Trattoria al Forno
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Like the labyrinthine contours of the conch shell, the frills and folds of Trattoria al Forno's lasagna dish evoke the delicious mystery of how pasta, sauce, and cheese can come together so miraculously by the cooks here to create a completely new take on this iconic dish. We've eaten here since its Spoodles days, ate Cat Cora's Kouzzina and even met her once when she came to our table. But the best incarnation of this space is, by far, Trattoria al Forno. My friend opened this restaurant several years ago as sous chef, and despite menu changes after he moved on, the place definitely still honors his vision for the place. We had a late dinner on July 18. We'd have preferred an earlier seating, but reservations are hard to score here--plan ahead! Prior to our dinner, we stopped by Abracadabar next door to enjoy drinks. It's said to be the only place on property which serves absinthe, which I enjoyed. But that's the stuff of a separate review (which see), but once finishing up at Abracadabar, we made out way to Trattoria al Forno without leaving the building. The foods here are awesome! The cheese plate is unlike others I've encountered. The meats take center stage, with fresh-pulled mozzarella, goat cheese, and ricotta serving in the cheese roles. The best part of the cheese plate was the bowl of pickled vegetables! They're delicious. Dann had the chicken parmigiano as his entree, while I pounced on the lasagna like an excited kitten on a ball of yarn. Both entrees were DELICIOUS! Dessert for me was the Panna cotta, while Dann partook of the stracciatella Gelato. These were amazing as well. Dann added a shot of lemoncello to make the end of his meal perfect (I had already had some absinthe as mentioned, so I limited my alcohol intake here to wine with my entree). But the most amazing part of this meal, as always, was our server. Josh was awesome! He normally works at Ohana at Disney's Polynesian Resort, but he was a natural at Trattoria al Forno! Many of the servers here were taking advantage of the new policy at Walt Disney World Resort which allows employees to make their own decisions about grooming. The competition for Best Beard was severe, but Josh, with his carefree-but-coiffed look, easily took the prize on this one! When you're at Disney's BoardWalk Resort, please do yourself a favor and eat here. Reservations are mandatory--there's seldom any extra seats for walk-ups. You'll love it!
Josh FippenJosh Fippen
00
I’ll begin this review by saying: if you’re staying on Disney property, consider heading to Disney Springs for your dining experience. However, if you’re hoping for a pleasant evening at the Boardwalk, I would advise against this restaurant. Here’s why: We made a reservation through the Disney app, which was confirmed with a reservation number. Upon arrival, the app stated that we hadn’t confirmed our reservation, and we needed to speak with the hostess. She was polite and explained that the app often glitches and that we weren’t the only ones affected. My guess is we may have been bumped in favor of on-property guests, as we were staying at a different resort—but that’s purely speculation. Regardless, we waited an additional 20 minutes past our reservation time before being seated in the middle of the bustling restaurant. The dress code online was listed as “resort casual,” which appeared to be interpreted quite loosely. The majority of diners were dressed in T-shirts, shorts, flip-flops, and even sweatpants—yes, sweatpants. If you’re planning to wear anything remotely polished, such as khakis and a knit shirt, you’ll be overdressed. The atmosphere was chaotic, with servers rushing around and the kitchen constantly clanging with pots and pans. It felt disorganized and loud. Our server was nice, but seemed eager to get us through our meal quickly. He brought us some rolls that were dry, accompanied by roasted garlic submerged in oil, which was far from appetizing. My drink went empty and wasn’t refilled, and it seemed the server didn’t notice—or perhaps didn’t care. At one point, the table beside us ordered a bottle of wine, and the same server had to be reminded to bring an ice bucket to keep the wine chilled. As for the food, it was underwhelming. Both dishes were excessively salty. The plant-based pasta option was particularly salty, and the gnocchi, which were pan-fried in a white sauce with a heavy sprinkle of parmesan, lacked flavor balance. The server checked on us once, but by that point, it hardly mattered. A funny moment occurred when the server tried to deliver the check to the table next to us, and the diner responded, “I’m still drinking my wine, take this check back.” It was a small but amusing moment in an otherwise lackluster experience. Our total for two entrees and a tea came to $70, which felt steep for the quality of food and service we received. Disney can do better. In the meantime, if you’re in the area, I’d suggest heading over to Disney Springs. There are several fantastic dining options, including The Polite Pig—be sure to check out my review of that restaurant.
Adam ArdizzoniAdam Ardizzoni
00
Service was great. We loved our server even though he disappeared once he demanded tip. My star is solely for the food. Yuck. It was NOT tasty at all. Out of all the years of dining at Disney this was our first bad meal on the first try. The pancakes were too thick, dry and did not have a taste. They were bland. My caramel apples had an after taste of lobster with butter, that is literally all I kept saying as I tried to eat it. (I love lobster by the way). The apples did not make the pancakes taste any better. The meal just was not good or tasty. My kids didn't like their pancakes either, they mentioned they were too thick for them. As for the characters, Ariel did a walk by photo op with my daughter. I laugh now but I wasn't then, I was a bit disappointed. She walked to the table, took a photo and left in a matter of 3 seconds. We did like the pastry tray. I also think the iced coffee is too die for. I Loved it. Very tasty and super iced cold topped with whipped cream. We will never eat here again. Not worth the money for tasteless food. Flynn Rider and Prince Eric were darling to meet but not worth a bad meal. Finally, I must say Disney servers has this thing where if you're on the Disney dining plan they demand tip before they process your bill. I am not sure if this is a new policy but if tipping is optional then give me the option, do not demand me to tip. Some Disney servers are not great and do not deserve a tip, imho. I had this happen throughout my whole stay and it was a turn off at ALL restaurants. Let me tip as I see fit.
Cayndii MoonstoneCayndii Moonstone
00
The atmosphere is open concept which if you like watching a working kitchen is pretty neat. Personally I loved it. Yhe bread service was a wonderful start. Simple rolls but with a mouth watering garlic confit to top it off. The garlic literally mushed right into the bread and together melted right in your mouth. The appetizers, for me were the stars this night. The fresh burrata with tomatoes that felt like they were just picked was absolutely Devine. The creamiest of the burrata with the sharp tang of the tomatoes and tartness of the balsamic was just perfectly combined. Then for the bruschetta you too those tomatoes added some fire roasted ones on top all on top of some crispy but delightfull bread was another hit. The arancini was so crisp on the outside and melt cheesy gooey goodness on the inside. The double sauces just added to the flavors. Now I got the Chicken Parm which was good, juicy, flavorful and a nice size portion. However, the pasta was overcooked with a very underseasoned sauce on it. Literally have made better at home. Just didn't hit the spot the appetizers did. Quality didn't feel on the same level at all. Friend got the steak which she said was eh, a piece of steak (yes I know steak at an Italian restaurant what do you expect...but she had diet restrictions that led to that choice). Other friend got the Lasagan whoch has 3 meats, 3 cheese and 2 sauces and he said this was the dish to get. Absolutely wonderful and lived up to the hype we had heard about. So maybe next time I'll try it for myself.
Brittney PickeringBrittney Pickering
00
Food: Gnocchi di Patate was delicious. The best dish of the night. The sauce was very tasteful. The potato mixed well with the dish. Lasagna al Forno was delicious & the portion was quite good. Probably the best entree out of all the entrees The Pasta alla Carbonara was very cheesy. The slice of bacon was good. Good amount of portion of pasta. The Pasta Alla Bolognese sauce was delicious, however the pasta was under cook. Portion was quite small compared to the other dishes. The Spaghetti and meatballs had very tasteful meatballs. There is a lot of seasoning in it. The Pasta for it was also good, but the texture was soft and square at the same time. Good portion. Tiramisu was very delicious. It was creamy and soft. In my opinion, the best dessert here. Dessert is small portion. Budino was good, but not as great as the Tiramisu. If you want something that is not too sweet, then get this dessert. The portion is the same as the tiramisu. Spoonful of Gelato is basically very chocolaty. It's a chocolate lovers dessert. Service: Caitlin was an awesome server. She made sure our experience was magical. The manager was also very nice and fixed our problem even though it wasn't necessary. Ambience: This place is very romantic. Seating is very nice too. They have booths on the end for up to 5 people. Plenty of seating. The waiting area is also very nice. There is a bar section, which is also fancy. Price: Food is expensive for its portion size. Your paying for the experience and high quality service.
Steven BuiSteven Bui
00
My girlfriend and I had an amazing experience here tonight. Andrea was our waitress, and she is phenomenal. Her knowledge of everything on all the menus, all of her recommendations, her outgoing and bright spirit, really took this experience over the top. She deserves 5 stars all by herself. The food. Wow. We shared the bruschetta for an antipasto. It was crunchy, bright, and rich. The balsamic here is really thick and delicious. I had the lasagna for the main. It was hearty and fresh, and the mixture of the cream sauce and the tomatoes was delightful. She had the Truffle Gnocchi. Thankfully, she let me try a bite. This was the "wow!" dish of the evening's meal. Hand-made, fresh, savory, umami, potato pillows that are heavenly. The Cream based sauce was garlicky, rich, and bursting with flavor. She is a big Gnocchi enthusiast and declared that this was the best she's had, hands down. Finally, we shared the olive oil cake for dessert. It was light, fireworks of flavor and textures. The gelato was creamy and not overly sweet. The cake was dense but not heavy. The blueberry compote was tart and bright. The candied pistachios were a welcome sweet crunch. We never finish dessert, and we left the plate clean. Overall, because of Andrea's stellar service and the food being amazing, this place truly earns my 5 out of 5 stars across the board.
Chris StakeChris Stake
00
Nearby Attractions Of Trattoria al Forno
Soarin' Over California
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort
Disney's BoardWalk Villas
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Disney's Beach Club Resort
France Pavilion
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
Germany Pavilion

Soarin' Over California
4.8
(4K)Click for details

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
4.8
(3.4K)Click for details

Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort
4.3
(5.8K)Click for details

Disney's BoardWalk Villas
4.7
(5.7K)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Trattoria al Forno
Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria
Tutto Italia Ristorante
Cape May Cafe
Le Cellier Steakhouse
Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya
San Angel Inn Restaurante
Ale & Compass Restaurant
Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop
Yachtsman Steakhouse

Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria
4.7
(2.1K)$$$
Click for details

Tutto Italia Ristorante
4.8
(1.7K)Click for details

Cape May Cafe
4.5
(1.2K)$$$
Click for details

Le Cellier Steakhouse
4.5
(1.3K)$$$$
Click for details
Basic Info
Address
2101 Epcot Resorts Blvd, Orlando, FL 32830
Map
Phone
(407) 939-5277
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Website
disneyworld.disney.go.com
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Reviews
Overview
4.2
(670 reviews)$$
Ratings & Description
Description
Informal trattoria serving well-known dishes from across Italy, plus an all-Italian wine list.
attractions: Soarin' Over California, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™, Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort, Disney's BoardWalk Villas, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Disney's Beach Club Resort, France Pavilion, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, Germany Pavilion, restaurants: Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria, Tutto Italia Ristorante, Cape May Cafe, Le Cellier Steakhouse, Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya, San Angel Inn Restaurante, Ale & Compass Restaurant, Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya, Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, Yachtsman Steakhouse

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