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  4. Vancouver
  5. Hastings / Sunrise

Poor Italian Ristorante

4.0
4
510 Reviews
CAN$30 and under
Italian
3296 East 1st Ave, Vancouver, BC V5M 1B8

About this restaurant

  • Kid-friendly
Poor Italian Trattoria & Ristorante serves Vancouver, British Columbia. Poor Italian aims to make authentic and affordable plates of Italian cuisine that would be at home in a fine-dining restaurant. All pastas are hand cut and made to order in house. Additionally, all meats, vegetables and fruits are sourced from local suppliers to ensure freshness. At Poor Italian, diners are continually treated to new surprises from its rotating seasonal menu. All the dishes are bright, vibrant and reminiscent of southern Italy. Popular items include the jumbo scallops with limoncello demi-glace, as well as the roasted sablefish, which is seasoned with Mediterranean salsa, sea salt and lemon. The portions are filling, but diners should save room for dessert, because Poor Italian is well-known for the Sicilian cannoli on its dessert menu.

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    CAN$30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Seafood, Mediterranean
  • Hours of operation
    Tuesday - Friday: 11:30am - 10:00pm Saturday: 5:00pm - 10:00pm Sunday: 5:00pm - 9:00pm Closed Mondays
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Catering
    Happy to host your private functions Tuesdays thru Sundays. Seating capacity up to 95 guests and up to 120 with our outdoor patio on warm summer days. Available for buy-outs and we are able to provide food for pick up anytime during normal operating hours.
  • Private party facilities
    Catering & Special events are always welcome at Poor Italian. Call in to learn more about our event packages & catering.
  • Neighborhood
    Hastings / Sunrise
  • Cross street
    Rupert
  • Parking details
    Valet parking is offered Friday and Saturday evenings. Always free parking in our private lot. If the lot is full, you'll find ample free parking along Rupert Street.
  • Public transit
    Rupert Street is a major bus route
  • Entertainment
    We have an eclectic selection of music including classic cool jazz featuring Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and more! Sometimes, we even swing a little with Frank Sinatra. Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti are also known to softly serenade the dining room with favourite arias by famous Italian composers such as Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and more!
  • Additional
    Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Counter Seating, Farm to Table, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 510 people are saying

Poor Italian Ristorante reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

4.0
4 based on all time ratings
  • 4Food
  • 4.1Service
  • 3.8Ambience
  • 0.2Value

NoiseModerate

510 Reviews
  1. Contented

    Vancouver1 review

    3.0

    Dined on May 8, 2015

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    After a couple of failed attempts to have a meal at the Poor Italian we got our seat. We went on a Thursday evening for 7pm which appeared to early as it did get busier around 9pm as we were leaving. To start we ordered a popular brand of Italian sparkling mineral water and were briskly told they don't serve it any longer but try this "better" one instead. OK but it was not to our liking. Then my first two menu choices were not available. In fact I wasn't told about the my second choice for the main course not being available until it was past time for it to be served. Really an Italian restaurant out of both veil scaloppini and chicken scaloppini? In the end I had the halibut special. Which came piled high with tomato sauce. The polenta that was served underneath was very good. Overall the dish lacked any sort of flavor punch that could be described as Italian. Then my first choice of desert the house made Gelato was not available either. When I did get my second choice of gelato it was as hard as granite. Overall the food was good but not spectacular as we had heard. My wife finished off her meal with a very good cappuccino. We did get numerous apologies for not having the menu items but that was all. This was made all the more poignant when a couple of days later we were in a chain restaurant and the waitress forgot to bring my wife her soup and was offered it free. How far would a free cappuccino go to making up for these problems. I won't go back not because of the food but for the lack of concern for customer satisfaction.

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  2. BGAP

    Vancouver3 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on April 26, 2015

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    We took my parents to the PI for dad's birthday. We'd all been there before and knew what to expect as far as food choices and how busy the place can be. Unfortunately, the PI was hosting yet another large, loud party which left the rest of the diners pushed into the back corner and unable to communicate unless one yelled in the ear of the person next to you. The food portions have shrunk to the point of being comical and everything was over cooked. After parting with several hundred dollars, I went home and made a sandwich as I was still hungry.

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  3. OpenTable Diner

    Vancouver2 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on April 25, 2015

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Interesting and tasty menu items, mid-range prices. We especially enjoyed being able to hear each other, which we have been finding difficult in many of the restaurants we have been dining at.

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  4. OpenTable Diner

    Vancouver1 review

    4.0

    Dined on April 11, 2015

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Poor Italian is a gem of a restaurant tucked away in one of Vancouver's unassuming neighbourhoods. The atmosphere was delightful, the food was impeccably prepared, and I have already added it to my favorites list. It was well worth the drive from downtown Vancouver in the pouring rain just to have some authentic Italian cuisine.

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  5. StuKatz

    Vancouver7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 6, 2015

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Poor Italian has consistently satisfactory, not to say delicious, food, attentive service, and a quiet ambience with no obtrusive sound track to disrupt dinner conversation. Family groups abound, but there is no raucous behaviour, just a pleasant atmosphere of harmony and contentment among the diners. we love Poor Italian, and it's definitely a go-to place when we have out-of-town company.

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  6. Yummy

    Vancouver154 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on February 23, 2015

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Very good service. Good but not outstanding food. A little pricey for the amount of food and location. No real complaints but won't rush back.

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  7. margarock

    Vancouver10 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on February 15, 2015

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    Disappointed. Special Valentines menu was expensive and not worth it. Service poor.

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  8. Meltemi

    Vancouver16 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on February 11, 2015

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Whenever I'm asked what restaurant I want to meet a friend at or celebrate an occasion - The Poor Italian always comes to mind. The food is consistently good (other than this last time when my friend had to ask for more sauce on her pasta which was extremely dry). The servers are knowledgable and friendly.

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  9. OpenTable Diner

    Vancouver1 review

    4.0

    Dined on February 8, 2015

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Each of us enjoyed our diinner, shared appetizer and shared desserts. it is rare to have each and every person so pleased with everything. The wine was excellent; short but good list of Italian wine for this restaurant. Took spaghetti bolognese to a differ level.

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  10. Charmp

    Vancouver5 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on February 8, 2015

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    We went to celebrate a birthday, the food was tasty, well prepared and came to the table at the appropriate temperature. Our table was near the bar and we finally moved it back after the person sitting closest to the bar got banged into for the third time by passersby. Once we moved the table back we enjoyed our meal and our celebration.

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FAQs

Poor Italian Ristorante does offer delivery in partnership with Skip The Dishes. Poor Italian Ristorante also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (604) 251-1122.

Poor Italian Ristorante is rated 4 stars by 510 OpenTable diners.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?
Claim this listing
Google Map for Poor Italian Ristorante

3296 East 1st Ave, Vancouver, BC V5M 1B8

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Rupert
  • Neighborhood
    Hastings / Sunrise
  • Hours of operation
    Tuesday - Friday: 11:30am - 10:00pm Saturday: 5:00pm - 10:00pm Sunday: 5:00pm - 9:00pm Closed Mondays
  • Price
    CAN$30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Seafood, Mediterranean
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Valet parking is offered Friday and Saturday evenings. Always free parking in our private lot. If the lot is full, you'll find ample free parking along Rupert Street.
  • Public transit
    Rupert Street is a major bus route
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Entertainment
    We have an eclectic selection of music including classic cool jazz featuring Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and more! Sometimes, we even swing a little with Frank Sinatra. Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti are also known to softly serenade the dining room with favourite arias by famous Italian composers such as Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and more!
  • Additional
    Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Counter Seating, Farm to Table, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
  • Catering
    Happy to host your private functions Tuesdays thru Sundays. Seating capacity up to 95 guests and up to 120 with our outdoor patio on warm summer days. Available for buy-outs and we are able to provide food for pick up anytime during normal operating hours.
  • Private party facilities
    Catering & Special events are always welcome at Poor Italian. Call in to learn more about our event packages & catering.
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