via Napoli and Paradiso 37

[OKW Lover]

Val & I decided to try Via Napoli for lunch today. Going in I had heard some fairly positive reviews here on the DIS and the podcast so I was cautiously optimistic.

We walked up about 11:45 and there was no line at all. Being seasoned WDW diners, we asked how long the wait would be for a party of two, only to be told come right this way. Pretty amazing. Actually, the place was practically empty since it was just the beginning of the lunch time. As we ate, the place got busier but it still wasn't full by the time we left (about noon:thirty), although some folks were waiting in the foyer - don't know why. Perhaps they are purposefully keeping the number of tables down while they iron out things.

So, how was it? Really good! The service was excellent, with our waiter bringing us water and diet cokes right away as we perused the menu. Decided to try the arancini appetizer.

You get a serving of three which are about the size of a golf ball. Very tasty! Val said she could do those as a meal.

We decided to try the pizza since early reports had them as the feature item here. We went with the quattro Formagi

which was also very good. This is a very large pizza listed as being for 2-3 people. We couldn't finish it, leaving behind a couple of slices and copious amounts of crust.

Overall, with two soft drinks, the bill was right about $40 after TIW. A bit expensive for pizza, but not outrageous.

 

[Mindy5767]

We also tried Via Napoli on our recent August trip. We went for a late supper. We were told about an hour for a wait. We figured "why not?!" The wait was actually closer to 40 minutes. Fair. Our waitress was Francesca. She was attentive but not hovering. I'd say the service was excellent. We skipped the appetizer so we'd have room for dessert. I ordered the Tortino di Malanzane - eggplant $18. My husband had the single Quattro Formaggi wood fired pizza. My eggplant was delicious, cooked perfectly. The baked spaghetti was also very good. The single pizza had a nice thin crust perfectly crisped crust. It looked like a very generous potion to me. He managed to finish it, but if it had been convenient to take away the leftovers, he might have left some for later. We shared a slice of Torta di Sarena - apple cake with almond sorbetto $8 for dessert. It would have been nice to try several desserts, but my husband didn't want a full dessert for himself. The apple cake was very good. It had a completely different taste from German apple cake that we are used to. With our meal, we enjoyed a glass of white wine. I don't have my notes in front of me so I can't tell you what it was right now. But it was excellent and well balanced. My 8 year old daughter ordered the spaghetti with meal balls. She enjoyed her spaghetti, but didn't care for the meat balls. She rarely likes meat, so we probably should have asked for it sans meatballs. Overall, I'd say the restaurant has a very nice ambiance. It was a little loud in terms of taking a phone call at the table. I had to go outside when the caller (my sister) said the words "water in your basement"... we seem to always get these calls from home when we're at a nice meal. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who can appreciate real Italian food.

 

[BriarRosie]

Looks good. I want to try this place.

I think they hold people back in restaurants that have empty tables if the pace in the dining room is backed up. If too many tables are full and the kitchen isn't keeping up, the service falls behind. I think it's a timing thing with the kitchen.

 

[wdwscout]

I also had a chance to dine here this past week- Wednesday, I believe.
It was a "mostly good" experience.

I was by myself. The lobby was full of people waiting, but there were some empty tables in the main restaurant. Anyone who would sit outside was seated right away. I was told it would be about 10 minutes and watched the gentleman at the podium write my name on the list. I sat down and started talking to another family who arrived a few minutes later. After about 20 minutes (and after several others who came after me had been called) I approached the podium again and asked how much longer. They could not find my name anywhere! But I was then seated right away.

My server was Francesca- and she had about 3 tables including mine. She acknowledged that I was there, but it took another 10 minutes before she asked about beverages and another 5 or so to actually get my Acqua Fresca (never did get the ice water I asked for).
All I was ordering was an appetizer and I tried the Arancini. It was excellent- I really enjoyed it and the 3 pieces were a perfect size for what I wanted.

At the table next to me a couple had one of the pizzas that serve 2-3. It was really large- more like 3-4 people in my opinion. But it looked very good.

I did enjoy by brief meal there, and may not have noticed being "ignored" if I had people with me to talk to. I do plan to try it again for a full meal on a future visit.

 

[DebºoºS]

We enjoyed a leisurely two hour lunch there in the beginning of August. I posted a review here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2542005

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Thank you for the review with pics. We have an ADR for December.

Jennifer

 

[ADP]

Thanks for the pictures Jeff. I will be trying this restaurant during the opening weekend of Food & Wine. Looking forward to it.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Thanks for the pictures Jeff. I will be trying this restaurant during the opening weekend of Food & Wine. Looking forward to it.

Make sure to post a review. Inquiring minds want to know!

Jennifer

 

[stitchlover]

Thanks so much for the reviews. It is definitely on our list for dinner in March when we are there.

 

[Mindy5767]

Now that I'm at my laptop, I can post some photos. Here is the picture of the Four Cheese (quattro frommagio sp?) pizza, individual size my DH had. As you can see, it is plenty big enough for 2 medium appetite adults or several children.

Children's spaghetti and meat balls:

The Eggplant:

The baked spaghetti with a side of marinara:

They brought this bread to the table with a bit of extra virgin olive oil

and this was our apple cake dessert:

The family at the adjacent table had the meter long pizza, which they served up on a riser so you still have room on the table.

 

[stitchlover]

The eggplant, baked spaghetti and dessert look wonderful!!!

I also like the looks of the risotto balls from the appetizer that someone posted earlier.

Thanks for the pictures! This has become a must do on the list! If I have to I will put it in the "Mommy picked this one restaurant" category.

 

[Mrs D]

Thanks for the pictures Jeff. I will be trying this restaurant during the opening weekend of Food & Wine. Looking forward to it.

Oh Oh! Me too! 10/5 at 2pm!

 

[WaltD4Me]

I have an ADR for Monday Nov. 15th at 7:30pm.....I really can't wait now!
I already can't decide....pizza or baked spaghetti? The both look delicious! Thanks so much for the pics!

 

[OKW Lover]

I thought I'd just add this to my original Via Napoli thread since it was a very similar experience. We didn't plan on doing this at all, we were just in the area and needed to eat. Remembering a couple of comments on the podcast we decided to give this a try.

Walked up at about 12:30 and there were lots of empty tables so we were seated promptly. First impressions, a very nice place. Light and airy. Lots of interesting stuff to look at. Got the menus and tried to figure out what to order.

Too many good choices. Plus we weren't really that hungry. So we decided to just do two appetizers. We ordered the quesadillas, which come in chicken or beef. We couldn't decide and the waitress suggested half of each. That was a great suggestion and thats what we did. They were both good. Not great, but certainly very good. The second appetizer was deep fried mac n cheese balls. These were really, really good. A good size portion and easily sharable.

Had a small problem while there. Due to the humidity and the open doors, the air conditioning vent above our table had developed some condensation on the outside. After it dripped on me during the meal (hadn't noticed it earlier) we mentioned it to the manager who was appropriately concerned and immediately remediated the issue. Great guest recovery. Plus a free drink for our trouble.

We will be going back!

 

[basketlacey]

That individual pizza is bigger than I would have guessed! Your pics are great. I love that you got a shot of the meter pizza!

Thanks for sharing your review! I really really want pizza now!

 

[OKW Lover]

Just wanted to add that we repeated our via Napoli experience today. Arrived about 2:00 and had a 15 minute or so wait. Service and food were as good as our Saturday visit.

...too bad there isn't a shuttle.

 

[Mindy5767]

Just wanted to add that we repeated our via Napoli experience today. Arrived about 2:00 and had a 15 minute or so wait. Service and food were as good as our Saturday visit.

...too bad there isn't a shuttle.

No fair!!! You got to go twice already!! Jealous!!!

Did you happen to take any photos of the Paradiso 37 restaurant itself? It looks very interesting. I've been thinking of trying it, but we hadn't ended up near it. Would it be appropriate to bring an 8 year old? I think she'd love the fried mac & cheese balls. I'm lactose intolerant so I'll have to find something other than the cheese balls and the quesadillas. Maybe we can make it there during our next visit in 75 days!

 

[exwdwcm]

thanks for sharing guys. the pizza looks really good- we have an ADR there for early December and can't wait to try. That baked spaghetti looks pretty delish too!

Paradiso is on my to do list on a future trip for sure.