During last week's long Labor Day holiday weekend, I and my son attended the Family Forward Blogger Retreat hosted by Universal Orlando. We had a wonderful time bonding over Harry Potter, roller coasters, and of course great food.
One of the restaurants that we visited as part of the conference was VIVO! Italian Kitchen, located on the Universal Orlando CityWalk, which just opened a few weeks ago. My son is a very picky eater so when I find a restaurant that even he loves, I have to mention it to everyone who loves vacationing in Orlando.
The recent opening of VIVO! Italian Kitchen is part of an expansion of the Universal Orlando's CityWalk which will open 8 new venues before the end of 2014.
What struck me first unto entering the restaurant was how beautiful the decor is. It has a very clean and modern feel that is also very welcoming. Even the bathrooms are beautiful and each individual stall has it's on commode and sink.
All the food at VIVO! is made from scratch to order including the very colorful pasta shown in the photo above which restaurant guests can see handmade by the culinary team daily.
We were served family style from a sampler menu of the restaurant's featured dishes including Chicken Parmesan, Lasagna, Grilled Pork Loin, Squid in Pasta with Seafood, and Capellini Pasta with Marinara Sauce.
Everything was delicious. My favorites dishes were the Lasagna and the Chicken Parmesan - both were wonderful. My son loved the Tomato Mozzarella appetizer and the spaghetti.
And the really great thing about the wonderful food at VIVO! Italian Kitchen is that the menu prices are comparable to the prices for the fast food hamburger and hot dog meals that are served within the parks.
I was able to get a short interview with Meredith Bandy, a member of the Public Relations team for Universal, on what she feels makes VIVO! Italian Kitchen so unique. Check out what Meredith has to say in my video below:
VIVO! Italian Kitchen is a great family restaurant that gets two thumbs up from our family and I would recommend you check it out when you are vacationing in the Orlando, FL area. Just make sure to bring a big appetite.
Enjoy!
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