Kimosabe
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2012
- Messages
- 1,557
I actually posted a good review of Tony's earlier today, not realizing this thread had also just started. We went on Saturday after a few years of avoiding it based on lots of "oh, it's just horrible" reviews on these boards. Realizing that everybody has a bad experience from time to time, we opted to give it another shot (first time a few years ago was OK, but nothing memorable). All of us had a very enjoyable lunch. Atmosphere is fun, and our food was quite good. My kids (10 and 12) shared the chicken parm, and I was a little nervous, having seen rough reviews of it, but they absolutely loved it. Nice thick piece of chicken (not the flat, all-batter, option I had read about) and it had plenty of flavor. Wife got the eggplant "stack" which was really good, and I had the chicken bianco flatbread, which was also quite nice.
I don't think anybody would put it in the same category as Il Mulino, Tutto Italia or Via Napoli, but if you're planning to be in the Magic Kingdom and don't want to leave the park, it's definitely worth a shot. Cracks me up that people compare it to Olive Garden, as if that is the worst insult possible. There are millions of people out there who enjoy Olive Garden, and if you can get something at that level inside a theme park, be thankful...we're not all from Italy or [insert name of the only city/region in the country that someone claims has good Italian food]. If I grew up eating "authentic" Italian food, I'd probably skip it, too, so I can appreciate that. I love a fine dining experience, and Tony's isn't that. But if I'm in a theme park for a full day with my two kids and looking to get off my feet for an hour to enjoy a good meal in a neat atmosphere, Tony's is a good option.
Is Tony's in my top ten at WDW? Doubtful. But let's face it -- nothing else in the Magic Kingdom would be in my top ten either (unless a Citrus Swirl qualifies as a meal), so everything is relative.
I don't think anybody would put it in the same category as Il Mulino, Tutto Italia or Via Napoli, but if you're planning to be in the Magic Kingdom and don't want to leave the park, it's definitely worth a shot. Cracks me up that people compare it to Olive Garden, as if that is the worst insult possible. There are millions of people out there who enjoy Olive Garden, and if you can get something at that level inside a theme park, be thankful...we're not all from Italy or [insert name of the only city/region in the country that someone claims has good Italian food]. If I grew up eating "authentic" Italian food, I'd probably skip it, too, so I can appreciate that. I love a fine dining experience, and Tony's isn't that. But if I'm in a theme park for a full day with my two kids and looking to get off my feet for an hour to enjoy a good meal in a neat atmosphere, Tony's is a good option.
Is Tony's in my top ten at WDW? Doubtful. But let's face it -- nothing else in the Magic Kingdom would be in my top ten either (unless a Citrus Swirl qualifies as a meal), so everything is relative.
