Via Napoli-> Which pizza taste more like NY pizza (wood fired)?

[pooh2001]

Via Napoli in Italy - EPCOT

Which the pizza tastes more like NY pizza which has been cooked in a wood fire oven, just like in Italy ?

Do any of the pizza use marinara sauce and not sliced tomaotes ?

Margherita - tomato, mozzarella, basil
Ortolano - tomato, mozzarella, vegetables
Quattro Formaggi - mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, provolone

If we bought the Mezzo Metro says serves 3-5, how big is it ?
16" round, 18" round 20" round.
We only need 7 or 8 slices of a 16" to 18" pizza.

Thanks!

 

[KTJAY]

Via Napoli in Italy - EPCOT

Which the pizza tastes more like NY pizza which has been cooked in a wood fire oven, just like in Italy ?

Do any of the pizza use marinara sauce and not sliced tomaotes ?

Margherita - tomato, mozzarella, basil
Ortolano - tomato, mozzarella, vegetables
Quattro Formaggi - mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, provolone

If we bought the Mezzo Metro says serves 3-5, how big is it ?
16" round, 18" round 20" round.
We only need 7 or 8 slices of a 16" to 18" pizza.

Thanks!

I thought the Margherita and Quattro (only 2 I tried) were similar to NY pizza.
Personally liked the Quattro better but not a big fan of red sauce.

The people that run Via Napoli also run Naples 45 over on Park near Grand Central-haven't been there but heard its pretty good.

The Mezzo is more like oblong shaped-we didn't have it but someone next to us did-it was huge!!

If you go try the zeppole-they were awesome!!

 

[pooh2001]

I guess we will order the Large $28 - thank you !

We do like sauce on our pizza.
Does the Quattro Formaggi also have pizza tomaote sauce on it ?

 

[JimmyV]

A couple of minor points. First, the traditional ovens in Italy are coal-fired, not wood-fired. Coal burns hotter, and there is a difference, but to most, it isn't that significant. Via Napoli has wood-fired ovens. If I have one complaint is that the pies come out a bit "underdone". No black char around the edge, and the cheese is often not completely melted. At least, not the ones that I have had.

As for sauce, true-to-form pizzas from Naples don't usually use "sauce" in the way we think of it. In other words, it is not a smooth, simmered-for-hours product that you put on pasta. It is often just Marzano tomatoes that have been hand crushed with perhaps a few seasonings added in like oregano and basil. It is still a "spoonable" product that gets ladled on the pie. It just isn't a "sauce" the way you might think. It tastes a whole lot better, IMHO, than just slapping tomato slices on a pie. Via Napoli uses this convention on its "red" pies. White pies, of course, do not have red sauce.

Don't get overly consumed by the choices. You can "build your own pie" using any of the ingredients that you are familiar with back home, or in New York.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Margherita - tomato, mozzarella, basil

 

[TDC Nala]

If I have one complaint is that the pies come out a bit "underdone". No black char around the edge, and the cheese is often not completely melted. At least, not the ones that I have had.

I have to wonder if that does not have something to do with the various complaints I have seen that said "I sent the pizza back because it was burnt." Maybe they're using less cooking time to prevent having pizza sent back because a lot of guests aren't liking the char, and it's not a question of what type of fuel they use for the oven.

 

[The Princess]

Any pictures of the pizzas????

 

[cammie810]

We just ate there yesterday. Had the quattro stagioni (?sp). It was pretty good but a little underdone. We actually had the leftovers today for lunch and it was better reheated a second time in our oven. We ordered the large and it was way more than the two of us could eat. About 8 slices. We also had the house salad and that was really good. The tiramisu was out of this world. The pizza was definitely similiar to NY pizza as far as the crust goes.

 

[shoes99]

Margherita - tomato, mozzarella, basil

We order the small Margherita pizza with a salad for two. Very good.
The first time we ordered the white pizza, can't remember the name, and
it was also very good.

 

[tinacaplan]

A couple of minor points. First, the traditional ovens in Italy are coal-fired, not wood-fired. Coal burns hotter, and there is a difference, but to most, it isn't that significant. Via Napoli has wood-fired ovens. If I have one complaint is that the pies come out a bit "underdone". No black char around the edge, and the cheese is often not completely melted. At least, not the ones that I have had.

And, therein, lies my biggest complaint about the pizza we had at Via Napoli. What is the point of cooking pizza in a real oven if not for the char? I wonder if I shouldn't have ordered my pizza well done?

 

[yenlee]

A couple of minor points. First, the traditional ovens in Italy are coal-fired, not wood-fired.

I'm no pizza expert, but I believe that traditional Neapolitan pizza must be wood-fired, and that coal-fired pizza is actually some sort of New York invention.

The pizza at Via Napoli is supposed to be traditional Neapolitan, so it shouldn't really be NY-style, except in the sense that the new trend in NY is Neapolitan style pizza.

 

[cbg1027]

If you're looking for NY style pizza, then I would avoid Via Napoli. It is Naples/Italian style and thus not the same thing, as some PP's has pointed out the differences.

However, I think it is really good. I've had pizza in Naples Italy, and if that was a 10, I'd give VN an 8. It's the closest thing I've found to true Italian pizza. Just don't go in with expectations of something it's not or trying to compare apples to oranges.

 

[juliebug1997]

Via Napoli in Italy - EPCOT

Which the pizza tastes more like NY pizza which has been cooked in a wood fire oven, just like in Italy ?

Do any of the pizza use marinara sauce and not sliced tomaotes ?

Margherita - tomato, mozzarella, basil
Ortolano - tomato, mozzarella, vegetables
Quattro Formaggi - mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, provolone

Thanks!

It is tomato sauce not tomatoes. I ate there last night and it was delicious. It tastes exactly like authentic Italian pizza.

The individual is just that. A mom/daughter pair sitting across from me shared the next size up. It had 8 slices and they ate 6.

 

[KTJAY]

I'm no pizza expert, but I believe that traditional Neapolitan pizza must be wood-fired, and that coal-fired pizza is actually some sort of New York invention.

The pizza at Via Napoli is supposed to be traditional Neapolitan, so it shouldn't really be NY-style, except in the sense that the new trend in NY is Neapolitan style pizza.

I've thought this too-at least from stories I've been told from family of famous pizzerias-where the owners came from Naples and adapted to american culture and it was easier/cheaper to get coal here. I went to 2 pizzerias in Naples-da Michele and Brandi (famous for the Margherita) and both were wood-firing ovens.

Pepe's in New Haven (Coal-burning) is still my favorite though with da Michele in Naples a close 2nd.

 

[havoc315]

And, therein, lies my biggest complaint about the pizza we had at Via Napoli. What is the point of cooking pizza in a real oven if not for the char? I wonder if I shouldn't have ordered my pizza well done?

When I was there in February, I got decent char on my pizza, DW got a bit more char. Neither pie was underdone.

Another advantage of a wood oven though, is flavor actually imparted by the wood.

 

[JimmyV]

I have to wonder if that does not have something to do with the various complaints I have seen that said "I sent the pizza back because it was burnt." Maybe they're using less cooking time to prevent having pizza sent back because a lot of guests aren't liking the char, and it's not a question of what type of fuel they use for the oven.

Probably falls into the category of "you can't please everybody". People who are not familiar with "real" traditional Neopolitan pizza probably view the charred edge as a flaw, when indeed, that is the intended result. It does seem odd to many to have a charred edge. But putting a char on 5% of the pizza ensures that the other 95% is cooked perfectly. When you cook short of a char, the pizza can be underdone, as many posters have noted in this and other threads. Next time I go, I am going to ask tell them specifically that I am not afraid of a "fully done pizza" and see what happens.

As for fuel choice, it can make a difference, but maybe not enough to concern most people. It is all about the timing and how early in the day the pizzeria fuels its fire. A wood-fired oven can approximate the same 900+ degrees as a coal oven, but to do so, one typically has to start the ovens early in the day, (or never let them go out at all). But given how many "underdone" pizzas seem to come out of Via Napoli, I doubt that they run theirs that high. I can't necessarily explain it, but while wood-fueled pizzas are great, the very best pizzas that I have ever had have all come from coal-fired ovens.

 

[lucyem]

If you ever had pizza up in New Haven CT at Pepe's http://www.pepespizzeria.com/ it is like Via Napoli's. My DH grew up eating Pepe's and was pleasantly surprised when we first tried Via Napoli. We love love it there and has been the most consistently good restaurant we have eaten on WDW property.

The mezzo metro was too big for us to finish. My mom, me, DH, & two boys.

 

[snookiedoodles]

If you ever had pizza up in New Haven CT at Pepe's http://www.pepespizzeria.com/ it is like Via Napoli's. My DH grew up eating Pepe's and was pleasantly surprised when we first tried Via Napoli. We love love it there and has been the most consistently good restaurant we have eaten on WDW property.

The mezzo metro was too big for us to finish. My mom, me, DH, & two boys.

Good to know!!!

 

[1budai]

What has been the wait time? Are there long lines and is it part of the dining as counter service?Thanks

 

[havoc315]

What has been the wait time? Are there long lines and is it part of the dining as counter service?Thanks

It's a table service restaurant.