Best Italian Food Near Epic Universe

Handmade Pasta After a Theme Park Day

There is nothing like real Italian food after 8 hours on your feet. The handmade fettuccine at Ciao Italia is comfort in a bowl. The lasagna is layered with care and baked to perfection. The risotto pescatore is rich and loaded with fresh seafood. These are not dishes you will find in any theme park food court.

The Navarra family makes every pasta in-house. The sauces are built from scratch each day. The bread is baked fresh. When you sit down at Ciao Italia after a day at Epic Universe, you are not just eating dinner. You are experiencing 35 years of Italian culinary tradition perfected in one kitchen.

Family-Friendly, Parent-Approved

Kids 10 and under get their own menu at $13, and it includes gelato. After a day of epic adventures, the gelato alone is worth the drive. The adults get to enjoy veal, lamb, seafood, or any of the dozen pasta dishes while the kids are happy with their own plates. Everyone wins.

Skip the Theme Park Markup

Food inside Universal parks and at the surrounding hotel restaurants comes with a significant markup. At Ciao Italia, you get better food at a better price with free parking included. No $30 theme park pasta that came from a commissary kitchen. Real food, made by real people, at a fair price.

Also see our guides for where to eat near Epic Universe and restaurants near Epic Universe.

Reservations Recommended

Open 7 nights, 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM. During Epic Universe's opening season, reservations are strongly recommended. Call (407) 354-0770.

About Dining Near Epic Universe

Universal's Epic Universe is the most talked-about new theme park in the country. With multiple immersive worlds and cutting-edge rides, it draws visitors who expect big experiences. By closing time, those visitors are hungry and looking for something that matches the scale of the day.

The area around Epic Universe is newer and still developing its restaurant scene. Inside the park, dining options are themed but limited. Outside, visitors often find themselves searching for something beyond hotel restaurants and fast-food chains.

Ciao Italia Ristorante sits on Westwood Boulevard near International Drive, about 10 minutes south of Epic Universe. The Navarra family opened the restaurant in 1991 and has been serving homemade Italian food ever since. Fresh pasta daily, bread baked in-house, sauces made from scratch.

The restaurant is casual and welcoming, built for families and groups of all sizes. There is a private dining room for larger parties and a kids menu that includes gelato. After spending all day in a theme park, a quiet Italian dinner with free parking is exactly the kind of evening most people want.

Getting to Ciao Italia from Epic Universe

From Epic Universe, the drive to Ciao Italia takes about 10 minutes. Head south along International Drive for roughly 5 miles until you reach the Westwood Boulevard area near SeaWorld. The restaurant has free self-parking at 6149 Westwood Blvd. The route stays on surface streets and avoids I-4 entirely.

More Questions About Dining Near Epic Universe

How to Get to Ciao Italia from Epic Universe

The drive from Epic Universe to Ciao Italia takes about 5 minutes. Head toward International Drive and continue to Westwood Boulevard. Ciao Italia is at 6149 Westwood Blvd, Orlando, FL 32821, with free parking right in front. Open nightly 5 to 10 PM.