UP Town Center - Italianni's — Restaurant in Quezon City

I made a reservation via OpenTable for 10 people at 7 PM. Due to heavy traffic, I informed the restaurant I might be late, and they were very responsive and accommodating, reminding me of the 15-minute grace period. They even helped secure the table when only half of our group arrived on time. It was a good start!

Parking of the mall is at the back lot, so you need to walk around the mall to the entrance of Italianni's. When I arrived there, the restaurant was busy, so there was no greeting at the door, which was understandable. The restaurant is pretty spacious but tables are placed closely together, making it a bit noisy and cramped.

The staff overall seemed tired, some were slow to respond and didn’t smile much. Our assigned waitstaff, Zelle, was attentive and polite, though not very expressive and barely smile. I understand it can be exhausting during peak hours, so we didn’t mind much.

Now, the food experience was disappointing. Many dishes were served cold, as if they had been waiting. We ordered pizzas, items from the ₱385 all-day menu, and a few à la carte dishes.

Complimentary bread: very hard. Pumpkin soup: delicious. Caesar salad: bland and disappointing. On the 385 menu, you have to add ₱50 for it. Herb chicken salad & Chicken Milanese: tasty, but served cold. You also have to add ₱185 if you want these out of 385 menu, so better get the àla carte. ₱385 menu: most items required additional charges (+₱50-₱185), and overall quality was underwhelming. Pizzas: honey garlic and margherita were tasty, but the crust was too hard, it even cracked my tooth! (True story, I'm not even exaggerating. I even had to book an appointment with my Dentist the following day) Desserts: Tiramisu cake lacked sweetness and texture, so I wouldn't recommend. The caramel cake slice was enjoyable. Frozen Margherita: I also wouldn't recommend to get this out of 385 menu, but Basil Iced Tea was great!

I’d recommend ordering à la carte instead of the ₱385 all-day menu, as our à la carte dishes were better plated and more satisfying. The ₱385 menu, unfortunately, felt like it was added mainly to attract more diners rather than for quality, as most dishes from their menu required extra charges and didn’t meet expectations, which was a bit disappointing.

Overall, while the service and system are well-handled, but the food quality didn’t meet expectations at this branch. However, we must understand experiences may vary by location or timing and what we have experienced might be isolated. Anyway, TBG usually offer a survey for vouchers, which is...

First time trying Italianni's even though I often crave for pasta but I'm too scared to try this restaurant because for me, Mama Lou's set the bar high. I mean, I love Mama Lou's so much that I don't want to try any other pasta/Italian resto.

But well, earlier I felt like I needed to try something new and since Italianni's has launched a new promo which is their 385 ALL DAY. Wherein for 385 pesos you can have a solo appetizer + solo entrée + drink (you can add 65php if you want your drink to be bottomless then you can choose from dalandan or iced tea) so, we gave it a try.

For the food, it's good. It's okay. I mean for a pasta lover, it's delicious. Every bite of their pasta gives a delightful sense in your body. Eating pasta from Italianni's was a happy experience. But. Ofc, there's the but, the difference between Mama Lou's and Italianni's pasta is, Mama Lou's offers pasta dishes that tastes like an authentic Italian dish but what they do to their pastas and other dishes is they add their own style/brand on it. Which makes their dish remarkable. As for Italianni's, idk their pasta is good I mean it's decent but it's lacking of something. It lacks character. I feel like their pasta is something you can taste/find from other restaurants. I'm sorry but I just can't help but compare the two. But overall, it's good but its flavors lacks appeal in terms of taste. 🤌🏻

As per their service, I love their service. Every Bistro Group restaurant that I've been to gives so so good service to their customers. The staff are not snob. I can see that they feel passionate about their job. I love seeing happy and helpful servers. What a great management. 👏🏻✨

I also loved the atmosphere and the interior of this resto and loved the choice of music although I would prefer and appreciate it more if they use Italian songs/music to make our dining experience more Italian! 🇮🇹

Will I come back? Maybe! 🤭 But thank you...

Just want to write a feedback with regard to your service - Itallianis U.P. Town Center Sept 16, 2017 around 1pm.

Ive been having my bistro card since I came back from abroad, been eating in your restaurants under BFF almost thrice a month.

I decided to celebrate my birthday (of course the most special day of my life) with you, never did I expect that you failed my expectation. I went there and presented my card to one of your staffs. I did ask if I can avail my birthday discount, they assisted me dearly fast. Basically, the staffs knew that it was my birthday so i expected the usual greetings thru singing with a dessert. Few minutes after they served the food, I asked them a favor to sing that birthday song for my niece instead then she agreed. After an hour, of course the food was finished but still there was no greetings happened so I asked them if will they still sing for my niece? Seriously, HOW CAN YOU ALLOW A BIRTHDAY CELEBRANT TO ASK YOU TO SING A BIRTHDAY SONG FOR HERSELF (even thats for my niece)??? Im not mad, but very disappointed as my simple favor wasnt granted and my family was waiting so we could take her some videos. My birthday celebration was ruined. It never happened to me in Fridays and Dennys. Dont punish your staffs as it will make me sad, again I just wanna tell you Im not going to eat in your...