After many years of waiting, Lonsdale Quay’s major refresh is finally nearing completion, and with it come many new restaurants, including the highly anticipated King Taps.
One of the restaurants that many have had their eye on is Fiorino Lonsdale Quay, the sister location to its original Chinatown location.
Fiorino has long been a classic spot for folks in the Vancouver area wanting to grab some solid Italian food and drinks, and its second spot (complete with a waterfront patio) is no exception.
Located on the second floor of the Lonsdale Quay Market, Fiorino has taken over the previous location of Cheshire Cheese Restaurant, which closed in 2022 after operating for 36 years, as well as expanding into the adjacent dance studio space. The result? A gorgeous sun-filled spot that will make you feel like you’re transported to Italy.
The interior of this new location is delightfully simple, with white walls complemented by dark brown leathers and woods. Subtle tile features and greenery add a pop of colour, in addition to old-school black and white photos. We popped in before Fiorino’s soft opening, so everything wasn’t quite set up yet. But from what we did see, it looked great.
Marco Ovies/Dished
As for the waterfront patio, it’s exactly what you could have hoped for. The advantage of being on the second floor is that you get an uninterrupted view of the water. Knowing how much Metro Vancouver loves patio season, we’d definitely recommend getting a reservation sooner rather than later.
“Fiorino is a restaurant that conceptually started as a sandwich shop,” said owner Giovanni Mascagni when we stopped by. “It’s inspired by the streets of Florence, where I grew up. We started off with the idea to do a sandwich shop, but it evolved so much throughout the years. Now it’s a full-service restaurant.”
Of course, Mascagni assured us they still do sandwiches at lunch and happy hour, but dinner is when it transitions into the aperitivo concept, where people can come and get a spritz or a Negroni, which was always the plan for Fiorino’s secondary life.
Speaking of Negronis, Fiorino Lonsdale Quay location has eight varieties. We opted to try the Negroni Rosa, which is a pink Negroni featuring Malfy grapefruit gin, bianco vermouth, and Starlino Aperitivo. This, in addition to the Aperol Spritz we couldn’t help ourselves from ordering, was the perfect summer drink.
Negroni Rosa (Marco Ovies/Dished)
Mascagni explained that the Negroni flavours change every six months for seasonality, to both reflect the ingredients that are more available and to create flavours that pair with what Fiorino currently offers.
During its first couple of months, Firoino’s Lonsdale Quay location will feature a similar menu to its original Chinatown spot, but we were promised exciting things to come in the near future.
We started the Panzanella Salad, a delightfully fresh dish that is a slight variation from the original with the addition of some pineapple. This was quickly followed up by the Coccoli e Prosciutto, something that Mascagni said was a must-try for anyone visiting for the first time.
Coccoli e Prosciutto (Marco Ovies/Dished)
Coccoli e Prosciutto is found on every single trattoria and osteria restaurant in Florence, he said. “It’s the quintessential appetizer.”
This dish consists of deep-fried dough that has been oven risen and served with a side of prosciutto di Parma (“It is the top dog of prosciutto in Italy,” Mascagni assured us), whipped stracciatella cheese, and some arugula. Simply tear into the dough ball, pile on your toppings, and dig in.
Pasta aficionados will definitely want to order the Gnocchetti, which consists of potato gnocchetti, white fennel sausage ragú, and Parmigiano Reggiano. These little packages of goodness melt in your mouth.
We couldn’t leave without dessert, of course, and Fiorino has once again added a twist to a classic Italian dessert: Tiramisu with the addition of cherries. And yes, it tastes just as good as it looks.
Tiramisu (Marco Ovies/Dished)
Fiorino Lonsdale Quay is currently softly open, with a grand opening scheduled for July 22.
Address: 123 Carrie Cates Ct. #218, North Vancouver
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