Magari by Oca

One of the best dinners we’ve had not just in Vancouver but globally! This place stands out with locally sourced ingredients and perfectly created Italian dishes. We had a tasting menu which was gorgeous - extremely delicious and well sized. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and welcoming making the atmosphere here truly unforgettable! Show up at least 30 mins before 5pm to get a hard-to-get table, totally worth the wait!

This was definitely some of the best pasta I’ve had in my life. It was fresh, perfectly al dente, and coated in really delicious sauces. The appetizers and dessert were also outstanding. However, the portion sizes were quite small; we both left feeling hungry and had to get a pizza after. All dishes pictured were shared except for the ravioli. It’s worth knowing this going in - I read the other reviews and assumed each picture was for an individual. Nevertheless, the quality was outstanding but I’m not sure I’ll be back as regardless of how good it tastes, it’s a lot of money to pay to leave hungry.

Magari is one of the best restaurants on Commercial Dr and in my top 10 in the city. It’s authentic quality is consistent as you watch your pasta rolled fresh in front of you. All waiters juggle your experience expertly paring food with drinks and timing your meals perfectly between bites. The chared and ricotta tortelli lemon butter is my wife’s favorite pasta ever and her palate ought to be trusted. I wish I could agree but my weak stomach can’t tolerate the soft heavenly ricotta. All other pastas I’ve chosen have not disappointed. If you don’t understand the menu like me, don’t be afraid to ask or just choose the tasting menu for $75/person (recommended). Pro tip cause you’ve read this far: come around 4:50pm to line up for open, otherwise you’re more than likely waiting. Lots of fun restaurants around to wait at.

Some of the best pasta I’ve had. I got the tasting menu, so I was able to try a few different things. My favorites were the raviolo and the gnocchi. I didn’t particularly love the dessert, I think it was a little too big and the texture was a bit too influenced by the nuts. Still an incredible experience overall and I’m definitely planning to go back

The pasta here is delicious, but the set menu portion sizes are honestly laughable. The sizes have definitely decreased over the past few years. For $75 per person, you would expect to leave the restaurant full, or at least satiated. The portions in all these pictures are for TWO people; I was honestly shocked when each dish was placed on our table. You get a few bites of each dish. Yes, the bites are really great and the pasta is comparable to Italy, but unless you’ve got money to burn or are looking for a small meal, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this place. Because of the quality of the pasta, I am willing to come back to try their a la carte menu which seems far more reasonably priced ($25-30 per full sized pasta dish).

We dropped by around 5 pm on a Friday evening, and were lucky enough to snag one of two remaining tables. It was full immediately afterwards, but at least three tables left at around 7 pm. The service was friendly and welcoming, considering we brought with us a small child. The music was a bit loud, especially the base, and gave me a headache. We have never been to Magari, so we tried the tasting menu, which consists of an antipasti, a salad, four pastas, and a dessert, all for $75. It was very filling, even when we had to share with an extra small person. The antipasti that night was a house cured meat with pickled vegetables and pork crackling on top. The meat wasn't too salty, and the crackling gave it a nice crunch. Good start. When the server said the salad was very special, I was a bit skeptical. I'm not a fan of salad, but this tomato dish made me completely rethink what tomatoes should taste like. There's no acidity at all - if there were, it was cut out by the creamy cheese on top. Apparently, the tomatoes come straight from an Okanagan farmer who only grows tomatoes. The server was right. This salad was very special. First pasta dish was an onion (and mushroom? unsure, it was too loud to hear much) tortelli. Both of us had one dish. The little one, who hates onions, loved this dish, and we each had to give them half. I'd call that a "win." Second pasta dish was a lobster (maybe anchovies? also unsure because it was still too loud to hear much) tonnarelli. Served in the middle to share. It was served in tomato sauce, with a sprinkling of saffron on top - likely real saffron here because I did not taste plastic at all. There were plenty of little bites of lobster. The little one humoured us with more than one bite. Third was the potato gnocchi. This was a little disappointing, as it didn't really have the resistance I was expecting from the bite. I personally thought the creamy meat sauce had a nice delicate, but well-seasoned taste to it, but my partner thought the entire dish was bland. The little one passed on this dish. Last pasta dish was a campanelle (debatable, again, couldn't hear much). Nicely seasoned, perfectly al dente. Solid end to the pasta flight. The little one also passed on this dish. The dessert was an almond ice cream. It was like eating nougat in ice cream form, which was great for us because we like nougats. Even the little one humoured us with two bites.

Loved the evening - beautiful food and menu! Monique was an amazing guide for our wine and culinary journey. Owner is very kind. All the staff are hilarious and great.

We arrived quite hungry shortly after opening on a Friday night and were able to be seated on the patio right away, which was perfect for us as we love people watching and we could chat easier than over the hubbub that was inside. Our server was very friendly and welcoming and got us seated with water for the table and explained the day’s options to us. We started with the Insalata Mista which had a fantastic dressing and was quickly devoured. We ordered 2 pastas and a bottle of prosecco and a negroni. The negroni was excellent, very well balanced and delicious. The prosecco was not inexpensive, but was also excellent and was very enjoyable. The first pasta (Tonarelli Cacio e Pepe) came and we shared it. The pasta texture was divine and the sauce was so delicious we couldn’t stop mmmm-ing in appreciation with our taste buds revelling in it all. We finished that and after a suitable interval our Tortelli came and a whole new journey of flavours began. The chard and ricotta filling was amazing and the shells superb. By the time we finished our second pasta we felt full enough that we decided not to order the third pasta we had contemplated even though we really wanted to try it and just ordered some desserts. The Semi Freddo was so mouthwatering, rich and creamy. Perfection. The Citrus Granite was an explosion of fresh flavours. Both were outstanding. The desserts are also very reasonably priced so well worth leaving some room for. Our service was perfect, attentive enough to never feel forgotten, but not intrusive. We were also offered a complimentary digestif which was very nice. We stayed there about 2 and a half hours enjoying our meal at a leisurely pace and left planning a return to enjoy more of the food they offer as soon as possible.

I lined up outside the restaurant full of anticipation 45 minutes prior to opening with sky high expectations. Yet, somehow, I underestimated the caliber of quality in both the food and service. I went with the tasting of 4 pastas and each and every dish delivered. The orecchiette was the SINGLE BEST PASTA I've had in my entire life. The sweet and mildly acidic sauce, the toothiness of the al dente shells - it was culinary heaven. I conveyed my delight to my waitress and not too long after was gifted a 5th pasta on the house! I exchanged a dorky thumbs up w/ the dude prepping the pastas - wholesome moment ngl. The music was choice, the vibes were immaculate, the food was 10/10 with some 12/10 moments sprinkled in, and the staff was attentive and went the extra mile. So, so grateful to have found this spot on a quick visit to Vancouver - it was the culinary highlight above St. Lawrence and Savio Volpe. Run, don't walk!!

It's worth the wait. My friends and I stood in line for the first seating (about 45 mins). We went the last week of November in 2024. The food and service were excellent. Took us right back to Italy. Definitely stop by if you have the time to wait or like I've observed from others, they put their name down for the next seating.

Passed this place walking by and decided to stop in, definitely did not regret that. Pasta was amazing, though servings were a little pricy for the size the quality is definitely there. Shared 4 dishes among 2 people and everything tasted amazing. Cute little spot and was seated right away, definitely coming back when in the area!

food: comes up top when it comes to satisfying food experiences I have had in van. And I have had a lot of these experiences. Out of respect for the establishment, will keep the special menu secret. I do have a hand script. That takes me to the next section Service: friendly staff, feels like home, they are not shy to ask how they doing and how the patrons are feeling, rest assured, we feel magnificent Ambiance: be prepared to wait, before coming on into the restaurant, by set, the restaurant can host two services per night, the pace of service is synchronized across tables, so no one is left out

Ah! I waited to too long to try this place but I am glad we finally came here 2 weeks ago. Their pasta is seriously al dente and actually would put all the other al dente pasta out to shame. We had the tasting menu. 4 pasta, all amazing and a starter plus dessert. It was overall a great experience. Look forward to coming back soon.

Despite having to line up before they open, whenever someone asks where my favourite pasta is in Vancouver, I always think of Oca. We have done the tasting menu in the past, and have also ordered a la carte, everything I've tried here is delicious and never disappoints. The servers are knowledgeable in their menu and their wines, and the ambiance here is definitely cute for a date night or a small group dinner. Can't wait to be back!

I love this restaurant. We have the set menu, with several courses, plated to share between two. I loved every single dish, great flavors and beautifully presented. Service was great, and restaurant is small and intimate. For the number of courses I think it was good value, and worth it for the quality of food.

Best pasta place in Vancouver but the queue is long. So expect long wait. The open kitchen concept is great. You can see the chef making the fresh pasta before your eyes. Warm and friendly staff will also accompany you through the night with very good service.