Magari by Oca

Magari By Oca - Review - Commercial Drive - Vancouver - The Infatuation

"It’s not unusual to see a line outside this Italian spot on Commercial Drive a good half-hour before doors open. The moment you’re in, you know you’ve lucked out, and so does everyone else. The $75 facciamo noi set menu is the smartest play, anchored by fresh pasta. The kitchen sticks to traditional Italian methods, turning out relatively simple but always incredible pasta dishes. You might get a crown of rotolo piped with a fluffy mix of herbs and ricotta, gnocchi in summer tomato and basil, or tagliatelle layered with rich duck ragù. It’s all made and plated right in front of you at the counter. A walk along The Drive before or after dinner offers a lingering trace of its Italian and working-class roots, stitched through cafés, record shops, and grocers, with notes of incense, espresso, and tomato vine in the air." - Michelle Sproule

"Although there may be a number of Italian-leaning restaurants and pizza spots scattered around Vancouver, this simple pastificio invites diners to pull up a chair and savor authentic, well-prepared dishes. They have bistro charm down pat, with black-and-white tiled flooring, a chalkboard emblazoned with the daily specials and a window onto an open kitchen. Consider the specials, then peek into the pasta rolling station and watch as your meal is made. The kitchen's singular devotion to the craft of pasta-making is evident in dishes of studied simplicity, like a single spiraled raviolo with a creamy filling of ricotta, mascarpone, and green garlic with sage butter sauce. The facciamo noi tasting option allows diners to sample an assortment of off-menu pastas." - Michelin Inspector

2022 Vancouver MICHELIN Bib Gourmands

"Although there may be a number of Italian-leaning restaurants and pizza spots scattered around Vancouver, this simple pastificio invites diners to pull up a chair and savor authentic, well-prepared pasta dishes. Tagliatelle with a wine-rosemary braised rabbit ragu is especially satisfying. There is just one dessert, but you'll be pleasantly full already." - The MICHELIN Guide

"If freshness and seasonality are the core tenets of Italian cuisine, this intimate room, which opened in December 2019 in Vancouver’s de facto Little Italy, is an orthodox house of worship. Don’t look for a menu online. It changes nightly to reflect local produce and the whims of Oca Pastificio chef/co-owner Greg Dilabio (formerly of C100B entrant La Quercia)."