Trattoria: Pasta Tuesdays in Burnaby

Trattoria is a small chain of Italian restaurants under the Glowbal Restaurant Group. They have 3 locations – Kitsilano, Park Royal and Burnaby. This review is based on their Burnaby location.

Interior

Trattoria has 2 floors but both floors are very busy by the time we arrive at 6pm. In general, the aesthetics of the space are dark and modern. They have a lot of different dining furniture depending on which area you are in – they have a giant circle bar, high bar tables, classic dark furniture sets, etc.

After 40 minutes, we are seated in an area with a giant wall storage of wines. It looks very pretty.

Food: Tratt Tuesday

We visit Trattoria without reservations on a Tuesday because we want to try their “Tratt Tuesday” menu – all pastas are $13.

Spaghetti & signature meatballs ($13)

My boyfriend orders the spaghetti and meatballs. You can choose between the spicy tomato basil sauce or the truffle cream sauce. Please please choose the truffle cream sauce. They also add a swirl of herbed ricotta on top of the meatballs.

The truffle cream sauce is heavenly. Your first bite is amazing. Granted, I don’t think they use real truffle, but it’s rich and creamy. Suddenly your spaghetti and meatballs taste a whole lot better.

The truffle sauce does, however, get overwhelming later on. Looking at the portion size, you may wonder if it is enough to fill you up but as you continue to eat that truffle spaghetti, you will realize it is too much.

The meatballs are quite large and not dry. It does taste very different from the truffle cream sauce, so for those who like the OG pairing of tomato sauce and meatballs, you may find it strange to combine these flavours together.

Regular price for this pasta is $25.

Crab & lobster ravioli ($13)

I order the crab and lobster ravioli. It is cooked with a lemon butter sauce, soleggiate tomatoes and chives. Regular price for this pasta is also $25.

There are around 5-6 pieces of ravioli. Again, you may think this is too little but the raviolis themselves are actually really big. I ate one of my boyfriend’s meatballs and a few bites of his spaghetti and I was full with the completion of my ravioli.

The lemon butter sauce gives it kind of a sour flavour, which is very different from the richness of the truffle cream sauce. I do not like my ravioli swimming in sauce so this is actually to my liking.

The filling of the ravioli doesn’t taste extremely “crabby or lobster-y” if you know what I mean. It’s not like there are giant pieces of crab or lobster meat spilling out. It’s all mixed in together into very fine bits, almost like a paste/meat filling. To be honest, the filling could have been anything and I would have a hard time telling the difference.

Brussel sprouts ($9)

We add a side of brussel sprouts because the table next to us ordered some and they looked really good. The sides are not part of their Tuesday special so we paid full price for them.

The brussel sprouts are roasted with lemon, capers, chillies and parmesan cheese. They are delicious, as all brussel sprouts are when you order them at a restaurant. Even the capers tasted yummy to me and I usually don’t like capers.

Drinks

If you order a pasta on Tuesday, you get a drink special to go with it – $5 wine. We order one house red and white.

Final thoughts

Our total bill came to $45 before tax and tip for 2 people. I think their Tuesday pasta special is definitely a good deal. They also have a lot of different types of pastas eligible for this promotion, so if you like different kinds of pasta or if you are a vegetarian, there is still an option for you.

The quality of the pasta I would say is slightly above average. The truffle cream sauce is certainly a winner for most of us and a restaurant favourite. I saw many people ordering this throughout the night.

The amount of food is also surprisingly abundant. I had enough leftover pasta and brussel sprouts for lunch the next day.

The service was good, although there are lots of reviews that say otherwise. We received our food in less than 10 minutes of ordering. Our pastas arrived before our glasses of wine did.

I think a good reminder is that if you come on a Tuesday, the restaurant is super busy. If you don’t have a reso, expect a 30+ minute wait and don’t expect your server to be there to refill your water.

Sincerely, Loewe