4,000+ reviews · Google 4.5 · OpenTable 4.7 · TripAdvisor 4.3
Value resort. Premium dinner. A quick drive to real Italian on International Drive.
4,000+ reviews · Google 4.5 · OpenTable 4.7 · TripAdvisor 4.3
“We stayed at Surfside to save money for food like this. The meatball polenta appetizer and the chicken marsala were both incredible. Better than the $25 burgers at the park.”
The Jackson Family, Baltimore · Google
The Menu
Housemade pasta, steaks, seafood, chicken parmigiana, lasagna, cocktails, wine, desserts, and a kids menu — all served in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.
Keep reading to learn more about Vincenzo
Surfside Inn and Suites is Universal's value resort — smart pricing, surf-themed rooms, and all the park benefits. Guests who choose Surfside tend to be strategic about where they allocate their vacation budget.
Vincenzo is where the budget should go. A short drive from the resort, this family-owned Italian restaurant delivers food that would cost twice as much at a themed restaurant inside the parks. The meatball polenta appetizer — homemade meatballs over soft polenta with San Marzano sauce and ricotta — costs $17 and is enough to share between two adults.
The chicken marsala is hormone-free scaloppine with portobello mushrooms in a marsala truffle sauce, served with mashed potatoes and sauteed broccolini. At $27, it is a genuine bargain for the quality and portion size.
Kids eat for $13 with a beverage included. Spaghetti and meatballs, chicken tenders, alfredo, ravioli, pizza, and filet tips. The kids menu alone makes the trip worthwhile for families.
Handmade Pasta & Italian Classics
Every dish is made from scratch, every night. This is what dinner at Vincenzo looks like.
At Vincenzo, the guest at table 12 who drove from Surfside Inn gets the same care as the guest at table 5 who walked from the Ritz. The Navarra family built their restaurant on the principle that hospitality does not scale with price point — it applies to everyone equally.
That philosophy is why Surfside guests feel immediately comfortable. No judgment about vacation clothes. No upcharge attitude. No pressure to order the most expensive bottle. Just genuine warmth and excellent food.
The servers know the kids menu by heart. They bring bread without being asked. They check on your table at the right moments. These details are not scripted — they come from a culture built over more than a decade of family ownership.
Over 4,000 reviews reflect that culture. Guests from every price point of hotel leave the same kind of review: "This was the best dinner of our Orlando trip."
Five of us from Surfside, total bill was incredibly reasonable, and every single dish was restaurant-quality. The garlic bread with mozzarella was addictive.
Jamie & Matt, Tampa • OpenTable
Black Angus from Creekstone Farms
Hand-cut, cooked to order, served with truffle butter and fresh sides every evening.
From Surfside Inn, Vincenzo at ICON Park is 5 to 8 minutes south on International Drive. No highway. No complicated navigation. Just a straight drive to the best Italian dinner near Universal.
Complimentary valet parking eliminates the one remaining friction point. Pull up, hand off your car, and walk into the restaurant. After dinner, your car is waiting.
ICON Park surrounds Vincenzo with evening entertainment. The Orlando Eye is stunning after dark. The attractions keep older kids busy. But many Surfside families simply enjoy dinner and head back to the resort for early bedtimes.
Open 5 to 10 PM every evening. Reservations recommended on weekends.
Happy hour Negroni and the bruschetta to start, then the gnocchi for dinner. Under $30 per person for one of the best meals in Orlando. Surfside guests, trust me on this one.
Steve, Orlando Annual Passholder • Google
The Dishes People Come Back For
Chicken parmigiana with spaghetti. Fettuccine alfredo with jumbo shrimp. Made fresh, every night.
Surfside Inn guests visiting Epic Universe can show their ticket at Vincenzo for 10% off food. Dine-in only. Cannot be combined with other offers.
Happy hour runs Monday all night, Tuesday through Friday 5 to 7 PM. $4 bottled beers, $7 wines, $10 cocktails. Wine Down Wednesday makes every wine by the glass half price.
The cocktail menu includes Negronis, Aperol Spritzes, Espresso Martinis, and classic martinis — all handcrafted, not pre-mixed.
For families traveling together, the Amalfi Room seats 15 to 50 for private dining. Custom menus make it easy to accommodate every age and dietary preference in the group.
This place is a hidden gem on I-Drive. Not a chain, not overpriced tourist food. Real Italian with real heart. The tiramisu alone is worth the trip.
David, Atlanta • TripAdvisor
Made the Way It Should Be
Homemade lasagna. Meatballs with San Marzano sauce. The Italian food you remember, done right.
Surfside Inn guests are often repeat visitors to Orlando. They know the value resorts, they know the parks, and they know where to eat. Vincenzo is the restaurant that keeps showing up on their itinerary because it consistently delivers quality without the tourist markup.
Casual, welcoming, family-owned, and genuinely excellent. That is the combination that turns first-time visitors into annual regulars.
Reserve on OpenTable. Call (407) 745-4030. Walk-ins welcome. Open nightly 5 to 10 PM.
5 to 8 minutes by car on International Drive.
Yes. 10% off with Epic Universe ticket or annual pass.
Yes. Entrees $21-$45. Happy hour has $4 beers, $7 wines, $10 cocktails. Kids menu $13.
Yes. Complimentary valet every evening.
Chicken parmigiana, gnocchi, lobster ravioli, fettuccine alfredo, tiramisu.
Yes. $13 with beverage for kids 10 and under.
No. Casual attire welcome. Shorts, park clothes fine.
OpenTable or call (407) 745-4030. Walk-ins welcome.
Handmade pasta, craft cocktails, complimentary valet. Open nightly 5 to 10 PM.
Vincenzo Cucina Italiana is not affiliated with Universal Destinations & Experiences or Surfside Inn and Suites.