Ask For Luigi

My husband and I stopped by Ask for Luigi at lunch time after getting off the ferry back from Victoria and we highly enjoyed the food. Our only regret was being too stuffed for dessert!

We arrived a bit early for our 12:30 reservation and waited outside for the previous party to finish up before we got situated at a corner table. The ambience inside was bustling and bright and it's a pretty small dining space, so I can see why reservations can be difficult to come by. My in-laws had come by the weekend prior so we started with a couple of appetizers that they recommended: the burrata, with a side of focaccia for spreading, and the fried cauliflower app. The burrata was phenomenal and a perfect beginning to our meal; it was so fresh and the tomatoes were perfectly seasoned with salt and the strawberry vinaigrette. Our server had recommended we add the focaccia to make the dish spreadable and it was an excellent choice as well. The bread was pillowy soft inside and crunch on the outside and went super well with the creamy cheese, sweet tomatoes, and peppery greens. Amazing dish. The fried cauliflower I enjoyed a bit less; my husband loved the aioli that came drizzled over it but the flavor profile was not my favorite.

Both pastas we tried were excellent; I loved the rigatoni in the first dish, cooked perfectly al dente, though the bolognese got a bit one-note as we continued eating. However the pasta of the day was perhaps the best vongole I've ever had. It wasn't overly salty but the flavor of the clams were allowed to shine, and the breadcrumbs provided a great textural crunch with each bite of al dente noodle. Super delicious and would absolutely order again. Given the hyper-seasonal approach to the menu if we came back to Vancouver I'd love to try Ask for Luigi again.

In my honest opinion, this place is over-hyped, overrated, and overpriced. I think there are other places that are just as good (if not better) but won't make you go bankrupt

I was told to come here many times when I lived in Vancouver and since it was in Michelin guide in 2023, I decided to check it out on this visit. Not to mention, my bf is a lover of Italian food

Service was phenomenal! I have nothing bad to say. The place was too dim for me

Meatballs - the bread was spectacular. The meatballs were ok, nothing too special. The sauce was a bit too acidic for me

Seafood ravioli - I enjoyed it and it was fresh but I'd rather eat seafood while it still has its shape and not blended into one. The tomatoes were a perfect addition to this but I wish they gave more

My bf enjoyed his Pappardelle and rated this place 4/5.

Really wanted to try the panna cotta but they were sold out :(

Wowwww!!! What an incredible experience I had at this restaurant..
after craving for Italian cuisine, my friends invited me to try out the past from Ask for Luigi. The restaurant is cute inside & small, but with a beautiful decor.

Their customer service is wonderful, they are so helpful and so knowledgeable, that makes your experience way better. It was hard to decide what I would like to eat, thanks to the waitress, she made an excellent recommendation and I followed her instructions.

I ordered the bigoli nero which includes frutti di mare, uni butter with an amazing sauce. The prawns were so yummy !!! That was divine and I really Loved the flavour.. my friend tried out their tortellini and it was so yummy! Their pastas are really good, I highly recommend this place. They are listed on the Michelin Guide!!

Anyway, I hope you will have an amazing experience there.
Cheers

Very cozy romantic place for dinner. The place is constantly busy and full so reservations well in advance are a must. The food is all freshly made in house with fresh local ingredients. Everything tasted divine and they had excellent service. We never had to ask for anything and they were on top of it like replacing plates, cutlery and even wiping off our table.

I'm just sad that we ordered a couple of their weekly specials and totally forgot the name of the dishes. But these little fried cheese balls with peas were just perfection.

The location is unfortunately located with a lot of homeless people around and open drug use. It felt unsafe in the neighbourhood. The price of the food is also on the higher side of dining in Vancouver which could be argued to be quite high for pastas. But I feel they do put a lot of detail into their dishes so your perception will be that of your own. We will be back to try other dishes soon.

Definitely will be back to try other dishes!

The BEST pasta in Vancouver! A small hidden gem near Chinatown, and service is great. They specialize solely on pasta. Fried cauliflower was delicious to start with - the aioli was so good.

We tried 3 pastas, one of which was a seasonal item, the malfadine. It is topped with freshly shaved black truffles, and each bite was phenomenal. It is amazing how each pasta is chewy, and cooked perfectly al dente. All their pasta sauces are light, while delivering all the fresh and bright flavors. I will definitely be back and could not recommend this place more!

Had an amazing time at Ask for Luigi. Service was great and the food was delicious! The only thing was that the space was very small, so the tables and chairs were close together and I kept getting bumped by the person behind me.
We got the arancini balls which was a daily special. Nicely fried, filling was gooey and the green sauce added some citrus and creaminess to the dish. We also tried the beef ragu - it was my first time trying a white ragu! Pasta perfectly cooked, not too salty and the beef was tender. The uni butter pasta was also delicious - the sauce coating the black chewy spaghetti perfectly. Would love to come back to try their brunch and lunch menu!

Food: everything was fantastic! Favorites at the table were rigatoni, cheese ball appetizers (seasonal menu item), chocolate tort, and risotto. Very favorable and fresh!

Service: 10/10, everyone was so friendly

Ambiance: small and intimate. We had a party of 5 and arrived about 10 minutes before opening and was able to be seated.

Tried this place out about 10 years ago and made reservations ahead of time (def a lot more availability on the weekdays for lunch). It's a small restaurant and looks like it received Michelin status in 2023. It is located in questionable area, but we didn't feel unsafe, just a lot of homeless people and some people doing drugs in broad daylight as we were looking for street parking.

Everyone was friendly and helpful. We ordered Focaccia & Olive oil, Radicchio & Gorgonzola salad, Rigatoni, Bigoli Nero di MAre, Radiatore Verde & Mushrooms, and a couple cappuccinos with Amaretto shot.

The food was really good and had sophisticated flavors.

The food quality was great where it mattered. The bread was a bit hard and wasn't the best, but not enough to dock any points.

Everything we had here was absolutely delicious! Came here with high expectations after seeing this spot listed as Matt James' (The Bachelor) favorite place to eat in 2023, and I was still completely impressed. Service from our waitress was also impeccable!

My favorites from the night included:

- Arugula & fennel salad - so simple, fresh, and delicious; lemony with a bit of crunch from bread crumbs
- The FOCACCIA that comes with the mussels
- Pappardelle
- Chocolate torte

Make sure to make a reservation if you can because this cozy restaurant only has 15-20 tables. If you go early, you can put your name on the list and head to grab a drink nearby.

My wife and I have been to ask Luigi many times since they opened.
Food: always fresh, handmade pasta, great flavors.
Service: great personal service with a smile.
Ambiance: quaint and clean with a warm home cooked mamas Kitchen vibe.
Price: this is the only reason I dropped the rating to a four from a five. I believe the prices have climbed nearing the risk of losing customers which is a shame.