The Sauce Pasta Cafe — Restaurant in Vancouver

UPDATE: Feb 21, 2019: Just visited again and tried their basic Marinara sauce with rigatoni this time. I wanted a larger pasta to hold in that delicious tomato goodness. Also had a chat with the nice owners and they offered a sample of their new recipe meatballs. They have improved the meatballs compared to my last visit and I will definitely try them with sauce next time. The owners also let me in on some exciting news regarding their sauces...looking forward to sharing this news when it happens. In the meantime, just go and try The Sauce..and some pasta!

Original review: I gave this pasta cafe a few months to get the kinks out before trying it out. Having read and given some positive feedback from some coworkers and friends, I decided to give this local run business a try. There are 8 pastas and sauces to choose from so many combinatiin options. All pasta is $10.95. They also have a daily special offered at $12.95. I opted for the very basic Marinara with penne and I added meatballs for an additional $1.50. I must say, the pasta was done an almost perfect al dente and the Marinara was clean and robust with a developed tomato umami. The meatballs (3) could be a bit more tender, but for the price, I cannot complain much. All in all, a solid food option along this stretch of the West End when you want the pasta kick. Pasta is available for take out as well as dine in. My only suggestion would be to provide another means of serving for dine in other than an generic open take out container. It would've been nicer to have it served in the customized take out box. I love supporting local small businesses and I recommend The Sauce whenever you yen for good, fast, customized pasta whilst strolling through the West End...

This is a tiny little restaurant, but I was pretty impressed by the food! They have a choose-your-own-pasta-adventure menu where you select the type of pasta and your sauce, and can optionally add on extra veggies and/or parmesan cheese for a small additional cost. They have a board advertising which pasta shapes are fresh. The base prices are pretty reasonable, so the end price even with add-ons isn't exorbitant. I ordered the gnocchi puttanesca. It was an excellent dish - the gnocchi had the perfect texture and the puttanesca sauce was delicious. I actually ordered it with spinach, but they forgot to add the spinach when they cooked the dish, so instead brought it out in a small side dish in some sauce, but after trying the gnocchi I thought it was perfect as it was, so I just ate the spinach on the side. It was one of the chefs/cooks who delivered my food to my table and he seemed really nice. The portion was just right for me. They also had a few desserts available in the fridge. I got a slice of chocolate tuxedo cake. Good cake, very rich, and a pretty generous slice. It kind of looks like a hole in the wall and it's a little tight inside, but I would highly recommend them if you want some restaurant-quality pasta fast or without the fuss of a...

Lovely little hole in the wall cafe! What can I say...I was hungry; this place was nearby and rated well; and I hadn't had decent pasta in a while. I was not disappointed in the slightest! Before you go, be aware that this is a different Italian restaurant than what you're used to. They specialize in takeout meals that taste best when reheated (and in some cases, like with their lasagna, NEED to be reheated unless you ask them to do it for you). At the moment with Covid, they do not have a dine in option at all. But, what you get for it is fantastic. Delicious all around. Was a bit worried that the sauce would die when I reheated it, but no such problems! (I got their penne with vodka sauce and chicken, and lasagna.) Bonus points for it coming at a lower price point. Service was excellent, too, if you go in person. The owner was knowledgeable and friendly and willing to make suggestions. Would definitely recommend trying this...