It is probably the best Italian restaurant in Manila…read more Especially the way the present dishes, and the simple menu without weird choices that are not part of Italian cuisine. Quality is overall good, but they are not always constant. Sometimes, they are under expectations. I suggest polpo for antipasto. The main courses (primi) are very good. I really appreciated their gnocchi or ravioli all'aragosta. Prices are fine. There are other Italian restaurants around that are way more expensive and worse.

I love this place as it's classy as hell and I really feel that air of genuine Italian atmosphere…read morewhen I'm there. Not to mention, the food is awesome too. I ate here in January with my family for my mom's birthday as she had requested for us to do so, and I thought that it was a spectacular choice. It's not surprising for me to find that executives in the area as well as families love to eat here. It's delicious, it's relaxing and it's very spacious. So much so that there's a second floor if you're looking for somewhere more private.

Having dinner here with family. We ordered pizza, chicken piccata and Sicilian salad. They're fresh…read moreand delicious. Serving staff are friendly and helpful. Nice and clean place to spend dining with your family and friends.

Growing-up, Italianni's was the Olive Garden to our family. Lots of locations, and reliably good…read moreItalian food that was sure to please a large family such as ours. Now that I'm older, I've come to realize that Italianni's is not so much of a corporate franchise as I believed it to be. The menu is expansive; they certainly have lots to offer by way of variety, and their food quality is on par. Every dish is carefully prepared, and you can taste the food quality in every bite. We ordered the mixed pizza (4 different types of pizzas in one), osso bucco pasta, truffle fries, calamari, chicken parm, mediterrean pasta, and much more for our Christmas Day dinner. Everything was exceptional! I've never had osso bucco before, and Italianni's version hit it out of the park. Our kids, just like many other kids, absolutely love pizza. Their quatro formaggio was insanely delicious thanks to their addition of gouda. My husband and I ordered the Italian Smash (gin, simple syrup, basil, lemon juice), and were so impressed by how tasty it was. Italianni's has proven their shift from a franchise Italian restaurant to finer casual dining. Their Shangrila Plaza location is situated perfectly in a row of restaurants and has both indoor and "outdoor" dining areas. Service is wonderful, as well. I highly recommend Italianni's for any family dinners or even dinners with friends or clients.

It was my husbands bday, and the whole family came. There were 8 of us. My hubby likes Italian and…read morewe wanted something really good. My sister found this place on google as best Italian restos in the area and we tried it. We ordered so much I don't quite remember all! But we had a couple of cold cut meats to start and couple of mozzarella with tomatoes. For main, we ordered a steak...boy was it huge and delicious! Value for price! We also ordered Alfredo w chicken, carbonara, pesto pasta, seafood pasta and red wine to go with it. Roberto, the owner, and our servers were very friendly! Oh, and not to mention, we had our own private room as it was a Monday and the ambience is so authentic and quaint! Love this place!

The ambiance is great but the food is not. The truffle pasta is not that good plus it is too salty…read more The carbonara is no different, it also disappoints. The pasta clearly needs more cooking for it is kind of tough. The pizza is the worst. No flavor. The crust has terrible texture. I feel i just dumped my money into the trash but that is just one man's opinion. The crew is friendly, though.

Compared to other local restaurants, one might find Amici a bit more expensive. However if you…read moreconsider you're having authentic Italian cuisine without needing to leave the Philippines, then the food here will actually be very affordable. Whenever I'm in the Philippines, I always make sure I grab a pie at Amici as someone from the US, it's hard to find Italian style pies back home.

My new favorite Italian restaurant. We just happened to walk by on our way to the mall. Wife…read moretells me this is the original location. Having been to the Ayala Triangle location a few times, I'm familiar with good thin crust Amici pizza. We were not disappointed for great pizza and pasta was fantastic. Probably the first pasta I've had that didn't have water dripping when lifting off the plate. Great Service too. I will be back for really want to try the various desserts.

I'm already an avid fan of this place, but what happened during our recent visit here has made me a…read morepermanent customer. When the girlfriend is craving pasta and meat, what else fits the bill except Linguini Fini? Our orders for the night comprised of Spinach & Roasted Pepper Dip, Shrimp & Clams Fettuccine, Papardelle "Nose to Tail" Bolo, and probably our favorite item from the menu: the Charred Hanger Steak. Having tried the dip and linguini before it was no surprise that the dishes tasted wonderful. The Papardelle was nothing short of spectacular. The fresh pasta soaked up the hearty, meaty ragu sauce, making it easy to taste everything in one bite. However, our visit took a slight bump for the worse when our steak arrived. After taking our first bite of the steak, a sense of confusion came over us. It had an excessive amount of sauce that made it taste like a stew more than a steak. We called our server, Tin, over and let her know our concern with the steak. A few moments passed before the manager, Brian, came over to apologize and assured us that they were going to fix our order. That was a pleasant surprise and first for me here in the Philippines. Most restaurants would just send someone over to repeatedly apologize and expect us to swallow the situation whole without any resolution. But Brian made sure a new, more palatable, plate of steak was served to us. As a token of apology, he even gave us a free dessert! A Hot Chocolate Affogato. And I might say, it was delicious! Linguini Fini, you've just gained two life-time customers, thank you for caring.

Love the Truffle Mushroom and their four-cheese pasta. Place is comfy. Good for the family, they…read morehave a long table for a large group. When we dined in, there were 12 pax in the table near us. I ordered Porchetta but I find it greasy. Gordon wouldn't like it.

Caruso is love. The…read moretaste of the food is excellent. The ingredients are premium. The plating is perfect. The cutlery ain't cheap. Caruso is dressed to impress. Everything I tried was delicious. The most notable dish for me was the Osso Buco which is a veal shank in Milanese style with saffron rice. The meat was tender and fall off the bone. I also really liked the homemade spinach raviolini with ricotta cheese, butter and sage. Bonus! They offer you limoncello at the end of your meal. Sometimes they have truffles flown in fresh from France and they sell by the gram or if you want them as a pasta dish or any other dish, that could be arranged as well. Be prepared to PAY. Caruso is a dressy kind of restaurant exuding class and elegance via their white tablecloths, sophisticated interiors and smartly uniformed waiters. Be embarrassed to come in in shorts and slippers. On second thought, maybe they won't even let you in. This place is perfect to dress up and celebrate an anniversary or if you REALLY want to impress somebody on your first date.

The vibe is warm, cozy ambience, traditional, friendly service...to sum it up an authentic Italian…read morerestaurant in the heart of makati, food served has quality ingredients, cheeses made fresh or authentic ones flown in. You can see wood pizza oven and inviting bar as you walk in. The appetizers include carpaccio, tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, burrata are great starters. Sea food and minestrone soups taste fantastic. You can go for pizzas or pasta based options and won't go wrong. Alfredo is recommended since their cheese is the real deal. Life will get sweeter with home made panna cotta. Enough said, buon appetito a tutti!

I came here with my family on my last night in the Philippines. Balboa is located at Shangri-La…read morePlaza. We ordered a bunch of food like pasta, lasagna, calamari, laksa and pizza. Most of it was fantastic. Although the calamari was a stingy portion so I'd skip on that. The Pizza was delicious we got the one with bacon, egg and apple. The lasagna was also very tasty and the laksa too. We really enjoyed our meal here and I'd highly recommend it if you're looking for a good dinner place in Mandaluyong.

The Eastwing section in Shangri-La is home to various high-end clothing stores and expensive…read morerestaurants. Living on a tight student budget, I try my best to avoid that place. I only go there if I have to go pee, because the bathroom there is really clean (LOL). But on some special occasions, I go there to try out some of their restaurants. For our barkada reunion, my friends and I went to this fancy-looking place called Balboa. It's weird how an Italian-American restaurant that looks so classy is named after a movie starring Sylvester Stallone (Rocky, 1976). For my first meal there, I decided to order something a little bit expensive. I had their US Short Ribs with Red Wine, Gorgonzola, and Mashed Potatoes. It took about 20 minutes for me to receive my order. The ribs were soft and succulent, with great intense flavor. The mashed potatoes had a buttery taste to it, which made the whole dish perfect. The place might be a bit expensive for some people, but once in a while it's completely okay to spend your money on good food.

I had high hopes for this place since I heard that a famous chef own this but food wise it wasn't…read morethe best. I had spaghetti with tomato sauce and it was pretty salty for my liking. I wouldn't come back here again.

I love Cibo. I really do. Nostalgia really hits me each time I eat here. The reason for this is my…read moreaunt used to take me for lunch at Cibo in their original branch in Glorietta. And up until today, I still enjoy the food as much as I did years ago. Primarily serving up the most delectable Italian dishes, Cibo has of course its Italian mainstays from pizza, pasta, antipasti, paninis, Italian desserts and main course meals (that I think they added a Filipino twist with the inclusion of the rice + meat combination). One of my favorite salads though is the Insalata di Manzo. The salad is a bed of greens with roasted beef tenderloin and balasamic vinaigrette on top. I really love this dish and it's a great start to the meal and of course, the main highlight would be the beef tenderloin - imagine thin cuts of flavorful roast beef cooked to perfection that's super tender. It blends well with the vinaigrette which I think is made from a balsamic vinegar base with olive oil. The ratio of the beef to the greens is just right and a small serving is good for two while a larger one can feed three or more (depending on your appetite). For Cibo's main dish, or their "Piatti di Marghi", I really love their Lombatine di Maiale, a roast porkchop dish served with mango marmellata sauce and parsley rice pilaf. What you get for the dish are two thick succulent slices of porkchops and some grilled veggies on the side. The meal in itself is very filling and quite worth it for the price. One of their newer pasta dishes that I really liked is their Lasagna Classico. It's layers of beef ragu with bechamel sauce made from mozarella and parmesan, making this slice of lasagna a really gooey number. The slice itself is good for one, and while it might look a little small, it will definitely satisfy your hunger. As for their refreshments, the only thing I always order that goes great with all the food is the iced tea with peach syrup. It's not too sweet and very refreshing. Even if you don't want dessert anymore, I think it's enough to satisfy that sweet craving.