I’d do Magical Dining Month at Universal Orlando Resort again

In DC and NY we have Restaurant Week. I’m certain other places do too. Orlando might have a separate week for restaurant week. But all I know is that Magical Dining reminded me of Restaurant Week but much much better and longer. So during an Orlando trip in September 2023, my friend and I decided to try Magical Dining Month at Universal Orlando Resort.

People say I’m cheap. I just say I have different priorities (like food) and I like to get good value for my money. Magical Dining was a great value. So much so that for the first time of any restaurant week-style dining, I could not finish even half of my food.

My friend and I made advance reservations at Mama Della’s at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and we knew to pace ourselves during the day for our meal at night. We even had a late reservation to ensure we’d be ready to eat, 9 pm. For reference, for the majority of the time, I’ve been eating dinner somewhere between 4-6 pm since 2007. This 9 pm dinner was late.

Getting there

We left our hotel room at the Royal Pacific to boat over to city walk. Then boat over to Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. We weren’t entirely sure where the restaurant was located, but luckily it wasn’t hard to find, even in the semi-darkness.

The restaurant

We sat down to such a beautiful Italian restaurant, Mama Della’s, where there were white tablecloths and live music at your table. It was cozy yet large, reminding me of quite a few Italian restaurants in NY and Chicago. But I didn’t expect much of the food.

The food

We opted for the $40 3-course meal. The entree round was a not a typical choice for me when I go to Italian restaurants, but not shocking.

Appetizer

I always pick calamari for an appetizer and this time was no different. The calamari was melt in your mouth delicious, though a tad salty. They gave a LOT. I was pretty full just after my appetizer.

Entree

Now my entree course was a bit unexpected, but I wanted to see how their lasagna compares to my favorite lasagna of all time…mine. That’s right. I rarely boast about my cooking skills, but I’ve yet to find a lasagna that beats my turkey lasagna. The lasagna was surprisingly very good. It was beef and pork, so it had a different flavor profile than mine, but I enjoyed it. I don’t care for cream sauces but the mix of the bechamel and marinara sauces was delicious.

Dessert

My 2nd favorite dessert of all time is cannoli. I’m very particular about cannoli. This one was good, but not great. Average, I’d say.

Overall impressions

Overall, despite my 3.16/5 score, I was pretty impressed by this restaurant. It wasn’t the best Italian I’ve ever had. Actually, that award goes to a tiny place in San Francisco with the best fresh pasta I’ve ever had. But this was still a solid pick with great prices even on days outside of Magical Dining Month at Universal Orlando Resort.