One of Vancouver's vibiest Italian restaurants just got a new chef — here's what to order

Located on Main Street, between E. 15th and E. 16th Avenue, is Lucia: an Italian restaurant that opened its doors relatively quietly in Vancouver less than a year ago — at least, as quietly as your typical restaurant opening in the city.

You may recognize the address as the former home of Smitty’s Oyster House, which closed its doors in October 2024, or the short-lived Anthem Sound Lounge brought to us by local restaurateur Matt Thomson (also known for Park Drive and the now-closed Cannibal Café). However, looking at the restaurant, you wouldn’t recognize it at all.

The dark, moody vibes of Anthem have since been replaced with accents of warm wood, and the space feels more open. Additionally, a revamped heated patio that has the option to be enclosed or opened adds to the space, a patio that begs to be sat at with friends, a couple of appetizers, and a cocktail or two.

But the real heart and soul of Lucia comes in the form of its new chef, Marquella Uhrig, who recently took the reins at the Mount Pleasant restaurant. With her, Uhrig brings a new menu that is both warm and welcoming and anchored in house-made pastas and pizza.

Fans of Italian cuisine may recognize Uhrig from her work as Sous Chef at Giusti, alongside other notable kitchens like Savio Volpe and Fred’s Ambleside. That’s all to say, she knows what she’s doing when it comes to working in Italian kitchens.

“Coming to Lucia felt like a natural next step. This is a place built for people to gather and to
share. That is exactly the kind of food I love to cook,” said Uhrig in a release.

As part of the transition, Uhrig is focusing Lucia’s menu back on the traditions of Italian cooking in a way that feels approachable. We recently had the pleasure of stopping by for dinner with friends and are happy to say there’s plenty to enjoy.

To start, we were presented with a selection of antiasti. There were no unfamiliar faces here, just simple, good-tasting food. Smoked Olives marinated with chilli, citrus, and garlic were quickly delivered to our table, followed by a plate of Burrata served with bundles of prosciutto, poached apple, and pine nuts, and Seasonal Greens served with a Caesar dressing and a generous portion of pangrattato and pecorino romano.

The Meatballs were definitely the star of the show here, though, served alongside a Pomodoro sauce and dusted with Grana Padano. These homey, generously sized meatballs were quickly devoured by the table.

And while we could happily pick at appetizers all day, any day — especially when paired with sips like the zesty and fresh Hugo Spritz — we were excited to move on to the carb-heavy portion of our meal.

Pizza here is akin to a Neapolitan-style pie, with thin crusts that are sauced and topped with simple toppings (you won’t find any hot dog stuffed crust here). We opted for the Fennel Sausage pizza, which was served with an assortment of roasted peppers, olives, onion, provolone, and Grana Padano. We’ll be honest, the pizza was solid, but it paled in comparison to the pasta courses we were about to enjoy.

Most notably, the Radiatore was an immediate favourite at the table. There’s something so enticing about the radiatore shape and the way the delicious sauce fills the crevices. Plus, it was obvious that the pasta was made fresh in-house.

Here, the pasta was served with a leek and wild mushroom cream sauce and topped with pieces of smoked scamorza. We’ll definitely be back for this one.

The other pasta we sampled was the Tortelli, a ricotta and greens stuffed pasta served in a brown butter sauce with sage and pine nuts. While we’ll also be proponents of sharing food when you go out with a group to make sure you can sample as much as possible, the downside was that it was a fight for who got the last tortelli.

Of course, no Italian feast is complete without a few items for dessert as well, and all the classics have made an appearance on Lucia’s revamped menu. Tiramisu and the Cannoli were both very welcome sweet treats to conclude our meal.

Ultimately, Lucia has accomplished what it has set out to do: offer its stretch of Main Street a haven of classic (and slightly elevated) Italian fare in a setting that is perfect for your next night out. If you’re in the area and looking for a solid bite to eat, Lucia is the place to be.

Lucia

Address: 3124 Main St., Vancouver

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