Via Napoli Review

I think I can speak for most of us who live in the Northeastern United States, when I say we consider ourselves *pizza aficionados*, and claim that New York/New Jersey has the best pizza this side of the Atlantic. Boy, were we wrong. The pizza at Via Napoli is *Mama Mia, hug your Nonna and say Molte Gratzie* good!

The crust ingredients are actually imported from Southern Italy; Caputo flour and spring water from the Compania region. The marinara and pizza sauces are made from San Marzano tomatoes, along with the creamiest mozzarella you can imagine. The pizzas are prepared in wood fire ovens, fittingly named after three of Italy's most famous volcanoes; Vesuvius, Etna and Stromboli.

Via Napoli also serves an array of authentic Italian dishes, pasta, soups and salads and meat entrees.

During our recent visit, we started our dinner off with a pitcher of red Sangria and appetizers.  

My very first sip took me by surprise. I am used to sangria having a little fizz to them, (lemon lime soda or club soda added) This is strictly wine and fruit. WOW This certainly wasn't sugary at all, was light and very refreshing!

Arancini

"Fried risotto balls filled with mozzarella and meat ragu"

These little gems were fantastic! Served with a wonderfully smooth marinara sauce, I could have gotten two orders as an entree! Just perfect. Very enjoyable! 

Tortellini in Brodo

"Beef tortellini and spinach in broth"

How could something so simple be so good? My husband loved this. The tortellini were definitely made on premises and broth had very little salt. Paired with bread, this alone could be lunch.

Pepperoni Pizza 

Now for the reason we decided to visit Via Napoli .... the pizza! Via Napoli has a bevy of pizzas to choose from, as well as build your own. Offered individual size, large or mezzo metro. We opted for the individual size. We saw several tables of 2, ordering the large, and having left overs boxed to enjoy later that evening. Great tip!

"Tomato sauce, pepperoni, tomato, mozzarella"

Not only are the  individual size pizzas huge, this was exquisite! What surprised me was this was not oily at all. How many times have we all had pepperoni pizza that was oily? I was impressed. Perfect balance of cheese and tomato sauce.

Piccante Pizza 

"Tomato sauce, Italian spicy sausage, mozzarella"

Again, huge portion, not oily, perfectly cooked. No oil = high quality meats with very little fat content. Although very good, I did not find the sausage spicy at all.

Now for dessert, which to be honest, I had no room for, so had Tiramisu *to go* which my son devoured and said was delicious. My husband ordered the chocolate gelato, and before I could get my camera out, was nothing but a memory. He absolutely loved it. 

If you visit Via Napoli with friends or family, my suggestion would be to order various pizzas, and share. Bellisimo!!

Located: Italy Pavilion, Epcot

Lunch: 11:30 - 3:30pm

Dinner 4:30 - 9:00pm

Via Napoli is located in the back of Epcot's Italy pavilion. Built in 2010, quickly became one of Epcot's *must dine at* locations. With its high ceilings, it can be a bit noisy, but the decor and architecture exudes Southern Italy's charm.

Deb

Deb Casterline is a weekly, guest blogger exclusive to the Kingdom Konsultant Blog.