At Via Napoli, they source ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes and Caputo flour from Italy. They even use special water to make the dough that resembles the spring water used in certain areas of Italy to ensure an authentic experience.

My family shared a red sangria pitcher. I prefer white wine, but I still really like red sangria. The jug had big chunks of fruit in it and it had the perfect balance of tartness and sweetness. The jug is also a pretty good deal and worth it if you have a couple of people at the table who want to share it.

The arancini ($11) are fried risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella and a meat ragù. These little balls were delicious. They were pretty light and not too greasy considering they were fried.

There was just enough cheese and meat filling inside to add some flavour and richness. The tomato sauce they were laying in was great.

One downside is that the size of this dish was pretty small, which made it a bit awkward to share among five people.

The calamari fritti ($14) was crusted in a corn batter and served with a side of spicy tomato dipping sauce. The calamari was cooked well and the batter was light and crispy. The spicy tomato sauce wasn’t overly spicy, but it had nice flavour and it complimented the squid well. This is a solid appetizer that is good for sharing.

Lastly we shared the margherita pizza. You can order all of their pizzas in either individual, large, or mezze metro size. We ordered the mezze metro ($39), which is meant to be shared among 3-5 people. For big eaters, this pizza would probably fill up closer to three people.

I was surprised at how well they executed the pizza. It had the perfect char on the outside and even in the centre, it was not soggy at all. The dough was thin and chewy.

There were good proportions of sauce and cheese so that the pizza wasn’t too heavy and weighed down. The sauce had a distinct sweetness from the San Marzano tomatoes.

Via Napoli really impressed me and it is safe to say that this was some of the best pizza I have ever had (which is extra impressive considering it is in a theme park). The appetizers were also good, but the pizza was the star of the evening and definitely what you should come here to eat.

Recommendation:

Yes, for amazing Neapolitan style pizza.

Italian pasta is actually one of my least favourite types of food, which I know is weird because I love all types of Asian noodles. I’m trying to change this and cultivate an appreciation for it by eating it more often. I came here with my friend before school for lunch because getting a pasta food coma before class is obviously a good idea.

I ordered the fettuccine prosciutto e funghi, which is made with a white wine tomato sauce. The fettuccine noodles were thicker and fatter than most other times I’ve had them, but I actually liked them. They had a nice chewy texture and the thickness reminded me of flat rice noodles.

The prosciutto and mushrooms were cut up into small pieces so you just got hints of flavour with every bite. The sauce was the best part of the dish. It had a mild and sweet flavour from the tomatoes with a hint of acidity from the white wine.

I actually enjoyed this dish and managed to finish it, which is impressive for a non-pasta person!

My friend ordered the fettuccine alfredo con pollo for lunch. I didn’t end up trying it because I’m not into alfredo sauce, but they seemed to enjoy it.

Anton’s is a good place to come if you want to get stuffed full of food for a decent price. It is definitely not a fancy Italian food and not worth lining up out the door for, but I enjoyed my pasta and I would come back again for a cheap lunch.

Recommendation:

Yes, for cheap filling pasta.

I love a good Neapolitan style pizza and I’ve been wanting to try this place for a while since it is much closer to my house than the other pizza places in Vancouver. I finally got to try Cotto when my family came here for my brother’s birthday.

When we sat down we were served complimentary bread. It was served with a garlic white bean dip, but it had a very thick consistency almost like hummus. The garlic flavour was very strong and the bread was crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.

Our first appetizer was the calamari fritto ($11). We were all impressed with how much calamari was on the plate. This was some of the best calamari I’ve ever had. The batter was very light and very crispy. The squid inside tasted fresh and it was tender and slightly chewy and not too tough. A pesto sauce and tomatoes were placed around the plate, which proved to be a great pairing with the calamari. This is definitely a winning appetizer.

The other appetizer we ordered was the Cotto polpetti ($15), which are house-made meatballs. They were topped with a san marzano tomato sauce and crispy fried basil leaves.

The meatballs were incredibly tender and moist. The simple and sweet flavours of the tomato sauce and basil were perfect with the meat.

One of my brother’s ordered the pizza carne ($16), which comes with a bunch of different meats and cheeses. I didn’t actually try this one, but he enjoyed it.

My dad went with the classic pizza margherita ($12). I had a slice of this and it was simple and good. My dad commented that he wished that it got a bit more charred and crispy in the oven.

My mom ordered a half-size bucatini pomodoro ($11), which doesn’t appear to be on the menu anymore because I don’t see it on their website. It’s a shame that they got rid of it, because this was actually a nice simple pasta. The tomato sauce was light and sweet and the noodles were cooked al dente. The noodles actually reminded me of Shanghai style noodles.

For the other half of the pasta, she got the gnocchi fritto ($12). These are a fried version of gnocchi and they were topped with cheese, crispy proscuitto, guanciale (an unsmoked Italian bacon), and arugula.

These were pretty delicious and indulgent. I liked the crispy gnocchi because it was something new and different. This dish is pretty heavy, so I think it would be great as an appetizer or shared dish.

My other brother got the pizza prosciutto ($18), which was covered with thinly sliced prosciutto and tons of fresh arugula. If you don’t want a pizza that is too heavy, this is a good option. It has a light fresh flavour.

For my own pizza, I ordered the pizza carbonara ($10), which comes topped with fonduta, parmigiano reggiano, pecorino romano, guanciale, roasted garlic, and a 63° egg.

Fonduta is a creamy melted cheese sauce. There was a mild cheesy element to the pizza, but it was by no means heavy or greasy, which I liked because it feels much lighter in your stomach.

Guanciale is an unsmoked Italian bacon prepared from pork jowls. This meat added a salty rich flavour to the pizza.

The 63 degree egg was visually impressive and it made the dish extra special. A 63 degree egg is slowly cooked in water at that temperature for a long period of time and the shell is removed once it is done to get that perfect gooey texture. The egg added an indulgent almost creamy element to the dish that was almost like a hollandaise sauce.

My family members tried a slice of my pizza and we all agreed it was the favourite of the night and something you can’t just find anywhere.

The vanilla bean panna cotta ($8) was surrounded by lemon curd and little biscuit crumbs. I’ve never actually tried panna cotta before, but it was lovely. It had a texture that was slightly more firm than pudding and was very creamy and cool with a strong vanilla flavour. The tartness from the lemon curd was perfect with the creamy pudding and balanced it out nicely.

The salted caramel budino ($8) is a butterscoth pudding with maldon sea salt. It is served with a little rosemary biscotti.

The pudding was served slightly warm and was indulgent, creamy, and sweet. I love sweet and salty combinations and the sea salt helped to pick up the flavour and added something more interesting to the dish. The rosemary biscotti was a nice accompaniment and I ended up using it as a little spoon for scooping out some of the pudding.

My whole family enjoyed our meals and the food presentation was great. Everything tasted delicious and I liked how they had classic dishes and more innovate and creative ones on the menu. Cotto is definitely a good option for a nice meal in Burnaby and the only option for real Italian pizza in the area.

Recommendation:

Yes, for great pizza in Burnaby.

We were served a complementary basket of buns with butter. The buns were warm and fresh tasting.

I also tried some of their house salad, which was a mix of greens, tomatoes, and onions. The salad was simple, but good. The house dressing was also surprisingly good, since it was just an oil based dressing. It had a good amount of tanginess and I soaked up the extra dressing with my bun.

For my meal I ordered the veal scallopini vino bianco ($18), which came with a chefs choice of pasta.

The veal was pounded thin and was very tender. The meat was coated in garlic and some other herbs and spices that didn’t overwhelm the flavour of the meat, but added plenty of flavour. The portion was tiny, but it was tasty and I was satisfied.

The pasta comes with the chef’s choice of noodles, which turned out to be fusilli pasta. It normally comes with either a tomato or a meat sauce, but I got an olive oil and garlic sauce instead. I have to confess, I am not crazy about pasta. It is something I would never choose to eat given other options, but since this place specializes in pasta, there were not many non pasta options.

The pasta noodles were cooked al dente and they had a nice chewy texture to them. I prefer thinner, longer, noodles as opposed to smaller pasta noodles, but they were pretty good despite not being my personal preference. The sauce was a bit on the boring side. It had a strong garlic flavour, which I liked, but it didn’t have any other dimensions to it.

While Italian isn’t my first choice for dining out, the food from Il Corsaro was pretty good. They have a pleasant ambiance and it would be an ideal place to come for a nice, but not too expensive dinner. If you like pasta, you will like this place.

Recommendation:

Yes, for pasta in Maple Ridge.

I came here for lunch and got a soup and panini deal ($11). The soup of the day was cream of asparagus soup.

The soup had a velvety smooth, creamy texture. Asparagus can have a strong flavour, but it was pretty mild in the soup. I always dip bread into my soup, so I loved how they topped the soup with pieces of bread. I was really happy with the soup and I came close to licking the bowl clean.

For my panini I chose the genovese, that is made with roasted turkey, pear, tallegio, prosciutto, arugula, and pesto.

I’ve never seen the combination of turkey and prosciutto together before, but I liked it. The salty prosciutto paired well with the meaty turkey pieces. On the board it said there was pear in the sandwich, but I didn’t notice any inside.

My favourite part of the sandwich was the bread it was made with. It was loaded with nuts and pieces of dried fruit. It was perfect panini bread. The corner of one of the pieces got a bit over toasted, but it was still good.

I enjoyed my lunch at Giovane and I was impressed with the quality of the food. They turn deli food into an upscale experience, but it is still pretty affordable and quick. I would love to come back and try one of their pizzas.

Recommendation:

Yes, for a tasty soup and panini deal.

If you order a flatbread you tell them how big of a piece you want and you pay by weight. This is an interesting idea because it allows you to get small slices of a few different flavours. Despite this, I had eyes only for the smoked salmon flatbread. I got two pieces for around $7, which I thought was a pretty good deal.

A thin cool layer of smoked salmon smothered the entire flatbread. The salmon was amazing and super fresh tasting.

Under the salmon, the flatbread was covered with mixed greens and drizzled with olive oil. The flatbread was thin and crisp, and it didn’t really have a crust. The toppings were very simple, but this flatbread was great and I would highly recommend trying it.

For dessert, we each got one of their Italian donuts. This donut is light, airy, and chewy on the inside. The donut itself isn’t overly sweet, but it is smothered in sugar and there is a hint of lemon flavour in each bite. I enjoyed this donut and I think it is one of the better pastries that they have.

Sciue is a nice cafe to come to for a quick lunch or a dessert and coffee. The flatbreads taste great and they are reasonably priced and very fresh if you come during lunch.

Recommendation:

Yes, for a good flatbread.

We decided to order a couple of items and split them. The first thing we got was the margherita pizza ($12), which they bake in their wood fire oven. I enjoy the simplicity of a margherita pizza and when done right, they are delicious. The sauce on the pizza tasted fresh and had a slightly sweet flavour. The crust was chewy and thin, but firm enough to not get soggy from the sauce and cheese. I thought the pizza was executed well and was tasty. The price is on par with most of the other Italian pizza places that are popping up around Vancouver.

The other dish we ordered was the gnocchi in tomato sauce ($16). This was my first time trying gnocchi so I don’t have anything to compare it to. The gnocchi were pillowy soft and had a slight chew to them. The sauce was a simple tomato sauce that was similar to the sauce on the pizza. There was also finely grated cheese all throughout the dish, which added creaminess to the pasta. The cheese was present and noticable, but it didn’t overwhelm or cover up the gnocchi. This dish was comforting and filling and I’m glad I experienced gnocchi.

We also ended up getting dessert and the tiramisu ($9) immediately caught our eyes. The tiramisu was served in a large portion that was almost double the size I was expecting. It was light and air and my spoon cut through it like butter. I enjoyed the prominent bold coffee flavour and the rich mascarpone cheese. We both loved the dessert and it was very satisfying.

Overall I enjoyed my dining experience at the BiBo and I devoured everything we ordered. After we visited the restaurant, I looked at it on Urbanspoon and I was surprised to see so many reviews bashing it. We experienced no problems with customer service and our food was tasty.

Recommendation:

Yes, for a comforting Italian meal.

As far as the restaurant goes, it is nice inside but still casual. There are menus at every table, but customers go up to the counter to place their orders and the food is brought out to them when its ready. The restaurant makes it easy to come in and have a quick lunch, or alternatively, to have a relaxed dinner. The menu pricing is quite affordable with pizza’s ranging from $8-$15.

All guests were greeted with an Italian Spritz drink. This drink was made with prosecco, aperol, soda water, and garnished with a blood orange. This drink was refreshing and had a semi-bitter orange flavour.

Knowlton ordered an orange Italian soda with vodka. They use a San Pellegrino orange soda to make this drink. It was refreshing and had a more sweet orange flavour compared to the Italian Spritz. Knowlton said he enjoyed the drink.

I ordered a raspberry Italian soda, which was delicious. The raspberry syrup was fruity and sweet and didn’t have a fake aftertaste like some raspberry flavoured items have. This drink is made in the restaurant with soda water and syrup. If I come back to Famoso, I will order this again.

Every table was brought a small plate of roasted kalamata olives, topped with oregano, feta, and drizzled in olive oil. This plate was served warm with a side of bread. Every time I’m presented with olives I try them hoping that I will like them, but I just don’t. Since I have an olive bias, I’m not sure how these olives compare to others, but the feta cheese and bread were tasty.

We sampled a couple of prosciutto wrapped mozzarella balls. There was a large piece of fresh mozza inside and it was wrapped with a thin slice of prosciutto. These were served swimming in a bowl of tomato sauce. I thought these tasted good but they were a bit cold. I’m not sure if the cheese was supposed to be served cool, or if it was sitting on our table for too long before I got to it.

As a side dish, I ordered a small blackberry arugula salad. I’m not normally a salad girl, but the fresh blackberries caught my attention and this salad was great. It was light and fresh and the blackberries added a tart sweetness. There were also candied pecans, goat cheese and it was drizzled in a blackberry vinaigrette. It was served with a slice of bread that was well seasoned and toasted warm. This salad is a spring and summer menu feature.

For my main, I ordered the prosciutto arugula pizza. This pizza is under the bianca white pizza section of the menu and it is made with bianca sauce (extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and oregano), fior-di-latte fresh mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, and pecorino romano cheese. In addition to all of that, the pizza is also topped with fresh arugula and prosciutto after it has been baked in the oven. The pizza itself is super thin and the crust is delightfully chewy. I liked how light and fresh everything tasted and that it wasn’t overloaded with heavy toppings and cheese. This is what I imagine a true Italian pizza to be like and I loved every bite of it.

Knowlton opted to make his own pizza and he also chose the bianca white pizza as his base. He added pepperoni, Italian sausage and goat cheese to it. He also enjoyed his pizza and he found it light but filling and he commented that it didn’t leave you feeling greasy and sick like many other pizza places do.

For dessert Knowlton ordered two scoops of cappuccino and salted caramel gelato. He said the salted caramel was quite mild and the cappuccino one had more flavour.

I ordered one scoop of mango pineapple gelato. This gelato was dairy free and very smooth and enjoyable. The mango flavour was more prominent than the pineapple but both were noticeable. The gelato here is impressively good and worth trying.

The last thing we ordered was a small nutella and banana pizza. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to eat it right away because the chef was doing a presentation, so the whipped cream had melted by the time I got to it. This dish is similar to a calzone that is stuffed with nutella and bananas and it was rich and satisfying. This dessert is quite heavy because of the pizza dough and I was stuffed by the end of it.

Overall, we both thoroughly enjoyed our evening at Famoso pizza. You can tell that they are truly passionate about what they are doing and it really comes through in their food. The pizzas and gelato are great and I would definitely come back. These guys put Pizza Hut to shame.

Disclosure: I did not pay for my meal.

Recommendation:

Yes, for authentic Italian pizza.