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Vancouver may not need another excuse to eat pasta, but it’s getting one anyways.
Rosalia Osteria is set to open in Yaletown later this summer, bringing a pasta-focused menu and intimate osteria atmosphere to Mainland Street. The restaurant will take over the former home of Robba da Matti, so the address won’t stray too far from its Italian roots.
The new restaurant comes from brothers Dom and Frank Morra, the team behind a string of beloved local Italian spots including Via Tevere, Dante Italian Sandwich, Don’t Argue Pizza, and Straight Outta Brooklyn. Their latest venture trades pizza peels and sandwich presses for rolling pins and pasta dough.
Named after the brothers’ grandmother, Rosalia Osteria draws inspiration from the warmth of Sunday dinner at Nonna’s house, where meals are less about efficiency and more about seeing how long you can make a bottle of wine and a basket of bread last.
House-made pasta will sit firmly at the centre of the menu, joined by shareable antipasti, seasonal salads, classic Italian desserts, and a drinks program designed to encourage diners to stay for one more round and maybe one more plate for the table.
The restaurant itself will be intimate by Vancouver standards. The 600-square-foot space will seat just 33 guests, with 13 seats indoors and another 20 spread across a garden-inspired patio that seems destined to become prime people-watching real estate during patio season.
Designed by Tomlenovich Design, the space aims to evoke the feeling of an Italian piazza, with soft rose tones and European-inspired details creating an atmosphere that’s refined without feeling precious.
For the Morra brothers, Rosalia Osteria represents a natural next step in a growing collection of restaurants built around Italian traditions and family recipes. This time, the spotlight belongs to pasta in all its forms.
Rosalia Osteria is expected to open later this summer at 1127 Mainland Street.