Show the lowest price for this hotel
Mama Della's
If you're staying at Portofino Bay, you better love Italian food. So assuming you do, you have to try Mama Della's. The decor is supposed to make you feel as if you were invited to dinner at your Italian grandmother's house, with mismatched chairs and old-school wallpaper. It might feel corny and forced, if the food wasn't so good. It's the kind of loud, relaxed, home-style place that's great for kids. There's plenty on the menu that appeals to fussy palates, and families will love being able to eat outside on the piazza. While we were waiting outside, an opera singer came and serenaded us from a balcony above the restaurant. Fantastico!
Bice
Bice (pronounced Bee-Chay) is a more formal Italian restaurant, also on the piazza, which has delicious food but is slightly less kid-friendly. It's a chain with 16 international locations, including the one in Orlando. Bice serves Northern Italian cuisine and has some inspired menu items like ravioli stuffed with beef short rib and spinach, and pasta is rolled daily. It's perfect for a date night if you plan on leaving the kids in Camp Portofino.
Trattoria del Porto
Another good option for the kids, the trattoria is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and is the best choice if you have big eaters, since they offer a great breakfast buffet, and an Italian dinner buffet on select nights of the week. There is also a small kids' play area with a table and chairs, beanbags, and a television. Kids' menus are available.
Sal's Market
We frequented Sal's Market, with its hanging copper pots and comfy booths, because it's a great place to eat quickly and relatively inexpensively. There's a kids' menu with items like burgers, mac and cheese and pizza, as well as snacks and fruit to go. You can also get muffins, cookies and a selection of breakfast cereals, which include a side of milk. It's the perfect place to stop for a quick, light breakfast and cup of coffee if you're in a rush to get out to the parks. They also have Italian meats, cheeses, antipasto and salads.
Splendido Pizzeria
Located beside the Beach Pool, the pizzeria has outdoor tables and chairs that overlook the pool, as well as beach service. The menu has everything from pizza to salads and seafood. We had veggie wraps and grilled shrimp, brought to us in our lounge chairs, which we devoured while watching the kids swim. Only one downside: pickup of the dishes was on the slow side, and it was a hot day.
Gelateria Caffe Espresso
This has a good selection of coffee, cappuccino and espresso, as well as delicious homemade gelato, pastries and biscotti.
Not to be outdone by Disney, character meals (featuring Shrek, Cat-in-the Hat) take place at all three Loews properties on select nights. You don't need to be staying at the hotel to make reservations.
In addition to the restaurants at the hotel itself, Universal's CityWalk is a short stroll away and there you'll find Bob Marley's , the Hard Rock Cafe, Emeril's, Jimmy Buffett's Margarittaville, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Latin Quarter, NASCAR Sports Grille, NBA City and Pastamore.
The room service menu is pretty good, but as you might expect, really pricey. If you've got a couple of kids, room service could easily cost you $100 for a simple meal. Or, you can run downstairs to Sal's and get it for less.
Show the lowest price for this hotel
Read more about 
Sure, free drinks and complimentary Wi-Fi rank high on the lists of most desirable hotel perks among travelers in general, but when it comes to visiting with kids in tow, which hotel amenities are most revered by families? From onsite airline check-in to in-room babysitting and kid concierges, con...
Favorite family biking locales in North America combine stunning scenery with a relatively easy grid of bike trails and uncongested backcountry roads. All of these locales offer exhilarating rides, guaranteed to inspire all ages to travel on two wheels. Many of the cities on the list, like San Anton...
1. Celebrate a Historic Anniversary. Boston's historic Fenway Park celebrates its 100th anniversary this year -- the perfect time to take in a ballgame while enjoying the history of America throughout the city. Give your school-aged children an up-close and personal history lesson by visiting some ...
The unofficial start to summer is nearly here, and this May 25 to 28 weekend is filled with enticing deals for families. Get out there and start your summer!
Broadmoor Resort, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Escape to the Colorado mountains for a two-night Memorial Day Family Escape at the Broadmoor. ...
There are few rites of passage as exciting as taking a child on his or her first camping trip. Families bond while roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, making shadow animals on the tent wall, chasing after fireflies and inhaling fragrant whiffs of pine. Whether you are an experienced camper from pre-...
1. The National Mall
There's no question that the National Mall, the two-mile strip of wide-open green stretching between the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Capitol and surrounded by Smithsonian museums and national monuments, is a must-see destination for kids. "The Mall," chock full of our nation'...
1. gogo Kidz Travelmate
If you're traveling with a child weighing less than 50 pounds, you won't want to leave home without this ingenious contraption that in seconds lets parents convert most car seats into a stroller. With the gogo Kidz Travelmate, there's no more lugging both a heavy car seat ...
On a recent ski vacation, my family of five traveled with five cellphones, three laptops, three iPads, two iPods and just for good measure, a GPS! Given the prevalence of electronic devices in our daily lives and our somewhat compulsive reliance upon them, taking a true vacation feels almost imposs...
The 1969 film, "If It's Tuesday, This Must be Belgium," depicted a funny, but sometimes all too true, look at a tour group of Americans traveling through Europe so quickly they barely knew where they were and what they were seeing.
Today, tour groups are quickly becoming an attractive option for ...
When you think of an all-inclusive vacation, your mind goes straight to the Caribbean, doesn't it? But you don't need to leave the country to get an all-in-one vacation -- resorts in the U.S. also provide all-inclusive getaways with accommodations, meals, and activities all packaged in one easy pric...