What is so bad about Tony's?

[tinkamom]

I've seen so many bad reviews about Tony's but my DD still wants to dine there! Can anyone tell me about their experiences? Is it certain things that are bad or is it the entire experience?

Does anyone have anything good to say about it? Is dinner better than lunch or vise versa? We are on the meal plan so cost is not an issue!
TIA

 

[Lewisc]

I've seen so many bad reviews about Tony's but my DD still wants to dine there! Can anyone tell me about their experiences? Is it certain things that are bad or is it the entire experience?

Does anyone have anything good to say about it? Is dinner better than lunch or vise versa? We are on the meal plan so cost is not an issue!
TIA

The restaurant is well themed so that part of the "experience" is good. Some people like the food. I, and many others, think the pasta and sauce isn't even as "good" as as canned spaghetti. That's good enough for some customers. We were served a raw pork chop. The "chef" thought it was pre-cooked and only had to be browned.

Really not a price issue, if the food was free I still wouldn't go back.

 

[wfloyd]

We didn't have a problem when we ate there other than it took a little longer to get seated than normal. This was probably due to it being Christmas Day though. We thought the food was good and there was enough to satisify us. It was a little pricey for Italian food but we didn't have any complaints about it.

 

[mcr5298]

I feel that everyone should try a restaurant for themselves. So many things can make a difference in a good or bad review. A different menu choice, a different server, a long wait time for the table. You have to go and see for yourself.

That being said, we tried Tony's only once. And I chose the spaghetti and meatballs. It was really no better than Ragu with some so so meatballs on top. I was not impressed, especially at $18 a plate! But I would try Tony's again one day. Maybe choose a different item off of the menu.

Good luck!

 

[sue1013]

I really like Tony's we eat there every trip. Most of the complaints I see are about the spaghetti and meatballs. We never order macaroni with tomato sauce when we are out, we eat ours at home enough. When we were there in March we had a party of 8 everyone was happy with their meals. I remember I had the Veal t-bone it was the best I've had in a long time. Others had Chicken Fiorentina and the Pork Osso Buco. As long as you see something besides the spaghetti on the menu that you would order you should be ok.

 

[pearlieq]

Our biggest issue with Tony's was the price and the value for that price. It was just so hugely overpriced that it was hard to enjoy, though I remember the food being decent, if unspectacular.

If you're on the meal plan, why not try it?

 

[beattyfamily]

I've learned over the years here on the boards, to try things out for myself rather then base it solely on other's opinions.

I'm going to give it a try this October so I can say I've tried it and to see for myself if it's a one-time thing.

 

[palmtreegirl]

I liked it a lot! We went to lunch and I had the Pizza Bianca, it was very good.

 

[Merriwind]

Our Tony's experience is overcooked, school cafeteria type spaghetti with what tasted like watered-down tomato paste for sauce. Ugh! If you want to try it though, by all means do. My Dsis and her DH love Tony's. Enjoy!

 

[Kaycee]

I think you should give Tony's a try, especially if your DD really wants to go there. As others have said, every restaurant gets both good and bad reviews. A couple of our favorite WDW restaurants (Sci Fi and Donald's) regularly get bad reviews. Don't base your dining decisions totally on what others say. It's fine to use other diners' reviews as one factor in deciding where to dine, but don't let it be the only factor.

In our case, we've dined at Tony's twice. I really wanted to like this restaurant (I'm a Lady and the Tramp fan) and I did enjoy the atmosphere very much. But we thought both the food and the service were just so-so, and the food was overpriced for what you get. After the second visit, we decided Tony's isn't for us and we won't be going back. I'm still glad that we gave it a try though, and I highly recommend that you do the same. Who knows, it may end up being your favorite WDW restaurant!

 

[mbaker1277]

Tony's is the only restaurant in 37 visits to WDW that I have ever sent my food back. It was inedible. I ordered a chicken breast sandwich with melted cheese and bacon, but the chicken was so dry and tough that I couldn't eat it. DD did not like her food either, and I thought it was way overpriced for what you got. I would rather eat at Liberty Tree Tavern any day!

 

[auntie k]

I also found the menu very limited. I couldn't find many things I liked, and I am not a picky eater. Also struggled with my 7 yr old nephew. We both settled for spagetti - Fazoli's is better!

 

[grinningghost]

I've never eaten at Tony's, but believe me, I'm tempted. Like a train wreck, I just want to look.

 

[jonestavern]

Having lived in RI, we are very used to some excellent Italian restaurants that are also super $ value, so we are spoiled & our standards must be pretty high-I assume a lot of you have access to some pretty terrific Italian places, too!

With all the $$$ Disney rakes in I really can't see how the majority of their food venues remain so underwhelming! Most are beaurifully themed, so I do realize a large chunk of the restaurant dollars go for the upkeep & maintenance--
But we all know places back in our home states that just blow Disney out of the water food-wise. Yes, I am taking into account the old saw 'we serve so many people'. Let me say DH, myself & now, DS16, all have worked all areas of 'the house' vis a vis restaurants, so we are very aware of the logistics & costing--
Please no flames! We all enjoy Disney here & have our preferred TS & CS, it's just the philosophy behind the lack of value for dollars is disappointing here--

Jean

 

[MicheleC]

Like other people said, you should just try it for yourself, who knows! I've had good and bad experiences at Tony's. My family loves Italian food so we always try to find some on our Disney vacations. The spaghetti and meatballs was definitely a disappointment, but we've had other meals that were good. I think the best meal we had there was when Crystal Palace was closed and they were doing the characters at Tony's. They just had choice of chicken parm, calzone and a few others and they were all delicious. I find them to be better at lunch time also. Have fun and enjoy!

 

[helenk]

I just ate there July 17th and I really enjoyed it! It did take a while to be seated, it was my longest wait all week, but it was not a horrible wait.
Yes it was expensive, but what isn't in WDW. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the service was very good as well.
I had the house salad and it was good, nice and fresh. For my entree I had the Chicken Fiorentina, which was excellent! It was chicken breast topped with prosciutto, spinach, melted cheese it had roasted potatoes and also a side of asparagus. My bill was about $29.00 before tax and I used my DDE card for 20% off.
I'm planning to eat there again when my husband and I go in December.

 

[lmhall2000]

It's by far our worst dining experience EVER..and I'm 37 years old.

*Medium steak was charred....when I complained, the waitress just said "sorry" and walked off...I had to flag her down and tell her it wasn't acceptable...I cut through it and it was solid grey on the inside...she took it back...but my medium steak returned 30 minutes after my children and husband had finished. I tried to tell her to just forget the steak but she said, "It's all ready." 10 minutes later she brought the steak...it was awful.

*The kids spaghetti was tasteless and the noodles were so overcooked that they split apart when they tried to lift them with their fork. Chef Boyardee's don't even do that and they've been sitting in a can forever.

*The breadsticks were soo stale and dry that we laughed and hit them on the edge of the table as drumsticks. We asked for fresh bread but never received any. Drinks were never refilled...

It was just sooo terribly bad that we all had a good laugh about it but vowed to never step foot there again. Even if they get their act together and revamp it all...we would never shade their entrance again.

And really, I'm easy to please!

Tara

 

[Becky2005]

I just ate there July 17th and I really enjoyed it! It did take a while to be seated, it was my longest wait all week, but it was not a horrible wait.

We ate dinner there on July 17th also! Maybe we were there at the same time.

I know it was pretty busy when we went but I thought the food was fine. But I'm not a food expert and thought it was basic good food. We hadn't planned to go here, just worked out.

I had the spaghetti, kids had the pizzas (I thought the crust was awfully thin but I was surprised it tasted pretty good). DH had a steak.

I would go back but we were on the premium plan so I never paid attention to price though.

 

[cocodog]

I think the Chicken Fiorentina must be one of their better dishes. We thought it was outstanding! I had the spaghetti, and it wasn't bad at all-- although I would never think of it as sophisticated Italian food.

 

[danjoan14]

I agree about trying a restaurant for yourself. We have never been to Tony's, but are planning to try it for our first time in October. It probably won't be the same as our fine Italian restaurants in RI, but I'll let my picky DW be the judge of that.