Choosing where to eat at Disney World isn’t easy — but that’s what we’re here for!

We recently stopped by Trattoria al Forno for dinner at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn Resort to see what was cookin’, and now we’re bringing you our FULL review. Is it worth a stop on your next trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth? Find out here!

Atmosphere

Along the stretch of restaurants and games that line the Boardwalk, you’ll find Trattoria al Forno. Here, they’re known for their memorable breakfast and dinners served daily, and have quickly risen in the ranks, thanks to serving an “original Italian” menu. The dinner here features regional specialties with classic preparations, and many of the ingredients are crafted in-house (including their hand-crafted mozzarella and handmade cavatelli). Trattoria al Forno also features seasonal risotto and serves only Italian wines.

As you make your way into the restaurant, you’re greeted by the host stand to check in until your table is ready. Here you’ll catch your first glimpses of the Italian chic decor you’ll find throughout the restaurant, which helps give it a sophisticated vibe.

As you make your way through the dining room, you’ll pass the spacious open kitchen counter, where you’ll witness the chefs prepare dishes that will eventually make their way to their corresponding tables.

The walls are lined with vintage portraits of scenic Italian cities, and you could be seated at either a table with high-backed chairs…

…or a deep burgundy booth.

But enough about the restaurant — what’s on the menu here?!

Menu

As we mentioned before, this restaurant has come to be known for serving some of the best Italian dishes you’ll find in all of Disney World. Your menu offerings will start off with a few appetizers…

…entrees and pizza options…

…sides…

…desserts…

…and even kids’ meal options!

For drinks, you’ll have your choice of non-alcoholic beverages…

…cocktails…

…and a variety of beers.

And now, onto the main event — the food!

Eats

First up, we had the restaurant’s bread service delivered to our table. The bread service here was incredible and definitely an upgrade from our last visit.

The regular bread here is plant-based, so the entire table could enjoy both the bread and the roasted garlic in olive oil that they brought out with it. The roasted garlic was so gooey and creamy, and it spread onto the bread with ease like butter. However, it comes with a garlic overload!

Thankfully, our reporter reviewing this meal is a MAJOR garlic lover, so this was perfect for him, but anyone on the fence about garlic should know it’s done really well, yet really intensely. There was even a bit of heat to it because of how much garlic was used, and we could see some people might be sensitive to how strong the flavor is.

The first dish to arrive was the Calamari for $18. This is served with Spicy Marinara, Parsley, and Pepperoncini.

The whole dish contains smaller pieces of calamari, and if they had been bigger pieces with the same amount of breading, we think it would’ve been perfect! The ratio was just slightly off because of the size, but it wasn’t bad. As for how they taste, we didn’t find them rubbery at all, and the flavor was solid.

The batter was well-seasoned, which we appreciated, and the dipping sauce was a little on the watery side. We would have loved it if it had a bit more body and a little better adherence when dipping the calamari into it.

We also grabbed the Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib for $37. This is made with Gremolata, Creamy Polenta, and Arugula.

The polenta was delicious, and the flavor of the short rib was good, but we thought it could’ve been more layered. The wine didn’t come through as much as it could have, and we would have loved to have tasted the flavor developed a little more. Admittedly, the short rib’s meat was a little dry on the inside. The added granola and arugula on top helped liven up the dish, but they didn’t do as much to help out as we had liked — we think they needed more of both to balance out the richness.

That said, the portion was solid, and the creamy, cheesy polenta really was good!

We also snagged the Off-Menu Plant-Based Piccata for $15.49. 

It was packed with fresh vegetables that our server told us were grown at The Land Pavilion in our beloved Living with the Land attraction. The sauce was more of a butter, garlic, and lemon situation—so there was no creamy consistency at all, which we were fine with. Overall, we thought it was really, really delicious. The pasta wasn’t al dente, but it was perfectly soft with just enough bite. The mix of vegetables was impressive—broccoli, onion, artichoke, capers, zucchini, and squash.

We’re big fans of the plant-based Bolognese here, but we’d certainly order this one almost every visit since it was light, fresh, and genuinely cool knowing the veggies came directly from Living with the Land.

Then it was finally time for dessert, so we ordered the Plant-based Olive Oil Cake for $11. This is made with blueberry preserves and blackberry gelato.

This was our reporter’s favorite thing he ate all night! It’s actually now his new favorite fruit dessert at Disney World, and he couldn’t think of anything that even comes close to it. The cake was incredibly moist thanks to the olive oil, and it had an amazing plant-based whipped cream on top. There was a blueberry compote, fresh blackberries, and the blackberry gelato covering the cake.

If you love berries and intense fruit flavor in a dessert, this is it! Our server said she recommends it to any guest who wants something different from the tiramisu or the flourless chocolate torte, and that’s regardless of whether they’re plant-based or not. According to her, a lot of people love it and don’t even care that it’s plant-based, and we can totally see why!

But we also grabbed the Chocolate Flourless Torte for $10, too. Ours came served with a kids’ scoop of gelato on the side for an extra $3.

Our server told us that this is the hack—skip the full gelato portion and get the kid’s scoop instead. At just $3, it’s absolutely worth it. The torte itself was delicious—muted, cocoa-forward, not overly sweet. The marinated raspberries and whipped cream added great balance.

Honestly, the torte was good on its own, but the scoop of vanilla gelato added just enough moisture and creaminess to keep the chocolate from feeling too dense or overwhelming. It felt more like ice cream than gelato, but it worked, and we have no complaints.

Nosh or Not

This Disney World restaurant is a must-visit if…

• You’re a HUGE fan of Italian food. We’ve harped on this one, but the menu here ranks among the best in Italian offerings at Disney World.
• You like a repeatable restaurant and crave quality consistency when you try out new dishes.
• Plant-based diners will have no issues finding flavorful dishes to tingle their taste buds here!

You should skip this Disney World spot if…

• You’re on a strict schedule that doesn’t include leaving the parks for even a moment.
• You’re more into buffets and family-style eats over an a la carte menu.
• Italian food just isn’t what you’re looking for flavor-wise.

Overall

Overall, this restaurant consistently proves it’s one that will win your heart (and flavor palate) over time and time again. It’s also refreshing to find a restaurant where most everything you’ll order here will be a hit for your taste buds to enjoy, so you don’t have to worry about sticking to a favorite each time you dine here and can rest easy switching up your order each time!

In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for more restaurant updates from Disney World and beyond. Make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest Disney news and more!

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Have you eaten at this Disney World restaurant before? Tell us in the comments!