by Carise, The Lady Fox
Just last week, I tagged along with Amanda Tinney from Where's Amanda to take a look at the Patina Restaurant Group's newest chain of restaurants at Disney Springs. Included in the chain is Pizza Pointe (currently open), Maria & Enzo's, Enzo's Hideaway, and The Edison.
Let's start off by saying that The Patina Restaurant Group is responsible for many of your favorite restaurants at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. They created the wonderful Asian dining experience at Disney Springs, Morimoto Asia, and two of our favorite restaurants at EPCOT in Italy, Via Napoli Ristorante E Pizzeria and Tutto Italia Ristorante! The Patina Restaurant Group has also created a great load of restaurants at Downtown Disney in California including Taqueria, Tortilla Jo's, Naples Ristorante E Pizzeria, and many more. With that being said The Patina Restaurant Group has been a major presence in the Walt Disney Company for many years. And, if you've ever had the opportunity to dine at one of their restaurants all over the world, we're sure you'll understand why! Click here to take a look at the full list of restaurants (maybe there is one near you).
The tour of Maria and Enzo's started off with a bang! Before we explored the restaurants, the executives of Disney Springs and The Patina Restaurant Group stood on stage to express the amount of hard work and dedication that went into making this new chain of restaurants. They also explained that this sort of advancement in restaurants was a major stepping stone in the transformation of Downtown Disney to Disney Springs.
Map courtesy of Save Pleasure Island
These new restaurants, after all, are a big revamp of the old Pleasure Island locations that were there before including The Adventurer's Club, Neon Armadillo Music Saloon, and the BET Soundstage. Being a millenial who didn't get to experience much of the entertainment at Pleasure Island 9 years ago, I was surprised to see just how large these locations are on the inside!
Themed around the 1920's golden age of travel, Maria and Enzo's greets every guest at check in with a lovely staff of well-dressed stewardesses who are ready to take you to your seat.
My jaw dropped as I walked into the over-the-top dining space. Massive floor to ceiling windows light up this majestic area highlighting the classic 1920's travel posters and retro decor throughout. Through the towering windows you can enjoy glistening and dramatic views of Buena Vista Lagoon as well as the beautiful Aerophile hot air balloon where Steve and I had our first date. Through the large space and open air, the smell of Italian food wafts through the room and lures you downstairs where seating, staff, and grandeur is abundant.
Retro artwork of the world's most beautiful places line the top of Maria and Enzo's dining room that overlooks Buena Vista Lagoon and the Aerophile balloon.
Gallons of pasta commemorating National Spaghetti Day!
And, what better day to open an Italian restaurant than on National Spaghetti Day? Maria and Enzo's celebrated this national day with gallons upon gallons of spaghetti and meatballs! And this is just the tip of the pasta for what this restaurant offers. Click here to view Maria and Enzo's lunch, dinner, and dessert menus.
As a vegan who eats solely plant based foods, I did not have the pleasure of enjoying many of the offerings that Maria and Enzo's had available for their exclusive sneak peek however, they do have plant based options from spaghetti and marinara with veggies to their Fritto Misti. Steve and I will update you all with a more in depth food review soon! What I could enjoy were the drinks featuring italian wines, champagne, and a classic Italian cordial.
Towards the end they brought out some desserts that looked pretty delicious including cheesecake cake pops, chocolate chip cannolis, and much more.
During this tour, we also had the opportunity to view the "underground" speakeasy coming soon to Disney Springs, Enzo's Hideaway, that connects to Maria and Enzo's. This remarkable tunnel bar feels like you're walking into an exclusive and secret space tucked away from the world with it's transatlantic prohibition vibes. This bar will feature small plates like Sicilian sandwiches, Italian meats and cheeses, pasta dishes and more with plenty of barrel-aged rum and scotch selections. We cannot wait for this one to open to the public!
Just when we thought the tour was over, we headed through Enzo's Hideaway to The Edison, a huge bar, lounge, and restaurant with a steampunk industrial feel. The Edison does a great job of transporting you to the ragging 1920's with classic movies, metal machinery, and brass accents throughout. The food and drinks here look insanely good and we cannot wait to try them! The Edison is now open to the public so make reservations now!
Steve and I are really excited to see the progression of Disney Springs over the years and are can't wait to see what decadent dining options and fun entertainment additions will come next in their expansions! For more information on dining at Disney Springs, head on over to https://www.disneysprings.com/dining/.
Looking for more foxy entertainment? Follow us on The Disney Fox on Instagram or like us on Facebook for updates, videos, and beautiful photography!