We came here after a friend recommended and it did not disappoint. We showed up ten mins before opening for a fun early dinner and easily got a table. I wish that the servers weren't hovering so much, but I also get it's a small space so there's not many places for them to be, but it did feel like we were being watched the whole time.
We were looking at the menu board and discussing things together when the server noticed and came to see if we had questions. It was nice but we'd just been asked twice in the 5mins prior if we needed anything already so it was overbearing.
Food wise, it was unreal! So good. I loved that there were vegetarian dishes as I often get disappointed when there are only meat options and these were so delicious. I cannot wait to come back for the food.
Jonas Caruana
Probably the most exquisite pasta available in Vancouver: fresh, handmade, delicious. Antoine - the owner - is warm, kind, and he and his staff are oh so helpful. Things are unfussy, yet very, very good. Highly recommend.
Don Ald
If I would have rated this higher, I would. Their tortellinis were extremely amazing, I felt like I was flying. Their service was so good, they offered for me to see the kitchen, play whatever music I liked, and even rickroll the other people!
If you are anyone, come here instantly, right this nanosecond, it’s worth it!
Peyton Bourree
5 stars across the board! Amazing food, service and comfort. I’ve been stoked to come here and try it and I left with amazing expectations. Thank you. From the food to drinks to service, I wanna come back again. Thank you.
S U
Traveling from Calgary a patron seated beside me recommend this place as he lives in the neighborhood. His only advice. It's small and no resos so be there at 5pm for the first seating or shortly after to put your name for the second/third seating. Other than that no expectations. We arrived at 5pm on a Wednesday. Our server was lovely and accommodated 1 vegetarian and 1 carnivore for tasting menu. We had seperate starters and 1 seperate pasta but shared everything else. Food was exceptional. Atmosphere was lively. Not sure about these negative review folks. The amount of food and quality for $75/plate is a steal.
Beck
I dont want to write a raving review because this place is already so packed and busy but me and my spouse absolutely loved this place. its worth the wait. we found everything delicious. the pasta was killer. been to a lot of places but this was a great experience thank you!
Vinícius Lepca
Some of the best pasta I’ve had. I got the tasting menu, so I was able to try a few different things. My favorites were the raviolo and the gnocchi. I didn’t particularly love the dessert, I think it was a little too big and the texture was a bit too influenced by the nuts. Still an incredible experience overall and I’m definitely planning to go back
YiFei Wang
Family style restaurant. Friends get treated well, strangers get treated like strangers. First time I went, the experience was excellent. I went alone and they allowed me to get the tasting menu regardless of the house rule. The food that time was close to perfection. Second time I went, the experience was quite awful. I asked for the tasting menu again, but they didn’t allow me to, and said they would never allow the tasting menu for a single portion, which is a strange hill to die on, considering I had it before. Then I ordered one pasta and one risotto. The risotto was solid, but the pasta simply sucked. It tasted like they forgot how to cook. The pasta was still of good quality, but the sauce was literally missing ingredients. I told them that I can understand that this happens with how busy they are, but they insisted that I was wrong, and that the chef cooked it perfectly. I gave up and just asked for the ingredients separately on the side (lemon and pepper). One drop of lemon and a sprinkle of pepper completely changed the dish. Just a weird experience overall, I’m not sure whether they were condescending or just gaslighting.
Nargiza Ismadiyarova
The best pasta in Vancouver
Shota Senga
One of the best past I’ve had, but the portion is pretty small. Although the food quality meets my high expectations due to the hype, we went to a bar to content our stomach afterwards.
Wow! A Jem. Expect Small but AMAZING portions. It’s hard to keep the review short. The bread is soft, fresh and delightful. Each dish incredible. Service friendly and professional. No phone! Instagram message only. Reservations a good idea. Oh! The espresso is excellent. Hard to find good espresso in restaurants.
Excellent pasta. It is handmade from scratch the morning of. The server was really friendly. I waited in line at 4:05pm, and was surprisingly, first in line. The time went by really quickly, and I was very excited to get a table for 3. We tried the tasting menu, as all tables have to get either all a la carte or the tasting menu, and the other guests wanted to try the tasting menu. Service was attentive and great, and our server accommodated my dietary restrictions, and explained all of the different dishes. Plates were changed in between courses. It was the best pasta I have ever tasted - fresh, handmade and heavenly. Antipasti had really interesting dressing, the venetian spritz was really refreshing, and the 4 courses of pasta were divine. Standouts were the tortelli with sage butter (filled with 4 cheeses), tomato pasta with burrata (the sauce tasted so fresh compared to grocery store tomato sauce), gnocchi with mushrooms, and the beef bolognese was good, but a tad chewy (maybe it was supposed to taste that way). The semifreddo was a really great dessert which reminded me of ice cream, but is prepared using an opposite technique. It was nutty and creamy, without being too sweet. I thought this was excellent value for an extensive tasting menu, if of course, a tad pricey, but it was for a special occasion. I will be sure to tell many fellow foodies about this place! A very memorable meal, and I am still in a pasta daze.
Frani
Hype can sometimes set expectations too high, and unfortunately, that was the case with our dining experience.
We were a party of three, arriving at 4:30 PM to wait in line and being seated for the first 5 PM seating. We dined here sometime during the first week of October.
While the pastas were good and well-executed, the biggest issue for us was the inconsistency with the pasta portion sizes. As a group of three, our pasta courses were served on a single plate, whereas groups of four received their courses split into two plates, with two diners sharing a plate of pasta. This left us questioning whether we were getting the same amount per person as other groups. Watching the chef plate dishes, it was clear there wasn’t a consistent methodology to ensure proper portioning per person since majority of the pasta dishes were served family style. While the restaurant’s rustic, family-style vibe may embrace a more casual approach, it detracted from the experience as we couldn’t help but feel shortchanged with the small portion sizes.
At $75+ per person for the tasting menu family style, the value didn’t match the cost. We left dinner hungry, which was disappointing. That said, the pastas were well-made and worth trying if you have the time, not too hungry and don’t mind waiting in line.
To avoid similar issues, I’d recommend dining in even-numbered groups to ensure fair portioning or opting for à la carte instead of the tasting menu.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Bryan Albert
Hands down one of my favourite restaurants in the city. The staff, bar, and food are all equally fantastic and consistent. Love visiting here
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nicholas
Came here on a Wednesday with a friend, got in line around 4:15pm and waited for their first seating at 5pm. We got in a little after 5:10 as we were waiting for the others guest front of us to get seated.
Heard nothing but good things about this place, so naturally we had high expectations and decided to go with their tasting menu which included 2 appetizers and 4 pastas (shared between 2 people) and 1 dessert.
The pasta was fresh, made to order, but nothing through the roof. We were there for a total of 3 hours. And 90% of the time, we were seated, waiting and pretty much hungry. The portions were small, less than 1 serving for the pasta and we had to share them. The wait time between each dish was 20+ minutes.
Their no wait/ no reservation system is also very misleading. As we were waiting for our food, multiple people came into the restaurant asking for a table and were turned away or told to come back at 9.
Dont come here if unless you have a lot of time to spare. We left the restaurant hungry even with an added dish + dessert. If you have the time to spare and want to try the pasta, by all means.
We came here after a friend recommended and it did not disappoint. We showed up ten mins before opening for a fun early dinner and easily got a table. I wish that the servers weren't hovering so much, but I also get it's a small space so there's not many places for them to be, but it did feel like we were being watched the whole time.
We were looking at the menu board and discussing things together when the server noticed and came to see if we had questions. It was nice but we'd just been asked twice in the 5mins prior if we needed anything already so it was overbearing.
Food wise, it was unreal! So good. I loved that there were vegetarian dishes as I often get disappointed when there are only meat options and these were so delicious. I cannot wait to come back for the food.
Probably the most exquisite pasta available in Vancouver: fresh, handmade, delicious. Antoine - the owner - is warm, kind, and he and his staff are oh so helpful. Things are unfussy, yet very, very good. Highly recommend.
If I would have rated this higher, I would. Their tortellinis were extremely amazing, I felt like I was flying. Their service was so good, they offered for me to see the kitchen, play whatever music I liked, and even rickroll the other people!
If you are anyone, come here instantly, right this nanosecond, it’s worth it!
5 stars across the board! Amazing food, service and comfort. I’ve been stoked to come here and try it and I left with amazing expectations. Thank you. From the food to drinks to service, I wanna come back again. Thank you.
Traveling from Calgary a patron seated beside me recommend this place as he lives in the neighborhood. His only advice. It's small and no resos so be there at 5pm for the first seating or shortly after to put your name for the second/third seating. Other than that no expectations. We arrived at 5pm on a Wednesday. Our server was lovely and accommodated 1 vegetarian and 1 carnivore for tasting menu. We had seperate starters and 1 seperate pasta but shared everything else. Food was exceptional. Atmosphere was lively. Not sure about these negative review folks. The amount of food and quality for $75/plate is a steal.
I dont want to write a raving review because this place is already so packed and busy but me and my spouse absolutely loved this place. its worth the wait. we found everything delicious. the pasta was killer. been to a lot of places but this was a great experience thank you!
Some of the best pasta I’ve had. I got the tasting menu, so I was able to try a few different things. My favorites were the raviolo and the gnocchi. I didn’t particularly love the dessert, I think it was a little too big and the texture was a bit too influenced by the nuts. Still an incredible experience overall and I’m definitely planning to go back
Family style restaurant. Friends get treated well, strangers get treated like strangers.
First time I went, the experience was excellent. I went alone and they allowed me to get the tasting menu regardless of the house rule. The food that time was close to perfection.
Second time I went, the experience was quite awful. I asked for the tasting menu again, but they didn’t allow me to, and said they would never allow the tasting menu for a single portion, which is a strange hill to die on, considering I had it before. Then I ordered one pasta and one risotto. The risotto was solid, but the pasta simply sucked. It tasted like they forgot how to cook. The pasta was still of good quality, but the sauce was literally missing ingredients. I told them that I can understand that this happens with how busy they are, but they insisted that I was wrong, and that the chef cooked it perfectly. I gave up and just asked for the ingredients separately on the side (lemon and pepper). One drop of lemon and a sprinkle of pepper completely changed the dish. Just a weird experience overall, I’m not sure whether they were condescending or just gaslighting.
The best pasta in Vancouver
One of the best past I’ve had, but the portion is pretty small. Although the food quality meets my high expectations due to the hype, we went to a bar to content our stomach afterwards.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Wow! A Jem. Expect Small but AMAZING portions. It’s hard to keep the review short. The bread is soft, fresh and delightful. Each dish incredible. Service friendly and professional. No phone! Instagram message only. Reservations a good idea. Oh! The espresso is excellent. Hard to find good espresso in restaurants.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Antipasto, Taglierini Tomato Burrata, Sage and Butter Sauce, Rigatoni Bolognese
Excellent pasta. It is handmade from scratch the morning of. The server was really friendly. I waited in line at 4:05pm, and was surprisingly, first in line. The time went by really quickly, and I was very excited to get a table for 3. We tried the tasting menu, as all tables have to get either all a la carte or the tasting menu, and the other guests wanted to try the tasting menu. Service was attentive and great, and our server accommodated my dietary restrictions, and explained all of the different dishes. Plates were changed in between courses. It was the best pasta I have ever tasted - fresh, handmade and heavenly. Antipasti had really interesting dressing, the venetian spritz was really refreshing, and the 4 courses of pasta were divine. Standouts were the tortelli with sage butter (filled with 4 cheeses), tomato pasta with burrata (the sauce tasted so fresh compared to grocery store tomato sauce), gnocchi with mushrooms, and the beef bolognese was good, but a tad chewy (maybe it was supposed to taste that way). The semifreddo was a really great dessert which reminded me of ice cream, but is prepared using an opposite technique. It was nutty and creamy, without being too sweet. I thought this was excellent value for an extensive tasting menu, if of course, a tad pricey, but it was for a special occasion. I will be sure to tell many fellow foodies about this place! A very memorable meal, and I am still in a pasta daze.
Hype can sometimes set expectations too high, and unfortunately, that was the case with our dining experience.
We were a party of three, arriving at 4:30 PM to wait in line and being seated for the first 5 PM seating. We dined here sometime during the first week of October.
While the pastas were good and well-executed, the biggest issue for us was the inconsistency with the pasta portion sizes. As a group of three, our pasta courses were served on a single plate, whereas groups of four received their courses split into two plates, with two diners sharing a plate of pasta. This left us questioning whether we were getting the same amount per person as other groups. Watching the chef plate dishes, it was clear there wasn’t a consistent methodology to ensure proper portioning per person since majority of the pasta dishes were served family style. While the restaurant’s rustic, family-style vibe may embrace a more casual approach, it detracted from the experience as we couldn’t help but feel shortchanged with the small portion sizes.
At $75+ per person for the tasting menu family style, the value didn’t match the cost. We left dinner hungry, which was disappointing. That said, the pastas were well-made and worth trying if you have the time, not too hungry and don’t mind waiting in line.
To avoid similar issues, I’d recommend dining in even-numbered groups to ensure fair portioning or opting for à la carte instead of the tasting menu.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Hands down one of my favourite restaurants in the city. The staff, bar, and food are all equally fantastic and consistent. Love visiting here
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came here on a Wednesday with a friend, got in line around 4:15pm and waited for their first seating at 5pm. We got in a little after 5:10 as we were waiting for the others guest front of us to get seated.
Heard nothing but good things about this place, so naturally we had high expectations and decided to go with their tasting menu which included 2 appetizers and 4 pastas (shared between 2 people) and 1 dessert.
The pasta was fresh, made to order, but nothing through the roof. We were there for a total of 3 hours. And 90% of the time, we were seated, waiting and pretty much hungry. The portions were small, less than 1 serving for the pasta and we had to share them.
The wait time between each dish was 20+ minutes.
Their no wait/ no reservation system is also very misleading. As we were waiting for our food, multiple people came into the restaurant asking for a table and were turned away or told to come back at 9.
Dont come here if unless you have a lot of time to spare. We left the restaurant hungry even with an added dish + dessert.
If you have the time to spare and want to try the pasta, by all means.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
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