Review Adesso - Vancouver

Having read all the rave reviews I thought I’d give Robba da Matti a look. The good: the location is cool, in a residential area, a short walk from the beach. 2/3 of the food was super tasty, such as the burrata starter and the Parma ham bruschetta starter. The cheese gnocchi was delicious and very obviously made in house and the desserts were wonderful. Service was also fabulous mostly, but slowed down towards the end. We had to ask for black pepper and I could have used a coffee at the end to combat my carb crash! The inside space looked very romantic with lovely decor. The not so good: The tomato based dishes we had were bland (pomodoro bruschetta and pasta alla primavera). My experience with Italian food is that even though the it is generally simple, it’s always full of flavour. We booked the patio because of how pretty it looked on the photos. However, we had an outer table with a view onto the unused patio area which was full of old tables and chairs. It wouldn’t take much effort to move them and fill the space with some big pots and plants, which may also diffuse the smell of cigarette smoke drifting over from the street.

Great italian restaurant with cute ambience. The servers were super friendly, and service was quick. We got the beef carpaccio, spaghetti allo scoglio and the parapadelle rosche rosche. Beef carpaccio was delicious, topped with a light horseradish aioli, arugula and parmesean. The pastas were quite tasty as well. The seafood in the spaghetti tasted fresh, and the parpadelle had very tender shortrib meat, but I thought the flavour was a bit underwhelming. Overall was a great experience, except that our table was right next to an outdoor bench that some smokers were sitting at so we had the smell of smoke for half of the evening.

This location is amazing! One of my favorite Italian places in Vancouver (& I love Italian). Have sat both inside and on the patio and prefer the patio—it’s covered with heaters so even when it’s not summer it’s an amazing place to go. I’ve never not gotten the four cheese Gnocchi because I’ve never had a better Gnocchi dish in my life.

We went there during the dine out vancouver event. Looking at the regular prices, the dine out vancouver set menu is equivalent to getting a free dessert. Me and my wife got the same appetizer which is the beef carpaccio. The serving is big and technically can be shared. It also came with bread. Delicious 😋 Our mains Shrimp & lobster ravioli Pesto pasta Both were delicious and very yummy. Serving size is about right. Desserts Tiramisu and panna cotta with berries. I like them but it's not the best. Staff is very attentive and very friendly. Serving time is good. Ambiance is cozy. Bathroom is clean but ordinary We will come back!

Very high quality, authentic Italian food at a reasonable price. It was my birthday and they accommodated my group perfectly. Zero complaints. Will be back in the future!

Good Italian - not great, but solid good. The 'Sicilian' was supposedly baked but it differed from what I was led to expect...and it was all confusing because the QR code/mobile menu and website menu differ, and then there's a print version which was quite different for wine. Not sure why it's not more in sync? Worth trying again.

My husband and I came here for lunch and the food was phenomenal! Such a peaceful place to dine as well =) thank you to our amazing server, Andre for everything! We will be back!

Being Italian I think I can say this is an authentic italian restaurant, really good! I don't know why I took so long to try it but I am definitely coming back. Everything I tried was first class and Kelley being our server made things even better!

[4.5/5]The happy hour food menu features a few small plates such as Chef Tavela’s signature Tuna Crudo ($16), the Fried Chicken ($16), and the Beef Tataki ($15). With the protein nicely executed in the dishes, I was impressed just as much with the whimsical sides, such as the silky smooth pomme puree under the fried chicken, and what seemed to be gluttonous squares made of rice for the beef tataki, but looked like deep-fried tofu. This little peek at the cooking definitely sets up the expectations for my future visits.

Truly a Devine experience, between the service and the patio hung with rows of lights and then heavenly happy hour cocktails a must visit every time! Plus a personal favourite, the fleece blankets hung on the backs of every chair, idk if everyone gets as cold as I but this makes all the difference for me.

Make sure to try the "Veal tongue", you won't regard. The sliced tongue is so thin, and it will melt on your mouth, even quicker than the ice cream. Their new chef is excellent, the dessert is also worth to try!! (normally not a big fan for desserts).

Unique residential cozy spot restaurant in the westend. Has a really homely feel and very friendly, professional staff and service. The food is standard Italian fare. Good quality, but nothing unique about their menu. My linguine vongole had a few Sandy clams which was a bit unpleasant. The calamari appetizer was great. Their bartender shakes up a great dirty gin martini too!

The evening of our visit was beautiful so I requested a table on the courtyard patio, but these were all reserved so we dined inside starting off by sharing a mundane and overpriced caprese salad.  The accompanying focaccia with EVOO and balsamic vinegar was much better.  My wife's entree was spaghetti con fruit di mare – prawns, fish, clams and mussels over pasta in a light tomato sauce.  I selected burrida – a Ligurian seafood stew featuring mussels, clams, prawns, squid, scallops saffron and potato.  Neither sauce was very good and the small size of the bivalves in each dish resulted in them being overcooked.

Add another one to the list of Iconic places that you must eat at before you die.  Adesso ticks all the boxes for me, it has excellent food, paired with great wine and cocktails on a patio that you simply must experience.  They really know how to draw out the nuances in the food and force you to savour every bite.<br/><br/>The only downside is that I found the atmosphere quite stiff.  Maybe it was the crowd, but I was really hoping for something more relaxed.

Hi I think I need to drop you a note to let you know that either your server needs to improve his professionalism and basic manner or you just directly tell the customers you dont welcome baby with a stroller. I was there yesterday with my friend and a baby for brunch at 11am, and i did make a reservation ahead of time mentioning the stroller thing. The server guy, i dont know his name, age 40-50 maybe? showed unhappy face when i went in with the stroller. He was complaining about the stroller size. He got me seated at very narrow table with all sunshine leaking in and burning heat around. During the whole dining time, came very late took our orders, showed very rude and cold attitude, not even a smile. Overall, I dont think i will ever return or recommend to a friend about the terrible dining experience. No idea that kind of server would ever get hired.

Have been here twice in the past 4 weeks. The Adesso is not like a regular restaurant as it has a large dose of personality and uniqueness which I think comes from the interesting owner and the well chosen staff. Also the food is excellent and you have to love the setting and location. So I give it the highest rating and look forward to my next visit.

I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO ADESSO BISTRO! I'VE NEVER HAD SUCH A POOR DINING EXPERIENCE AND IT'S ALL THANKS TO MY SERVER JOHN FRANCO.<br/><br/>I found a bug in my martini and I asked him to replace about it. He looked at me and said "what do you want me to do? There's bugs everywhere here, you're sitting in a patio (I did not request this), it's just a fruit fly". I asked for him to at least remove it, so he took a metal knife and flicked it out of my drink in front of me. I was already giving in telling him to take it away I'm not going to drink it. The two ladies sitting beside us couldn't hold it and spoke up telling him to replace it.<br/><br/>He came back with a new drink, placed it down and told me "look, there's no bugs right now, you better watch it, there's bugs everywhere, you might end up with another one in it". Even my usually patient and calm boyfriend spoke up about his attitude.<br/><br/>My pizza and spaghetti came, fine I'll finish my dinner even though he's ruined my appetite.<br/><br/>When I got my bill, I asked for his name and he refused to tell me initially. Then I asked for the manager and he said he is the manager. The ladies beside our table was so mad about our experience, they suggested we talk to another server. The other server was very apologetic and very sincere, telling me that John Franco is the owner's brother, essentially royalty and could get away with anything. While I was talking to the nice server, John Franco was pouring wine at another table and looked at me and ask "can you sleep tonight (since I was so angry)" like seriously WTF. To make things worse, the douchebag customer John Franco was serving had to butt in and give his two cents. Finally the nice server came back to tell me the owner is gone for the night.<br/><br/>____________<br/><br/>If you read other reviews about Adesso Bistro, I'm not the first one to comment on their poor management and probably not the last. Well, I wish you luck John Franco! Otherwise, all other servers were wonderful.

Love their truffle pizza!! So delicious. Next time will try for a patio seat. Service was alright. A little snooty but willing to overlook for the truffle pizza!

Adesso Bistro is hidden in a residential neighbourhood in the West End. I’ve been searching for new places for brunch and this popped up as one of the suggestions on Zomato. Since I’ve never been, I thought it would be a good chance to have brunch and hang out with a friend. We love brunch, so we do love to explore.

I came here for brunch and it was very empty. It was only us and another group. It's definitely draws more of a dinner crowd. The building is a bit older, so it did smell like an old museum. <br/><br/>Other than that, the brunch menu was a bit pricey. $18 for smoked trout benny. It did taste pretty good.

But the pasta itself was lacking body and form, it wasn’t overcooked it didn’t taste right. Ragu di Anatra – duck ragu, mushrooms, tomato sauce, rosemary, rigatoni, pasta, Granna Padano. Good amount of duck ragu. But the pasta was inconsistent – some parts were cooked al dente other parts were way too hard that it was hard to eat

Overall, an excellent meal. Very romantic and secluded dining experience in the heart of downtown that’s not downtown. Only complaint was the service, it seemed to be lacking or nonexistent. It might be because of the Groupon, but it felt like we were being ignored as our waters were not filled regularly, servers were just walking around talking amongst each other. Another thing I found off putting was the automatic 18% gratuity placed on the original bill before placing the Groupon discounts. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that they have had bad experiences with patrons before, or that they want to guarantee their staff proper compensation for their service they were giving. However, for Fatboy and I that usually do that when using a Groupon, or for outstanding services/food, it felt a bit rude and uncalled for. Specially because we weren’t really given any service at all, but we obliged.

I didn’t know such a restaurant existed, especially hidden away in a residential area like this. Located downtown, but blocks in, past apartment buildings and town house duplexes. I wouldn’t think to walk in to find this, so I guess it’s one of those places you have to know to go. It sure served its community well.

Service was awful. We waited over 30 minutes for our meals. The food was ok. It's too bad because the setting is lovely. Will not be back.

I can only assume they have poor management. We made a reservation, recieved two confirmation emails one from yelp and one from the restaurant themselves. Showed up to a closed restaurant January 1 2015. Being that we are from out of town we were left without a decent place to eat on our last night in Vancouver. Very disappointing.

Went here to celebrate my friend getting married. So we came here for a nice fancy dinner. She ordered the duck which she really enjoyed. The drinks are very expensive. Nine dollars for a champagne flute. The atmosphere is very nice. So a nice romantic dinner would be possibly here. I think it's a little overpriced.

Mediocre food, snobbish attitudere. We started with an appetizer, Antipasti Platter. Asked what 'Farinata' was. Our waiter explained that it had a texture and a taste similar to Polenta. So I said, 'Oh~, Polenta!.' Then he got furious and preached me, saying 'It's not Polenta! Its the texture, similar to Polenta!!!' We had a bottle of red wine. Only once, he poured us when he opened it, and until we finishedba our wine, he never back. Nobody came to our table to refill our glasses. We ordered Pasta with squid ink and Gnocchi . Not so special - bland. Paid 10% tip and left a comment with the hostess, but I'm afraid it won't change. The hostess only wished me, 'Well, you have a good day.' I will not go back again.

Bad Service. Yesterday husband and I went there for our anniversary. We try to read the menu but the waitress keep come to us and want to take the order. I told her we still haven't decided; make us feel like she is in a rush. My husband asking for butter, and the waitress say this is an Italian restaurant and the butter is very hard. But she will check for us. 10 minute later, she comes back for the same answer- butter very hard. The food keeps coming out and they don't care if you finish the first plate or not. Our table is very small; there is no room for the main dish. They try to push the plate around, but the size of the table is limited. No matter how they pushing the plate around, it still no room. It is Tuesday we go there and they only have few table. The waitress attitude makes us feel like "you know nothing about Italian food" and make us feel like we are being humiliated

Ignorant and rude I have .... Ignorant and rude<br/><br/>I have been calling them, trying to make a reservation for brunch, for over one week. it was always voice mail, so i left messages and specified i wanted to make a reservation for my groupon(they requested people to mention groupon for groupon reservations) I never got any call backs. So i altered my strategy and left a message for reservation and did not mention anything about groupon. I got a call back right away. <br/><br/>However, once the manager learned i am using groupons, he said: "there are a thousand people like you who want to make a reservation for groupon. We do not have any spot this weekend. This Saturday is the last day for this groupon and you should not wait until the last day." I explained that I did not wait until the last day and have been trying to make a reservation for the course of last one week, but was ignored until now. He ignored my explaination and kept repeating things like you should not wait until the last day, in a very ignorant and rude tone of course. In the end, i felt it is pointless to continue this coversation and gave up in making any reservations.<br/><br/>It is ok if you do not want to take care of Groupon customers, just do NOT do a groupon. It is also ok if you cannot handle large volume customers. Just don't sell that MANY groupons. When "thousands" of groupon customers cannot get any reservation from you for their groupons, it means you are selling too much more than you can possibly handle. <br/><br/>the very purpose of doing groupon is marketing. This resturant is definitely doing an excellent job of marketing themselves by treating its groupon customers with rude and igonorant.<br/><br/>I have a habit of having brunch with my girlfriends every weekend at different at resturants with nice/elegant surroundings. We pay full price most of the time. This is actually the first time we are going to use groupon for our brunch. Now i feel fortunate that we did NOT get to eat at this resturant and am for sure not interested in coming back,regardless how steep the discount maybe. there are just so many nice places to eat in Vancouver. Not having Adesso as a potential choice has an impact of next to none.

Best birthday dinner. Completely enjoyed our birthday dinner At Adesso. Our server Joanna led us down the right path with mushroom pizza, salmon and tiramisu. all first rate Cheers Adesso

Dishonest and arrogant. When I bought a Groupon for this restaurant, I specifically read in the fine print to see whether it excludes use on Mother's Day and there is nothing there. I called them today to make a reservation for tomorrow, which is Mother's Day. When I said I had a Groupon, their very strained nice tone changed into a downright condescending, arrogant and aggressive one and they said I was not allowed to use it on Mother's Day. When I told them there is nothing in the fine print, the person said "I don't care what it says. We are not accepting Groupons tomorrow." If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of dining at this restaurant, expect your food to arrive with a side of dishonesty and belittlement.

Please spend your money at a restaurant owned by decent human beings instead.. I won't disagree that Adesso has decent food and pleasing decor. However, the management is absolutely atrocious. We went to this restaurant with the intention of using a Groupon. We called ahead, made a reservation and indicated that we'd be using a Groupon. When we got there, we told them we'd be using a Groupon for our meal and specified which one as they are offering as they have a couple on Groupon. We did all the right things and everything seemed fine. In the middle of our meal, they then told us that we could not use our Groupon as it's only for dinner. The Groupon we had did not specify dinner or lunch. Our waiter then called the owner of the restaurant and said we had to explain our case to the owner. The owner then launched into this huge tirade about how if we don't pay the full amount, he's going to make the waiter for the difference, trying to guilt us into paying. We spent the rest of our meal talking to this offensive excuse of a human being while our food grew cold. If that's not your idea of a good time out, then I'd stay away from Adesso, especially if you have a Groupon.

Worst owner/manager ever!. I called today after many times trying to get a reso. I was met with sorry all booked for groupons. I asked for 2 weeks later. There was a spot. But not after he gave me a huge rant about groupon and how they are paying us to use it. He also would not honour an expired groupon. I asked why and he said "because I said so. I'm the owner!" This guy is a huge dick and doesnt care about his business. Groupon is a means of advertising. The problem is if you piss people off before they get to your restaurant they won't ever get there. Thanks to groupons fantastic return policy I will be returning the groupons I bought for this place.<br/><br/>Thanks for nothing Adesso.

I bought a groupon and like others who tried to book reservations, was unable to do so on multiple occassions. The gentleman that picked up the phone, clearly not interested in customers who bought vouchers, advised that they were fully booked every time. The voucher had been extended to Nov 15th 2013, as advised by a female voice on their voice mail, and that if the reference number provided was noted on the voucher it would be valid at a later date. When I contacted Adesso again to re-book the same rude man picked up the phone. First he denied the extension but shortly after gave in and said I could have the dinner deal instead of the lunch deal which is what I bought. Very, very unprofessional and bad customer service from this standpoint. Do not issue vouchers if you are not willing to accept them. It's a shame because the food was nice but due to these issues I will never go back.

Hands down, Best Italian in Vancouver! The food is amazing, you gotta get the mushroom pizza. The servers are always so honest and forthcoming, as well as super nice and accommodating. This restaurant also has such a cool vibe, being tucked into the West End side streets.<br/>If you check it out you will definitely go back!

Enjoyed our evening here. We went with two small children & felt welcome. Wait staff was lovely & prices reasonable. Homemade pasta was delicious, however 3/4 of our dishes were WAY over-salted (and we love our salt). Not sure I would return for this reason alone.

Poor marketing. Food is great but don't ever buy any of their promotional vouchers. The place is always so full that reservations within 7 days are never possible and the coupons would just expire. They should not be selling so many of these groupon vouchers if they cannot handle the volume. Now people who are not able to use their vouchers get upset and would never return again.

Simply wonderful. What a lovely dinner and evening we had last night, thank you Adesso, we all had something different, all was excellent!

Excellent Italian Cuisine Experience. The descriptions on the menu had us desiring virtually every dish from the start. Presentation, flavours, food combinations, service . We were seated outside in this Mediterranean - style patio ....oh so romantic !!! All amazing. This was the best brunch I have had for a long, long time and I usually order smoked salmon benny ! I was informed by our waiter that the salmon is smoked on the premises and that they cure and smoke the meats in house !! I started with a delicious basket of goodie ( homemade brioche and croissant with homemade strawberry marmalade and creamy cheese ) I highly recommend this restaurant as I will be surely going back again and again !!!

Great food, nice atmosphere. We just came back from a wonderful meal at Adesso. This was located around the corner from our hotel, walking distance. Our waitress was fantastic, our meals were great. We enjoyed our dinner and felt it was a good value. We have great Italian food in the San Francisco Bay Area and were happy to have a good meal on our first night in Vancouver. We'd eat here again.

The food is just not that interesting. My pasta dish was a bit bland and overcooked. The sauce tasted like it came from a jar, with a few fresh but overcooked veggies added to the mix. <br/><br/>The salad started was worth going back for, but it's a bit too pricey for what you get in terms of quality food.

We tried to call for a reservation a few times, but the voice message inbox was full and therefor we could not leave a message . Once I was lucky enough to speak with a person, the employee on the phone told me that they are overbooked and there are no availabilities during any of the days I requested. We went to the restaurant without a reservation and was very surprised that the restaurant was empty and only few people were sitting on the patio.<br/>The setting on the patio was nice, but the tables were very close to each other, and we could easily hear other people's conversations. It would be nice to have a quiet background music for the patio.<br/>The greeting was very cold, the staff should have been more friendly and welcoming.<br/>The waiter pointed the finger to the table on the patio and did not escort us. On the way to the table I injured my toe, because there is a step on the patio that is almost impossible to see. It is absolutely not safe, and I bet many people had the same accident In the same spot. My toe was bleeding and I covered it with a napkin. The staff ignored that and only when I went to the washroom to clean my toe and asked for help, they gave me the band aids.<br/>The service was very slow. We spent almost two hours for lunch.<br/>For appetizer we had salads: the portion was small, the salad looked very dry, olive oil or another dressing would be a nice addition. We moved the plates with forks and knives on a side for waiter to pick it up. He came and took the plates, but put back our used forks and knives on an unclean table. We also had to use dirty forks and knives for our next main dishes.<br/>For main dishes we had pasta with little bit of shredded meat, and a seafood plate - the portion looked like an appetizer size , very small with three tiny shrimps and three little pieces of other seafood. The arugula was not very fresh and had many yellow old leaves. We asked for salt and napkins, but they only brought a salt/pepper shaker.<br/>We waited very long for the dessert; even if it was an ice-cream platter that did not require a lot of preparation time. Also, he brought dessert spoons and put it right on the table, I moved the spoons on my own napkin. He still did not bring fresh napkins. Anyways, we liked the ice cream. <br/>We are glad that we did not have to pay full price thanks to our groupon, the dishes in the restaurant are overpriced.<br/>We are not planning to go to the Adesso bistro in the future.

Wow, we were 10 minutes late for our reservation due to traffic...they cancelled us and we did not get to eat. They didn't seem to care whatsoever that we had already drove over 30 minutes to get there....oh and they were rude to us for being 10 minutes late<br/>Will never return and will instruct all I know to never go either

Mediocre service / environment at ridiculous price!. My partner and I went there because of its good review. A total disappointment. We spent over $100 and left feeling hungry. The whole experience is more of food tasting than food dining.<br/><br/>SERVICE<br/>They are clearly mindful of certain customers. The server greeted us with a stern warning as soon as we sat down ..if you are a groupon holder, certain items on the menu are not available to you. The message is reiterated on the front page of their menu. Not a big deal food wise as many of the excluded items are not my types anyway. <br/><br/>FOOD<br/>This is where I have my problem. The entrees came in such small portion that we almost mistook them for baby size meal. No joking. My partner ordered their $25 Pansotti - fancy name - but essentially is six dumpling size pastas stuffed with bit of lobster meat. He had to quickly add a 1/2 lobster ($15) which again came in such small bite that it makes a toddler's burger look like a big mac. Don't be fooled by the word"lobster". You don't get a whole or even half of a crustacean or its tail. What you get is a claw.<br/><br/>I had their Pollo which consists of two small Cornish chicken legs sprinkled with bits of bacon cubes and 6 baby brussels sprouts. Price tag $22. <br/><br/>Don't get me started on their expensive dessert. They are literarily served in sample size but in great presentation.<br/><br/>Overall, we spent just over $100 on the food and left with a hungry tummy. We are both average eaters with normal builds. I had to make myself a bowl of noodles for the night when I got home.<br/><br/>To be fair, the food does taste good and meet our expectation.<br/><br/>ENVIRONMENT <br/>Since it's still early April and we had to dine inside. The dining area was dimly lit and the upholstery has seen some wear and tear. On the first look, it doesn't feel like an upscale restaurant. More like a pub. We were seated against the wall sharing a long bench with two other tables. cool if you like socializing with other patrons during dining. But not so if you want a peaceful night out.

Wonderful food and great knowledgeable, friendly service. Lobster ravioli - yum!

Using Groupon. We used the $25 groupon that gives you 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and 2 desserts from their set menu. The food was very good but when the bill came we had to pay another $25. So the lunch ended up costing us $50 with tax and tip and they charged us for 2 people a $ 10 surcharge in that and we only had water to drink. Be careful what you order withe groupon and be prepared to pay a lot more.

Delicious!. Went last night for dinner with our book club and the food and service were wonderful! I'm half Italian and very picky, I usually have gnocchi as a test the first time I go to an Italian restaurant and these were melt-in-your mouth good! Salads, soup, mushroom pizza with real truffle oil, desserts all passed with flying colours and rave reviews from my fellow bookworms. Fabulous martini specials too! Will definitely be back with my husband when we crave a good Italian treat!

AMAZING!!!. This is some of the best food I have had in a long time! All cooked and seasoned to perfection! They even had discounted martinis which topped it all off! I am visiting from the UK and would recommend this place to anyone I speak to! I will be going back here again before I go home!!

Just amazing. I eat out a lot on business trips at different restaurants. This one is way up there among top 5% I've ever eaten at!!!

Amazing Evening. We came with six people to enjoy dinner on the patio before the fireworks. The garden is so beautiful and just sitting there on the quiet hidden away patio was just sublime. The food was as usual very very good and their specials are alway so interesting. Our group of six tried so many things and everything was great so I'll mention just a few spectacular things. The mushroom pizza is the best any of us have ever had. The halibut preparation was perfection, the asparagus salad delicious and the scallipini so tender and amazing. Do not skip dessert! This must be the best tiramisu and chocolate mousse in town. Our friend raved about the fresh cherry cake. We have been here six times now and we are never disappointed. Our server, the same one we have had a few times before has a great sense of humor and just seems to anticipate everything you need. The owner came by to suggest a great wine to us. Highly recommend this place to all.

Overall BIG Disappointment =(<br/><br/>We went because of the great reviews. The food was good, but portions were quite small. My biggest complaint was the service, well more like lack of service from our waitress. Unfriendly and unattentive. It took forever for the food to come. One of the reasons we chose this place because it said it was child friendly, but because it took a ridiculous amount of time for any of the dishes to come, it's not ideal to bring hungry kids or adults for that matter. One basket of bread is not sufficient for a party of 8 I personally think and asking for more wasn't the easiest since the waitress hardly came by. No refilling water or letting us know our prolonged food was coming anytime soon and no apologizes for taking so long. Sadly, the decent food is not good enough to make me go there ever again =(<br/><br/>Unhappy Customer!

My wife and I with our baby daughter went to Adesso for a casual early dinner at 5 pm. We ordered an appitizer and two main dishes, which totaled $56. When I walked up to the owner to pay the bill, he stared at the bill for a moment and said, as he was giving me back the change, "I am shocked... because I usually see $150. How can anyone..." and shrugged. I understand it's a pricey restaurant, and many people go there on special occasions, but I was shocked to hear a remark that insinuates that $56 isn't big enough a bill. The food was very good, but on hindsight, the service deteriorated as they realized we weren't ordering more food after our main entree, and they didn't even greet us as we were leaving. I'm very disappointed that their service didn't match the quality of the food they serve.

Different and very good. We very much enjoyed our night out at Adesso Bistro. We came with a Groupon but we will definitely be back to this great neighbourhood bistro. The service was beyond friendly and knowledgable, and the food was equally impressive. Our server told us that everything is made in house and you can sure believe that with the brasola, the fresh focaccia, the filled pasta and the desserts. Everything is so fresh and good and also different from every other Italian restaurant we have been to. We shared a lot of food and its hard to pick a favorite but I thing the pesto, bean, potato pasta was my favorite. My friend loved the filled pasta (ricotta and herb I think) and the asparagus salad. The lemon tart was also outstanding. We highly recommend and we will be back.

Surprisingly Good Dining Experience with Coupon. I was bracing myself to a bad dining experience because I had a coupon and had read previous reviews. But surprisingly, we had a great evening at Adesso. Initially I was a bit turned off when I tried to book a reservation, the man on the phone wasn't very friendly, and said they only take reservations every 2 weeks for certain times for people with coupons. But when I phoned back the following week, the person who answered the phone was really friendly and we got a reservation with no problem. <br/><br/>Our service was attentive and excellent. We were given bread and even got 2 spot prawns on the house because we had to wait awhile for our appetizer. Food was great and I like how the restaurant is in a quiet and nice neighbourhood.<br/><br/>LIke the previous reviewer, I thought it was a bit off we weren't 'qualified' for the special martini prices when the coupon only covers food. So pay full price for the drink when the coupon doesn't cover it anyways? <br/><br/>Overall, it was a great dining experience. I'm glad I was able to try this place and would come back on a nice day and sit on their patio and try their prix fixe menu.

Unfortunate Groupon Experience. Nice location<br/>Great Patio<br/>Good food<br/><br/>Had dinner tonight, table for three. Our server was very nice but the restaurant did seem a little understaffed once busy as we started to get overlooked...no hard feelings...just hard to get a drink a couple of times.<br/><br/>One person in the party brought a 50$ groupon which disqualified the table for the 5$ Martini special and instead we had to pay 9$. <br/><br/>To be fair here is the verbiage from groupon "Not valid for prix fixe or neighborhood night specials" <br/><br/>Ok, I get it, it's clear as day but when we are having a dinner for 3 and one person is paying with a groupon why would the whole table have to pay full price for our Martinis? If this is a legal practice, which I don't think it is as discounted liquor in BC is to be available from open to close for all patrons, why tell your new first time customers that they do not get their drinks for the same price as everyone else in the restaurant? This is not good for business. I finished dinner thinking this was a decent 4 stars and now it's a 3.<br/><br/>To the restaurant...I can understand that you don't want someone coming in for a plate of pasta and 5 discounted drinks...I get it...you should understand that when your table of 3 is spending 200$ on dinner that we've bought lots more than 50$ in food and our drinks before, during and afterwards should be discounted to the price of the daily special. I would like to turn back time. Ask for separate cheques at the beginning of the meal and see how the staff tells the one guest at the table that they have to pay more for their drinks than the rest of the party. If we settled our bill then decided to stay for a few more drinks would we be eligible for the daily discounted price? If there was a party of 10 would you expect to apply this same logic to the other 9 diners?<br/><br/>Your policy is wrong, the reason I know this is because I feel like I wasn't treated fairly. I did not buy a groupon. I should have had my discounted price.<br/><br/>I also know the policy is wrong because I'm writing this review based on how I feel and I believe my review will cost you much more than the 20$ I should have been discounted.<br/><br/>Think about your customer, even if you still think I'm wrong your customer will not appreciate this treatment and that hurts you in the end.<br/><br/>Nice place overall and I may be back.

A fantastic dining “experience”!. What I love about this restaurant is its location. It’s positioned near Stanley Park in the heart of a residential neighbourhood and feels like discovering a hidden garden. It is a quiet enclave, very warm and inviting, and that is the most enjoyable aspect to me that separates it from other restaurants. The menu is more adventurous than traditional Italian fare that I’ve had. I enjoyed a veal dish that was a special for the evening and let time pass me by. It makes a good getaway.

Great food but a few problems.. Overall our experience at this restaurant was good. The food was excellent and we got to try elk which is not offered at a lot of restaurants. Service was prompt and friendly enough. Although as noted by a previous diner we were not offered any bread whereas we did see bread at the table next to us. It is interesting in that we had a Travelzoo voucher as did another table and we observed that neither one of us received any bread. Also, I had booked on open table and was not informed that I would not get points for doing so. I only found this out when I got home and there was an email saying that open table had cancelled my reservation? When I phoned the restaurant they said it was printed on the voucher that phone reservations only for coupons. I understand this policy but thought they should have mentioned it right away on my arrival . Not good PR on their part and that is what the coupons are all about. Would I return? Perhaps, as the food is good, however, there are lots of good restaurants in town and the way in which coupon users are handled doesn't sit too well at this point.

Superior Dining Experience. As our first time here (booked the reservation through Urbanspoon with no hassles!), we were overly impressed with everything. The atmosphere of the restaurant was what we pictured. The room had the energy of many conversations of happy tables, which set a great mood while not being too loud.<br/><br/>Our waiter was friendly and helpful in every way, to the point of taking his name (Gavin) so we could request him when we go back.<br/><br/>The food was simply amazing. Some of the best that either of us have had anywhere in the world and definitely our favourite meal in Vancouver. There was no rush to the meal. We ordered a bottle of wine to begin with which was accented by a light and tasty foccacia with olive oil and balsamic. An appetizer would have worked here for fun, but we did not leave the least bit hungry, so there's no regrets either way. <br/><br/>She had the Bourrida, a Ligurian fish stew that she liked so much she wouldn't share, and I had the Bistecca, a superbly cooked elk steak with roasted potatoes and root veg and a creamed spinach that I'm regretting not asking for the recipe of. And some cooking lessons to get it just right (and I'm a damn good cook).<br/><br/>After dinner we ordered some dessert because it sounded so good - and this is something that has not happened in over a decade of dining experiences. We went for the Lemon cake but, as they were out of it, got the Chocolate Mousse instead, which was much darker and sturdier than the fluffy whipped cream style mousse that we'd always seen and came with some five-star homemade vanilla ice cream. While we are fans of the lighter kind of mousse, this one definitely stood out from the pack. We also received a complimentary quince pudding (because they were out of the lemon cake) that the two of us spent over half an hour taking little spoonfuls of and just grinning because it tasted so good.<br/><br/>This was a long dinner experience, and not a cheap one, but it was worth every second and every cent. The fact that we were not rushed added that much more to the meal - go there and enjoy your time there. Explore the menu and bask in the experience. While this was a winter dinner, the patio looks (and sounds) like it is also a beautifully unique environment that can not be matched. We will definitely be back again, for both indoors and out.

I bought a groupon for this restaurant and decided to make a reservation under opentable. We were the first guests to arrived and immediately were asked if we made a reservation on opentable and if we had a groupon. I said yes and they immediately treated us like second class. They said they had to cancel the reservation we made because we had a groupon. There was two in my party. We were seated in a very uncomfortable area on a small table right where the guests come in and the people were walking back and fourth. We had one alcoholic beverage which they claimed was not included in the groupon deal only food was and we had the lobster ravioli and the short rib entree. Awhile later another table of two with a groupon came in and they were seated in a nicer area. After their order they were asked if they wanted some bread which we never got from our server. Which was quite disappointing. The entrees were mediocre. The service was half decent and I felt they did that on purpose because we had the groupon. I was definitely looking forward to this meal but after the experience I had tonight I will definitely not be coming back here.

Our favourite restaurant!. We discovered this hidden gem in August, while walking through our neighbourhood, and have been regulars ever since. Whenever we have out of town visitors, we take them to Adesso, and everyone we've brought has loved the place just as much as we have. The food is excellent, the prices are very reasonable for the quality and size of portions, they have a fantastic wine list, and the restaurant is intimate, with no blaring music and (blessedly) no televisions forcing hockey games and advertising on us while we try to enjoy a nice meal. <br/><br/>But most important of all is the warm, friendly and accommodating service that we have received, without exception, on every visit. Our family always feels welcome there, even with our small baby in tow, and they go out of their way to ensure that all of us are able to have a comfortable and enjoyable dining experience.

Great food, average service, friendly staff. The food here is amazing, classic traditional Italian. Flavor profile is on point. Ingredients are of quality. I can't say anything bad about the place. I will definitely be going back.

Absolutely amazing, authentic, delicious, the duck gnocchi was best I've had outside italia

Dated, boring and mediocre food. I don't know how this restaurant got a 92% success rating, but based on that, 8 of us tried it last weekend. Really?? No energy, boring room, very mediocre food. I wish Delilah's would come back to this location, at least they knew how to show you a good time.

Great resto! Great service and delicious food. Would totally recommend!

Food was great, yummy! Service was fantastic. Great place for a romantic evening, a business dinner or just a casual night out. Classic building in a quaint neighborhood. Check it out!

Meh. I really wanted to love this place. I'm a huge fan to the West End, Italian food, and patios. I should have loved it. I didn't.<br/><br/>Our waiter was a dour french guy, who wasn't friendly at all. The food was bland. They didn't play any music at all. All combined, it made for a really "meh" experience. <br/><br/>Disappointing! We won't be back.

Excellent food, hit-or-miss service. I went for dinner with friends this past weekend to take advantage of the great weather and their beautiful patio seating. Set where the old Parkside is, the venue is amazing and was the primary reason why we chose to go. While the food was excellent and the experience overall was satisfying, there were a few negative points that dampened the evening. <br/><br/>Firstly, unfortunately there was a bit of confusion upon arrival with regards to availability on the patio. My friend who had made our reservation had been told on the phone to come at any time and that we'd be seated on the patio if there was availability. When we got there at 7pm, there were a number of empty tables on the patio but we were told that a) we had to have arrived before 6:15pm to get a seat and b) they couldn't seat all of us (6 people) - this was despite us seeing one table set for close to 20 people, and numerous others set for groups ranging from 4-10. We spoke to a number of different staff and explained the miscommunication that had apparently occurred and were met with different explanations and apologies. However, after 20 minutes, we were moved out to the patio. <br/><br/>Another downside marring our experience was what seemed to be an inconsistent level of service. On a positive note, our server was excellent (he gave great recommendations and was attentive the whole night, and had a great sense of humor) and one of the staff who addressed the patio miscommunication was particularly helpful and accommodating by actually apologizing about the miscommunication and checking in with us. However, there was one server who was also working on the patio who refused to give us the bill when we asked for it (we at first wrote it off as a joke, but since the bill didn't come until we flagged down ANOTHER server 10-15 min. later, I suspect otherwise) and a general sense of apathy and rudeness in the rest of the staff. To add a bit of salt to the wound, as the night went on (and the patio miraculously stayed pretty free considering the sunshine!) we noticed many other parties being able to simply walk up and get seats at the patio without any special arrangement and showing up well after the alleged 6:15 deadline. <br/><br/>Aside from these missteps though the rest of the meal went well and the food itself (the most important piece!) was fantastic. Between the 6 of us we ordered 3 appetizers (fried seafood, risotto balls, and mussels), poached lobster with risotto, lobster/crab ravioli, game hen with gnocchi, and seafood spaghetti, as well as 3 desserts (panna cotta, lemon cake, and espresso semifreddo). Each dish was excellent - the fried seafood, risotto balls, lobster/crab ravioli and espresso semifreddo were particular standouts - and the prices were reasonable ($20-25/entree) given the high quality of ingredients (lobster, prawns). The portions were moderately sized and just enough for our group but may not be enough to satisfy larger appetites. <br/><br/>The food, prices and ambience of the venue are just enough to make me want to think about coming back again as the service, while not great and seemingly entirely dependent on who you're dealing with, was bearable. However, given the amazing variety and array of Italian restaurants in Vancouver (and in downtown alone), there are other certainly other options to consider.

Wish we lived in this neighbourhood!. We had a lovely dinner at Adesso Bistro on a recent visit to Vancouver. The service was well-paced with just the right amount of attention. Staff were helpful with wine selection and each aspect of the dinner showed great attention to detail in the kitchen from bread to vegetables to coffee. The main dish, lobster risotto, was wonderful but it was all the supporting elements that raised this dinner to excellent status. I can highly recommend a visit.

Wonderful Food and Charming. A gem, located in a quiet residental area, lovely setting, friendly hosts and staff, the food and wine all are first rate. Reasonable pricing and consistant quality. Been there a number of times and never dissapointed. There is valet parking just park in front and they take care of you. I like it a lot.

Best meal on our vacation. My wife and I had a lovely vacation to Vancouver and ate at all the wonderful places this amazing city has to offer,being from south London our usual comfort zone is quite small but being our first vacation in 20 years we decided we would be adventurous.<br/>The ambiance was very nice,people striking up conversation,not too posh but just nice enough and our server was very nice and helpful with telling us about the food.<br/>We had the Pizza as a starter, and it was well lovely and perfect for sharing,it was like no Pizza we ever had before.<br/>For our Mains I had the Stripsteak which was cooked to perfection and the Misses had the Linguine and clams which i ate a bite of and it was well nice.

GREAT FOOD. Dined here last Sunday with some friends. Amazing food at a great price point. I had Lobster($24??!!!), perfectly cooked on a bed of risotto with beautiful micro greens. My partner had the veal chop, again cooked to perfection & seasoned just wonderfully. Our friends had the duck pasta and the steel head trout, which they wouldn't even let us try! lol. We shared a few apps i believe it was the fritto misto and the pescatore? salad.. both wonderful and truly Italian. Service was great, we had a very well informed foreign gentleman who really new his stuff. Dessert was no let down either, we had a semi freddo and a cheesecake, both looked and tasted like they came out of the kitchen of DB's or another high-end kitchen here in Vancouver. I would recommend Adesso to anyone who wants true Italian cuisine at un-unbeatable price point ! Keep it up guys, with food like this you will be the talk of the town!

True Love. I love coming here and my biggest problem is choosing something to eat because I keep going back to my favorites. The lobster risotto is truly amazing as is the Pork ragout pasta. The service is always friendly and professional and the wine list is interesting and predominantly Italian.

Mediocre at a high price. We were two couples going out to enjoy this Bistro. We ordered 4 different dishes and as my pesto pasta dish came first all eyes searched for the for it admist a huge dish. However, it was quality we were looking for right? These were appetizer portions of pasta, steak or fish and of very mediocre quality for a very high price. The staff were very sombre so it wasn't the place to come as a small group of 4, and neither did it have the ambience for a romantic dinner. Very mediocre at a high price.

One word; delicious! Eggplant pasta was divine! Would definately go again. Service was attentive & welcoming.

Amazing winemaker's dinner. It's always a pleasure to return to Adesso.Last time was on Fri. night,the room was full yet the service wonderful,and the food just amazing.My first time there was for a wine tasting early Sept. w.3 friends.The winemaker from Laughing Stock,BC,gave us insightful information about the wine pairings to the food.We all agreed that the scallops were the best we've ever had.The tuna was prepared like nowhere else,poached in olive oil&coriander,very very delicious.They also probably have the most delicious pesto in town, we had it with home made pasta.I chose the lamb as a main,cooked to perfection, my friends had the veggie risotto which they loved.The wine was amazing, too bad you can't find it in stores.Can't wait for their next wine tasting!

MMMMMMM!. Wonderful meal! Lovely patio! Gracious host sand servers!<br/>Would totally recommend this restaurant to everyone!

Very Disappointed. We were looking forward to trying Adesso as we had heard good things about it. However, we were profoundly disappointed in every aspect of our meal and experience there. When I tried to book a table for 6:00 pm, I was given the option of 5:45 or 8:00 and nothing in between. We opted for 5:45 - arrived to an empty restaurant (which never feels right) and during the entire time we were at the restaurant we were surrounded by empty tables which made wonder why we couldn't have booked in for 6:00. We ordered the fried fish appetizer which tasted okay - but came out so quickly, we'd hardly had time to have a sip of our wine. For a $13 dollar appetizer - the serving was extremely small. Next our meal arrived - again, so quickly it was disturbing. No need to churn us out for our table, as again - there was no one else around and a restaurant full of empty tables. It made us honestly wonder if it had been held... and it got worse, one of our side dishes - crushed potatoes and olives (which only had one small sliver of olive in the whole dish) was stone cold - I mean below room temperature! That had to go back, and we put up with the temperature of the Berkshire pork rib and zuchinni gratin, both of which were cooler than they should have been - but at least a little above room temperatue. The portion sizes, again were smaller than expected. The Pork at $19 was literally one rib with a very small amount of meat on each side of the bone. Our waiter, who by the way, while we ordered our meal, had to scurry away several times to obtain answers to pretty basic questions - didn't even bother to check in with us during our meal. Fortunately we were able to flag down another several to deal with our stone cold potatoes (the advantage of an empty restaurant I guess, was we could get someone's attention). We were profoundly disappointed in our entire experience from start to finish - and definetely won't be going back!!

Great food!. A group of six of us dined at Adesso recently. The room hasn't changed much since the old Parkside/L'altro Buca days. This isn't a bad thing as it is a very comfortable room. The room is on the dark side but I prefer that to a restaurant being too bright. <br/><br/>We ordered several appetizers: Oysters, spaghetti carbonara, bruschetta & risotto. I sampled all the appies and they were very good. The spaghetti and risotto were my favorites.<br/><br/>For a main, I had the short rib. It came with a chickpea "frittelle." Think of it as a chick pea french fry. The short rib was absolutely delicious...extremely tender and flavorful. The chickpea fries were also great. I managed to grab a bite of someone's halibut and a bite of the cornish game hen. Both were very tasty.<br/><br/>The wine list is on the short side, but they have some great stuff that you likely won't find elsewhere.<br/><br/>Service was prompt. They brought one of our party the wrong entrée but they let us keep it (free of charge) to share while we were waiting for the proper entree to arrive...nice touch I thought!<br/><br/>Will I be back? Absolutely!

Tucked beside the dining room is their outdoor patio space which can only be described as magical. Enjoying a meal here is like having dinner in your own backyard garden patio, but with servers. Magical. Adesso Bistro is at 1906 Haro St and with just a few steps down from the street you enter the restaurant which has a dark, cozy and intimate atmosphere. Step to the left to enter the patio and you are transported. Walled on two sides by massive hedges and covered by a huge pergola twined with lights, even

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The waitress and waiter who oversaw us at Adesso were both very kind and attentive. The food came out at a very good pace and overall the dining experience was excellent. Will definitely be coming back!

The pizza was delicious, fresh and cheesy. The mussels – wow. The broth was amazing and they were cooked to perfection. We couldn’t get enough. Even though I said I’d have no more bread I couldn’t help but have some more with the broth.

At the end, we are very very very satisfied with Adesso’s food.<br/><br/>All of them are surprisingly and amazingly good.<br/><br/>You won’t be disappointed! ;D

Siobhan was leaving for Iceland in the new year (yes, this visit was a while ago), and so the task fell on me to choose a restaurant for our last dinner date of the term! I had scoped out Adesso Bistro as a possible location for my birthday dinner (we went with Catch-122 instead), but the restaurant and menu still stood out to me, even a few months after I visited their website. So, despite the rain and cold, we made our way to Haro Street (Haro! Love the name) for an early night out. I tried to make reservations for a later time, but since the restaurant was flooded with Christmas party reservations made eons ahead of time, we had to settle for dinner at the really early hour of 5:30. We were the first table at the restaurant, so we did get quite a bit of attention throughout our night there. After some fresh-baked focaccia bread accompanied by the expected olive oil-balsamic vinegar dip came up, we looked over the menu to see what was being offered. At the time, they had a winter pri

The interior however, was warm and cosy-perfect for a first date. And we had an attentive and friendly server that laughed at my lack of italian flair..not surprising. First up was the complimentary focaccia topped with sea salt and herbs. This was warm, soft, fluffy and tasty. I enjoyed it thoroughly especially with the dip of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Truffle cake was good to balance out the richness, light sponge chocolate cakes layered with cream. And the hazelnut gelato was also very delicious.

Adesso Bistro is a restaurant located in the west end of downtown Vancouver. Being me, I am constantly looking out for good deals for restaurants online. I was interested in trying out Adesso because they have very high online ratings. They specialize in modern Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. I love Italian so I was looking forward to this meal. The location of this restaurant is quite hidden near a residential area. As my mom and I were looking for the place, we thought we were going in the wrong direction because we don’t know the area well at all. The restaurant has a very nice patio but we decided to eat in because it was chilly out that day. Foccacia bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar After our server took our order, bread was served. It was fresh, soft and fluffy inside. Spaghettini di mare — $20 My mom had the spaghettini di mare, it is a seafood pasta with shrimp, mussel, clams, and squid. She enjoyed it very much, as the pasta was cooked just right and the sauce was

...I liked the fact that it was in the middle of a neighbourhood, which means the patio space outside would be nice and quiet and away from any type of traffic. We also got lucky with parking, usually that isn't the case when it comes to parking in downtown! We started the night off with two appetizers. Since it was our first time at Adesso Bistro, our server kindly recommended the Pizza ai Funghi - truffle fonduta, roasted mushroom, fontina cheese and truffle oil.   I am glad she recommended the pizza because it was delicious! I had to fight Q for the last slice (kidding,

Adesso Bistro is new and we were interested to try it out. Parking is a bit of a problem in that area so we used the valet parking service. We decided that as the evening was so pleasant, dining outside on their enclosed patio would be great.

I loved how this restaurant was located in the residential part of down town, so I can enjoy some peace and quiet on this gorgeous patio. I also loved the trees that act as wall to truly take you away from the outside world, so you can enjoy your meal.

My fascination for urban form is well known both in academic circles (I have done extensive research on industrial/urban restructuring) and social circles (where people know that I always have been amazed with the little corner stores within neighbourhoods like Cardero Bottega , and with houses within a condo-transformed area such as Coal Harbour ). I have a great ability to be amazed and marveled by little things. And one of those little things I totally adore is a cute restaurant that is totally off the beaten path. Embedded in a fully residential neighbourhood (West of Denman), Adesso Bistro is a wonderful gem of urban restaurants who are little gems. I had been wanting to try Adesso Bistro for years, but for one reason or another, I hadn't gotten a chance to visit. So last night I took JT there for dinner. The exterior patio is wonderful, and while I felt minorly bad for taking photos when people were having dinner, I felt really great about the fact that their patio was packed. Lo