>Via Napoli opened today in Epcot. This is the new Italian Restaurant in the Italy Pavilion. All kinds of people have blogged about it today or will in the near future. You

Picture By Bill Iadonisi
From wdwfacts.com 

can check out reports from Bill Iadonisi on WDWfacts.com, and from Dewayne Bevil on thedailydisney.com. Lou was there from wdwradio.com also. So, this new Restaurant will be thoroughly covered. Sadly I wasn’t there. I have eaten in the Italy pavilion in the past, and am looking forward to this new place to eat. With it being a new restaurant, getting advanced reservations may be a little difficult for a little while.

There are other Italian eateries in Walt Disney World. At the Swan Resort, II Mulino New York Trattoria is an upscale place, as is Portobello, the waterfront Italian Restaurant in Downtown Disney, that just added a Meatball Bar. For a more casual place you can eat in the Magic Kingdom, at Tony’s Town Square. Where they have the Biggest Meatballs I’ve ever seen on a plate of spaghetti. (I wrote about Tony’s in my post of 5/14 Eat Like a Star) And then there’s Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano in Disney Hollywood Studios.

Mama Melrose’s reminds me of a classic New Jersey Italian Restaurant. The colors the pictures of Sinatra and other Italian singers on the walls, along with the sounds and smells, all add to the great atmosphere of a family run Pizzeria. It’s a very comfortable place to go and have a very relaxed wonderful meal. The reason it classifies as an Unknown Magic is because it isn’t promoted very much and also because it is kind of hidden in Disney Hollywood Studios.

Most of the time when you look for a place to eat in Walt Disney World, they are easy to find. This restaurant however is tucked away, off the beaten path, behind the Muppet Vision 3-D attraction on the Streets of America. The entrance to Mama Melrose’s is just around the corner from It’s a Wonderful Shop (a great little Christmas shop). On the Outside wall of the eatery, there is a huge sign that tells you are in the right place. And once you walk inside, you get a whiff of the brick ovens and the wonderful food, you know that this place was worth looking for and will probably create a Magical Experience.

The food is very good. Everything from the appetizers to the Chocolate Cannoli Cake, is real Italian cuisine. They serve steak and chicken choices, along with plenty of pasta meals, Pizzas and Flatbreads. Of course being an Italian Restaurant, they offer a large selection of White, Red and Sparkling wines. They also offer Italian beer and specialty mixed drinks, for your enjoyment during your meal.

As with many of the restaurants in Walt Disney World, the food here is very good, but the atmosphere helps make it taste even better. When you’re eating your Spaghetti Fra Diavolo after your Antipasto, while sitting under a Frank Sinatra Album and his picture, it just seems to taste better. The Atmosphere also adds to Magical Experiences as you can relax and have fun as a family.

Mama Melrose’s does have a kids menu and they participate in The Fantasmic! Dining Package. This is a package deal that is offered in some of the restaurants in Disney Hollywood Studios. What you do is make a reservation to eat at one of the selected places and then they guarantee you designated seating during the spectacular

nighttime show, known as Fantasmic! The other two Restaurants that offer this package are Hollywood & Vine and The Hollywood Brown Derby. This is a nice perk as it can make your wait time for Fantasmic a lot shorter. This in turn adds to the Magical Experience of the show.

So, now you know, throughout Walt Disney World, there are a few Italian eateries for your dining pleasure. But for an Unknown Magic hidden in Disney Hollywood Studios, that offers fantastic food and a great family atmosphere that can lead to a Magical Experience try Mama Melrose’s. It’s worth finding.