Best Italian Casual 2015
Best Italian Casual winners of Vancouver Magazine's 26th Annual Restaurant Awards
Best Italian Casual winners of Vancouver Magazine's 26th Annual Restaurant Awards
- Gold: Ask for Luigi
- Silver: Campagnolo Roma
- Bronze: Bufala
- Honourable Mentions: La Buca, Campagnolo
Few Vancouver restaurants have debuted in recent years to such effusive, unanimous praise as
Ask for Luigi (Gold), as evidenced by its quartet of sweeps. “It was a beauty to see this quirky little restaurant with the quirkier little name become so beloved so fast,” says one judge. The rotating selection of antipasti and pastas from chef J-C Poirier (ex-Lumière, Chow, Campagnolo) keeps the room equally bustling at lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.
Campagnolo Roma (Silver) continues to draw diners from near and far to Hastings-Sunrise, its pizzas and daily specials buttressing an already impressive menu of classic pastas. Save room for dessert: tiramisu and soft-serve ice cream rarely taste as transcendent as they do here. Another newcomer,
Bufala (Bronze) thrilled Kerrisdale, a neighbourhood whose appetites have in recent years been underserved. The family-friendly pizzeria is packed every night for pies from an 800-degree stone oven, as well as popular starters including meatballs and kale Caesar salad, plus “brilliant, simple cocktails” created by co-owner Josh Pape.
Honourable Mentions: La Buca, Campagnolo