Trattoria al Forno Dining Review

Trattoria al Forno is an Italian restaurant that sits on the Boardwalk located behind Epcot in Walt Disney World. If you have been visiting Disney for a number of years you may remember a spot called Kouzzina by Cat Cora, Trattoria al Forno replaced that. And if you have been visiting Disney World for a really long time you may remember this as Spoodles.

Trattoria al Forno Quick Breakdown

• Service: Table-Service
• Type of Food: Steak, Chicken, Allergy Options
• Price: $$
• Location: Boardwalk
• Disney Dining Plan: Yes, 1 Credit
• Discounts: Annual Passholder, Tables in Wonderland
• Features: Reservations, Alcohol
• Good For: Casual Dining
• Menu: Official Disney Dinner Menu

A Tour Around Trattoria al Forno

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You can’t beat a relaxing night soaking in all the Boardwalk has to offer. It’s a quick walk from the back of Epcot (the exit right between France and the UK). So if you are looking for a break from crowds at Epcot or can’t find a reservation within the park Trattoria al Forno may be a great option for you.

A look at the outside of Trattoria al Forno during the night. The Boardwalk takes on a whole new look in the evenings. You can find the entrance to the restaurant between AbracadaBar and the Boardwalk Pizza Window.

A peek at the inside of Trattoria al Forno. This is one of the back rooms that are much quieter and nestled off from the main larger room which can get a little noisy at times. The theming is carried back here and gives off wine cellar vibes.

The inside has a cozy Tuscan feel. The walls are decorated with pictures of pasta being made as well as cooking utensils. I love the diagram of the different pasta shapes as well. If you want some entertainment during your meal see if you can get seated by the open kitchen. You can watch them all night long cooking away to make everyone’s dinner.

While the menu is on request only we wanted to give you a look. Now when you are seated you are presented with a barcode to scan and it will give you an up-to-date look at that night’s menu offerings.

Dinner Dishes

The following are a few of the dishes we have tried from their menu.

Bread Service

You have a couple of options when it comes to the bread service. First is the above bread with an olive oil, olive dipping mix, topped with a balsamic glaze. This is provided complimentary with your meal. If you want to kick things up a bit you could instead opt for garlic bread at an upcharge.

Kale Ceasar Salad

The presentation here was a 10/10. If you are worried about this being a pure kale salad, fear not there really wasn’t a ton of kale and it blended well with romaine. The disappointment was there was no Parmesan-Anchovy Dressing on the salad. We were able to get some brought out pretty quickly and it fixed the issue. But the dressing was pretty overwhelming fishy, I don’t know if we didn’t mix it well on our own or if it was just the dressing itself.

Calamari

This is your typical fried calamari dish with Lemon, Parsley, and Romesco Sauce. That’s not to knock it in the least because it was amazing and quickly devoured at our table. It was a giant portion and the two of us struggled to finish it. On the plus side, we had leftovers of our main entrees to bring home for lunch the next day.

Insalata Caprese

One of my favorite apps is the house-made Burrata, Ripe Tomatoes, Extra Virgin Olive Oil! The soft cheese paired perfectly with the marinated tomatoes as well as the complementary bread. I liked that this wasn’t overly filling and I was still able to eat my main dish when it came out.

Parmigiana di Pollo

This is your classic Italian dish of chicken parmesan. It comes with Breaded Chicken Breast, Pecorino Romano, Provolone, Fresh Pasta, and is topped with Sunday Gravy. My husband and I loved this dish so much that we both decided to order it on one of our trips. Plus sticking to the bread and chicken parmesan kept our bill at one of the lowest prices we have paid for a sit-down meal at Disney World.

Oak-grilled Strip Steak Florentine

The steak option on the menu didn’t disappoint. The strip steak is paired with Hearth-roasted Vegetables, Olive Oil Potatoes, Amarone Butter. The sauce really was the perfect pairing with the steak. The steak did have plenty of oak flavor and was cooked to a perfect medium temperature.

Truffle Gnocchi

This dish is so delicious but super heavy. It’s the perfect carb-loading meal right before a runDisney race. While this gnocchi was good I still maintain that Topolino Terrace has the best gnocchi on Disney property. The Gnocchi comes with Parmesan, Fontina, and a Pecorino Cream.

Pasta alla Carbonara

Here is the Pasta alla Carbonara I ordered, which I added chicken to for some extra protein. The standard dish comes with bacon, house-cured Pancetta, egg, pecorino romano, fresh pasta. It’s a bit more traditionally Italian than the more Americanized version served at chain Italian restaurants. I wasn’t so crazy about this dish, I think it was just a little too much soupy egg for my taste.

Shrimp Pappardelle

This pasta dish contains artichokes, tomatoes, capers, and topped with a white wine-butter Sauce. After a hot day this was the perfect dish with its light sauce. The homemade pasta was probably my favorite thing, I am such a sucker for carbs! The shrimp were perfectly cooked and in plenty.

Lasagna al Forno

The Lasagna al Forno got two thumbs up. It was a great blend of sauce and fresh pasta and was super filling. On this last round, it was plated differently but still just as good. Don’t be scared off with the ingredients it tastes like a classic homemade lasagna. The lasagna is a blend of Italian Cheeses, Beef, Veal, Pork, Herb Ricotta. Below is a look at the lasagna on our most recent trip.

Cheese Pizza

We were pleasantly surprised with the pizza here at Trattoria al Forno! It was a greater starter for my husband and me to split and then we split an entree. It helped us save money on the bill and save some room for dessert too!

Dark Chocolate Semolina Torta

This chocolate cake was perfection. I have been trying to dream up a reason to go back and eat it again. If you like chocolate and almond then this is your dessert pick. The cake is a little on the dry side but you don’t even notice with the generous Brachetto Raspberry Cream topping. The fresh berries and toasted almonds were the perfect garnish for this dish.

Of course, we also had to fully show off the hidden Mickey that can be found in this dessert. I just love those special Disney touches.

Zeppoli

I highly recommend trying out the Zeppoli for dessert. It is an almond sugar-coated fried dough with dipping sauces.

Tiramisù

Tiramisù ladyfinger soaked with espresso and layered with Italian mascarpone cream.

Breakfast Dishes

Pros and Cons of Trattoria al Forno

Let’s dig into the plus and minus’ of dining at Trattoria al Forno. This is designed to help you find out if picking to eat here is a good fit for you and for your trip.

Pros for Dining at Trattoria al Forno

• A perfect blend of traditional Italian dishes. Perfect for those that love Italain food.
• If you a local or have a fridge in your hotel room, the portions are giant here. There was plenty of leftovers to take back with us and have for lunch the next day. Alternatively you could easily split a dish here.
• Can often scoop up a last minute reservation.

Cons for Dining at Trattoria al Forno

• Outside the theme park. If you aren’t a guest of one of the Epcot resorts this may be a bit out of the way for you.
• Meals are pretty pricey here so this option may not be for those on a tight budget.

Recommendation

This is a great stop if you want to get out of the crowds at Epcot during the busy season. It serves pretty standard dishes here and is a good meal but still lacks that extra special quality we find at places like Ohana and California Grill.

There is nothing offensive about this restaurant and it has a nice varied menu of Italian dishes that should have something to please everyone in your party. We like to keep this stop in our back pocket if we need a dining spot in a pinch as it’s easy to get a last-minute reservation here.

Have you dined at Trattoria al Forno? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. Be sure to share your favorite dish with us as well! Any questions we can help you answer? Just let us know in the comment section below.

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If you are interested in booking a reservation for Trattoria al Forno you can do so through My Disney Experience. We find reservations are easy to make here, you don’t necessarily have to book this location in advance.

Want more dining tips? Check out our Best Disney World Restaurants recommendations along with Worst Disney Dining Sit Down Restaurants. If you are visiting with young ones read our Best Places to Eat with Kids at Disney World.