
If you do an internet search for reviews of Tony’s Town Square Restaurant at the Magic Kingdom chances are you are going to find some very negative feedback. While I don’t think the food here is outstanding or gourmet by any means I do think this restaurant has its place in the Magic Kingdom. As a disclaimer, I do not live in an area of the country that has a large number of good or authentic Italian eateries.
This is the second lunch my family has had at Tony’s in the past year, and I have to say we enjoyed both of them. The food was fresh and tasty, it was a nice respite from the heat, and frankly there aren’t that many choices at the Magic Kingdom for a table service meal. I do think that a restaurant with a marquee location at the very start of Main Street USA should be a little more outstanding than Tony’s is currently, but I found no problems with the food, service or atmosphere here.
Entering the Exposition Hall where Tony’s is located can cause for a little confusion since there are multiple destinations within this space. To the right is where the restaurant is located along with the check-in desk. The waiting area is nice with Victorian styling and ample seating, but always seems to be a bit crowded. There is a TV always playing Lady & the Tramp, so that is a good spot to keep the kids entertained as they wait. I think we waited about 10 minutes after we checked in to be called back to our table.
There are two seating areas in the restaurant and they are very different in style. You enter through the more traditional dining room setting with dark wood paneling. In the center is a fountain that features none other than Lady & the Tramp. Half of the seating is in a bright atrium or solarium, and this is where we were seated. There are also a few tables outside on the porch—this is a nice place to sit during good weather months, especially if you happen to time your meal around a parade time or during the Flag Retreat Ceremony.
Our waiter was very attentive and helpful, it was one of the best service experiences we had on this particular trip. He was great about making menu suggestions and making sure our three year old stayed occupied.
The menu is basic Italian and fairly predictable: spaghetti with meatballs (of course—how you could you not have this dish in a restaurant based on Lady & The Tramp), Chicken Parmigiana, Flatbreads, a couple of sandwiches, and a few other pastas. This is for lunch, the dinner menu is slightly different with steaks and no sandwiches. Appetizers, soups and salads start off the menu with choices like zucchini fries, calamari, pasta fagioli and melon with prosciutto. Desserts round it off with tiramisu, gelato and others.
For our family we had a couple of kid’s meal pizzas, an order of spaghetti and meatballs and an order of chicken parmigiana to be shared. We also added an appetizer of zucchini fries. The zucchini fries came out first—they were hot and crispy but nothing spectacular. My son enjoyed them with the sun dried tomato dipping sauce. Next the entrees came out with good timing. The kids’ pizzas were the usual Walt Disney World kid’s meal pizzas—nothing special even though this was an Italian restaurant. My husband enjoyed his spaghetti and meatballs, but again it was nothing to write home about. The shared chicken parmigiana came out divided between two plates already which I appreciated and thought was a nice touch. It is hard to go wrong with Chicken Parm and that was true here. Although it wasn’t spectacular, the chicken was fresh, hot and crispy and it had a good flavor. The noodles were well cooked to al dente and the sauce was fine.
We enjoyed our meal and the break from the parks it gave us. The atmosphere was very nice and the service was quite good. The Disney Dining Plan is accepted here, along with discounts like Tables in Wonderland and others so be sure to ask if you are a DVC member or AP Holder just in case.
It is often difficult to get a table service reservation in the Magic Kingdom with the most popular restaurants being character buffets and of course Be Our Guest at dinner. Tony’s Town Square is a decent to good alternative if you want a sit down meal inside the park and you are unable to reserve a table at the others. It is also a reasonable value with most lunch entrees right at $20 or under. I would recommend giving it a try and deciding for yourself at Tony’s—my family will eat here again.
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FAST Review:
Food: Average, nothing exciting or special to write home about, but it is served warm and prepared fresh. It definitely isn’t bad, just not fine Italian food.
Atmosphere: It can be a bit hectic here, but the setting is nice and the location is top notch. I think I prefer the bright solarium/atrium seating to the dark paneled inside portion of the restaurant.
Service: We experienced excellent service—efficient yet friendly and very helpful.
Tips: Take a walk around the restaurant—the Lady & the Tramp fountain is really neat. Ask your server if Lady & the Tramp could sign your autograph book for you. They don’t come out for meet & greets but sometimes they sign if your server takes the book back for you. I’ve also heard you can ask about this at the check-in podium if you are not dining there.