Locanda dell'Orso

Locanda dell'Orso takes its name from the old legend of the innkeeper and the bear, and sets out to feel like a warm Italian home, below the Victorian Hotel on West Pender. Pasta is made in house, and ingredients come from small local farms or straight from the Italian regions best known for them, from Puglian burrata to fresh black truffle.

Gambero Rosso gave Locanda dell'Orso one Forchetta in its Top Italian Restaurants 2026, and the menu shows why. An aperitivo list of house focaccia, saffron arancini, polpette and lobster maritozzi on house-made brioche leads into pizzas such as the Mamma Mia with mortadella, stracciatella and pistachio, and fresh pastas including creste di gallo in a white ragù of brisket, veal cheek and bone marrow. Cocktails lean Italian, with a saffron-infused Orso Martini, and the wine list runs to Amarone and Bolgheri.