldn't stop you from sharing, would they?

Nope. My parents were there a few weeks ago and they share just about every meal. They shared at Tutto and said they had no problem. They were actually surprised in general as it seemed like every restaurant they shared at split the meal for them on two plates and didn't charge a fee. Places around here generally either bring you a plate for you to split yourself or charge a fee for splitting.

 

[aheape1979]

We had a great experience at Tutto in September. However, last Saturday we had a HORRIBLE experience! While the food was good, the service sucked! We had the CP package, but our waiter charged us real $$ instead of the dining plan, even though I told him we were on it. He then argued with me and told me it was right. I left him a cash tip, then went to the front of the restaurant and spoke to the manager, who straightened my $144 charge out and charged me the dining credits. Then, we got our checkout statement on Monday, and lo and behold, our server had graciously added a tip to our receipt, even though we put cash down. THank goodness our hotel concierge took care of it.
She told us that Tutto is HORRIBLE about doing this, and it wasn't the first time she's seen it happen. She also said that TI has a bad rep with CMs.

 

[Informer1906]

I am debating whether or not to include Tutto Italia in my list of upcoming ADRs. I do not limit myself on vacation when it comes to food, but I've had great Italian food before and am not sure if the sky high prices will be worth it. What do you think? Worth the cost?

Note- I will not be on the dining plan so the cost will be out of pocket.

Horrible restaurant--mediocre food, and bad service. You feel rushed and everything is overpriced (even for Disney) based on size and quality. There are so many good restaurants and eateries in the world thus I would advise passing this one by.

 

[tfoster]

We ate there last week and I have mixed feelings about it. The kids' meals were great and they loved them. My husband had the black squid pasta dish and didn't care for it much. I had the lasagna and ended up eating less than half of it. Maybe I just like Americanized Italian food, but the lasagna was a disappointment. Where was the cheese?! It seemed to be noodle, meat, noodle, meat, noodle, meat, noodle, thin layer of cheese. And I didn't think the meat tasted all that great, so that didn't help. However, the desserts were yummy and the service was very good. I'd be interested in going back and trying something else on the menu, but my DH doesn't have much interest in going back.

If we had paid OOP, I would have been disappointed with what we got for the prices. With free dining, though, I was disappointed that it wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be but not disappointed with our using TS credits there.

 

[pixarmom]

Just wanted to add that I used to really like Tutto - had great dinners there in the 80s with my parents and brother. Earlier this year, I was there with my husband and three boys - and was disappointed. The food was good, but we were disappointed with our dinner because the cast members were a bit uppity. Cast members usually engage the kids, or at least acknowledge them - that wasn't the case during our last visit. We do like Mama Melrose's at DHS, which has a more casual and friendly atmosphere, but we thought the food was just as good.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

out of pocket no it's not worth it. the first time we ate there we were on the deluxe plan so we got appetizers, entree and dessert and it was over $100 for the two of us. DH appetizer was $25.. very good antipasto platter though.. now they make it count as two people's appetizer on teh dp, mine was $15 for mozzarella appetizer.. very good! mmm... our entree's were around $30 and dessert was each $15 for berries and ice cream.. good but NOT worth that much. So before drinks it is already $130, plus tip.

I woudnt not eat there OOP, unless money didnt matter! It's soo fancy and upscale. It could easily be a signature restaurants.

 

[kimisabella]

We had a great experience at Tutto in September. However, last Saturday we had a HORRIBLE experience! While the food was good, the service sucked! We had the CP package, but our waiter charged us real $$ instead of the dining plan, even though I told him we were on it. He then argued with me and told me it was right. I left him a cash tip, then went to the front of the restaurant and spoke to the manager, who straightened my $144 charge out and charged me the dining credits. Then, we got our checkout statement on Monday, and lo and behold, our server had graciously added a tip to our receipt, even though we put cash down. THank goodness our hotel concierge took care of it.
She told us that Tutto is HORRIBLE about doing this, and it wasn't the first time she's seen it happen. She also said that TI has a bad rep with CMs.

Same thing happened to us last week. We did the CP dinner package as well. Dinner was suprisingly good, I've read all the negative reviews so I was skeptical. We had no issues with the food at all, we all enjoyed what we got. However, when it was time to pay the bill, which was close to $400 (5 "adults", 1 child) we clearly wrote CASH where the line for the tip is... You guessed it, they charged our card for the "suggested tip", which was $80 or so, and then took the cash we left as well.

We noticed this and told the maitre d and he took it off the room charge. That was sneaky and left a bad taste in my mouth. Such a shame since we really did have a great dinner.

 

[Micca]

Same thing happened to us last week. We did the CP dinner package as well. Dinner was suprisingly good, I've read all the negative reviews so I was skeptical. We had no issues with the food at all, we all enjoyed what we got. However, when it was time to pay the bill, which was close to $400 (5 "adults", 1 child) we clearly wrote CASH where the line for the tip is... You guessed it, they charged our card for the "suggested tip", which was $80 or so, and then took the cash we left as well.

We noticed this and told the maitre d and he took it off the room charge. That was sneaky and left a bad taste in my mouth. Such a shame since we really did have a great dinner.

Under other circumstances if the tip was just a few dollars I could let this go.
Assuming your cash tip was somewhere in the neighborhood of $80 that's approaching fraud in my book. This reeks of some kind scam the TI CMs have all figured out. Disney needs to shut that down FAST.

 

[Took]

I'm thinking he/she means they wouldn't let them share one person's dining plan credits (like share the entree/dessert that comes with the TS dining plan credit(s) between two people instead of using both people's credits and getting two entrees/desserts).

Yes, this is what I mean. In fact, even if we didn't share a meal but i simply paid OOP for my appetizer (all I wanted) the manager would still charge me a dining credit if I ate so much as a single bite from anyone else's meal (his actual words and said almost threateningly, I swear). Since we normally taste each other's food, I took the warning and ordered an entree.

I will never return and told him so. No other restaurant has ever treated us this way at WDW. At every other restaurant, btw, we left more than 18% tip. In general, we had the best and friendliest service of our many WDW experiences. Staff were just great. But TI was definitely not our best meal.

 

[nicole0992]

Wow, I am so sad to read all these negative reviews of Tutto. During our June trip it was our favorite restaurant and we had good service. Sounds like things have gone way downhill.

Nicole

 

[wdwtweets]

Just wanted to add that I used to really like Tutto - had great dinners there in the 80s with my parents and brother.

Tutto Italia actually wasn't around in the '80s. It's a fairly new restaurant. Maybe you're thinking of Alfredo's, its predecessor.

Yes, this is what I mean. In fact, even if we didn't share a meal but i simply paid OOP for my appetizer (all I wanted) the manager would still charge me a dining credit if I ate so much as a single bite from anyone else's meal (his actual words and said almost threateningly, I swear). Since we normally taste each other's food, I took the warning and ordered an entree.

Oh my goodness! That is absolutely terrible. I hope that you spoke to a manger. There is no reason for a waiter to ever threaten a customer. I think I would have stood up and walked out! Dinner's not worth that kind of stress.

 

[DVC-Don]

Worst meal and treatment we've ever had at WDW. In fact we were just refunded our entire bill on our credit card two days ago after complaining to their corporate office in California.

 

[wdwtweets]

Worst meal and treatment we've ever had at WDW. In fact we were just refunded our entire bill on our credit card two days ago after complaining to their corporate office in California.

I'm glad to see that your complaints were taken seriously. Can you say more about your experience there?

 

[afcgirl]

We ate at Tutto for the first time in July and loved it. The atmosphere was very luxurious for Disney and the food was great. Maybe not the best Italian food I ever ate, but it hit the spot.

We are definitely going back!