A month ago we told you that Portobello Restaurant in Disney Springs would be undergoing a major refurbishment. Now it’s clear that we’re going to be getting an entire Portobello restaurant replacement. Levy Restaurants (owners of Paddlefish among others) announced a brand new Italian restaurant concept will take the place of Portobello even though it has a long history here at Disney Springs.
James Beard award-winning chef Tony Mantuano will be heading up the development of this new restaurant which will feature many dishes from regions all across Italy.
“We’ve been grateful to serve our loyal guests at Portobello for the last seven years,” said Andy Lansing, President and CEO of Levy Restaurants. “We look forward to welcoming our guests back to the location early this fall when we unveil a new concept at Disney Springs.”
Portobello closed down just days ago on April 24th, and the opening for the new restaurant is expected to be in the Fall 2017, although these things tend to drag on a bit longer than usually planned so don’t be surprised if it goes longer.
From the concept art above it looks like a beautiful design. The restaurant structure looks similar to the one there now with a few minor changes. How much money they are going to put into it is yet to be seen. In my opinion it’s time for a change at Portobello. Years ago it was one of the places to go on a visit to Downtown Disney, but it’s really suffered a bit from a lack of identity and decent but not spectacular food. If it can offer some top grade Italian food to Disney Springs it will be a welcome addition as there isn’t anything there right now. If executed right it can have massive success there. Stay tuned for more updates….
Your Thoughts:
I want to know what you think about the Portobello restaurant replacement coming to Disney Springs. Are you happy to see a change? What ideas do you have for the new restaurant? Let us know in the comments section below!
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News and Photo Credit: Disney
My name is Ziggy and I love Disney, everything Disney! I grew up on Disney and it has and continues to be a huge part of my life. I started young when my parents took me to Disney World when I was 18 months old. Little did they know that would be the first of an uncountable number of trips we would take. I have so many amazing memories going to Disney with my family and friends and it has been interwoven into my DNA.