Anducci’s – Go-To Gluten Free Pasta

I had dinner tonight at Anducci’s in Burnaby. I realized that even though I probably eat there once a month, and they are my go to restaurant for gluten free pasta, I’ve never written about them. So here we go!

Anducci’s is (was) a chain Italian restaurant. At one point there were locations in Coquitlam, Burnaby (2), Surrey and Vancouver. They are now down to two restaurants; both of the Burnaby locations, but through my internet sleuthing I have deduced that they are no longer connected. The two locations are on Hastings and Cameron, and the Coquitlam location was on Barnet. I’ll start with an overview, and then break down each location!

Anducci’s is generally known for good pasta, large portions, good drinks and not great service. They have a large menu and offer different options of noodles (cheese, meat or seafood filled, gnocchi, spaghetti, penne, whole grain, gluten free, etc…), different sauces, a few meat entrees, paninis, pizzas, soups, salads and appetizers. The restaurants have dim lighting, kind of random decorating and pictures of half naked men and women in the washrooms. Their drink menu is extensive, and the wine list is pretty good. I’ve never had a bad wine at any of the locations, although my parents have. The service is definitely lacking. If you are in a rush and need an attentive server, you generally aren’t going to get one at an Anducci’s location.

My family used to often eat at the Coquitlam Anducci’s, as it is pretty close to home. We started going there because they carry gluten free pasta, and are pretty knowledgeable about different allergies. The location was a pretty large space, with a good sized bar and an upstairs generally used for private parties. The Coquitlam store went through a few owners/managers and even closed down once before it was brought back and finally closed for good. The food at this store was consistent with the others, and was probably my favourite location. The servers here were all right and generally very accommodating, although they all seemed to have a bit of an attitude.

When they closed this location we were pretty bummed because it was so close to home and the food was good. So we started going to the location in Burnaby on Cameron (it’s kind of tucked in next to Lougheed Mall on the Wal-Mart side). I had been to this location before and wasn’t impressed; really loud music, very dim lighting and bad service, but it has definitely improved. The music is mellow, the lights have gone up (they’re still a little dim, but at least now you can read the menu!), and the service has improved a little, but it’s still really hit or miss.

My boyfriend and I now eat at this location about once a month and we always seem to have one of two servers. One of them, a girl, always seems really bored and uninterested in being at work. She’ll be talking to us and walk away still talking, kind of trailing off, and never really seems to care about how everything is. She is good however, when I request gluten free pasta. She always asks if it’s an allergy and lets us know that it will be a little bit longer than normal because they have to boil fresh water. I appreciate this because I found out that at the Coquitlam location they would cook the gluten free pasta in the regular water, which is a big no no!

My sister, brother-in-law and I had this server tonight, and she was actually better than normal. We went for an early dinner, around 4:45pm, and she seemed to be the only front of house staff member on. She was a little slow, which I just figured to be because she was by herself. She was more talkative than normal and seemed to be in an overall better mood. She did take awhile to take our order, and drink refills were few and far between. I asked for a drink menu, and on her second or third trip back to the table she finally asked if I wanted to order a beverage. The food was prompt, and lived up to expectations.

My brother-in-law and I shared the Flaming Prawns to start, which is a mini wok dish of sauteed prawns with bruschetta salsa and Sambuca. It is served with a side of garlic bread, which I gave to my bro in exchange for an extra prawn! They pour the Sambuca in table-side, which is where the flaming comes in. This is a really nice dish, and with the bread would actually be a good meal on its own.

My sister started with a caesar salad and said it wasn’t great. I’ve had their caesar salad before, and find it lacking. When you’re craving a good caesar salad this one definitely does not satisfy.

For our mains my sisters ordered the Seafood Risotto, which she orders every time she is there. The risotto has clams, scallops and prawns in it, and is in a dill sauce. My sister loves this dish and I don’t think she’s ever going to try anything else! She also loves that she usually gets two more meals out of her portion for the next day or two.

My bro ordered penne pasta with The Hulk sauce. The hulk has goat cheese, avocado, mushrooms, spinach, almonds and garlic and is tossed in a simple olive oil sauce. This dish is also my brother-in-laws favourite. His only complaint today was that he wanted to order the seafood filled pasta, but they were out.

I ordered the Tammy Teez on gluten free fusilli. This dish is chicken, mushrooms and bruschetta salsa with an alfredo sauce. Today I changed it and asked for a spicy tomato sauce instead. And did I get spicy! I think I went through about two or three glasses of water while I was eating! It was great though. I have had this dish with the original alfredo sauce as well, and that is also fabulous. My only complaint with the alfredo is that the cook always has a heavy hand with the pepper.

I’ve only been to the other Burnaby location, on Hastings, once, and once was enough. I quickly figured out while I was there that this location was different from the others, as the menu was completely different. They only offered one type of gluten free pasta, the menu was smaller and the signature pasta sauces were gone. When I was there my friend and I were the only table in the store and the server was awful. So slow, mixed up our drinks and generally uninterested in being there. And with only two people in your whole restaurant, how do you mix up the drinks?! I won’t be going back to this location.

The Anducci’s company seems to have had its ups and downs over the past few years. To go from five locations to two, and then have them part ways, the company has gone through some changes. I am very glad that the location on Cameron has survived, and is hopefully here to stay.

Check out the Cameron location of Anducci’s at http://www.anduccisitaliankitchen.com/

Note- I actually had dinner at Anducci’s on Sunday (Father’s Day), but published this post today (Tuesday).