Newly opened in Cambie Village is Osteria Elio Volpe with a menu influenced by the South of Italy along with fresh seafood and Pacific Northwest ingredients. They are a sister restaurant of Savio Volpe, La Tana and Pepino’s.
Right now, it looks like they’re the hottest restaurant in town with reservations being very full (unless after 9 pm). I made a reservation after they announced their opening and it booked up very quickly.
Interior
The restaurant occupies a 4,200-sq.-ft. space that was formerly a former mechanic’s shop. The sophisticated and airy space accommodates 115 seats in the dining room and a bar with wrap-around seating. There are some cozy booths and some dining tables as well.
Menu
The menu features fresh pasta, Roman-style pizza, and many seafood-focused dishes like whole grilled branzino, baked halibut and so forth.
Here is what we tried for dinner:
Yellowfin tuna crudo, serrano, colatura dressing, pangrattato $26
The crudo was a great starter with bright, citrus flavours.
Rigatoni cacio e pepe, 10 year cheddar, roasted jalapeño $34
This was a perfect pasta that was creamy, peppery and al dente.
Margherita, pomodoro, basil, fior di latte $21
A delicious, Roman-style pizza with a thin crust that let the toppings shine.
Grilled jumbo prawns, blistered caper vinaigrette $26
Delicious, smoky prawns that was perfectly tender and came with lots of EVOO.
Broccolini, garlic, anchovy, Calabrian chili $12
Crispy, charred and delicious!
Our server was very good, knowledgeable and attentive. The restaurant was buzzing and lively but not overly loud such that we could still carry out conversation at our table. I think the tall ceilings help with spreading out the noise because the restaurant was pretty much full.
A good experience overall and I would recommend checking them out.
Osteria Elio Volpe is located at 540 W 17th Ave, Vancouver, BC.
