Personal Gluten Free Review of Naples Ristorante e Bar in Downtown Disneyland.
Just before the current situation that would forever change our lives in 2020, I had the opportunity to dine at Naples Ristorante e Bar located in the Downtown Disney District just outside of the Disneyland Resort Parks. Naples is a sit down restaurant that one would typically need to make advanced dining reservations. In this blog post I will share my personal gluten free dining experience at this establishment.
When I first walked by Naples Ristorante e Bar it looked rather busy for the dinner service. I knew my chances of getting a table without a reservation were slim. Since I was a party of 1, I decided to see if they could accommodate me without a reservation and I was able to grab a spot with no wait.
Naples Ristorante e Bar offers both indoor and outdoor seating. I had no preferance as to where I sat, so I took the first available which happened to be outdoors. If you are going to eat outside after dark you might want to bring a sweater. Evenings in Anaheim can get chilly, I was rather cold and wished I had brought my sweater. They do have outdoor heaters but my table wasn't near one.
Reservations
Advance reservations are highly recommended and can be booked online through Check Availability tool up to 60 days prior to your visit.
For same-day reservations, contact the restaurant directly at (714) 776-6200. Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to call.
If you are visiting Naples during the time of social distancing the seating arrangement might look very different than when I was there in March before the closure. The menu offerings might be limited during this time as well. Please ask about gluten free menu options before you are seated.
After I was seated my waiter came right over to offer me a beverage and bread basket with olive oil. I let him know I was gluten free and declined the bread basket. I did ask if there was a gluten free bread option, sadly there was not. He informed me that while there wasn't a separate gluten free menu that almost everything could be made gluten free.
At first I attempted to order a pasta dish that had a red sauce but after my waiter spoke with the chef he discovered that was not a gluten free option because the sauce was premade with wheat in it. Honestly, there were very few gluten free options that I could tell on the menu that could even possibly be accommodated. Sadly they don't even have a gluten free pizza and if you know Naples they are famous for their oven fired pizzas. I was very disappointed in the lack of menu offering but I was glad they were actually familiar with gluten free and had my safety at heart.
I was frustrated with the menu and I ended up settling on a gluten free penne style pasta dish that had light cream sauce with grilled chicken and broccoli mixed in. Unfortunately, I don't recall the name of the dish and currently the online the full dinner service menu is not available. I was told the gluten free penne pasta is a rice and corn based pasta. It was delicious and reminded me of my favorite gluten free Barilla brand pasta I make at home. The gluten free meal was well seasoned and perfectly cooked pasta texture, as well as the chicken and the broccoli. The dish was very filling, I actually was so full I didn't finish it all.
If you are going to be dining at Naples Ristorante e Bar here are a few things to keep in mind, first off be prepared to spend a pretty penny when you get the bill. My gluten free pasta dish alone was around the $30 range and that was not including my beverage, tax or gratuity. While I did have a pleasant dining experience and great table service by the wait staff, I personally would not likely dine here again. The lack there of gluten free options was frustrating and what options they can accommodate are very expensive.
One last thing to keep in mind if will be dining with small children, while it is a family friendly establishment, personally I felt like the menu and the atmosphere is more for the adult crowd. I did see a few tables with small children and in my observation the kids were extremely bored in this adult atmosphere. My personal recommendation would be to skip dining at Naples Ristorante e Bar on a regular family vacation, instead save the visit for a special occasion like a birthday/anniversary, date night or an adult only night with friends.
