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Bice Ristorante bills itself as the best Italian restaurant in Orlando, Florida. While I haven’t eaten at an exhaustive list of Italian dining establishments in Orlando, from what I’ve experienced, I’d have to tentatively agree. Bice, named after the owner Beatrice in Milan, Italy’s original 1926 trattoria, is the premier restaurant at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Studios Orlando. It definitely IS the best Italian restaurant of the Loews complex at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
The Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Studios, Orlando is designed to be reminiscent of the actual Portofino, in Italy. People vacationing in Orlando are likely having a theme park adventure and not expecting much in the way of authenticity anyway — but there’s no mistaking that Image may be NSFW.
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Orlando sun and atmosphere for the Mediterranean. Bice Ristorante overlooks the harbor and piazza, and on the evenings when Italian tenors perform classic arias from Italian operas, the sound floating through the air truly is lovely. Orlando isn’t Italy, and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel isn’t Portofino, but eating at Bice Ristorante with the Italian opera drifting in was absolutely enchanting.
The menu changes seasonally, but some Italian standards are dependable at Bice Ristorante. My family enjoyed the antipasti of fresh tuna tartar, and the carpaccio appetizer was recommended by the waitstaff as well. For the pasta dish, try the ravioli stuffed with beef short rib and spinach; it’s decadent, true, but worth it. The classic Image may be NSFW.
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spaghetti Bolognese is a real crowd-pleaser (especially the younger crowd!), while adults should enjoy the ossobuco de Vitello con risotto Milanese. For dessert, we really liked the tiramisu and the amaretto cheesecake. As with real Italian restaurants in the Mediterranean, having an antipasti course, pasta dish, and then the main entree is expected, so the serving sizes may be smaller that guests would expect if they’re used to eating out at typical American dining establishments.
Because Bice Ristorante is at a luxury hotel in the theme park capital of the world, it is formal but not overbearing and stuffy. Guests dress somewhat more casually here than they would in an equivalent Image may be NSFW.
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restaurant elsewhere. The ambiance really is sophisticated, and not what I expected — even all the children were relatively subdued. I imagine that Bice Ristorante would make for a wonderfully romantic meal for couples dining without children. Reservations are necessary, at least during peak travel seasons. After all, it’s the best Italian restaurant in town, and guests of other Orlando hotels come here as well.
Bice Ristorante at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Universal Studios Orlando
(407) 503-1415
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