Nonna's Cucina has enjoyed terrific success serving up Italian street food-style fare out of its food truck and casual restaurant in East Vancouver. Now the Nonna's Cucina team are turning over a storied Commercial Drive space as they prepare to launch a second restaurant location.
Up until recently, 1728 Commercial Dr was home to Vivace, which meshed a casual bar atmosphere with live music and some upscale Italian-meets-West Coast food.
Vivace ended its run quietly this summer and was the next iteration of Osita under different ownership. Before that, however, the address was the longtime home of Federico's Supper Club, a popular Little Italy hangout that packed it in back in April 2020 after a 22-year run.
So far, Nonna's has taken the reins at the ex-Vivace space but is operating in a transition mode; diners have been able to pop in and get a bite and drinks and watch some calcio (soccer) action on the screens, but the full Nonna's slate is not yet available.
The Vivace website is gone though its Instagram is still active. A link provided on Instagram for making reservations leads to the booking site Open Table, but for "Nonna's Online Reservations."
Nonna's at 2166 E Hastings St is a popular go-to for approachable Italian fare like loaded sandwiches, pasta dishes, and meatballs. The restaurant opened in spring 2022, on the heels of its food truck, which hit the road for the first time in 2021.
"We are not fast food, we do good food fast," the business declared earlier this year on social media. Nonna's also does catering and still runs its food truck, which was serving eats to the crowds at Italian Day on the Drive recently.
What Nonna's has planned for the new restaurant hasn't been shared publicly yet, though it seems likely it will build on its menu of authentic Italian fare and scaling up for the larger dining room.
The name Nonna's might ring a bell, as Nonna's Table was the name of the restaurant at The Waldorf (also on East Hastings) that operated for several years. Nonna's Table closed in 2023 to make way for the Vancouver outpost of Howe Sound Brewing's Taphouse; operators Viaggio Hospitality are not affiliated with Nonna's Cucina.
Update July 10: A representative for Nonna's Cucina confirmed the new location with V.I.A. by email. The space is currently open to serve customers who wish to watch the Euro Games; after the final game on Sunday (July 14) the restaurant will close for renovations and is projected to re-open on July 24 as the new Nonna's concept. Customers can expect the Commercial Drive Nonna's to be "an extension" of the Hastings location.
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