Where to eat Italian in Metro Vancouver? A restaurant review roundup

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Mamma mia! While flights to Italy aren’t cheap these days, you can always get a little taste of the “Bel Paese” — Italian for “the beautiful country” — right here in Vancouver.

The Vancouver Sun’s restaurant writer, Mia Stainsby, has visited some of the city’s best Italian spots, with the reviews to prove it.

So we’ve compiled a selection of her reviews to help you decide where to go next time you’re in the mood for pasta.

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This roundup includes several years of Italian-containing posts from our resident restaurant expert. Information such as hours and menu items may not be up to date, so please check with individual eateries for additional details.

We’ve also included the original publication date of each review, along with the original link, so you can read the full article.

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Elio Volpe

Where: 540 West 17th Ave., Vancouver

“I visited on a Tuesday evening and the 115-seat room was packed and, speaking automotively, running on all cylinders. Staff are sharp and friendly, the room is abuzz, and the food looks totally inviting.

“Speaking of pasta, Elio Volpe’s calabreselli alla vodka with Dungeness crab and pangrattato (bread crumbs) was memorable — so evenly, perfectly swathed in a crab, tomato, and vodka sauce. The pasta, extruded in-house, had a beautiful texture and mouth feel. The pasta dishes come as a primi or secondi course, $28 or $50, in this case.”

Read the full Elio Volpe review, originally published June 18, 2024.

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Carlino

Where: 1115 Alberni St., Vancouver

“Carlino is solidly Italian, but not necessarily familiar Italian. It showcases food from Friuli, a region which kind of sits in an armpit surrounded by the Adriatic Sea, Austria and Slovenia, with Italy being the arm.

“Through 18th, 19th and part of the 20th centuries, it was part of the Austrian-Hungarian empire, and demographically, it’s a melting pot of Slavs, Italians and Austrians. You’ll find dishes like goulash, gnocchi stuffed with prunes or cherries, and sauerkraut.”

Read the full Carlino review, originally published Feb. 1, 2022.

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Fiorino

Where: 212 East Georgia St., Vancouver

“Initially, the owners envisioned Fiorino as a sandwich shop but given the great location they added dinner. At lunch, schiacciata sandwiches prevail — delicious-sounding ones, like the ‘Michelangelo’, with guanciale, honey, walnut crema, frisée, cherry tomato and Parmigiano — along with a few other Florentine dishes such as pastas and fritto misto with confit garlic aioli.

“From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., it’s the Italian happy hour or aperitivo, with share plates to snack on.

“The dinner menu features appetizers, mains and dessert. The standout for me is the coccoli e prosciutto ($26). Deep-fried schiacciata dough is served with 18-month aged prosciutto de Parma and whipped stracchino cheese. Oh, so, so good!”

Read the full Fiorino review, originally published Aug. 30, 2022.

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Pepino’s Spaghetti House

Where: 631 Commercial Dr., Vancouver

“Pepino’s menu is a throwback to the 60s and 70s with red checked table cloths and Italian-American food — as in spaghetti and giant meatballs, fettuccine alfredo and mushrooms, ravioli with meat sauce, prime rib, veal cutlets and so on.

“‘It’s not up everyone’s alley. It’s similar to Nick’s but we’ve updated and put our twist on it,’ said (owner Paul) Grunberg. ‘We have a lot of the old customers coming and they really, really appreciate the ethos of Nick’s. There’s a percentage that don’t like it but we’re not going to apologize for that. We wanted a fun and jovial atmosphere.’”

Read the full Pepino’s Spaghetti House review, originally published Sept. 12, 2018.

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Autostrada

Where: 4811 Main St., Vancouver; 1481 Continental St., Vancouver

“Here’s the drill with Autostrada food — pasta dishes take centre stage, and some have fresh house-made pasta and others use the dried Rusticello brand. As this kitchen is the largest of the three, they can do more, like specials and braised meats such aspork cheeks and short ribs, to excite the pasta dishes. The food is hearty and honest and straightforward in the Italian way.”

Read the full Autostrada review, originally published March 24, 2021.

Cibo Trattoria

Where: 900 Seymour St., Vancouver

“I recently attended a media event at Cibo, a tasting of new lunch dishes and found myself doing a happy dance around the pastas — the tagliatelle with spiced duck ragu, spaghetti vongole, tagliatelle with spiced duck ragu, all rustic and elegant. I appreciate good pasta dishes because like sushi, it’s everywhere and often uninspiring. The common crimes are over-saucing, overcooking, toppings that don’t sing or all of that.

“At the lunch, prosciutto and pressed melon was yummy as was a burrata and grilled sourdough salad. Another wintry salad was dominated by delicious smoked salmon. And the desserts were gorgeous; a panna cotta and tiramisu were picture perfect and light enough to follow a big meal.”

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Read the full Cibo Trattoria review, originally published March 27, 2019.

What’s your favourite Metro Vancouver Italian place? Let us know in the comments!

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