While hanging out in the mall, the SO and I unexpectedly bumped into his mom, sister, and two…read morenephews. We asked them to join us for dinner, but we were kind of on a budget, so we thought of the best place to bring them. We ended up in A Veneto. PROS: Around P1,000.00 could feed six people, that includes two adolescent boys - and you know how their appetite is, with two platters of pasta and a large pizza; Seafood pesto pasta was a favorite, even for SO's mom who cooks a lot of good food herself and is quite picky; Serving sizes were more than expected and we were quite impressed. CONS: They have a limited number of staff on duty, which makes it kind of difficult to ask for assistance even on a nearly empty restaurant; Long wait time for the food. TL;DR: Freshly-made Italian fare that's friendly on the budget and lovely on the taste buds. The Friuli Trattoria of the Malls.

I've seen A Veneto Napoli a few years ago in their branch in Quezon City and finally got to try…read moretheir Italian dishes. Since Quezon City was too far away I'm glad that they opened one nearby in the Ortigas area. My experience with A Veneto Napoli is just okay as how I would like to describe compared to other Italian restaurants I've tried over the years. Maybe I expected too much also since I've been waiting to try it and just by name it itself it sounded like an authentic Italian place. We ordered their All Meat Pizza and just the Classic Carbonara since these are basic Italian dishes but of course each place can make it more delicious. The taste was not so bad but I won't say it's that great either. I can recommend this place if you're big group since the servings are generous and the price is cheaper compared to other more known Italian restaurants.

The focaccia with spinach dip is to die for! It's a perfect starter or a meal in itself. I…read moreespecially love their seafood spaghetti because it's really flavorful and the pasta is cooked just right. You can never go wrong with freshly made pasta!

My boyfriend and I ate here for lunch and we both wanted to try a different pasta place in…read moreGlorietta. I got the spinach and feta cheese ravioli. It was al dente and the red sauce complemented the filling. I thought I'll order appetizers but I was filled already with the serving size. We had tiramisu for dessert (my favorite cake) and I found their version not too sweet and the serving size is good for two so everything else is good. However, the cake was too creamy so maybe the cake should be chilled more before serving. Overall, the experience was good. The restaurant is open so expect people passing by near your tables unless you choose a spot that's inner to the restaurant.

We needed to wait out a huge downpour after dinner so we headed to L'Opera for coffee and dessert…read more L'Opera was a large two story restaurant with an eclectic mix of furnishings and decor following an Italian theme. A trio performed nightly and were quite entertaining playing and singing a mixture of modern and classic songs. Special occassion serenades on request. Sitting upstairs or in the room to the left of the main entrance was quieter. I ordered the panna cotta with mango which was a large slice but was firmer and lacked a certain creaminess than I expected. At least the mango slices and sauce added some sweetness to offset. Not too impressed with dessert but since it's a short walking distance from our new base in BGC will likely try their Italian food in the future. Will update my review at that time.

I was travelling and this was my only visit for lunch. It was a great meal. The inside of the…read morerestaurant is decorated well. There is seating upstairs. The place is a great setting for a power lunch, "ladies who lunch", or a very nice dinner. I ordered a bellini and it was great. Not too sweet and just the right alcohol content. For the meal we ordered the lobster ravioli and a meat pizza. My only critique of the meal is that although the pizza was good, perhaps a Neapolitan style would make it more authentic and differentiate from other available pizzas. The service was exceptional. The prices were reasonable for what we ordered. I noticed in the menu other full meal classic Italian meals for moderate prices.One more critique, the tiramisu seemed like it was not thawed out enough indicating too frozen. The cappuccinos were deftly made with authentic italian brew. All ingredients were authentic including the gorgonzola cheese on the salads. Definitely will try this place again, and at night for another meal.

If you're craving for some pasta and pizza then try out this place. Of course because of my…read morecravings we ended up here and i'm glad we did. We ordered the "family meal"?? which contain a rice with ribs and chicken breast, pizza, 2 salads, 2 varieties of pasta, and 4 iced tea. The pasta taste good i think one of them was the Pollo Pizzamente, the other pasta i totally forgot what kind, we ordered the Mona Liza pizza to go with it too and orange juice for me, and some calamari (i like how they make their calamari). The orange juice taste different but not in a bad way, i like it! it looks like pineapple juice but it taste like orange. Service was good and the staff were very helpful with our inquiries. For the dessert we ordered tiramisu however after tasting a little of it we learned that it has whiskey in it so i had to order a different dessert for myself. Overall my friends and i enjoyed the service, the food, and the ambiance.

Our 2nd stop for @forkspoonmanila's The Great #EatscapeToAura was held at Mona Lisa Ristorante…read more Thisbresto brought us the most creative cuisine from Italy directly to our table, with flavours that come from fresh ingredients and years of experience. What was served for us to try are as follows: Sicilian Caesar Salad - Baby romaine, shaved parmeggiano cheese with homemade dressing Mona Lisa Special / Calabrese ( Half Half ) Panizze : Mona Lisa - Buttered shrimp and herbs, Mozzarella and provolone cheese in cream tomato sauce Calabrese - Homemade italian sausage with funghi porcini mushroom in white sauce ( I like this better than the other one ) BBQ Platter for our Main dish Pollo Pizzimente - Tasty pasta with Chicken thighs and breast, asparagus broccoli with creamy porcini mushrooms, sauce and truffle oil Last but not the least was Spaghetti Vongole - All time favorite Pasta with Roasted garlic, Clams, olive oil and white wine sauce. All food are Complimentary. Like them on Facebook: Mona Lisa Ristorante Phils. Follow them on Instagram: monalisaristorante.ph

Since its soft opening, my family and I have been fans of Trattoria Poggio Antico. By now, I think…read moretheir restaurant manager already knows by heart our favourites. Save for the pizza, because we like to mix it up every now and then. It starts with Zuppa di Funghi (Mushroom soup, P205) that goes well with Carpaccio di Manzo (P305), Tagliatelle con Prosciutto e Tartufo (P485), Tagliatelle alla Carbonara (P290) and Salmone (Pizza with smoked salmon, P620). For Mother's Day we mixed it up with Rib Eye Angus Beef Pizza (P790). My family and I could forgo with the pizza, soup and carbonara but we cannot leave this place without ever eating Carpaccio di Manzo and Tagliatelle con Prosciutto e Tartufo. But we're kidding about forgoing pizza, soup and carbonara. That will never happen! You want a full-on Italian experience, you have to take the necessary steps from minestres to antipastis to pastas to pizze and dolcis. But can I just talk about Carpaccio di Manzo and Tagliatelle con Prosciutto e Tartufo again? As someone with Crohn's, food can be a little difficult. It's always hit or miss. So I'm always cautious about food. However, since I'm guaranteed the best of the best by their head chef (they don't serve dishes if their ingredients are not at par with their standards), the thinly sliced tenderloin of their Carpaccio di Manzo melts in your mouth so effortlessly. It goes well with the arugula, olive oil, parmesan and white button mushroom. Trattoria Poggio Antico promises authenticity with their food. They even make their own pasta! My first try with Tagliatelle con Prosciutto e Tartufo (yes, they like their long food names here) was love at first taste! I never looked back and remains to be one of my favourite pasta dishes after my Mom's home-made carbonara! It's a flat green pasta with parma ham, button mushroom in truffle sauce. I know I will think about this before I go to bed. Oh, sweet Tagliatelle.

People have raved about Cibo, and I've avoided going because of numerous reasons. I've wanted to…read moreprioritize Filipino food while in the country, but decided to mix it up. I can see why Cibo has gained the accolades they have. They've been highly rated, and currently on the world's top 50 pizza artisinal chains. I can see why. Pizza was really good. For the price, they were really healthy portions as well. The crust was delicious, and I really could have kept eating just that on its own. It was really good, soft but had a nice bite. Not too light not too heavy. The pizza toppings were really good. Each of the three pizzas we ordered were delicious. We got the 5 cheese, spinach dip pizza, and the prosciutto crudo. All good and flavors complemented each other. I'm really curious what the others taste like and will be back again in the future. Luckily with locations throughout, it won't be too difficult to get to one. If they match the quality of this experience, I'll be one happy person. I've heard people say equally good things about the other items on the menu, so looks like there will be plenty of reasons to find myself heading to Cibo in the future.

Good food. Nice ambience and the AC gives respite from the unrelenting heat and humidity. The…read morecappuccino-sized soup is a novelty but it was good enough for me. My husband enjoyed his pasta and we both loved the mango dessert.

food was good, LOVED the pasta and the pizza was nice and light and authentic, steak was…read morepricy--good but have had better for slightly less price. iced shaken espresso was good and very cutely presented too. main problem that made the experience lose points was the al fresco area. furnitures were old and cheap and tables were rickety, plastic chairs- it felt like i was dining at a fast food place except my bill was over 6k php...only thing that saved the outdoor atmosphere were the fairy lights. inside was nice though but require reservations.

Food was delicious, the pasta was ALDENTE and very tasty especially the truffle oil on one of the…read morepastas. The salads were so fresh with a touch of fresh shaved Parmesan along with the creamy tangy Caesar dressing. The pizza crust was thin and crispy and the filling was smooth and most delicious. We were a big group of 10 and the servers were very nice and friendly and helpful. The venue was decorated like old Italy, made me feel like I was actually in Italy! Only negative was the restroom, there was only one Gender Neutral bathroom and in a very tight spot at the back of the restaurant. I would still give this place a GO especially the location of the Power Plant in Rockwell where shopping is a must!!!

Trattoria La Piazzetta is a nice Italian restaurant located along Lopez Dr on the outside of the…read moreMakati Powerplant Mall. They make great Italian style pizza and have an extensive wine and cocktail menu while also offering locally made beer. I ordered a ham, artichoke, and anchovy pizza with a glass of beer and the total bill was 520p ($10 USD) including tax and tip. The pizza dough was soft but chewy and the briney artichokes and anchovies were excellent. You should also note that they have two menus, one for daytime/dinner and another for late night.