Italian in West Vancouver, Casa Mia Cucina and Mercato
A few minutes West of Park Royal Mall in West Vancouver, an Italian eatery is celebrating their first birthday.
Casa Mia Cucina and Mercato, West Vancouver, is fully equipped for lunch, dinner and happy hour; boasting weekly fresh ingredients flown directly from Italy.
If you are taking a road trip to Whistler or coming back, you might have noticed a fairly new big beautiful patio close to West Vancouver Centennial Seawalk, the Aquatic Center and West Vancouver Community Centre. Marine Drive in West Vancouver is known for its abundance of petite restaurants, specialty shops, bakeries, flower shops and more. On this same stretch of road you can find a bright and beautiful Italian cafe and restaurant, Casa Mia Cucina and Mercato, West Vancouver.
The beauty about Italian food is the use of simple ingredients to create many delicious dishes.
The pizza pie consists of dough, sauce and toppings, literally endless possibilities.
Maela Lovisetto, 39, from Northern Italy, came to Canada a few short years ago looking for opportunities which boast her Italian heritage. The recently-closed Sciué restaurants, in Downtown Vancouver, served Italian-cafe-style bakery goods and pizza. Sciué had four restaurants in different Downtown Vancouver neighbourhoods, all cafés which Maela helped continuously with their daily operations. Maela is now co-owner of Casa Mia.
The beauty about Italian food is the use of simple ingredients to create many delicious dishes. Pizza, an invention by Napoli, continues to be one of the world’s favourite dishes. The pizza pie consists of dough, sauce and toppings, literally endless possibilities.
At Casa Mia Italian restaurant West Vancouver, they put the “Mama Mia!” in it’s seasonal menu. Their pizza is Northern style with unique options such as Diavoia (tomato sauce, Fior di latte, spicy sopressata); Principessa (White sauce, mozzarella, whipped ricotta, cotto ham, zucchini); Verdure (Tomato sauce, mozzarella, roasted peppers, eggplant, zucchini, red onions, cherry tomatoes), but also classic favourites like Margarita (Tomato sauce, Fior di latte, fresh basil, olive oil) and Funghi (Bechamel sauce, mozzarella, wild mushrooms, arugula, truffle Pecorino Romano, olive oil). The pizza crust is thin crust and crunchy, but of course made in house too.
What we really want to talk about is Casa Mia’s Italian-made sandwiches. “Mama Mia!” Diners have four large sandwiches, under $15, to choose from: Italian Deli (House-made bread, Fior di latte, mozzarella, sliced prosciutto, sliced mortadella, sliced salami, arugula, pesto mayo); Cotoletta (House-made bread, Cotoletta chicken breast, Fior di Latte, shredded mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, arugula, roasted red pepper aioli); Focaccia al crudo (House-made focaccia, Fior di Latte, prosciutto crudo, arugula, mayo); Caprese (House-made bread, Fior di Latte, tomatoes, arugula, pesto mayo, balsamic glaze).
Casa Mia’s sandwiches are made with fresh ingredients. The Caprese, did not last long on my plate, paired with their Italian version of a Margarita, coming in at only $9 during happy hour, I could literally have this sweet and sour cocktail every day for the rest of the summer. Not feeling a cocktail? Casa Mia Italian restaurant West Vancouver offers a very extensive list of Italian and BC sparkling, rosé, white and red wines to choose from, by glass or by bottle.
Casa Mia will easily become a favourite café to frequent whether you are flying solo, with a group of friends or planning a business meeting. The spacious floor plan accommodates for three so-called-separate seating areas. Patrons can choose to sit at the long tables which line their black and white stripped “Mama Mia” feature wall, emerald green velvet scalloped couches or opt for a casual cafe seats perfect for little ones.
Even though ingredients are shipped fresh weekly from Italy, the Cucina keeps pricing at an affordable price point for both lunch and dinner. If you’re planning to host a larger gathering, Casa Mia might be your ideal choice in terms of space and price. Italian flair group menus are available at this West Vancouver family-friendly restaurant at a very reasonable price at $55 for a 6 course meal and $45 per person buffet. Check out their details online.
No matter what kind of day you’ve had, or where you are on your way to, Casa Mia offers a relaxed environment to enjoy food and company at any time of day. Casa Mia Cucina and Mercato West Vancouver is open 7 days a week from morning to dinner.
2215 Marine Drive, West Vancouver
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