The Drive Didn’t Need More Carbs, But We’re Thrilled Livia’s Open for Dinner Now Anyways

If you’ve ever wolfed down a warm piece of currant and cinnamon sourdough slathered in jam on a chilly Sunday morning at Livia Sweets and thought, “Why do I have to limit my enjoyment of these carbs to daylight hours?” you are not alone. The charming cafe opened on the Drive last year and immediately became a neighbourhood favourite, partly for the expertly executed croissants and baguette sandwiches and partly for the pure joy that appears to emanating from the sweet owners, Claire Livia Lassam and Jordan Pires, the couple behind the counter making their bakery dreams come true. But we all got greedy (blame the espresso for hyping us up): with our hands sticky with plum galette, we demanded more! More! 

Whether it was the demand, or whether Lassam and Pires got their hands on a pasta maker and couldn’t help themselves, it doesn’t matter. The point is that Livia quietly opened for dinner service a few weeks back, and the team—so adept at their morning pastries—has made quick work of nailing after-dark dishes, too.

Sip tart white wine out of glass tumblers and spread burrata over the house sourdough, cut open a fresh egg raviloi and watch the golden yolk pour across the plate, listen to Lassam nerd out over the chef’s technique with buckwheat flour. There’s a lot of places to carb-hard on the Drive but we’re certainly not mad to add Livia to the list—especially if they’re keeping the sourdough coming.

Livia Sweets
1399 Commercial Drive
Dinner service Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6 to 10; bar open late.