RESTAURANT REVIEW: Italianni’s at EDSA Shang-ri La Plaza Mandaluyong

Valentine’s Day passed by and as normal couples would, we also celebrated our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple. Dane wanted to take me out on a date. Since the actual celebration falls on a weekday, we decided to eat out the weekend before instead to avoid the crowd. We ended up going to EDSA Shang-ri La Plaza as we’ve only passed through it to get to Megamall most of the time. We did enjoy our dessert at La Creperie a few weeks back, but we’ve never really roamed around the mall yet to see the stores and whatever else it has to offer. So we took the chance to go around the mall while deciding what to eat.

I had to contemplate whether or not there was value in writing a review for a popular restaurant such as Italianni’s. But I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to share my love for this Italian restaurant, especially with how accessible it is wherever you are in the Metro. I’ve only been to Italianni’s probably five times in my life, and every single time, it made me happy.

Pasta is one of my favorite food in the world ever since, so it’s no surprise that I love Italian. So of course, that’s what we went for as well for our Valentine’s Date celebration.

Italianni’s serves complimentary bread (Focacia, I believe) as a starter that you can dip with a combination of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (a combo I really love). I do love it though I’m not usually a bread person. Dane on the other hand loved it so much that when the staff overheard him saying how much he loves it, they offered him another basket. Definitely a nice gesture!

It’s a good appetizer as it’s filling enough to sate hunger but not enough to fill you up that you can’t enjoy the dishes you actually ordered.

Dane loves meatballs a lot so he went for Italianni’s Spaghetti and Meatballs. It’s my first time trying this dish as well and it’s possibly one of the best I’ve eaten.

The depth of flavor in the marinara sauce is amazing and the spices were just enough to round out all the flavors. The meatball has the right amount of saltiness so it complements the sauce and pasta well.

I do prefer my meatballs to have a charred profile but this is still an amazing eat!

Spaghetti and Meatballs: P445 (solo size)

Dane and I’s Rating: 5/5

My most favorite pasta is lasagna. It’s the second thing I learned how to bake (next to Chocolate Chip Cookies of course). Eating at Italianni’s a few times, I wanted to try dishes I haven’t, and surprisingly, this is one of them.

One of the first things I noticed is the serving size and the amount of sauce pooling their ceramic dish. It’s not usually how I take my lasagna so it caught me off-guard.

Unfortunately, Italianni’s lasagna didn’t meet my preferences for a savory, more-salty-than-sour flavor. The taste was kinda flat and the bechamel sauce was overpowering. Dane did love it though so we ended up exchanging food.

Not to toot my own horn, but both of us still prefer my own homemade lasagna over this one.

Lasagna: P385 (solo size)

Dane and I’s Rating: 3/5

Dane and I also ordered Margherita. It’s one of our go-to’s whenever we eat at Italian places because it’s a classic. It acted as an additional appetizer as we ordered it ahead while choosing our meals.

Raffaelle’s Woodfired Margherita Pizza still tops this, but this is definitely tasty (though pricey for what it is) as the ingredients were all fresh.

It’s pretty light though so you won’t get full with just this (Dane was able to eat 3/4 of the whole pizza even after he finished the lasagna lol)

Margherita Pizza: P695

Dane and I’s Rating: 4/5

We also got their bottomless Iced Tea (P145 per glass) though we don’t have a photo. It was delicious, but still, nothing beats Raffaelle’s Iced Tea as of writing.

Service was also impeccable. Our glasses were never empty as the staff kept on refilling our bottomless iced tea, one of my key basis in rating dine-in services. They were also very attentive and friendly.

Here’s to more celebrations for us!

Overall Rating:

Taste: 4.5/5
Bang for Buck: 4.5/5
Ambiance: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Would we eat here again? Yes!! Italianni’s has always been one of my favorites!