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Al Porto

Hot Dining: Gastown Gourmet

Scallops with chanterelles, cauliflower and bodin at Boneta. Photo by KK Law

The cobbled streets and red brick that recall Gassy Jack’s original hamlet conceal a wealth of flavours: Pacific scallops with butternut-squash-black-trumpet-mushroom risotto and chorizo broth at West Coast, French-inclined Boneta; the city’s best pulled pint of Guinness and handmade bangers and mash at The Irish Heather; wood-fired pizza at Incendio; local cheeses and charcuterie at back-alley Salt Tasting Room; continental plates across from the Gastown Steam Clock at Water Street Cafe; and classic Italian in cellar-bound Al Porto.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Dining: 5 Tasteful Italians

Pino Posteraro shows off the heirloom tomato and Dungeness crab salad at Cioppino's. Photo by KK Law

Pino Posteraro shows off the heirloom tomato and Dungeness crab salad at Cioppino's. Photo by KK Law

In a city blessed with great dining, Vancouver truly has an abbondanza of Italian choice.
1 Cioppino’s Pino Posteraro’s sumptuous room is a fave with locals and visiting stars alike, especially for osso buco alla Milanese or the namesake spicy seafood medley.
2 Al Porto Hidden away in Gastown, this warm and cozy room serves up a wealth of classic plates in a cellar-like setting.
3 Q4 This West Side destination is a favourite for its polished, rustic, candlelit decor and shared plates of Cornish game hen and legendary spicy spaghetti.
La Terrazza Discover elegance and romance personified, along with a striking private wine room and cellar and specialties of Dungeness crab risotto and grilled bison rib-eye.
L’Altro Buca This oasis on a quiet side street in the West End serves firmly flavoured traditional fare such as puttanesca and porchetta, with well-chosen wines to match.—Tim Pawsey