Noshwellmenu

I love pasta. I just can’t eat of enough it, which is probably a dietitian’s worst nightmare. They say you should only eat a portion the size of the palm of your hand — that won’t be happening if you eat at Cipriano’s. You’re going to get enough leftovers to keep you busy for a few days. Diners almost always leave with doggy bags. But don’t mistaken Cipriano’s for one of those places that only serve quantity over quality. In fact, the opposite is true — and it’s why we keep coming back. I never understood why people flock to places that serve huge portions at cheap prices because they think they’re getting a good deal — even though the food sucks. You are what you eat, so eat something good.

A dish that Tre and I always get at Cipriano’s is their famous garlic bread by the basket. Its the bomb! They cut pieces of a whole baguette and slather it with garlic, butter, fresh parmesan cheese and bake it, then plop the whole glorious mess into a basket. Don’t expect perfectly cut pieces — that’s not the point. This is not a fake garlic butter spread on a piece of toast that some try to pass off as garlic bread — this is the real thing.

The pasta here is awesome. We like the Puttanesca: spicy tomato sauce, olives, anchovies, capers, garlic, and chilies on linguine. I usually ask them to swap it with penne. Tre likes the Michaelangelo: very spicy alfredo sauce with black forest ham on linguine. This is good as well, just a bit on the heavier side. There’s also the Papa Lasagna: very cheesy and tasty — but I felt there was more cheese than lasagna. The pasta here is always cooked el dente — not mushy.

Finally, there’s the dessert — the ice cream. I can’t recall what it’s called but it has some liqueur and it was so delicious! We can see why the server recommended it highly.

The atmosphere here is cozy. It feels like an old school Italian diner with red and green colors accents throughout. The owners of the restaurant can come off a bit cocky and stand-offish, but they’re okay people. Oh, and a word of caution — if you’re going to do take out, you probably only need one entree. One entree is two night’s worth of leftovers for us — it’s crazy. And I would highly recommend reservations on the weekends, otherwise you could be waiting for hours.

The Details

3995 Main Street Vancouver
604.879.0020

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