I have multiple food allergies (nuts, shellfish and smoked cheese) but Disney does a fabulous job of making sure the food I eat is safe for me to eat. I’m not the most adventurous diner because of my allergies but I’ve learned that I can trust Disney. We have our favorite places to eat but we are slowly but surely trying new restaurants. One of the restaurants we have tried recently is Tutto Italia.
We ate at Tutto Italia for the first time in December for the Candlelight Processional package. We enjoyed it so much, we wanted to go back and had the perfect excuse to do so on January 24- the AllEars meet at Epcot! I was able to get an 11:30 reservation that day.
We checked in at about 11:25. The lobby is gorgeous and spacious. It was not crowded at all, even when we left the restaurant.
The main dining room is lovely.
We were seated next to a window overlooking St. Mark’s Square.
We really enjoyed the view. It was very quiet inside the restaurant. Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu. The menu offers a variety of choices. I did not have it noted on this particular reservation but I did let my server know that I am allergic to nuts, shellfish and smoked cheeses (odd, I know) and he made a note of my allergies. He asked me what I what entree(s) I was interested in and I told him I was most interested in the Tagliatelle alla Primavera. He told me he would check with the chef and let me know.
At Disney World, I always have food options. I have yet to eat somewhere that I can’t find something to eat or have something modified (take off a sauce, crust, topping, etc.). Dessert, though, can be another story but I’ll get to that in a bit.
When our server brought the bread to the table, he let me know that the chef had said the Tagliatelle alla Primavera was okay for me to eat. I was very happy to hear this.
The bread came with the standard warning: They cannot guarantee that the bread has not come into contact with nuts at some point in time. Knock on wood, I have never had a problem in all the years/times I’ve eaten at Disney restaurants. The bread selection is excellent and the olive oil had a wonderful taste.
Our server was very engaging and while we were waiting on our entrees to arrive, he came over and talked to us about Italy, where we were from and Epcot in general.
Our food arrived piping hot.
Mom had the Farfalle:
I had the Tagliatelle alla Primavera:
The portion sizes were very generous for both dishes. The main difference between Mom’s and mine is that mine had vegetables in it while hers had prosciutto. Both dishes had cream sauce and it was surprisingly light but very flavorful. The vegetables in mine were nice and crisp. Mom loved her dish as well.
The dessert menu at Tutto Italia looked very good. However, I knew based on our December dinner there that my options would be limited. I already knew I couldn’t have the Copette Sotto Bosco because it has nuts in the “cookie” that is served with the berries and gelato. I *really* wanted to try the lemon ricotta cheesecake so I asked our server about it. He asked the chef and it does have nuts in the crust of the cheesecake. I was a little disappointed because I had wanted to try something new. I knew I could have had the tiramisu (it’s excellent) and Mom and I did discuss having it. In the end, we decided to forego dessert. I did not ask about other desserts but plan to when I dine at Tutto Italia again.
We really enjoyed our lunch. We’re very happy to add this to our Epcot “list” of dining options. Our water glasses were never empty and anything we wanted or needed was promptly taken care of.
If you have food allergies, you can have it noted on the reservation(s) but be sure to let your server know when you get to the restaurant. You can also contact Special Diets ahead of time. I contacted them in December about another reservation and they sent me a form to fill out with a list of where I would be dining and all of my allergies. They also sent me several sheets with information about the counter service restaurants’ food items. When in doubt, contact Disney! They have worked some magic for me in the past, both ahead of time and at the restaurant.
My daughter, Abby, has a severe allergy to peanuts. WDW always go out of their way to make sure the food she’s eating is safe for her. The servers always make her feel special, instead of acting like it’s an inconvenience. Just another reason to love WDW!
Your meals look delicious! Thanks so much for the info. I have a gluten intolerance, and I have to say all the restaurants I’ve eaten at since being diagnosed have gone out of their way to make me wonderful meals, with the chef at O’Hana’s being the best! I’ve yet to eat at Tutto Italia since being gluten free, and will be trying it on my upcoming trip in May.
AllEars: Be sure to visit Babycakes in Downtown Disney (Pollo Compano building). ALL desserts are gluten-free!
Sorry to hear about Vincent’s experience. We, on the other hand, had an exceptionally wonderful experience at Tutto. My son has a nut allergy and noted this on our dining plan. The waiter, chef, and management were very accommodating. We were very impressed and look forward to returning on our next visit.
I believe that they do have gluten free pasta available. I think that was in the info I received about our upcoming trip, but I used the contact info I found here on Allears to get in touch with our Disney friends, so that info is already here on the site. I am hoping that we can include Tutto Italia in our epcot plans but I suspect that we will end up @ chefs de france, AGAIN. My niece can’t survive Epcot without Frenchmen fawning over her.
One thing I’ve found at WDW is that if you talk to the chef a few days before your trip they can make you something special – they could make the dessert you wanted without the crust. Of course it depends on how busy they are and other circumstances but they’ve always done great with me.
I have found every restaurant at Disney to maintain superb care with my food allergies; except both times at Tutto Italia.
On seperate trips, I found the staff a bit bothered dealing with me. Due to this inconvenience I have caused, I no longer include that in my dining itinerary.
My allergies are clearly noted when I purchase the dining plan and make ADR’s. One of my allergies is mushrooms. Tutto Italia on both occasions brought the little dish to the table with olives touching mushrooms. Both time reminding them of my allergy created havoc.
So, my experience is my own. Others have better ones.
My ADR choices no longer include Tutto Italia.
Thanks for the info. We’re planning on taking my son for his 4th birthday and I’ve been concerned bc of his egg & nut allergies. This sets my mind a bit more at ease.
My husband has Celiac Disease. Do you know if they have gluten-free pasta, pizza crust, bread, or dessert? Every Disney restaurant where we’ve eaten previously has always had options for him. We have always though stayed away from places that have mostly bread/pasta type dishes. Thank you for your review.
ASHLEY:
It is my understanding that most places offer gluten-free bread. They have given it to me before when there’s been concern about the bread coming into contact with nuts.
I personally don’t have any experience with the gluten-free pasta or pizza but I have heard the chefs talking to other guests about it at Mama Melrose’s. My advice would be to have it noted on your reservation(s) and contact Special Diets (http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/common/guestServicesDetail?id=GuestServicesSpecialDietaryDetailPage) and let them know about his dietary needs. If they know you are coming, they can make arrangements to have things on hand or advise you on where to eat.
I also have a nut allergy and have found the restaurants at WDW particularly good at dealing with the problem. I was a Flying Fish and ordered dessert . . . only to have the Chef come running out of the kitchen-at breakneck speed-to let me know that some of the items in the dessert may have come in contact with nuts at the bakery. I can say I’ve never had a problem with bread or any dessert that doesn’t have nuts as a listed (or informed) ingredient. I do understand that they have to warn about cross contamination. (Lots of people have very serious allergies.)
I can also tell you that some restaurants have eliminated tree nuts from their menus altogether, because it’s such a common allergen. I found this out at both Sanaa and Liberty Tree Tavern (dinner only). Sanaa used to have part of their bread service that was off limits to nut allergy sufferers–no more! LTT has taken the nuts out of their desserts because they were super concerned with kitchen cross contamination.