Best Italian

★ OCA PASTIFICIO

1260 Commercial Dr., Vancouver ocapastificio.com

As usual in this ultracompetitive category, it was an epic showdown. But the Drive’s ode to fresh pasta emerges victorious: Oca Pastificio earns the coveted gold. Dishes like the romaine and chicory salad with oil-cured anchovy fillets and roasted red peppers and the tagliatelle with wine-rosemary braised rabbit ragu are served up in a jewel box of a room. “Oca has a level of consistency rarely seen in restaurants these days,” said one judge.

Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill and Enoteca earns silver for chef Pino Posteraro’s classic take on Italian and Mediterranean fare, blending tradition, modernity and a touch of Japanese aesthetic—look for the veal ossobuco, the Fraser Valley duck or the spicy medley of sustainable fish and seafood in bouillabaisse broth with rouille. La Quercia’s rustic Italian cuisine (think classics like the

★ Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill and Enoteca

1133 Hamilton St., Vancouver cioppinos yaletown.com

★ La Quercia

3689 W 4th Ave., Vancouver laquercia.ca

HONOURABLE MENTION

Caffè La Tana

635 Commercial Dr., Vancouver caffelatana.ca