Review La Piazza Dario Ristorante Italiano - Vancouver

It was our first time dining at this restaurant after living in around the area for a long time. The buratta salad was my favorite very creamy. I got the pistachio pasta which was light but creamy. The raspberry sorbet was amazing and the St. honore cake was a wonderful surprise. I've never had one before so it was like eating 3 desserts in 1. Overall I really enjoyed our experience here. The server was amazing and kind. I dropped a star because I believe some of the dishes are a little overpriced.

As we walked into the restaurant, we so happen to got a seat by the entrance to the kitchen. First thing I noticed was the baguettes “are those from Costco? They look awfully familiar.” We got served four slices of 1-1.5cm wide bread (2 slices per person). That just set a “well that’s cheap” tone right away. The menu says that if you wanted to order more bread, it’s $3pp. We ordered calamari, it was rather underwhelming for $22. There were these fried potato shaving from a peeler that kind of cheapened the dish and tried to make it look there was more calamari than there really was. The tomato dip was watery and not much texture, less chunks than canned salsa. The main courses also had the fried potato strips again used as decoration. We ordered the cannelloni filled with veal and spinach. The filling was lacking in texture and was soft. There was a lot of filling though, but didn’t really need to chew, really easy to just swallow. The $42 daily special was a braised veal shank with a side of risotto. The dish could probably use some roasted vegetables to it make more refreshing. Overall impression was “average”.

We waited for 30 mins on a Wednesday evening but it was totally worth it! (We did not have a reservation) Food was exquisite! We had cannelloni and tortellini, they were both super flavorful and delicious. Also had the veal special which was grilled to perfection, very tender and juicy, served on a hot plate, at the right time. However, St. Honore cake was a little underwhelming compared to other dishes. Service was very warm and serving of every course was timed with precision. The interior was Florentine style and the ambiance was very romantic with candle light and soft jazz, allowing intimacy. It is a nice place to bring a date, or even propose.

Cute spacious restaurant in the Italian cultural centre. Plenty of parking. The entrance to the restaurant is parallel to Slocan so you just need to walk around. Very authentic , large menu and great service. I ordered the mushroom tagliatelle which has very generous portions.

FIRST TIME HERE. HAD AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE. SERVICE WAS BEYOND ANYTHING, WE'VE EVER EXPERIENCED IN QUITE SOME TIME. YOU JUST DON'T FIND TOP NOTCH SERVICE ANYMORE THESE DAYS, EXCEPT HERE, AT LA PIAZZA DARIO. WE WERE VERY IMPRESSED WITH, THE HIGH LEVEL OF DETAILED SERVICE WE WERE ATTENDED WITH. THE FOOD WAS AMAZING. NEVER HAD ANY PIECE OF MEAT IN MY LIFE, MELT IN MY MOUTH THE WAY THE BEEF TENDERLOIN, AND VEAL FILLETS DID. AND I'VE HAD SOME VERY NICE TENDERLOIN, BUT NOT AS NICE AS THIS. THE HOUSE RED WINE WAS SUPER ROBUST, AND FILLED WITH AROMATIC FLAVOURS. DESSERT WAS SECOND TO NONE. IT WAS SOOOO GOOD, WE HAD TWO EACH. We had an Italian charcuterie board to start, followed by spaghettini and meatballs for myself, and my brother had the Veal Cannelloni. My apologies for not taking photos sooner. We were starving, and we just started to dig in, as soon as the food arrived. They started us off with slices of an Italian artisan baguette bread, with a black olive tapenade, which had plenty of olive oil, and black olive tapenade. . My brother ordered the, Beef Tenderloin, with a light Peppercorn sauce, seasonal veggies, and a potato puree. . I ordered the Veal Fillets cooked with fresh citrus fruit, and seasonal veggies consisting of broccoli, beet, and potato puree. . Time for dessert. . 1. Chocolate torte with chocolate ganache mousse. 2. St. Honoré cake, with cream filled cream puff. 3. Tiramisu 4. Chocolate Ganache cheese cake. . We've had about 5 courses at this point, and we want something a lil extra to top off the night. Ooooo., course number 6, an after dinner liquid digestive. In other words, old school cold Grappa, vs new age warmed Cognac. All that was missing was a big fat nicely rolled Cuban, to finish the night. Hope you enjoy the pictures, as much as we enjoyed our meal. BRAVO!!!, BRAVO!!!, BRAVO!!! 👍🏼💪🏼👀👌🏼✌🏼🙏🏼♥️😊 . - M .

My wife and I keep forgetting about Dario's. It's been around for 40 plus years and over the years people have suggested us to try it. I am glad we finally did. Plenty of free parking at the Italian Cultural Centre. The ambience is very Italian. Surprisingly lot of natural lighting. A great menu selection. Had some of my favourite appetizers so ordered two as per photos. Both were delicious with great flavours. Our pastas were pretty well dead on and the temperature was perfect. The only that was maybe not up to our standard or to the rest of the food that we ordered was the Chocolate Mouse dessert. All the food came out quickly. We finished our dinner in about an hour which is fine because we had dog duty waiting at home. We would recommend and go back again

We were excited to try this place but unfortunately the overall. dining experience just wasn’t very good. We had the burrata special to start which was quite nice but pricey at $28 for a small burrata, four slices of bresaola and one olive. We also had to wait about another 10 minutes before the bread came. Not off the a great start but it was delicious none the less and we were excited to move on to the main. Unfortunately we waited a full 50 minutes before our main was served (ordered the tortellini $20 something and 10oz ribeye $40) and we were too hungry to stop and take photos before diving in. Even with this long wait, we had to flag down staff before we were told our main was delayed due to shortage of staff. Understand times are hard right now for the restaurant industry but to be left alone and ignored for almost an hour while we waiting for our food just wasn’t aligned with the price for the food and expected experience to go along with it. It would have been nice to get some more bread while we waited but it would have been an added charge and by that point, we didn’t want to make a big deal if we probably weren’t coming back. When our mains finally did arrive, the pasta was nicely cooked and was seasoned well with some topping of parm but the ribeye was definitely disappointing. For $40, my steak was cooked as asked (rare) but the cut was less than half an inch thick and the sides were on small scoop of mashed potatoes, about 1/4 cup of baked butternut squash, one piece of broccoli and one 1/2 slice of roasted beet that was just disappointing. The steak was under seasoned and tasted watery (likely frozen but I didn’t ask) but all in all, not worth $40. I thought it might just be me but the table next to me also ordered the same steak and it looked about the same in size. At the end of the day, it was $120 total that we definitely would prefer to spend somewhere else next time. The servers were very friendly and the atmosphere was very nice with eclectic decor and soft lighting. All covid protocols were followed and we didn’t need to wait for a table. UPDATE: My reviews aren't meant to be "unkind" (see the response from the Restaurant) as I did mention that both the appetizer and the pasta tasted great, but as a frequent reviewer and patron of restaurants, I'm sharing my honest opinion of my experience. As mentioned, I didn't confirm with the restaurant whether my steak was frozen but just mentioned that it tasted watery though still cooked to my specifications. As my partner is also a chef and restaurant owner, we more than understand the hardships of the industry and increasing prices of food in these times. This review is simply two people's opinion based off our personal experience and not meant to be malicious in anyway. There were both positives and negatives in my review and is meant purely to be informational.

Squisito! Delicious Italian food at reasonable prices. The staff were friendly and accommodating. I came here for the first time and only by chance as I have an appointment nearby. I can already say that I will definitely be coming back. Try the tiramisu. Thank me later.

Just over 35 mins to get a drink that I watched sit not he bar and when drink was received ice was partly melted...it ended up being a watered down Virgin Caesar that my husband never finished....had to ask for seconds on water...no asked how the food was..15 mins to get the bill after I put my purse on the table...we debated on just going over to the bar and just pay...Food was just ok, actually could have got the same tastes from White Spot....Hubby stated that he would have rather gone to Spaghetti Factory..I would not recommend this place,...

Love love this place! We had an amazing experience! Food is Authentic and Fresh! The fresh buffalo mozzarella was to die for and the tagliatelle with Pistacchio cream too! Everything that we ordered was super delicious! Thanks we will be back soon

Love, love, love ❤️ La Piazza Dario. Our family has had many celebrations at this restaurant. We were just there on Sunday night to celebrate my father’s 90th birthday. The only place my father wanted to go to. Love the atmosphere, love the food, and Lidia is the best hostess and accomodates all your needs. We will keep going back as long as they are there. Thank you again for a lovely evening from the entire LEPORE family😊😊

Been here many times and this place never ceases to amaze me with their wonderful food �

Exceptional food! Exceptional service! Authentic Italian food at its finest!!

I'm so happy every time I come in. Vancouver's gem. Food, service and the beautiful room are above and beyond.

Asked for more bread, said it was an extra charge!!! Really?!X?!! Shocking! When a half bottle of wine was $22 and our bill for lunch for two was $85. However, food, wine delicious.

Excellent food and service! Lovely atmosphere! Highly recommend!

Too long to get the food but worth the wait . Always vvgood .

Attractive, quiet room, very good food, and a very long list of Italian wines. A bit of Italy in Vancouver.

Great service. Great food. Second time there . Loved it both times.

Great food, wine and service as always! We will be back!

We are always pleased with the food, service and atmosphere when we visit La Piazza Dario. Our hosts Lidia and Claudio greet us personally, check in throughout the evening to ensure everything's OK and always make us look forward to the next visit. Thank you!

I love it every time, mmmmmm The atmosphere and the food is delightful , I have never been disappointed.

La Piazza Dario Ristorante Italiano... Our favourite Italian restaurant in Vancouver.....Thank you Lidia & Claudio!

Excellent food and service! You should definitely check it out.

The best food, the best staff. love this place

My wife wanted to try La Piazza Dario Ristorante Italiano for her birthday. I made the reservation online with the restaurant and called them to confirm since the booking system was convoluted. The fellow confirmed my reservation for 8 people and the fact we’re celebrating a birthday.<br/><br/>Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the staff. The hostess did not acknowledge or ask who was celebrating their birthday…..disappointing.<br/><br/>The ambience was very romantic and classy but concerning. When we arrived at 6:15pm, there were 2 other tables occupied. As the night progressed, they left and others arrived but never exceeded 3 tables. <br/><br/>Our hostess was super attentive and ensured all our questions addressed. We also advised her my daughter has a peanut allergy as stated at the bottom of the first page of their menus – please let your server know of any food allergies.<br/><br/>We finally decided on our appetizers and entrées. The Calamari Fritti, Calamari Gridliati and tomatoes & mozzarella cheese were GREAT!<br/><br/>When the hosts delivered our meals, they asked each of us if we wanted fresh ground black pepper or parmesan cheese. My daughter loves cheese and she asked politely for some parmesan cheese sprinkled on her Risotto ai Funghi Misti. The waiter responded by stating it’s NOT required since there’s cheese cooked into the risotto. At home we purchase blocks of parmesan cheese but at La Piazza Dario they serve the powdered parmesan……..I’ve never seen this before except at the smaller Italian food chains where it’s on the table so you can sprinkle onto your food. I expected real parmesan served from a grater not scooped from a bowl in powder form.<br/><br/>After the food was served, our waitress was nowhere to be seen but she was still walking around the restaurant but never stopped to ask how our meals were. It was like our table of 7 adults was invisible.<br/><br/>I order the special pasta with game meat and my daughter ordered the Risotto ai Funghi Misti. The pasta noodles for my special pasta with game meat tasted undercooked but I just ate it and decided not to bring it up as an issue. There was NOTHING special with the game meat…basically game meat ground up no more than a couple ounces.<br/><br/>My daughter was unable to eat her risotto because it was under cooked……the grains were soft on the outside but crunchy on the inside. I brought it up to the waiter and he basically told me it’s supposed to be like that - sometimes it soft and sometimes it has a crunchy texture depending on how it’s cooked. Can you imagine if you had a problem with undercooked meat and you brought it up with the waiter and given the same response? Not a good situation.<br/><br/>After our meals we ordered desserts from the waiter and not the waitress – she’s MIA. We asked if any of the desserts had nuts and he was unable to advise and ran off to the kitchen to ask or look at the packaging – since they don’t make their desserts. The waiter was definitely NOT aware of my daughter’s nut allergy……….waitress did not share the information with him.<br/><br/>Would I go back?? Nope. We can definitely have higher quality authentic Italian food for the prices we paid at La Piazza Dario for their cafeteria quality dinner entrees – appetizers were very good.

On a very wet January evening, I met my dinner companion at La Piazza Dario (in the Italian Cultural Center) to celebrate her birthday.  La Piazza recently celebrated its 40th anniversary in business. In many ways, the restaurant is a throwback to the late 70s. After we ordered, our server returned with a basket of complementary bread

La Piazza Dario Ristorante位於溫哥華的義大利文化中心內，早於1977年開業至今已營運超過四十年了，提供絕對正宗和有水準的義大利餐飲。2013年更獲Vancouver Magazine頒授"Best Pasta"及"Best Upscale Italian"的獎項。餐廳的室內佈置和裝飾別具一格，首先經過正門入口旁是一個有蓋的戶外用餐區，再入內便是充滿義大利古典味道的餐房。整個餐房到處都擺放著花瓶和雕像藝術品，牆壁也掛上不少油畫，感覺有如身處藝術博物館裡。<br/><br/>第一籃麵包和蘸醬是餐廳免費附送的，蘸醬不是常見的義大利橄欖油加黑醋，而是橄欖油和欖角蓉，非常特別也好吃，但注意這裡想要添加麵包的話可要按人數收費啊，餐牌上列明「Additional basket of bread–$2 per person」<br/><br/>Antipasto “la piazza” $16 ~ 這冷盤包括兩款切成薄片的Parma Ham火腿和莎樂美腸，再配搭多款芝士和醬菜，份量可供二人享用。<br/><br/>Cannelloni alla romana $18 ~ Cannelloni是一款裡面包著餡料的義大利麵卷，字義本身就是"粗粗管子"的意思。管子內填入波菜跟義式白醬Bechamel Sauce和芝士，最後淋上蕃茄醬。<br/><br/>Penne alla Bolognese $17 ~ Penne又被稱為水管通粉，因其形狀近似筆管而得名。通粉的質感軟中帶點彈性，醬汁基本配以白醬汁、紅醬汁或香草醬汁，而這份餐用了紅色的蕃茄肉醬<br/><br/>Pollo al gorgonzola $18 ~ 這是一份用藍黴芝士作烹飪醬汁的煎雞肉，藍黴芝士Gorgonzola Cheese 是以青黴菌發酵而成，使其表面有一些藍色的斑紋而得名。除了單獨食用外，也常用作烹飪醬汁

A bit pricey. The tomatoes and barruta cheese was a small appetizer that costed $18. Thank God we have a Groupon to take $50 (brought for $25) off the bill.

Got recommended by a friend so we decided to come here for our anniversary. It is a quite a big restaurant at the Italian culture place. It was not a full house but they were quite busy. We ordered one pasta dish and one steak dish. The food were so average and nothing special. The service was very slow. I don't find this is best or even above average Italian restaurants in town. When I asked my friend why she recommended this restaurant, she said because the owner knows her and he was being very friendly with her :(.  That's is the last time I take a recommendation from that friend that's for sure. What a waste of money on our anniversary.  Definitely it's not one of the Italian restaurants I will go to.

The service was extremely slow. Even slower than I like and I am a very patient woman. I went with my girl friends for lunch. The setting was wonderful but I was surprised to find the food mediocre at best. Not expected right in the Italian cultural centre. The cannoli was totally off base but st honore's was awesome. The sauces were flavourless but the pasta was al dente. Won't be going back.<br/>We did have a groupon since we like to try before we commit and were wondering if that was why we got a stale cannoli. I hope not since that will now keep us away. It's a shame since the setting is just beautiful.

GOOD WITH A TOUCH OF ARROGANCE REVIEW-. I have been dining myself at La Piazza Dario and the service is always nice. I myself work in this industry and Lady let me tell you, if you have a coupon usually is the customer responsibility to say it. The waiter/host don't always have the time to run back and forth so before you criticize anything try to put yourself int their shoes . It is always easy to yap yap and cheap chat but customer sometimes have incredible expectations that sometimes is very hard to meet.

Classic decor, warm service, authentic Italian cuisine, delicious dessert cannoli ! Kept coming back to this old favorite. Friendly staff made us feel welcomed.

The food was good, the wait staff, not so much. The wait time between order and table was unacceptable. Finally at the end we asked for separate bills and the waitress comes back with 1 bill. We sent it back but apparently the other waitress had no idea how to give us separate bills so she took the total and divided by 3 of us. REALLY? What the hell is that? Why do I wanna pay $40 for $20 that I ordered? Annoying, we totalled out own amounts and had to show her how to ring in in. Never going there again!

Worst $163 dinner ever! Sta.... Worst $163 dinner ever!<br/>Started with 2 appies - overcooked prawns & tasteless caprese salad with no basil & bland tomatoes.<br/>Next was no waiter for 20 minutes.<br/>Entress: my wife's pasta was good but overlooked on account of likely being under a heat lamp for 20 minutes. Also probably why my steak was WELL past medium rare ,as ordered. Had to send it back for a second try.<br/>Dessert: cannoli & espresso. Cannoli was deep fried and far too crispy; espresso was made on an excellent machine by someone who didn't know what they were doing (pulled the shot far too long).<br/>The wine and cocktails were good though, actually commented on the wine several times as we couldn't comment (nicely) on the food. <br/>Will not be returning.

Would never recommend. Absolutely the worst wait staff I have ever experienced followed my a small, overpriced pasta dish that was way too salty. To end it all, we couldn't even get our bill after waiting 15 minutes, and once we went up to the cashier they screwed up our bill! Would never, ever recommend is place to anybody

The food is fresh, flavourful, and simply delicious, but I haven't dined here in a while because the last few times I went, the service was very arrogant, and left a bad taste in my mouth.

Really good food!. It's really good. Especially in the summer on the outdoor patio deck.

Unpleasant experience. I came here on a Monday with my fiancee. The food and the restaurant itself was quite good. The service? Just awful and unpleasant. We sat down and then the owner put a large statue in front of our table, making it quite awkward. It was basically blocking our view of the restaurant. The statue was in front of another table but they had to move the statue to let people go by. Instead of putting it back to the original table the owner of the restaurant just put this huge statue in front of our table. She didn't even ask if it was okay. Just simply put it in front of our table..."here you go" type of attitude. We eventually asked to be to another table. The servers were slow and unpleasant. We had ask numerous times to order, get bread and the bill. We won't be going back.

Dinner for 4. Went there on a Saturday night with another couple. He loved his halibut, but I ordered the spinach soup and a tomato sauce pasta with olives. Now, spaghetti isn't that expensive a product to make, so if one is going to pay around $20 for a bowl of it, it better be amazing, both in texture and with respect to the quality of the sauce. An Italian restaurant should live and die by its tomato sauce.<br/><br/>This one had olives in it, tasted quite salty and didn't leave me anticipating the next mouthful. In addition, the bowl of soup looked so ordinary, as if you stopped at a friends house and they just pulled a white Ikea bowl out of the cupboard and filled it up; it lacked eleganze, pizzaz, taste, garnish, presentation... for just under $8.00.<br/><br/>Sometimes, a restaurant may have been doing things the same way for so long that it fails to take a step back and re-evaluate their program and the way they do things. Well, as an ex-Montrealer, they didn't fool me. For my $100 for two including 1/2 a bottle of wine (which was great), I'll pass on this one. I make a better sauce out of a can with a few extras...

Folding chairs for customers while there are lots of empty tables and regular chairs. Can you believe it?! Feel like second class citizens on Friday April 20th dinner. The foods were OK, nothing spectacular. I no longer want to go back....what do I do with my second Groupon!

A disappointing dining experience!. We dined at Dario's several months ago after a hiatus of several years. We loved it so returned again last night. How very disappointing. There were 6 in our party. The service was frenetic, hurried and impersonal. After a male server gave us the specials and hurried off, a female server came and repeated them, only they were totally different specials. They decided he would repeat them but was clearly irked at us. She dripped wine when pouring at every glass-not just once. She hurriedly and noisily cleared the plates before the rest of the party was finished. The food was good although portions very small for two young men in the party. The decaf coffee was like dishwater. Surprising for an Italian restaurant. Our reservations were for 5:30. When we arrived the restaurant was not busy but soon packed up. Was this due to the recent Groupon deal and was the restaurant having trouble coping? This was sad to see for such an established Vancouver restaurant.

If you don't have an Italian nonna. Dario's is a lot like the Cannery used to be - a long-established institution - if you want a cutting-edge culinary experience, go elsewhere.<br/><br/>What you get at Dario's, though, is the real Italian deal. Home-made gnocci, beautiful bread to dip in sun dried tomato and olive oil. The pasta dishes are good - my favourite is the tortellini all brodo.<br/><br/>And the zabagloine made right at the table is heaven.

What happened?. I have dined at Dario's on many occasions and have had many lovely meals. But my most recent meal there was dreadful. I had "talked it up" to my baby and was looking forward to an authentic Italian meal.<br/><br/>The restaurant had early tables which was good for a Thursday. <br/>My baby ordered the Tuna Carpaccio feature for an appy, I was assured from the server that it was Ahi tuna. What arrived was sad looking Albacore. The fish was bland and overpowered by the mustard dressing and handful of capers. At $13 this was very disappointing.<br/><br/>I had the house salad with calamari. What came was overdressed romaine with bland, oily calamari, store-bought crackers which were stale and parsley sprinkled on the rim of the plate. Very sad indeed.<br/><br/>The veal with anchovy and capers was tender and tasty but the 1 small potato and 3 pieces of veg was meh!<br/>My baby's manicotti was so hot that I suspect that a mircowave was involved.<br/><br/>We skipped dessert. <br/>I was embarassed with my recommendation and I don't think we'll be back for a while.

Bella!. Real, professional waiters and the owners are always present inside and outside the kitchen. The perfectly grilled T-bone steak is my favourite in Vancouver. The pasta and fish are always done to perfection. This is a great spot for a long lazy lunch accompanied by good company and reasonably priced fine wine.

Patriarch. Our family had a faulous dinner last night at Dario's la Piazza Ristorante. The total experience was awesome. Food was great, service and ambience were excellent. All 10 meals were sooooo tasty and served promptly. We cannot say one negative comment. Have been going there for years and will certainly continue!!

DARIOS. We have been dining at Dario's for years. I have only been disappointed once - uh oh - make that twice now. Their cesear salad has been transformed into some sort of carnival of crazy bits of vegi's, that in no way resembled nor tasted like a cesear salad. Why mess with it? The veal was chewy. I think I saw a mushroom with the chewy veal and portabella mushroom sauce. It tasted like a money's mushroom. The entire meal was a sham and cost a fortune. Ah ... another great restaurant down the tubes.

A small fancy family owned Italian restaurant by the Italian cultural center. They have a lot of wines here so if you are a wine enthusiast you should probably come by. As with most Italian restaurants, our meal came with bread. It had a nice crispy crunchy exterior with a soft interior, perfect bread.

Clearly, while this eatery is a little out-of-the-way, it’s not a secret.

I really enjoyed dining at La Piazza Dario. There’s a nice degree of attention to detail, the wait staff is friendly and the atmosphere is pleasant. Prices are reasonable, with most pastas around $15-18 and entrees between $20-30. The food didn’t blow me away but everything is well above average and worth another visit.

It was team lunch time at work so we all headed to La Piazza Dario down at the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver. I never knew about this restaurant until recently but several of my co-workers have raved about this and even said it was better than some

I had a work event that brought me to the Italian Cultural Center one weekday afternoon. Little did I know that the " Dario " restaurant that I had passed so many times in my childhood / commutes / trips downtown was a classy stop for lunch or dinner! It

On a recommendation from one of my friends, we decided to hit Dario's for dinner. It's located in the Italian Cultural center and serves fine Italian cuisine in a old school atmosphere with an intimate ambience. Tre and I showed up a little early, which w

I was going to let Mama Roma review this one but I think she is retiring from blogging. Mama Roma likes to do all things Italian, like play bocce, wear Prada, listen to Italian disco, watch Moonstruck and ride Italian bicycles, so we took a trip to have a