Does anyone really know when the pizza window in the Italian Pavilion will be open?

It’s not actually called the “Pizza Window”. That’s the name of the walk-up pizza counter on Disney’s Boardwalk. The real name is Pizza al Taglio. And, no. No one knows when it’s open. Not even Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences. We’re convinced of this. The ghost of Walt Disney himself might be wandering about Epcot scratching his head trying to figure this one out.

You see, there are stretches of time where we visit Epcot daily. For example, when we’re trying to sample all the festival food or when we’re indulging in a long stay at one of the Epcot area resorts. Every time we pass the Italy Pavilion on the World Showcase, we crane our necks to peep a view deep into the pavilion at the window, then look at each other shaking our heads knowingly because, of course, the window is closed tighter than the gates of Beast’s castle.

Is there really no way of telling which days it will be open?

Plenty of sources will tell you Pizza al Taglio will be open when the parks are busy, like during spring break, holidays, festivals, or the summer season. Don’t count on it. We’ve seen it closed on crowded peak days and open on fairly low attendance mid-week days.

Surely the My Disney Experience app will tell you. Wrong! The app will give you the hours, alright, but that doesn’t mean it will be open.(The posted hours are 11am to 9pm, by the way.)

What about asking the cast members in the Italian Pavilion? They must know.

Nope. We’ve asked on several occasions and were told, “It will be open Wednesday and Thursday,” or, “Come back tomorrow at 11 am.” 

Needless to say, it wasn’t open. Let me tell you, making the trek there on “insider information” only to find out it’s closed is a bit of a let down. We felt like Anna when the truth about Prince Hans was revealed.

So what can you do if you’re visiting from out of town and only planned one day at Epcot but you really want to try the pizza? 

There’s really not much you can do. Not even Madame Leota’s crystal ball can tell you. If you’re on social media, you could try a quick check to see if anyone has posted that it’s open that day. Rare, but it does happen. Who knows? You could get lucky. But if you miss out, take some consolation in the fact that many rate the pizza as lackluster. While we enjoy it, the dough can be overly yeasty and the pepperoni is on the greasy side. The sauce is flavorful but a bit too acidic (bring the antacids!).

In the event that you are lucky enough to find this quick service kiosk (as Disney classifies it) open, we do recommend you grab a slice of each flavor, margherita (cheese) and pepperoni. It’s a rare food item that is worth the price. Just some things to keep in mind. The line can be quite slow, so be patient. Also, there is no indoor seating, and the available outdoor seating is limited.

Buon appetito!