Trattoria by Italian Kitchen — Restaurant in Burnaby

So, just gonna preface this by saying we used to eat at Trattoria a lot before they renovated and reopened as Trattoria by Italian Kitchen (aside from the newly enclosed patio, didn't notice a lot of changes aside from it being way darker inside). But regardless, they still have Pasta Tuesdays where you can get pastas for $16. Sounds like a good deal.

We visited in late October. The place was surprisingly busy given we arrived just a few mins past their opening time. Got seated in the back. It's quite dim there and difficult to read the menu. The server could tell I was having trouble and agreed that it's kind of dark back there (no solution offered like "you can view the menu online on your phone" or "let me grab a candle for your table" but that's fine... I can figure things out myself and used my phone).

Their pasta Tuesday menu is $16 for any of their pastas. Seems like they changed their menu a bit so we wound up ordering the Nodi Marini Fra Diavolo ($16 pasta Tuesday) with scallops, prawns, capers, olives, and peperoncino as well as the Mafaldine Carbonara ($16 pasta Tuesday) with pancetta, black pepper cream and pecorino romano. They upsold us on the cheese bread ($9) which they delivered to our table about 3 mins before our pastas arrived.

We also got an order of Caesar Salad ($16) and their Jasmine Guava Ice Tea ($8). Honestly, the flavor of the Caesar dressing was pretty good. The baby gem lettuce pieces were a bit too large to eat so we wound up cutting them down ourselves. The garlic croutons were also too large but the main problem with the croutons were they were hard both hard and kinda chewy (like it needed to be baked a little longer to give it a crunchy texture). But because they were so hard, you couldn't bite through them or cut them with your knife.

When our pastas eventually arrived, they were steaming hot (good sign). But we immediately noticed that everything tasted quite salty. Now, I know pancetta can be salty (and I usually love it in carbonara), but the pancetta itself wasn't overly salty (as I tried it by itself). I think it was the pasta sauce. That or the pecorino romano which is known to be on the saltier side. The Nodi Marini Fra Diavolo was also salty but you could tell that was mainly from the capers and olives (the shrimp and scallops were pretty good). I tried to eat the cheese bread in hopes that would dim the saltiness but by this time, the bread was kinda cold and didn't help much. The waitress came by but I didn't say anything cause she seemed busy and rushed.

Eventually, one of the managers came by and asked how things were and I mentioned how salty the pasta was. She was quite apologetic and offered to replace it with a different pasta. I originally said no because I've rarely ever sent back food but she seemed insistent. So I do appreciate the effort. I could hear her talking to the staff and they said they don't add salt to the dish.

They brought back a Tagliatelle Ghiottone with a creamy sauce and minced chicken. To be honest, it still tasted a bit heavy with the salt (but not as bad as the carbonara). Minced chicken was an interesting choice as I found the chicken to be a bit dry. I feel like the problem was with the pre-made pasta sauce (which we could see them ladeling out of a container when they were making my replacement dish)... or perhaps the cheese that they used. Pecorino is usually not aged very long so that does add to the saltiness (probably a poor choice of cheese to go along with a pasta that has pancetta in it).

Overall, I appreciate the efforts of the manager to try and rectify things. But I found the dishes on this visit to be way too salty for my preferences. Afterwards I went on Google to check their reviews and saw a number of other people mentioning how salty the food is now. Hopefully, they'll do something about that in the future. This meal (which we originally thought might be a relatively inexpensive lunch with $16 pastas) wound up being...

As a true pasta lover, I was excited to try this place. Unfortunately, my experience left me disappointed, mainly due to poor service.

I came with a friend during Happy Hour. The restaurant was not busy, maybe 25% full. We were sat to a tall table near the bar, and we realized that is in front of the beverage collection area. It was uncomfortable because some time there were like 3–4 waitresses would constantly gather right next to our table waiting for their orders. What made it frustrating was that many empty tables were available elsewhere.

Our server (curly hair, ponytail. let’s call him Server #1) introduced himself, but things quickly went downhill. After deciding on our order, we waited and waited. I had to raise my hand just to find our server. It felt like I was back in school because I raised more than once.

We received our appetizer after about 10 minutes of order. My friend’s water glass was already empty, and the server didn’t offer a refill until I called him over. After finishing our appetizer, we again needed water refills. but our server was nowhere to be found.

Our pasta finally arrived around 20 minutes after receive the appie, served by another (Server #2, also with a ponytail). He dropped off the plates, said “Enjoy!” and left. I immediately asked for Parmesan, and he said “Okay.” We saw him walk to the bar area and then disappear. No Parmesan. No explanation. No follow-up. We were like what?

We did not touch our pasta for 5 min maybe because our server #1 was not on the area. Once I saw him I raised my hand again ask for Parmesan. He brought it, and to be honest, he grated Parmesan half on table and the dish. One of the photos I took shows it.

At no point did Server #1 do not ask why we hadn’t touched our food yet or if everything was okay. This felt careless and indifferent. It was clear we were waiting, looking around, and not eating, but he ignored it.

Later, I noticed Server #1 refilling water at other tables and skipping ours completely. Thankfully, a blonde female server came by, kindly asked how everything was, and refilled our water without being asked. She was genuinely attentive, polite, and helpful.

At the end of our meal, I still had pasta left and wanted to take it home. I had to raise my hand again to ask Server #1 for a box and the check. I need to mention again, I did not touch my food, why the server no1 can not see that I am done. A few minutes later, the same blonde server returned, offered to pack it for me herself, and even asked if we wanted dessert. Her service was warm and professional, a big contrast from our assigned servers.

Meanwhile, Server #1 finally showed up again holding a takeout container I had already received the food pack with bag from blonde server.

Final Thoughts: • Pasta: 7/10. Not bad, but the poor service ruined my appetite and enjoyment. • Service: 0/10. Slow, inattentive, and careless from pony tail sever #1 and 2. • Highlight Service: 10/10 for blonde female server • Atmosphere: The seating location was uncomfortable.

Questions I was left with: • Isn’t it standard to ask if customers want Parmesan with pasta? • Why did Server #2 disappear without explanation or follow-up? • Why didn’t anyone check on us when it was obvious we hadn’t touched our food? • Why was only one server consistently offering water and help, while the others ignored us?

Sadly, I left feeling frustrated instead of satisfied. I may return, but only because of the great service from that one blonde server she deserves to be recognized. If the restaurant had more staff like her and less like Server #1 and #2, I’m sure customers like us would come back more often.

*Aldo need to mention, Yes, we did left tip, but we did for...

Beauty has its own energy *

Me and my family stayed in the Element Vancouver Burnaby. Coming to Vancouver from Whistler occasionally, this location provides us with good options for shopping and entertainment. We have walked past Trattoria many times as it is attached to the hotel so to speak. The restaurant looks beautiful and fancy. It was always on my radar for a nice dinner with my wife. Having our 7 year old son accompany us on our trips, I hesitated to just walk in before finding out, if this is a family restaurant. Most of the nights we order take out to the room anyway as my son seems the happiest that way. At least until tonight.

Having our mother in law visiting from abroad, I rolled the dice and decided we should go out for a nice dinner before we take her to the Airport tomorrow. Bold move to walk into any nice restaurant on a Friday night.

Trattoria looks great from the outside and it's beautiful from the inside. The first sense that got triggered upon entering did not need any assistance from my vision that being said and I was hooked by the wonderful smell!

Working in hospitality and hotels myself, good service does not take long to recognize but great service can be spotted from the door. The restaurant was packed yet the staff was super welcoming and immediately interacting with the whole family including the little one. My assumptions regarding family restaurant were disarmed before I could even ask for a table. We were lucky and due to the restaurant being full inside, we got offered a table on the closed patio. The heaters made the place feel alive and the overall setup established this part of the restaurant as my preferred location immediately. Something made me think of New York city in the nicest way.

I could write about the individual wonderful dishes we each had as if I was not sure anything we would try here would be absolutely incredible. My eyes were drifting towards waiters bringing dish over dish to the neighboring tables. My desire to try them all was ever present. On one occasion I mentioned this to one of the passing staff members as I could literally not help myself. The food was wonderful and the wine was just perfect. When we left the restaurant, everybody was glowing ... especially my young son. I love my family more than anything. Seeing how impressed they were from the connections and interactions they made with the staff absolutely made my night.

Hassan my thanks goes to you tonight for your wonderful energy, care and amazing sense of humor while taking care of our table. You are a great soul and I had a sense of knowing you forever. This might sound a bit corny on a google review but I stand by my words as your service really impressed me. Without sounding pretentious I always took my job in the hotels very seriously due to its impact on other people. You my friend are a true ambassador for hospitality in my opinion.

Michael you took your time to bring honesty into our table's conversation and completely won our hearts over. We are from a younger generation that grew up with technology yet it indeed is a human connection that we all prefer and yearn for. Your words left a lasting impact on us all and especially in today's world, I truly appreciate and value your actions. Please continue listening to your wonderful heart as you truly make a difference. I only visited one of your restaurant's to this day however I completely understand why they are so successful. I wish you all the best! Our son William mentioned your name many times after we left the restaurant. You truly inspired us all and I am forever grateful

Safe to say Trattoria got a customer for life tonight. I cannot wait to be back! *

Kindest...