Mama Melrose: Why do people like it?

[Laura's Dad]

We used to do it as part of the Fantasmic! Dining Experience and the food and service were always decent. We liked it better than '50s PTC, Sci-Fi Dine In or Hollywood and Vine.

 

[Jodo98]

I went once and didnt go back. It felt like not real italian food. More of american version of italian food. I like via napoli in Epcot better. Feels a bit more authentic. Some people love Mama's though.

 

[MillauFr]

Is anyone going to Mama Melrose expecting excellence in Italian Food? I doubt it. The vast majority of restaurants at Disney are nothing special. Heck you can get better Italian at a strip mall in Peoria, Illinois. I think everyone knows this. We go to get out the heat, a place to sit down for a while and rest, etc.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Ambiance. The food is mediocre at absolute best, but I love the outdoor/indoor vibe and it's a total mental break from DHS for me. I'll miss it but it's not the end of the world for my Disney dining.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

It was so bad years ago that we didn't return for over 10 years. Recently went back, and while it was not quite as bad, it still wasn't good. Food was okay, waited forever to get our bill at the end.

HS needs better dining! Hoping it will be replaced with something better.

We thought the food at the Trattoria al Forno was fairly good for WDW Italian. WDW has always been weak on Italian food though.

 

[OP95]

It was one of the main restaurants that interested me the most with the Fantasmic dps. Also it was nice to watch the muppets show before or after the reservation.

 

[elvispursley]

We used to carb load at Mama’s when we were doing the marathon—alas, those days are done for DH and me. But they were great and accommodating most of their pastas into vegetarian-friendly pastas. Agree that it definitely became more hit-or-miss, especially after the pandemic. After our last meal there, we decided to just head back to the Swolphin for nice TS meals.

 

[NashvilleMama]

We ate there for the first time just a year or two ago for Fantasmic package and were pleasantly surprised - went back this past fall with the whole family and everyone enjoyed it. It's just a cozy, comfortable place with decent food and had great service both visits.

 

[kathy884]

We did it once to get the special seating for Fantasmic and because we knew our son who is a picky eater likes Italian food. Like you I wasn't overly impressed. I thought it was expensive and that the food was mediocre. Do note we have so many wonderful Italian restaurants in our home town. Also, given how early you had to line up for the special Fantasmic seating, I decided next time, I'd just bring our own food and line up early and eat in line.

 

[peabody58]

Their Mushroom Pizza appetizer is the best ever!! Wife and I each get one and make a meal out of it.

 

[TexasJedi]

For me, it's nostalgia and memories mostly.

My first ever trip to Disney World was on my honeymoon, and my wife and I were young, broke, and didn't do anything like ADR's before the trip, and Mama Melrose was I think the only table service restaurant we ate at on our trip. They brought out a free dessert for us at the end of our meal, which was my first real "Disny magic" experience.

Then fast forward several years to our first trip with our family, and we had reserved it again since it was a special memory for my wife and I, but a couple days into the trip, our middle daughter got sick, and our youngest was still a toddler, so it wound up just being me an my oldest kid who made it to the park that morning while my wife and in-laws stayed at the resort. It wound up being a very special, private father/daughter time that both of us remember to this day.

We've been back a few times since, and the food is definitely hit or miss, but those memories will last forever.

 

[lowlight]

Pizzarizzo will be missed and the meatball sub was decent and the atmosphere was great.

Yes, Pizzerizzo is the real loss here. I’m not sure where my kids are going to eat in HS now, which has the worst dining choices of any park to begin with. Taking two restaurants out of a busy park is a bad decision, but we’ll see.

 

[kylenne]

I went once and didnt go back. It felt like not real italian food. More of american version of italian food. I like via napoli in Epcot better. Feels a bit more authentic. Some people love Mama's though.

It’s not meant to be authentic Italian food. It’s meant to be red sauce, Italian-American, checkered tablecloth kind of food. iirc the theming and backstory specifically point to it as a LA mom and pop kind of place. And that’s legitimate cuisine when done well.

Personally I’ve never bothered with MM being from NYC as excellent takes on that are a dime a dozen at home and I know nothing on property is going to be nearly as good. Even Il Mulino, which is the only Italian place I bother with at WDW, is not as good as the original one here. Just as I imagine folk from Texas or KC are not beating down the door to Regal Eagle or Flame Tree.

 

[gharter]

We loved the location and the theme inside. the food was never great, but always consistent. However, we haven't dined there for several years. Nostalgia still makes me like it.

 

[ncc1701]

We would go there for lunch on our Studio day . We got flatbread pizza, salad and always enjoyed our meals. The one time we went for dinner it was so-so. If you stuck to the flatbread pizza and appetizers it was good.

 

[vinotinto]

Thank you all for your perspectives! And you are all so right! We often choose the restaurants at WDW based on ambiance rather than the food per se. I think that's why we eat at Sci-Fi and 50's (certainly not for the food!). I do love The Godfather and Sinatra and a cool space on a hot day, so maybe we give it a chance instead of Sci-Fi or 50's. I also like a non-breaded Italian fish or meat dish (not so much pasta with bolognese nor meatballs nor chicken parmigiana), and I see a few menu options that may work.

 

[HopperFan]

With the news of the Muppets area closing soon, it got me thinking. I've been to Mama Melrose only once, like 15 years ago, and I frankly don't remember it, so it must not have been anything special. Any reason to eat there? Why do people like it?

Is it authentic, no, just like anything else at Disney? It isn't over the top decor like 50's or Sci Fi. It isn't expensive and a place you are expected to be quiet adult behavior like Brown Derby. It isn't kid centric and a higher priced all you can eat like Roundup or Hollywood Vine. It is just a chill place with decent food and prices where you kids can be a little louder and messier. I think it's the most benign and easy place to dine in DHS for several of those reasons.

That said I haven't been in a decade and won't miss it. But I'll also say that there is no reason to eat at most Disney restaurants, it just comes down to style and location for me.

 

[Pyxie]

Strip steak with macaroni. That's it. That's the reason.

 

[MabelM]

Yes, Pizzerizzo is the real loss here. I’m not sure where my kids are going to eat in HS now, which has the worst dining choices of any park to begin with. Taking two restaurants out of a busy park is a bad decision, but we’ll see.

My family loves Pizzerizzo as well. Is it the best pizza? No. However, there are choices that everyone loves. We are glad it closes after our trip this year!

 

[Pyxie]

Yes, Pizzerizzo is the real loss here. I’m not sure where my kids are going to eat in HS now, which has the worst dining choices of any park to begin with. Taking two restaurants out of a busy park is a bad decision, but we’ll see.

Both restaurants will be replaced with other restaurants. I know that Mama Melrose will be Harry Housen's so that's a pretty big change in cuisine though. I have no idea what Pizzerizzo will become but hopefully its still something kid friendly.