Restaurants

Review: Savio Volpe Is the Destination Restaurant in Town

The osteria will make you want to move to the neighbourhood.

By Neal McLennan / November 16, 2016

The osteria will make you want to move to the neighbourhood.

craig_stanghetta_wl_samples-36 Paul Grungberg and Craig Stanghetta (Photo: Luis Valdizon) The proprietors behind Savio Volpe—L’Abbatoir’s Paul Grunberg, chef Mark Perrier and restaurant designer Craig Stanghetta—would have you believe that their new venture is just a casual little neighbourhood joint. You know, the sort of place residents of the Fraserhood can pop in for a casual bite. Yeah right. Savio Volpe has instead become the destination restaurant in town, with a forever-full reservation list that doesn’t inspire the words: “Hey honey, let’s go see if Savio Volpe has room.” It would all be a tad annoying if the fuss weren’t so warranted. craig_stanghetta_wl_samples-52 (Photo: Luis Valdizon) The room, designed by Stanghetta, is gorgeous but relaxed, with a big centre bar acting as a hive for tables in each direction. The menu changes with the season, but so far the retro garlic bread all‘Americano, a kale salad invigorated with pangrattato and romano, and a simple but succulent roast chicken cooked in a wood-fired oven have been standouts. The cocktail list is small and on-point, and everything on it is a neighbourhoody $9. The well-curated wine list likewise keeps markups reasonable. Maybe it is a neighbourhood restaurant in the sense that it’s so well done it makes you want to move to the neighbourhood. savioooo Ravioli and Kale Salad (Photo: Savio Volpe)