I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about Amici di Don Bosco that I just had to visit this restaurant. Oh boy, I wasn’t disappointed at all! I loved it so much I’ve gone there three times last month! Amici serves home-cooked Italian food at very reasonable prices. The restaurant has a cafeteria-like floor plan which gives off an informal and laid back ambiance. I loved the restaurant’s simplicity and homey air.
You order your meals from separate counters — one for the pizza, one for pasta. There’s also another counter for the Pinoy food and another counter for take-home bread and pastries. I’ve been told that the lines tend to be long during lunch hour but don’t be discouraged by the wait! The feast will be worth it. Your food will be delivered to your table. If you’d like a drink of water, just go to any of the two chillers in the restaurant. There you’ll find a set of drinking glasses, pitchers of water and an ice chest.
One of the pasta dishes I’ve tried is their Spinach Cannelloni. It was very delicious! The thing is it was so rich I couldn’t finish it up. I think it was a bit too cheesy for me. So if you’re a cheese lover, I’m sure this will give you one happy tummy. Oh, I loved that they were very generous with the spinach! This dish is a perfect partner to any pizza. A regular pasta dish costs around P130-150. But wait… isn’t cannelloni shaped like a tube?
Now here’s the breakthrough. H is not into pasta. He always opts for rice meals over spaghetti. Not this time! The first time we went to Amici, I got Spaghetti alle Vongole and he ordered Beef Steak from the Pinoy food section. After one taste of the Vongole, he became a pasta convert. Now, he orders his own Vongole everytime we go to Amici. The sauce is very delicious and they don’t scrimp on the seafood.
This is one of the best pizzas I’ve tried. I forgot what this one’s called, but it had tomatoes, mozzarella, sausages and ham on a thin crust. The crust was crisp and the toppings were cooked just right. Amici serves pizza in one size only though so H and I had a lot of leftovers. That was okay since we got to take them home. Their pizza’s quite a lot for 2 people, unless you both have big appetites. A whole pizza costs P240.
They also serve gelato in different flavors. I tried the vanilla with pistachio nuts and it was insanely good. I have to go back for that. H got his usual strawberry and it was divine. One gelato scoop costs only P35.
Amici di Don Bosco is located beside the Don Bosco Church along Arnaiz Road (formerly Pasay Rd.), Makati. You can park inside the church then walk to the restaurant. Drop by the church too and say a prayer. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, from 11:00am to to 9:00pm, Monday to Saturday. If you’re interested, they also offer cooking classes.
Buon appetito!
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
watson
June 2, 2006 at 8:17 pm (18 years ago)wow three times in a month! Na-break mo na agad record ko, Toni! been there only twice! Ayan tuloy, gusto ko na ulit bumalik dun para ma-try yung Vongole!
mare
June 2, 2006 at 10:03 pm (18 years ago)Heh, it must be delicious! The cannelloni looks like lasagne to me, hehe.
jane
June 2, 2006 at 11:44 pm (18 years ago)mas masarap ito…pasta lover ako eh
c
June 3, 2006 at 12:47 am (18 years ago)I saw in your photo that your vongole had red sauce. you might want to try it with white wine next time, it’s even better! if you do, you’d have to tell the girl at the counter when you order. try the four seasons pizza — it has artichokes!
dexie
June 3, 2006 at 5:00 am (18 years ago)sounds good to me. i’m a sucker for italian food, anytime.
JO
June 3, 2006 at 6:40 am (18 years ago)hi toni,
Amici should pay for this advertisement… hehehe…
kat
June 3, 2006 at 10:13 am (18 years ago)great review! can’t wait to try it when i go visit. and it’s so interesting to note that the prices of food there is so much cheaper than over here. wow. gelato for P35? a scoop of gelato here is $3+!
Pao
June 3, 2006 at 3:03 pm (18 years ago)hi toni. yes yoh for amici! ang sarap nga dito. kahit na madami pila at pinagpapawisan ka na, carry lang! super sulit naman.
Lightheaded
June 4, 2006 at 2:26 pm (18 years ago)masarap nga diyan. i love their gelato and their pasta!
liza
June 5, 2006 at 3:13 pm (18 years ago)love amici! love the pasta & pizza! love the gelato! love even the home-cooked ulam & rice section. 😀 kung di lang magastos, dyan kami mag-lunch everyday. lapit lang kasi dito sa office. if you’re a veggie lover, try their veggie pizza. even a non-veggie eater will love it (i hope!). 😀
Toni
June 8, 2006 at 2:01 pm (18 years ago)I haven’t gone back there lately, but I will definitely try it maybe sometime this month. I’d like to try their pistachio gelato (if it’s not sold out again!) and their other pizzas. Mmmmm!
eric
July 4, 2006 at 4:56 pm (18 years ago)i might go there tomorrow! hehehe been been reading good reviews about this place
hazel
July 21, 2006 at 3:37 pm (18 years ago)thank God for my Bosconian hubby and his bosconian friends..i can definitely relate to what you’re saying.. love the ice cream! heheh Might be going there this Saturday … i’ll splurge on the ice cream while the boys play soccer! hahah
Tina
August 7, 2006 at 10:16 pm (18 years ago)I can’t help but browse around your site from Ganns’ plug and I found this entry. I LOVE Amici as well! The first time we ate there my friends and I just gobbled everything up! Amici is an Italian food-lover’s haven. ♥
Yum.