SLO café was definitely interesting! It was a smaller café with lots of seating that discouraged…read morelaptops. They had an extremely limited food menu, but more on the coffee side. The food menu was interesting, but was all premade. For example, with the breakfast sandwiches you could not custom order. This is unfortunate for someone who is a vegetarian and doesn't want bacon on their sandwich. It was interesting that they were premade and still took about 10 minutes to come out! Other cafés in the area, would definitely try them before returning.

Nice space, good vibes, on the higher end of coffee and treat prices but not enough to deter a…read morereturn visit. Get the window seats as some furniture is less comfortable.

Accidentally found myself in Little Italy and had to stop in to browse after smelling the air as I…read morewalked by and I'm so glad I did. I did a make your own sandwich with some meats, veggies, and the pesto and spicy chili sauce and WOW. SO flavorful and so delicious. I am a big eater and the half focaccia was more than sufficient. The server who made my sandwich was so rad and friendly. He was quick to help and offer so many great suggestions. I forget his name but he had great customer service skills. Would recommend to make the visit and would love to come back.

La Grotta Del Formaggio is an absolute Commercial Drive institution. The sandwich counter is…read moreincredible, you get to pick your bread, meats, cheeses, and spreads, and they pile everything high. Fresh focaccia with prosciutto, bocconcini, and pesto here is one of the best lunches in the city. Lineups move pretty fast and the staff working behind the counter know what they are doing. Always a top notch experience.

Best sandwich spot in this area! Located under the Bentalle buildings near the RBC bank. Can't…read morebelieve it took me 4 months to find this spot. It was right under my nose the entire time! Quick service and lunch time gets busy but it goes fast! My favorite is the Inferno!

Dante Italian Sandwiches is a great addition to downtown, and I foresee that it will continue to be…read morepopular, as their high quality sandwiches are both large, satisfying and high quality. Their sandwiches are filled to the max with fresh cheese and delicious meats, and they honestly remind me of the ones I had in Italy!

Amazing service, friendly staff, delicious food and drinks, good vibes…read more Really enjoyed my visit to this location and look forward to coming back soon! My favourite drink is the matcha tiramisu latte.

Came a couple times for coffee (twice for takeout and once for dine-in) while I was in the area…read more The cafe is usually quite busy with people working and it seems like a popular spot also for takeout. Noise level is quite minimal with the quiet chatter here and there, making it a good spot to get some work done while people watching. My go-to's for ordering are their matcha drinks for sure. Strong matcha taste and the right amount of sweetness. I've tried the original matcha and the ube matcha before and both were pretty good. If I'm feeling like drinking coffee, I liked their dirty ube latte! I do prefer my coffee on the sweeter side, so something to keep in mind if you're into darker roasts. Also had their hazelnut latte and that was on the bitter side (for my tastes). We also ordered a matcha cookie the last time we were there and it had a strong matcha taste as well. On the sweeter side though since there was also white chocolate/macadamia bits. Would pair well with an espresso. Would definitely come again (as I have already)! Great place for a coffee/snack on Main St while thrifting/shopping.

Very small shop with limited seating. We tried the rigatoni (with meat sauce) and pappardelle (with…read moretruffle cream sauce.) The canned sparkling lemonade was also quite good. The portion size is decent and I left feeling full but not stuffed. The noodle texture also has a nice bite to it. For me I prefer creamy sauces so the pappardelle was my favorite!

Amazing Italian food in an unassuming hole in the wall…read more Came here for a quick dinner and we had the lasagna as well as a calabrese pizza. The lasagna was incredible - honestly I think the best lasagna I've ever had. And the pizza dough was so light and airy it took me by surprise. I wonder how they achieved this texture. Flavours were also on point. Service was friendly (walk up to the counter to order), and it's a casual hole in the wall with limited seating. It looks like they do a lot of takeaway and don't have alcoholic beverages at this location. Excited to come back to try more items on the menu, and also to try their larger location on Commercial!

I loved this place so much that i had to come a second time in the time span of a week and a half…read moreapart from one another. Such a delicious hidden OG vietnamese place. From the outside looking in, i used to drive by thinking it was a vietnamese movie rental place But to my surprise when i walked in, it was a grocery store / whole in the wall truly authentic vietnamese sandwich food shop. So humbling to get to discover this place. It's super small but the service is splendid and very personal. The menu reminds me of a screen saver, it flashes and changes. Super easy to read, cashier worker was really good at recommending items. But since i'm half vietnamese, i wanted to try it all anyway. But if i were to recommend a specific item it would be definitely try the vietnamese steamed rice rolls. They make it fresh to order. There are various flavours to choose. They pack the toppings and sauce onto the side so nothing gets soggy or spills in the car etc. I tried the honeycomb pandan baked cake for very first time and omg it was so amazing ! Texture is bouncy and flavour packed. This place takes cash and debit only! You can call in and pre order or if you're good with reading vietnamese .. you can even pre order on their website. There is street parking or parking at the back. They open everyday !!! Ambiance is comforting and not even loud .. considering the area it's located.

My wife introduced this place to me years ago. I've always thought it was good for banh cuon…read more(steamed rice rolls), but now that I've been to other places for the same item - I'm confident that this place has the best banh cuon in the city. It's a very non descript place in that it's not obvious from the outside what type of business it is other than the signage. Once inside you can see it's crammed with various Vietnamese deli foods and grocery items. I'm reviewing now because I recently bought some to share with some friends who never had banh cuon before, and they all loved it. The fact that it costs $13 and is probably good for at least two meal, it's great value. Great place to pick up good, affordable food. Cash only.

Wow! These sandwiches are so good I had to come on here to…read moresay something. The service was also great and super helpful since it was our first time there! We'd already eaten half of each sandwich and No notes. 10/10. Will be back.

A great sandwich spot right across from Vancouver Public Library Central Branch downtown. Since it…read morewas our first visit, we followed the staff recommendation and ordered the Marseille ($17.75), which leaned toward a salty-sweet flavour profile. The homemade focaccia had an excellent texture, and the combination of fig jam, brie, and caramelized onions worked really well together. The crunchy fried onions and fresh arugula added extra layers of texture and balance. It's also a very generous portion, I ended up saving half for the next day. The staff were friendly, engaging, and made the experience welcoming. My only minor critique is that the sandwich could use a slightly punchier flavour profile to really make it stand out.

We visited for an early lunch this past Monday and ordered two house specials for $9.00 each, two…read morepork puffs for $6, a coke and a fruit buble drink for a total of under $30. Their sandwiches were exactly as we remembered; meaty, crunchy, tart/ savory with a touch of floral from the cilantro inside a crispy tender baguette! We love how they bake their own bread too! What I noticed was that they altered their bread recipe by adding rice flour & reducing their wheat flour ratio. This helps the bread taste less dense, adds crispness and a lighter crumb. A great improvement to tge sandwich. The pork puffs are so savory and porky flavored, the puff oastry although laminated using lard is so flaky, crispy and light in your mouth. I'm always sorry to finish the last bite. These snacks sell out early so make sure you buy them before noon or you'll miss out. These sandwiches kept us going all day until after 6pm! Where else can you get a lunch for $9 to keep you satisfied all day? The family that operate this shop are very friendly and willing to answer questions about their food. They remember us when we visit. The interior is a small space with no dine in tables since the pandemic. They filled that space with a refrigerated cooler for drinks and such. They also offer prepared shrimp salad rolls to go too. The service was very efficient at the counter with the staff ready to upsell more of their delicious treats in case forget to ask for them. We came back here after our disappointment with our former favorite bahn mi sandwich place in Richmond. This will always be our go to place again. Value, reliability and friendly service is what we can count on from this place. Don't miss trying this awesome sandwich shop.

I was in the area and instead of finding a sit down place, I just wanted a lunch that was good…read morevalue, quick, tasty and can bring something back to my kid who was at home. I did try a bahn mi here a long time ago and since living in Kelowna for the past decade I haven't found one that compares to to the ones in east van. Small shop but very clean, bright and one can see the counter with subs and fixings lined up with 4-5 young women assembling the sandwiches with the utmost efficiency . There was also steamed cha sui buns and special drinks but my focus was on a good sub. Ordered 4 special subs and got my number. My order was made up very fast and it was wrapped in parchment paper and loaded into a reusable "cloth" bag. High marks for ease of ordering and quick service. The special bahn mi - fac biet- it was huge and had a good amount of filling. there was the pate that I could taste, the meats and pickled carrots. Very tasty but needed more veggies! Had a sprig of cilantro , a couple pieces of cucumber and lengthwise slice of jalepeno. I wish they put in lots more cilantro and cucumbers as it was missing that satisfying herbaceous crunch. The bread was fresh and chewy but no exterior crispness of a good fresh baked baguette. In all, 3.5 stars for a decent bahn mi. psa CASH Only!!!

Lovely little pasta shop!…read more We walked in on a stormy morning so seats were hard to find. But luckily another couple was leaving. I will say many people came in with scowls because there werent open seats. So be aware it is a very small shop. Which i love. The service was good. The staff was friendly. Some of the grumpy people wanting a seat; did complain to the staff and the staff were very patient with them. We ordered two pastas a coffee and cookies for dessert. My carbonara was sensational one of the best pastas I've had in vancouver. Very well balanced. Excellent flavour profile. My friend also loved her meal and said her coffee was also one of the best shes ever had. My small jam cookie was delicate and sweet. Very impressed. The atmosphere definitely added to the experience. Rainy day and a warm pasta shop. Tables alive with conversation. (The only downside was the washroom definitely left things to be desired. Its understand that in a small space it can be very hard to have everything be aesthetic.) The staff and atmosphere otherwise very charming. Made me homesick for Montreal. I love that smaller places like these are becoming more common place in Vancouver. I will definitely be back to try more of their pastas. And say hello to their staff again. Its a true gem!

Excellent fresh pasta with well balanced flavour profile…read more There are many local neighbors who pop in for a bite or takeout. Since they have a different pasta each day, we noticed some people calling in to ask for the pasta of the day. Will be back to taste more dishes!

Look, if you're looking for fine dining, this isn't the place. If you want a very filling sub with…read moreingredients that are prepared fresh in front of you, this is the place in this neighbourhood. This is not a $u6way sandwich, let's say that up front. It's so much more than that. First impressions might be that the $14 ish range for a 6" sub is a tad pricey. We upped the anti, chose a full footer and shared, it was maybe $24? The Morty 3.0 did not disappoint. It honestly for us could be four meals. It was so good, the chips, salsa, queso, made in house and a drink, as a $5 add is gold. The staff are engaging, friendly and want you to enjoy your experience while dining there. We love the spartan, straight forward unapologetic ambiance of the place. Vennie's on Venables is a 6 out of 5 in our humble sandwich opinion.

I've been loving getting subs here! The food is absolutely amazing and I highly recommend checking…read moreout the subs they got here. I've been getting the classic deli every time and it is just so good. I definitely would recommend checking this spot out if you're into good subs.