IT Italian Trattoria Review

IT Italian Trattoria is a chain of Italian restaurants well established in France, boasting over 70 locations nationwide.

We’ve come across this chain in many of the malls we’ve visited, but we haven’t had the opportunity to try it until today. We’ll now determine if it’s a good spot for Italian food.

The location

This specific IT Italian Trattoria is situated in the Shopping Promenade mall in Claye-Souilly, France.

It’s one of our preferred malls in the area, with an open layout, friendly atmosphere, and plenty of games and stores for children.

The interior design is tidy and somewhat evokes Italy without being overly personalized. It resembles many modern franchises—clean, with appealing colors, designs, and materials, yet somewhat lacking a distinct identity.

They have a counter with what look like pastry, an area resembling a bar, and a pleasant beverage station. However, this establishment primarily serves pizza and pasta from its open kitchen.

The menu

The restaurant offers Italian cuisine, so Antipasti or starters are available on the menu. We didn’t have time to explore them as we were eager for a quick pizza. They also offer salads and a selection of desserts.

The two main dishes are naturally pizza and pasta, as expected from a franchise that offers the most popular options of these two dishes in France.

There’s no need to elaborate on the pizzas; they’re similar to what you would find in most pizzerias across France. The same applies to the pasta dishes.

Interestingly, they also had a very nice bar, or at least an area where they showcased their wines and beers. However, I doubt people would come solely to drink in this type of establishment.

They also propose soft drinks, juice and sodas. To be honest we’ve seen tons of these original lemonades from Big Fernand to La Félicita.

The food and experience

The restaurant was immaculate, with some outdoor tables offering a pleasant view of the mall’s carousel. It’s a perfect spot for a quick dinner.

The staff was friendly, though we’ve consistently had positive experiences with locals in this area. It seems the farther you are from Paris, the more friendly people tend to be.

At IT Italian Trattoria, you order at the counter from the menu and receive one of those vibrating pagers that alert you when your order is ready from the kitchen. It’s a familiar system that we appreciate.

We ordered two lemonades, which were good, but nothing particularly new, especially since we’ve dined at La Felicità numerous times before.

The pizzas arrived within 10 minutes and were piping hot. We ordered a Margherita and a Napoletana, which are among the most basic pizzas you can find.

The crust was somewhat thin, especially at the edges. I was expecting more thickness, especially after seeing photos on Google.

However, the crust was light and crispy, making the pizzas easy to eat. They weren’t overly salty and were enjoyable overall.

The anchovies were salty as expected, and the tomato sauce was good but not exceptional. Both pizzas were served with oregano leaves, which was a nice addition.

The Margherita had some basil leaves that were slightly cooked and dry. We’re accustomed to having more fresh basil on larger pizzas.

While both pizzas were generally good, we found them a bit dry. We thought it would have been nice to have self-serve olive oil on each table to add a bit of moisture to the pizzas.

Having Parmesan cheese and some additional spices would have been a nice addition as well.

Verdict

7.9 out of 10.

T Trattoria, a French Italian franchise restaurant, provides decent pizzas at a highly affordable price point. Both of our pizzas were priced well below 10 euros.

Obviously, these pizzas cannot truly rival those from a genuine pizzeria in Naples or even the pizzas served at La Félicita.

However, perhaps that’s not the point. This is a chain restaurant offering quick, affordable food that tastes good, and sometimes that’s exactly what people need for a lunch or dinner out.

I would certainly consider dining at this restaurant again in the future and hope that their pastas are as good as their pizzas.