PizzeRizzo Review
PizzeRizzo (“Pizza Rizzo”) is a Muppets-themed restaurant in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World serving…pizza. This post offers food photos and a look inside this brand new restaurant in Muppet Courtyard that we were able to experience on its opening day. (Last updated April 17, 2019.)
Currently, PizzeRizzo is not operating. It went to ‘seasonal’ status last October, and has remained closed since. It is expected to reopen just in time to test your literal intestinal fortitude with the PizzeRizzo May the Fourth Be With You Challenge on May 4, 2019, and will remain open for an undisclosed duration. It’ll likely be open until at least the beginning of June 2019, as ABC Commissary will be down for refurbishment through then, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will need the dining capacity.
After that, we’d expect PizzeRizzo to close for most of June, July, and August 2019. It is highly likely to return on a permanent basis once Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens on August 29, 2019. The entrance to that new land is near PizzeRizzo, which will transform this courtyard from an unpopular dead end to one of the areas of Disney’s Hollywood Studios with the most foot traffic.
PizzeRizzo is the (partial) realization of a mini-land concept from decades around, which was supposed to include MuppetVision 3D, a Great Muppet Movie Ride, plus two restaurants: “The Great Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlor” and “Swedish Chef’s Cooking School.” Both concepts seemed really cool, and Muppet fans (us included) were hopeful to finally–potentially–have a taste of one of those restaurants.
Let’s take a look inside PizzeRizzo…
PizzeRizzo is sure to beckon foodies from every corner of Disney’s Hollywood Studios with a mouth-watering tagline: “it’s rat pizza.” PizzeRizzo is open for lunch and dinner, offering multi-level indoor seating. In addition to four varieties of pizza, there are also salads and meatball subs on the menu (see above) at PizzeRizzo.
It participates in the Disney Dining Plan as a counter service credit, but does not accept the Tables in Wonderland card for a 20% discount. As far as value goes, PizzeRizzo is a poor value on the Disney Dining Plan (see our ranking of the best value quick service restaurants here), thanks to its moderately priced pizzas. Ideally, you want counter service items that are $12+ in order to get good value out of the Disney Dining Plan.
Frankly, the overhaul of this restaurant was a long time coming. PizzeRizzo’s predecessor was supposed to be themed like a ‘dive pizza joint’ from the popular Pixar film, but it only got the “dive” part right. With its loud arcade downstairs and mostly bare walls, it was a very utilitarian place.
Little was done on the inside to execute the Toy Story theme, and it was mostly just a sad restaurant by Walt Disney World thematic standards.
PizzeRizzo changes some of that. In large part, it’s still a dive pizza joint stuck in circa 1988 (you probably know the kind of place).
While it’s still not the paramount of Disney theming, it is unquestionably better. To be fair, though, next to no effort would need to have been expended to make this better than Pizza Planet.
There are some clever puns, visual sight gags, and callbacks to Henson callbacks (and the Streets of America), but it’s still way too short on the details.
It doesn’t fully deliver on the New York pizza place set in Los Angeles–but run by Muppets–theme. It also does not feel like a decidedly Muppets establishment, except in a couple of places.
It feels like a major missed opportunity. Making it a counterpart to MuppetVision 3D would’ve been great, having it be a natural extension of the pre-show of that attraction.
I guess you could say it is like that, but with 1/100th the effort.
I hesitate to blame this on a lack of budget (but that likely does play a role).
More junk ‘n’ stuff for visual gags obviously would’ve cost money, and would be nice, but actual props are not necessary.
A lot could’ve been done by a clever writer and graphic designer.
(The display case outside the ballroom is a good example.)
Why it received a less lavish theming than what you’d find at your local Buca di Beppo is perplexing. Walt Disney World is still charging ~$100/day to visit this park, despite it having ~4 attractions open and 3.71 hours of entertainment.
Joking aside, this would be the perfect setting for Imagineering’s current fixation on cramming places with tons of eclectic, self-referential visuals.
Without much to see inside, let’s move on to the food. PizzeRizzo serves the type of “cuisine” (<- air quotes) that is stereotypically associated with theme parks.
Cheap and greasy mass-produced pizzas are the main draw here, with meatball subs and salads also available.
We were hopeful that Walt Disney World would opt for flatbreads or the individually crafted pizzas that were added at Pizzafari when that menu was overhauled, but that did not occur. It’s the same thing Pizza Planet had, which is to say frozen pizza with arguably 49% of the ingredients being chemicals.
On the plus side, that’s 51% actual food! We can’t say we’re too surprised by the menu decision, as the frozen pizzas served here have always been inexplicably popular.
Nevertheless, we were not totally disappointed by our pizzas. The sausage on my meat lover’s pizza stood out as being of reasonably high quality.
In other words, these were better than we remembered. They still aren’t on par with the flatbreads that have been introduced at many Walt Disney World, but they weren’t terrible, either.
It’s all about expectations. If you go in expecting a pizza like you might drunkenly cook following a 2 a.m. freezer raid, you’ll probably find PizzeRizzo enjoyable.
If you expect something that you might find at an actual hole in the wall New York pizzeria, you will be incredibly disappointed.
Expect a pizza that will taste approximately “$10 good,” (adjusted for Walt Disney World inflation) and you shouldn’t be disappointed. It doesn’t serve much of a point to fixate on the pizza quality in this review. It is what is is.
If you like this type of pizza, we can’t really fault you. PizzeRizzo certainly could have “guilty pleasure” status, particular if you don’t normally eat this type of food. We don’t, and we found it to be a fun place to have a meal. So, if greasy fast food pizza is what you go in expecting, PizzeRizzo will certainly deliver.
There’s a really similar salad to this at DCA, and I actually enjoy it as a lighter–but still loaded with meat, as any respectable salad should be–option.
The meatball sub is almost identical to the mediocre one they used to serve here.
Above is the cannoli.
The Tiramisu was shockingly good, and I’d definitely order it again.
In terms of value, PizzeRizzo is solid if you’re paying out of pocket. You receive a personal pizza of the plain cheese, pepperoni, meat, or a veggie variety, and a Caesar side salad for around $10.
As mentioned above, on the Dining Plan you’re better off eating at somewhere more expensive to maximize “value,” but even then it may not be a bad idea to pay out of pocket and split a pizza here (saving those credits for something else).
Overall, despite our fondness for all things Muppets, we won’t be adding PizzeRizzo to our regular dining rotation. It’s an improvement on Pizza Planet and easily the second best New York in Los Angeles-themed restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but neither of those things are saying much.
Parents with children who are picky eaters will likely enjoy PizzeRizzo, particularly given the value for money coupled with the dearth of satisfying counter service alternatives in the park, too. None of this should be construed as a ringing endorsement. It’s really too bad the opportunity for a worthwhile, long overdo Muppets eatery was squandered.
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Your Thoughts…
What do you think about PizzeRizzo? Are you excited for the theme change, or will you miss Pizza Planet? Are you a fan of this type of pizza, or would you have preferred PizzeRizzo serve flatbreads? If you like it, which pizza (or non-pizza) is your favorite? If you don’t like it, why not? Share your thoughts in the comments.
I don’t know whether I’m developing bad taste or whether supply chain woes worked in my favor, but the Sausage and Pepperoni pizza I had for lunch (Oct 3, 2022) was … good. Definitely better than the standard WDW pizza Catalina Eddie’s and better than the Figaro Flatbread or whatever the standard WDW flatbread is called where one is eating. We got a lot more “spice” (oregano and pepper blend, nothing fancy or hot) than I see in the above photos for sure. Didn’t go upstairs, so all I can say about the theming is that it looks like “80s movie New York,” though little Muppets, save for a Rizzo doll a welcoming cast member bought off property and brought in herself.
I go here solely for the Morietti Blonde! Such a tasty beer! My kids eat the pizzas and I eat their salad, so we enjoy dining at PizzeRizzo. It’s on our rotation when we can catch it open.
While the food is most definitely what my husband would deem “life sustaining”, my 8 year old daughter- who is a HUGE Muppets fan – was SO excited to eat here that it made the experience totally worth it. The cast members could see the excitement on her face – and made a big deal over her. She got to “meet” Rizzo (a stuffed animal held by a Cast Member) and received a special signed certificate. Yet another example of Disney Magic. One of the highlights of her trip and I (as a loving mother) am eternally grateful. I had fun dancing on the disco floor (and enjoyed embarrassing her immensely). So much fun.
Definitely the worst food at WDW. Never again.
We tried (and failed) to eat here on a recent trip. The failure resulted from the fact that PizzeRizzo apparently closes at 4:30…which feels like the most random time ever: “You know what? We should close right BEFORE people start wanting to eat dinner.”
The meatball sub was soooooo delicious! The meatballs were tender and flavorful. And I’m picky about meatballs! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! We sat in the garden party. The music was right up my alley… 80’s! It was a lot of fun singing Journey and Pat Benatar while devouring my sub!
They really need to make this place “Pete’s Luncheonette” from Muppets Take Manhattan! I totally thought that was the angle they were going to take when I heard about this, what with Rizzo being a prime character with everything.
I actually don’t like the flatbreads at all. These pizzas are a step up for me. They look like same product used by Riverside Mill. (Which our family is a huge fan of). I really can’t understand why pizza is such a complex issue for Disney. How hard can it be to mass/cheaply produce a decent slice of pizza and charge a ridiculous amount for it? I can’t comprehend this–I have had better pizza at carnival food trucks–it can’t be this difficult. Pizza seems to be a no brainer. Can we all start a petition???
Portion sizes look real tiny. Did they have craft beer? On a previous update by “In-The-Loop” the awning said beer. If they have Funky Buddha Hop Gun or Cigar City Jai Alia that would be good. Unless I was starved, I’d probably wait and eat at the top rated place on Yelp. Of coarse, parents with kids can’t do this, unless they fill up at the hotel breakfast and bring snack bars. This is basically the same problem airport restaurants face when trying to feed the masses. Give everyone something simple, small portion size, yet has a profit to offset the high rent price. Once again, I use Yelp to find the best places along with bringing a bag of granola and pop corn.
That tiramisu looks pretty good! I also loved the cappuccino cupcake at Pizza Planet. Wish they would bring it back! Do you think they will rebuild Pizza Planet and do it justice with the Toy Story renovation? It has so much potential if they did it right!
I’m one of the odd ones who actually prefer this pizza. I’m so disappointed with all the flatbreads replacing the pizzas at the resorts and pizzafari! But being from nj I much prefer the thick chewy crust
Well, I mean, 100% of the ingredients are chemicals. Everything is a chemical.
Everything about this looks drab and uninspiring. I have seen better theming in my local Pizza Hut and probably better pizza. Huge missed opportunity and worryingly maybe a sign of things to come from the upcoming renovations.
Thanks for the review! I was there justtt before it opened and would have loved to grab some tiramisu. Next time! For now, I’m craving some pizza 😛
the one worker had a lazy eye and kept looking at me. also, the staff sucks and the manager was rude. pizzerizzo was not the family fun place for me. i thought disney was supposed to be magical but PizzeRizzo was the opposite for me. this place should be gonzo.
I love it when you josh Josh!!
I think the décor does look like a vast improvement from Pizza Planet. I would have loved to have seen a Sonny Eclipse type of audio-animatronic in there. That would have made it 10 times better in my opinion (and we know Disney is capable of it). I also don’t understand why Disney can’t sell big slices of pizza like you get at a mall. I wouldn’t mind paying $10 for one slice of good pizza.
I was hoping there’d be some centerpiece to the ‘wedding reception’ room. A giant cake with AA rats on it–something.
Agreed on the pizza.
Took the Friendships over for lunch today at PizzeRizzo, little disappointed in the lack of over the top decorations I expected. Wasn’t really expecting a big improvement in the pizza, so wasn’t disappointed there. You get what you pay for, so I wouldn’t walk across the park for their pizza, I will probably be back. 🙂
Well, technically all food is made of “chemicals”… 🙂 /Nerdnitpick
I’m sorry to hear the pizza quality hasn’t improved, but perhaps they are saving that for phase two.
That seems fair. A menu change will require another 10+ month refurbishment.
Too bad. I was hoping for a bigger improvement in the quality of the pizza. I don’t know why, because what kind of quality can one expect for $9.99? Although, I do buy frozen pizza (Tony’s, I think) for $3.50. It tastes pretty good, and that’s coming from an Italian.
Doesn’t sound like a day at HS is a good way to spend my hard earned money either. Not much there. Even though I know how to do Disney on the cheap, I still don’t know how families afford a Disney vacation. I know people who saved for five years to take their family to WDW. And going forward I don’t expect that prices will go down.
That’s too bad. I was also hoping for some timeless Muppet charm, not just convenience and reasonable prices. Although in that first photo indoors, the restaurant looks like a fabulous loft and I soooo wish I could live there.