Via Napoli-Worth the Hype?

[Sarahraegraham]

I hate the pizza at Via Napoli. Tastes like smoke because of how it’s cooked, and I detest smoky food. But some people love it, so to each their own.

 

[Cynner]

There's definitely hype. I've been once and this is what we got...

While not completely lacking, we felt they'd gone a bit light on the toppings compared to other pizza pictures I'd seen. And while I don't mind a thin pizza, this was horribly thin and soggy. I remember rolling up my pieces to try and eat them by hand because they were limp like a cooked piece of spaghetti when we picked them up. My parents have been back since this visit and felt the smaller pies were executed much better than the big ones pictured above, but in both visits, they felt the service left a lot to be desired. I'm now gluten free and dairy free, so there's no point in me going back.

Just so you know, these pizzas are made to be 'rolled up' to eat. And you do need to be careful what toppings you add, they're not made for American toppings. I'm sorry you had a bad time though

 

[goofyintoronto]

We have to go every trip! Get the Quattro formagi

Oh dear lord YES!!!!! The Quattro Fromaggi is my fave pizza. So good. I cant wait to go back.

 

[Tink1987]

I’m probably in the minority here but we hated Via Napoli. Pizza was awful, the servers were rude. I think it’s the most overrated restaurant in WDW and the worst for us.

 

[mkla2015]

We enjoy Via Napoli- its very busy and chaotic inside and you never know what kind of service you are going to get. Last time (earlier this year) we had a brand new waitress and she was struggling but at the end she brought out an anniversary cookie/cake with a candle for DH and myself and all the servers sang in Italian but they put it in front of my cousin who was clueless of what was going on- he thought they were singing Happy Birthday to him. The waitress knew it was a mistake so a few minutes later she came out with all the servers again and another cookie/cake to sing. It was so funny, we were all dying laughing and it just made our night and gave us a story we'll never forget.

We've enjoyed the food and will be returning. I really like the pizza- as others have said it's not the normal new york or chicago type pizzas so don't go in expecting that. The chicken parm is also great there and HUGE- definitely enough for 2 people (or more) to share.

 

[DLgal]

Just so you know, these pizzas are made to be 'rolled up' to eat. And you do need to be careful what toppings you add, they're not made for American toppings. I'm sorry you had a bad time though

Technically, they are supposed to be eaten with a fork and knife. That is how they do it in Italy. They think Americans are weird for folding their pizza and eating it with their hands.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Just so you know, these pizzas are made to be 'rolled up' to eat. And you do need to be careful what toppings you add, they're not made for American toppings. I'm sorry you had a bad time though

maybe so, but it’s nothing like any of the pizza we had in Italy...none of which was rollable or soggy.

 

[MrsDuck]

We weren't overly impressed with Via Napoli. To each their own!

 

[Belle5]

We always dine there! The quattro formaggi is our favorite!

 

[mkb3]

Ate there last week for the first time. Good Pizza, but I can get the same stuff back home for half the price in a much quieter environment. I regret not eating at more Food and Wine booths like we did for lunch.

 

[MomOTwins]

maybe so, but it’s nothing like any of the pizza we had in Italy...none of which was rollable or soggy.

You probably had sicilian style. Neapolitan style pizza in Italy is such a thin crust you can't pick it up at all: meant to be eaten with a fork and knife.

 

[SMRT-1]

My Wife and I have Via Napoli on our "must do" list for every trip. However, they're going for authentic Neapolitan pizza, so it's different from what most people here in the US are expecting when we think of pizza. It's cooked in a very high-temperature wood-fired oven, so the crust will have char marks on it. The sauce is also just tomatoes and salt, so it's much more "tomato-y" than the sweet, highly seasoned sauce we're used to. The last major difference is that the cheese is large chunks of buffalo mozzarella, rather than the more evenly distributed shredded mozzarella that is typical of American pizza. We really enjoy it, but, ultimately, I think it all comes down to personal preference.

 

[Moliphino]

My Wife and I have Via Napoli on our "must do" list for every trip. However, they're going for authentic Neapolitan pizza, so it's different from what most people here in the US are expecting when we think of pizza. It's cooked in a very high-temperature wood-fired oven, so the crust will have char marks on it. The sauce is also just tomatoes and salt, so it's much more "tomato-y" than the sweet, highly seasoned sauce we're used to. The last major difference is that the cheese is large chunks of buffalo mozzarella, rather than the more evenly distributed shredded mozzarella that is typical of American pizza. We really enjoy it, but, ultimately, I think it all comes down to personal preference.

The Margherita pizzas we had in Italy (Rome and near Pompeii) didn't have tomato sauce at all, just tomatoes.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

You probably had sicilian style. Neapolitan style pizza in Italy is such a thin crust you can't pick it up at all: meant to be eaten with a fork and knife.

I'm familiar with Sicilian style...I grew up in a predominantly Italian town in NJ. This wasn't that either. All I know is we had pizza in several cities in Italy and it was nothing like they soggy mess we got a VN. As noted in my initial post, my parents have had some follow up dining experiences at VN and what they were served in the subsequent visits was not soggy like our first visit. So, I'm more inclined to think our first experience was just a bad one and another example of Disney restaurant inconsistency.

 

[DLgal]

My Wife and I have Via Napoli on our "must do" list for every trip. However, they're going for authentic Neapolitan pizza, so it's different from what most people here in the US are expecting when we think of pizza. It's cooked in a very high-temperature wood-fired oven, so the crust will have char marks on it. The sauce is also just tomatoes and salt, so it's much more "tomato-y" than the sweet, highly seasoned sauce we're used to. The last major difference is that the cheese is large chunks of buffalo mozzarella, rather than the more evenly distributed shredded mozzarella that is typical of American pizza. We really enjoy it, but, ultimately, I think it all comes down to personal preference.

Just need to clarify a couple things. They don't use tomatoes and salt. They literally just open up cans of crushed San Marzano tomatoes and use that as the "sauce." There are a few more ingredients in the brand they use, including basil leaves, but yeah, it's not like American pizza sauce.

They also don't use buffalo mozzarella standard. That stuff is expensive! They just use fresh mozzarella. I think you may be able to add buffalo mozzarella as an "upgrade." You can do so at Naples in DL, but it's an upcharge. Most American pizza uses low moisture whole or part skim mozzarella. This is actually a reason one of my sons doesn't like VN pizza...the rubbery texture of the cheese once it cools turns him off (he is very sensory sensitive in his mouth).

I love Neapolitan pizza and choose it over any other type, although I do love a good NY style pizza as well.

 

[SMRT-1]

Just need to clarify a couple things. They don't use tomatoes and salt. They literally just open up cans of crushed San Marzano tomatoes and use that as the "sauce." There are a few more ingredients in the brand they use, including basil leaves, but yeah, it's not like American pizza sauce.

They also don't use buffalo mozzarella standard. That stuff is expensive! They just use fresh mozzarella. I think you may be able to add buffalo mozzarella as an "upgrade." You can do so at Naples in DL, but it's an upcharge. Most American pizza uses low moisture whole or part skim mozzarella. This is actually a reason one of my sons doesn't like VN pizza...the rubbery texture of the cheese once it cools turns him off (he is very sensory sensitive in his mouth).

Yeah. I think we're trying to say the same thing. My point was that authentic "sauce" is traditionally allowed to only contain San Marzano tomatoes and salt and it's not cooked down, so it's essentially just raw crushed tomatoes, and therefore very different from the cooked down, sweet, heavily seasoned "pizza sauce" people are used to.

You're right about the cheese. I don't know why I remembered it being buffalo mozzarella (I suppose that just means it's been too long since my last visit). But as you pointed out, even the regular cow's milk mozzarella that they use is full-moisture and not what people are used to on American pizza.

I think the wetter "sauce" and full-moisture mozzarella contribute to Neapolitan pizza being soggier than than people are used to

The last time we visited, Via Napoli was one of only 90 US restaurants (and the only one in FL) that was certified authentic by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana. However, I took a look today, and Via Napoli is no longer listed among the 94 US restaurants currently certified. I wonder what they changed to make it no longer "authentic." Maybe cheaper non-Italian ingredients to cut costs, or trying to "Americanize" it to appeal to a wider audience? Maybe it's the same, and Disney just didn't want to pay whatever fees might be associated with certification. There's no use speculating, I suppose, but it does have me concerned that the pizza might not be the same on our upcoming trip early next year.

 

[DLgal]

Yeah. I think we're trying to say the same thing. My point was that authentic "sauce" is traditionally allowed to only contain San Marzano tomatoes and salt and it's not cooked down, so it's essentially just raw crushed tomatoes, and therefore very different from the cooked down, sweet, heavily seasoned "pizza sauce" people are used to.

You're right about the cheese. I don't know why I remembered it being buffalo mozzarella (I suppose that just means it's been too long since my last visit). But as you pointed out, even the regular cow's milk mozzarella that they use is full-moisture and not what people are used to on American pizza.

I think the wetter "sauce" and full-moisture mozzarella contribute to Neapolitan pizza being soggier than than people are used to

The last time we visited, Via Napoli was one of only 90 US restaurants (and the only one in FL) that was certified authentic by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana. However, I took a look today, and Via Napoli is no longer listed among the 94 US restaurants currently certified. I wonder what they changed to make it no longer "authentic." Maybe cheaper non-Italian ingredients to cut costs, or trying to "Americanize" it to appeal to a wider audience? Maybe it's the same, and Disney just didn't want to pay whatever fees might be associated with certification. There's no use speculating, I suppose, but it does have me concerned that the pizza might not be the same on our upcoming trip early next year.

That's interesting. We have one of these certified pizzerias in our city that is SO GOOD. However, I actually prefer Naples pizza at Downtown Disney. I will say, the VPN member restaurant here doesn't have traditional American toppings...no pepperoni, for instance. They have a calabrian salami that is the closest thing to pepperoni. But I love, love, LOVE the little char cup pepperoni that they use at Naples/Via Napoli!

Looking at the requirement for membership, it seems that Naples/Via Napoli cannot be certified due to the size of the pizzas they sell. They can be no larger than 11" diameter.

 

[SMRT-1]

Looking at the requirement for membership, it seems that Naples/Via Napoli cannot be certified due to the size of the pizzas they sell. They can be no larger than 11" diameter.

That makes sense. If they've added a size limit to the requirements in the last few years, then it could still be the same pizza at Via Napoli, but it now no longer qualifies for certification.

 

[DLgal]

That makes sense. If they've added a size limit to the requirements in the last few years, then it could still be the same pizza at Via Napoli, but it now no longer qualifies for certification.

I just wanted to reassure you, I had Via Napoli in May and Naples at DL last week, and they are both still the same as they have always been. Interestingly, Via Napoli does seem to have "Americanized" their pizzas a bit, because they seem to have way more cheese than they should. From my experience as well as photos I've seen online, the cheese is covering the whole pizza nowadays at VN, rather than being rather sparse like a true Neapolitan pizza. Naples is still following the traditional way of spotty cheese, visible sauce, etc. My guess is that a large percentage of WDW guests are used to "NY style" pizza and expect a lot of cheese. It's just something I've noticed over the past couple years at VN.

 

[Twoscoops81]

The pizza here is excellent!! I’m considering returning here on my next trip September 2020.