WDW Park Food - Rectangular Pizza from the 1990s

[thepirateking]

During the 90s, eating pizza at WDW was one of my favorite things. I remember eating the same pizza at Epcot (Electric Umbrella) and at MGM (Soundstage restaurant where Disney Junior is now).

The pizza itself was thick. Slices were cut into big rectangles about 4" x 6" (or so it seemed to my younger self). There was lots of burnt cheese and it was delicious. I really loved the flavor of the cheese.

Does anyone remember these pizzas or have any insights into what made them taste the way they did?

 

[Smiley/OCD]

What you are talking about is called Sicilian (style) pizza...double dough, baked in a pan, and cut into squares...
Being from New Jersey, other than NYC, we NEVER eat pizza anywhere else, because there's no comparison!! From what I've been told, the reason is the water in Florida (which is why the bagels in the sunshine state are lead sinkers...lol)
If you ever get the chance to travel due east, go to a local mom & pop pizzeria...trust me, it'll be worth the trip!

 

[Jwhee]

What you are talking about is called Sicilian (style) pizza...double dough, baked in a pan, and cut into squares...
Being from New Jersey, other than NYC, we NEVER eat pizza anywhere else, because there's no comparison!! From what I've been told, the reason is the water in Florida (which is why the bagels in the sunshine state are lead sinkers...lol)
If you ever get the chance to travel due east, go to a local mom & pop pizzeria...trust me, it'll be worth the trip!

Checkout Anthony's Coal Fired pizza by Universal.. not like NY pizza but it's amazing. That place, Red Oven and Via Napoli is what landed O-Town with the title as the 4th best city for Pizza in the US.

 

[becca_]

I didn't get to WDW until 2001, but the best pizza at Disney (QS) is the kind you can still get at PizzeRizzo. It's so perfectly dough-y and cheesy, and the sauce is not too sweet.... I wish they still had it at Pizzafari, but I digress

 

[_caleb]

I didn't get to WDW until 2001, but the best pizza at Disney (QS) is the kind you can still get at PizzeRizzo. It's so perfectly dough-y and cheesy, and the sauce is not too sweet.... I wish they still had it at Pizzafari, but I digress

I heard that the pizza at PizzaRizzo is the same pizza they served when it was Pizza Planet. Is it different? Better?

 

[becca_]

I heard that the pizza at PizzaRizzo is the same pizza they served when it was Pizza Planet. Is it different? Better?

Yes it's the same, I went in May and I might have just been biased because I love that pizza but it felt "fresh" to me as opposed to before. It's very good in my opinion, and less crowded than the other QS in DHS

 

[_caleb]

Yes it's the same, I went in May and I might have just been biased because I love that pizza but it felt "fresh" to me as opposed to before. It's very good in my opinion, and less crowded than the other QS in DHS

Good to know. Thanks!

 

[BuddyThomas]

As someone already mentioned, what you're talking about is Sicilian pizza, and it is delicious.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

During the 90s, eating pizza at WDW was one of my favorite things. I remember eating the same pizza at Epcot (Electric Umbrella)

You sure it wasn't Pasta Piazza which was just across the way from Electric Umbrella where Epcot Character spot is now?

 

[BoarderPhreak]

...The pizza itself was thick. Slices were cut into big rectangles about 4" x 6" (or so it seemed to my younger self). There was lots of burnt cheese and it was delicious. I really loved the flavor of the cheese.

Does anyone remember these pizzas or have any insights into what made them taste the way they did?

LOL... You're obviously not from New York or Chicago. It's called Sicilian pizza, and made that way all day, every day, in the aforementioned cities.

 

[thepirateking]

What you are talking about is called Sicilian (style) pizza...double dough, baked in a pan, and cut into squares...
Being from New Jersey, other than NYC, we NEVER eat pizza anywhere else, because there's no comparison!! From what I've been told, the reason is the water in Florida (which is why the bagels in the sunshine state are lead sinkers...lol)
If you ever get the chance to travel due east, go to a local mom & pop pizzeria...trust me, it'll be worth the trip!

Ah - good to know. Thank you for the information!! I'm definitely not a food expert.

You sure it wasn't Pasta Piazza which was just across the way from Electric Umbrella where Epcot Character spot is now?

I think that's it. It's been more than 20 years. I just remembering eating it somewhere in my favorite park (Epcot). Mmm. So good. Thanks for finding the image.

LOL... You're obviously not from New York or Chicago. It's called Sicilian pizza, and made that way all day, every day, in the aforementioned cities.

You're right - I'm not. I'll have to look for some in Sicilian pizza in my area. Or find a good recipe. That pizza was delicious.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Phonedave]

Ah - good to know. Thank you for the information!! I'm definitely not a food expert.



I think that's it. It's been more than 20 years. I just remembering eating it somewhere in my favorite park (Epcot). Mmm. So good. Thanks for finding the image.



You're right - I'm not. I'll have to look for some in Sicilian pizza in my area. Or find a good recipe. That pizza was delicious.

Thanks everyone!

Honestly, I doubt it was a Sicilian pie. Being WDW it was most likely Ellio's frozen pizza, or a similar brand that WDW gets from their food supplier. It is something that apparently is only sold in the northeast, but WDW seems to get a lot of the same food we get in this area.

It sort of looks like Sicilian, but it's not. It's a mass produced product, and since most of the time it is heated in a toaster over (or in WDW I would suspect a salamander) from frozen, it gets the burnt cheese you talk about.

When I was a kid in the 80's, just about every sport field with a snack stand served Ellios. The going rate back then was between 75 cents to $1.00 a slice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellio's_Pizza

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

You sure it wasn't Pasta Piazza which was just across the way from Electric Umbrella where Epcot Character spot is now?

Why did they ever get rid of that?

 

[crxbrett]

Why did they ever get rid of that?

I find myself asking this question more and more about many Disney park things as I get older lol

 

[mouse_luv]

Honestly, I doubt it was a Sicilian pie. Being WDW it was most likely Ellio's frozen pizza, or a similar brand that WDW gets from their food supplier. It is something that apparently is only sold in the northeast, but WDW seems to get a lot of the same food we get in this area.

It sort of looks like Sicilian, but it's not. It's a mass produced product, and since most of the time it is heated in a toaster over (or in WDW I would suspect a salamander) from frozen, it gets the burnt cheese you talk about.

When I was a kid in the 80's, just about every sport field with a snack stand served Ellios. The going rate back then was between 75 cents to $1.00 a slice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellio's_Pizza

This is exactly the pizza that came to my mind with the OP's description.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

I find myself asking this question more and more about many Disney park things as I get older lol

90's Epcot was the best even if it meant some addition of characters. Disneys 50th At Epcot looks pretty similar to what we saw in 1994 except much more.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Why did they ever get rid of that?

This post from 2001 *WHOA* States it was being transformed to a Store at the time..Which means it was just as Centorium was being converted to MouseGears. It was also called the Sunshine Terrace Restaurant before that.
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/bye-bye-pasta-piazza-restorante.1072/

And now it is what we know as today as....

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

This post from 2001 *WHOA* States it was being transformed to a Store at the time..Which means it was just as Centorium was being converted to MouseGears. It was also called the Sunshine Terrace Restaurant before that.
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/bye-bye-pasta-piazza-restorante.1072/

And now it is what we know as today as....

Someone said it could be worse and he worse happened

 

[OliveMcFly]

I didn't get to WDW until 2001, but the best pizza at Disney (QS) is the kind you can still get at PizzeRizzo. It's so perfectly dough-y and cheesy, and the sauce is not too sweet.... I wish they still had it at Pizzafari, but I digress

The round pizza? I love this stuff! This is one of the first things I get when I arrive. Last I checked they removed it from Pinocchio's in MK as well. I don't care much for the flatbread pizza.

 

[becca_]

The round pizza? I love this stuff! This is one of the first things I get when I arrive. Last I checked they removed it from Pinocchio's in MK as well. I don't care much for the flatbread pizza.

Yesss! I always do DHS as my first park for this reason

I like the flatbreads but sometimes they taste a little cardboard-y to me