The one thing we love about Disney World is that you can get some amazing food without ever stepping foot in a theme park.

Not only do Disney World hotels have great restaurants, but Disney Springs is chock-full of dining spots that we visit on a regular basis; no park ticket required! So when we were asked to attend a media event at Maria & Enzo’s Ristorante to check out some food and drinks…well, we couldn’t say “no!”

Like a lot of Disney World, Maria & Enzo’s comes with a story. The idea is that the restaurant, which is Italian, is in an airline terminal that was abandoned in the 1930s, so if you visit this restaurant, be sure to check out the fun retro travel posters on the walls.

At the event, we were given a menu of items we would have an opportunity to try. YES, please!

We started with the Panzerotti, which is made with brie, speck, and strawberry mostarda. A Panzerotti is sort of like an Italian turnover, but it’s generally savory rather than sweet. This one was a bit of both, thanks to the mostarda.

So the panzerotti itself was sort of like a crunchy samosa with a nice savory salty flavor. Then, when you dip it in the mostarda (which is served on the plate under the panzerotti), it becomes this sweet and savory bite with that wonderful strawberry flavor. Sweet AND savory? Oh, yeah!

Then we had the Tortellacci Cacio e Pepe, which is veal house-made pasta, parmigiano-reggiano, and black pepper. Random fact: “Cacio e Pepe” translates to cheese and pepper. The pasta was cooked perfectly, making it easy to chew and very light. The meat inside was tender.

The sauce was SOOOOOOO creamy, yet somehow managed to stay light. By the way, we were only given about three tortellacci because this was basically a sampling, but just so you know, we could inhale an entire plate of this.

Next up, we dived into a plate of Guancialini de Maiale. Guanciale is a type of cured Italian meat and is generally made from a pig’s cheek or jowl (yep, you didn’t know this review would be educational, right?). What we had was red wine braised pork cheek, fregola, mushrooms, cipollini, 12-year balsamic, and castelvetrano olive oil.

The meat was SO tender — you could just slice it with a fork, no knife required. It’s also cooked well and easy to chew. It’s also nice and light, which is surprising, and fregola around it (which is a small pasta) was a great side to the meat. Add in the mushrooms and onions, and you’ve got a filling dish.

We ended our meal with the Copetta Di Gelato, which is house-made peach and vanilla gelato, biscotti crunch, and whipped cream. This had more gelato than we expected, so it was a solid dessert. However, the peach gelato didn’t taste very peachy. It was more like a sherbet than anything. The vanilla had a good vanilla ice cream-type flavor, though.

The biscotti crunch (aka crumbs) on top added a nice crunch to the creamy gelato. It was all served in something like a waffle cone, so if you pressed your spoon down on it, it would crack and you could eat it with a spoonful of gelato, which was especially good. Gelato is always a good snack for a hot day…and we get a lot of those!

We also got to drink some wine (best day ever?), starting with the Cantalici Rose. This wine had a pretty coral pink hue. It was really light with some fruit aromas with hints of raspberry and strawberry, although there’s some floral notes there, too. It’s a bit sweet, but also a bit tangy, so it’s well-balanced. This could be a wine that pleases just about everyone.

Next was the Listra Super Tuscan. This one smelled sort of like blackberries, but with just a hint of spice. It also has a dark color similar to blackberries. It’s a richer wine than the rosé and has pretty strong berry flavors. It’s about a medium on the acidity scale. By the way, the “Super” part of its name just means that it breaks traditional wine rules from Tuscany (apparently, there are wine rules, people) by including international grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Then we had another dark wine, the Tenuta Croce di Mezzo Brunello di Montalcino (say that three times fast…). One whiff and we thought it smelled like strawberries, vanilla, and a touch of spice. We’ll say this one is more earthy in flavor and full-bodied, so it might not work for new wine drinkers who prefer lighter and fruitier flavors. It’s both tangy and smoky, with even a touch of chocolate flavor.

We ended our wine tasting with Terra Vizina Prosecco Brut. Like most prosecco, it’s dry with a bit of acidity that rates from about medium to high. We got hints of fruit flavors that reminded us of apple and citrus. Despite its dryness, though, it feels smooth when you drink it.

But our drinking adventure wasn’t over just yet. We also got to try some beers. The Birra Moretti L’Autentica is an earthy beer with a mild bitterness and subtle sweetness, so we’d say it’s a pretty well-rounded lager. It’s also got a high level of carbonation (in other words, BUBBLES!) and a crisp finish.

The Menabrea Ambrata had a slightly sweet flavor and an intense toasted malt smell. It’s got a dry finish that’s well-balanced by the hops.

For our third beer, the Cipriani Carciofo. We were told this one was made of artichoke leaves, which is pretty interesting. So you get that bitterness from artichokes as well as an herbaceous flavor. We’d describe this one as having complex flavors, which makes it pretty unique.

Finally, we had the Ford Premium Lager (this one is easier to spell, that’s for sure!). This one was a harmonious blend of malt and hops, meaning it was well-rounded in flavor. It also had a touch of floral when you sniffed it (yep, we’re sniffing beer here, folks). It was light and fresh with a subtle sweetness.

We enjoyed trying out some new food and drinks at Maria & Enzo’s, and we look forward to trying out all the new food and drinks that come to Disney World, so stay tuned for more reviews.

REVIEW: A Table Full of Cheese and Pasta in Disney World? Sign Me Up!

Have you ever dined at Maria & Enzo’s? Let us know what you thought about it in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney World to attend their media preview of Maria & Enzo’s Ristorante. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ