Lunch at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant

One of the restaurants in the Magic Kingdom I’ve never been to (at least as far back as I can remember) is Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. Matt and I were in the park with friends, and were able to snag a reservation the night before our visit. The restaurant doesn’t have the best reputation, but I was reserving judgement to give it an honest try.

Our reservation was for 12:55, but we were all pretty hungry and arrived about 30 minutes or so early to check in and see if there was any chance we could be seated early. We were told there were a couple of families ahead of us, but they would put our names in. LIES. Since when is “a couple families” equate to around 30? We didn’t get seated until after 1.

Outdoor Seating

We were walked through the main dining room (plenty of unseated tables)…

…the atrium (more open tables)…

…to the outside seating, where, although a sunny day, was quite cold, even in jeans and a sweatshirt, especially when there was a breeze.

We were just happy to have finally had our names called, so after several minutes of waiting to order drinks and receive them, we placed an order for appetizers. One of our friends ordered the Zucchini Fries, breaded seasoned Zucchini with creamy Sun-dried Tomato Dressing for dipping.

I’ll just say that she won the appetizer round. The zucchini was nicely fried and had a nice crunch. Even without the dressing, these were pretty good. I’d definitely order them on a future trip.

For the table, we ordered the Calamari, topped with Olive Relish and served with a side of Marinara Sauce. These arrived a bit on the lukewarm side, and the batter wasn’t as crisp as I would have preferred. The rings were nicely cooked, however, and weren’t chewy or tough. I liked the olives accompaniment and the marinara was decent and touch garlicky.

Matt is picky when it comes to calamari, and it has to be just right. He picked at a few of the smaller rings, but it was one of our friends that enjoyed it most, snacking throughout the meal. I personally wouldn’t order this again, instead recommending the versions served at Spice Road Table in Epcot and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano in Hollywood Studios.

One of our friends ordered the Spaghetti, which is served with Meatballs and Marinara Sauce. For an additional fee, you can substitute Sweet Italian Sausage. He asked if he could have both, and they obliged with a link of sausage and a meatball. He was happy with his dish.

Our other friend ordered the Multigrain Pasta Primavera featuring Seasonal Vegetables tossed in Garlic and Olive Oil with Balsamic Glaze and Feta. The dish was full of veggies and she really enjoyed it.

Matt ordered the Cannelloni filled with a mixture or Ground Beef and Sausage, Mozzarella, and Ricotta served with Marinara and Crème Sauce. Being very similar to a “lasagna roll”, he enjoyed the dish. The pasta was what I would consider overcooked, but that’s how Matt prefers it. Neither of us could taste much for sausage and it seemed primarily ground beef. For me, I wouldn’t order it myself, as it’s just not my thing, but if it appeals to you, go for it.

Not being big on pasta and not wanting a salad (it was cold out!), I ordered Joe’s Artisanal Pizza: Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Peppers, and Onions, garnished with fresh Basil. Right off the bat, there’s no basil on this, and I looooove basil.

The onions were caramelized for a touch of sweetness, but the peppers were also sweet. I eventually had to pick them off because it was sugary sweet, as if sugar was added while they cooked as opposed to letting the natural sugars do the work. I did like the sausage and would get a bite of it here and there, and its flavor stood out, as opposed to the piece of Matt’s cannelloni I tried.

I think my biggest problem with the pizza is that the bottom has no color and no crunch. While a pizza cutter had been run across it, it wasn’t cut through. It was nearly impossibly to cut through with the butter knife as well. I made quite the mess with my attempts, and after three slices, I just picked off the toppings with my fork, being sure to eat around the sweet peppers and onions. I didn’t need those carbs anyway. 😉

Here are the menus (click for larger):

Panini of the Day: Flank Steak, Seasonal Soup: Lentil and Sausage.

Nothing on the dessert menu really stood out to us, so we skipped it.

While the dining experience was rather slow, I can’t say Tony’s Town Square Restaurant is, overall, as bad as people make it out to be (at least for this, my first, experience). Everyone was pleased with what they ordered, and I’d even consider the pizza again with some modifications, such as removing at least the peppers and requesting the crust be crisped up if possible. While the calamari wasn’t to Matt’s or my tastes (and we, too, differ there), they were to our friend’s.

Now, I’m not going to go rushing out to make another reservation, but I won’t hesitate to revisit should the restaurant be suggested. Our friends mentioned they prefer the options in Italy at Epcot, and we agree, but for Magic Kingdom, I’ll keep it on the radar. It’s like comedian Mike Birbiglia talking about his family: “My family’s Italian. But we’re not real Italian. We’re more like Olive Garden Italian.”

Let us know what your experiences at Tony’s Town Square have been!