Review: Tony’s Town Square Restaurant at Magic Kingdom

Over the years, I’ve read many negative reviews of Tony’s Town Square at Magic Kingdom. The best reviews classified the restaurant as a mediocre place to dine. So when I told my friend Susie that I had never dined there, she said we would have to remedy that immediately. She made reservations for a late lunch the following week at 2:30 p.m. When she made the reservation, I secretly hoped we’d stay long enough to see the afternoon parade. Of course, the weather would also need to be reasonable enough to dine outside.

As the day of our meal approached, I got excited to dine here for the first time. Since I’m privileged to visit Walt Disney World often, I don’t have many firsts unless it’s something new. I went into the meal with a positive attitude and a healthy appetite. I left full and surprised. It was a unique experience.

When you enter Magic Kingdom, Tony’s Town Square Restaurant is immediately to the right. It’s on the far left side of the Town Square Theater, where Mickey Mouse greets guests. You can enter the theater’s main entrance to access the restaurant. You’ll find it tucked away in the corner. An outdoor seating area lets guests wait until their table is called.

After we checked in, I took a few moments to walk through the restaurant and take photos. Tony’s Town Square is known for being the place where Lady and the Tramp shared their first kiss over a plate of spaghetti and meatballs in the 1955 film. A fountain featuring the pair sits in the center of the main dining room under the coffered ceiling.

Tony’s is a classic restaurant with black-and-white marble flooring and lots of traditional wood trim.

Most seats in the main dining room are banquettes, with tables and chairs opposite.

Artwork featuring scenes from Lady and the Tramp is hung throughout the restaurant. Here are a few more photos.

A sunroom sits between the main dining room and the outdoor patio. This area has outdoor furniture and lets in a lot of light. However, it’s entirely inside and air-conditioned.

A doorway leads from the sunroom to the partially covered patio, where we requested lunch. We visited in late May, and while it had been extraordinarily hot, we’d had a break in the weather. A subtle breeze was blowing, and the humidity was almost non-existent. If you decide to visit, I wouldn’t recommend requesting the patio if the weather feels even slightly uncomfortable.

We sat at a table and chairs that faced the Town Square. It was a pleasant location. But we did have to deal with the sun directly shining on a portion of our area.

Susie and I decided to split an order of fried mozzarella as an appetizer. We both struggled to choose an entree, so we asked our server for advice.

The fried mozzarella came out almost immediately after we ordered it. While we were dining, I noticed everyone around us got their orders quickly. We weren’t in a hurry since we hoped to see the parade, so we asked our server to hold off a little while.

This fried mozzarella presentation was definitely photo-worthy. Unfortunately, it was a pretty basic order of cheese sticks. Given their size, they cooled quickly, so we didn’t get the ooey-gooey effect you hope for when you order fried cheese. I don’t think we regretted ordering them, but I wouldn’t order them on a return visit.

Susie’s chicken parmigiana turned out beautifully. As a Southerner, I am not that familiar with this dish. Since our portions were tremendous, we both tried each other’s dishes. I was impressed with the breaded chicken topped with meat and sauce. I would consider ordering this on a return visit. However, this dish is heavy, with fried chicken, the acidity of the tomatoes, and that mountain of spaghetti. So you’ll want to consider that.

I went with the tortellini al forno. It’s described as Calabrian Chili, Cheese Tortellini, baked Italian Sausage, onions, peppers, and mozzarella in a creamy tomato sauce. It came with a side of Arugula salad, which I adored. On arrival, it looked impressive. But after my first bite, I was worried. It had a strong, peppery taste that I wasn’t sure I could handle. So I took another bite from a different area, and it was fine. Thankfully, I never encountered that unpleasant taste again. This was another successful entree that I would consider ordering on a return visit.

Regarding food, I felt we received huge portions of everything we ordered. I would have liked to have seen less food at lower prices. Quality-wise, I felt our meal was comparable to an Italian restaurant chain like Olive Garden. It was a good meal, not five stars by any means. But I don’t think anyone goes to Tony’s Town Square expecting fine dining. We also had excellent service. Our server had worked at Tony’s for over six years, and she made the entire experience even more worthwhile. I would go back for the service and good company alone.

While we were dining, guests gathered for the 3:15 p.m. parade. By this time, we had finished our meal, and the sun was creeping into our table space. I had miscalculated one thing regarding the Festival of Fantasy Parade. It starts in Frontierland and takes about 20 minutes to reach Town Square. I’m mentioning this in case you want to plan a meal here during the parade. (Naturally, for lunch, you might do it on a day when two parades are offered. However, we have not had many days like that lately.)

When the parade arrived, we stood behind our table to stay in the shade. Several guests dining inside came out to the patio to watch the parade go by. It wasn’t the best spot to see the floats, but it was just as magical, especially with so little effort on our part. Here are a few photos of our view of the parade from Tony’s Town Square.

We had a wonderful late lunch, and Tony’s was much better than I had imagined. No, it’s not near the caliber of a restaurant like Via Napoli at Epcot. But it’s a fun place to enjoy lunch in the Magic Kingdom. And if the weather is nice enough, you can’t beat a patio seat with views of Main Street, U.S.A. For more on dining, you might like the following guides:

• Signature Dining at Walt Disney World
• A Guide to Understanding the Disney Dining Plan
• Disney World Character Dining Guide
• The Best Restaurants at Disney Springs

To learn more about the resorts, see our guide to the Disney World Hotels. You might also like our overview of Disney World dining. Need to know how to get around? Our beginner’s guide to Disney World transportation is one of our top resources.

For touring the parks, see our Disney World Rides and Attractions guide. It links to attraction guides for all four theme parks. If you’re just getting started, you might like our Disney World Vacation Planning Guide. It brings together the resources you need to plan your visit. Check back with ResortsGal.com for more updates.

In the Comments

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