Epcot's Via Napoli is now serving a new sangria flight along with a seasonal pizza, and we were invited to visit the restaurant to see just what goes into making the perfect pizza and to sample some of the new offerings.
An immediate guest favorite since it opened 10 years ago, the 300-seat restaurant created by the Patina Restaurant Group’s CEO Nick Valenti, features a menu with roots in Southern Italy and Valenti’s time developing and overseeing the successful Naples 45 Ristorante e Pizzeria in New York. Valenti spent time in Naples studying the art of dough, crust, sauce and oven temperatures at the famous pizzerias Da Michele and Trianon.
Via Napoli prides itself on authenticity, and uses San Marzano tomatoes, handmade mozzarella and water from a local spring just like in Italy’s Campania region.
Executive Chef Giovanni Aletto prepares the pizza dough using caputo flour imported from Southern Italy.
A central feature at Via Napoli is its wood-burning ovens, named after the three active volcanoes in Italy – Mount Etna, Mount Vesuvius and Stromboli. Each of the ovens operates at around 820F.
Pizzas take just over a minute to bake, and emerge with a perfect crust and just the right amount of char.
Each pizza comes in a variety of sizes, including a 10-inch, 20-inch or 1/2 meter to share: a dozen choices, from a simple pizza Margherita with tomato, mozzarella and basil to carciofi with artichoke, fontina, mozzarella, truffle oil. View the full Via Napoli menu.
This is the San Gennaro Pizza - Mozzarella, fontina, sweet Italian sausage, cherry peppers, onions, tomato. A beautiful crust and a little heat from the sausage and peppers.
Here is the restaurant's signature 1/2 meter pizza to share - a limited time Regina. A white pizza version of the classic Margherita, which can easily feed a family of 4 for around $40.
A guest favorite appetizer is the arancini (fried saffron risotto balls) with meat ragù - a great way to start your Via Napoli experience.
A new addition to the drink line-up is the sangria flight. Via Napoli General manager Gabriele prepares the flight table side using a house-made base combined with prosecco, cabernet and gavi. At $20 it is a great value flight and pairs particularly well with the pizza.
A visit to Via Napoli is not complete without cannoli - the scratch made Cannolo Siciliano features crispy pastry filled with sweet ricotta, chocolate and candied orange.
For good reason, Via Napoli is a popular restaurant at Epcot, so be sure to grab a reservation on My Disney Experience for your next trip. You can also use the Disney Dining Plan for 1 credit.
Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox