Gotta say the pasta was pretty damn yummy but still they need some major work on their service/kitchen staff efficiency...so 2 stars. (I'd give 1 for service and 4 for food). Here's how it went down: I walked in off the street and the girl taking orders seemed totally overwhelmed. I asked how long for my order - 2 pastas and a bocconcini salad - and she said 30mins. I was about to say forget it but then she remembered pasta doesn't take so long - 15/20mins. Inevitably I ended up waiting 10mins to give my order, 35mins for food and, though it was good, they forgot my $9 salad. Didn't realize 'til I was home. She was snarky too when I'd come in to ask if my order was up, not remembering that I'd ordered anything. Hate it that restos don't take more pride and put someone with skill on their front line. read more

Presto Cucina - a man and a woman working in a restaurant - Italian Near Me - West Vancouver, British Columbia

My friends and I have drifted into the habit of eating here when we walk the seawall to Dundarave. I suppose the kind thing to say about the food is that it is solid, unpretentious, and filling. Not inspiring nor especially good, however. Service is uneven, but improving since they increased staff recently. I suppose it's largely lassitude that keeps us coming here. I definitely need to find a more exciting alternative for post walk munchies. read more

I would give this place 0 stars if I could. Why won't Yelp let me do that, by the way? We arrived here on a Saturday night after being turned away at Carmelo's by an unsmiling hostess (we won't be going back there again). We realized once walking into Presto that this place is like a cafeteria style "restaurant", where you seat yourselves, order at the counter, self-serve drinks at the non-alcoholic beverage station, and they bring you the food/alcoholic drinks when ready. NOTE TO PARENTS: The space is pretty children friendly, although being self-serve, you have to go find your own booster/high chair. They're way in the back of the restaurant. We managed to squeeze our stroller in between 2 tables to get it out of the way. 2 large tables in the middle of the restaurant can seat large families. We ordered after 10 minutes of browsing the menu and decided on a large-size appetizer caesar, spaghetti and meatballs, and fettucine carbonara. The place started to fill up after we ordered. Soon all the tables were filled, plus there were people waiting for takeout. The number of white tickets started to line up down the counter. My husband's house wine took a while to come. The caesar salad came 20 minutes after. The croutons are not house-made. The salad itself was OK, but stellar. For some strange reason, the table of 4 that came 20 minutes after we ordered got all 4 plates of their pasta first. Ours finally arrived a good 45 minutes after we ordered. And once my husband cut through one of the meatballs, he had to bring the plate back up to the counter to complain it was cold inside. They brought back 4 new (and hot) meatballs 10 minutes later. My carbonara would be a big miss if it wasn't for the proscuitto ham. Without it, the pasta and the sauce itself would have been very bland. The smokiness of the proscuitto made it better, but still not great. The carbonara at White Spot outshines this one by a long mile. Service was very weak at this place. They need to decide if they are purely a self-serve place, or fully full serve. There is no half way in between. It was very confusing to have to go up to order my food, get my own drinks, but then have someone bring me my food. There was no server or anyone walking around the floor to offer water or clear away plates. In my opinion, they need this person on the floor to service the customers once their food arrives. People kept going up to the cashier girl to ask for water glasses, takeout boxes, cutlery, etc. There was a lot of frustration going around as people waited a long time for their food - the kitchen just couldn't handle a full house. Many people went up to the counter full of white tickets to ask why their food was taking so long. The kitchen's ventilation system is not sufficient. We left the place feeling like we took the restaurant home with us in our clothes. If possible, (and if you even think this place is worth visiting after my review), take a table by the window and ask they open it. I can tolerate bad service if the food makes up for it. In this case, it doesn't even come close. I was hoping to find a hidden gem in West Van. From the outside, it looked like a cute Italian eatery - that's why we came in in the first place. But the half self-serve / full-serve concept just doesn't work. The service is terrible. The wait time is unacceptable. The food is not worth the wait. Obviously, bottom line, we won't be returning. read more

I ordered their Italian Sausage Penne Rustica baked with cheese (additional $2). My order didn't taste cheesy enough and it was watery (perhaps too much water in the sauce), though they did provide good portion (a lot of meat and olives and I was very full after the meal). The main reason why I took off two stars was because I saw flies flying around the tables (and my appetite decreased). read more

Presto Cucina - a table and chairs in a restaurant - Italian Near Me - West Vancouver, British Columbia

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Underwhelming and way overpriced! Seriously save your money for Pizza Pizza. I never thought I would think that would be better and the funny thing is that I asked the people I was visiting for a better alternative than that. It was $67 for two large pizzas and all I could think of was it better be damn good. The Chicken was better then their Collosus, which was not so Collosal. They didn't skimp on the chili peppers when I asked for some though so that is something. read more

Great place to eat if you're looking for a relaxed and kid friendly atmosphere. The food was very good and came out quickly. Their staff was friendly and we had really enjoyed our experience. read more

Presto Cucina - Fettuccine Alfredo, Prawn Pesto Penne and Primavera Pizza - Italian Near Me - West Vancouver, British Columbia

I feel bad, but this is my first review that's not favourable. I was quite disappointed with Presto Cucina. I hadn't been for a year but previously would go about 5 times a year to get their tasty warm spinach salad and yummy chicken pesto pizza. So I thought l'd check it out again. When I checked out their website I noticed that it leads you to a law website. Turns out they must not have renewed their URL and now it belongs to someone else. I decided to try take out despite some trepidation. When I went to pick up my takeout, staff knew about the website problem but didn't seem to care. The online menus prices were outdated. When I got home I noticed that the spinach salad had hardly any feta, no pine nuts (cheaper sun flower seeds had been substituted, there was a dusting of prosciutto instead of nice crispy chunks). The dressing was the same (a balsamic reduction) so at least they didn't spare the flavour. The pizza was okay. The meal just was not worth the $24 price tag for a 9" pizza and small salad. Won't go back so many other really good West Van eateries. read more

Visiting the Ambleside area with pasta in mind. We have two young children who were tired and hungry. Stumbling upon Presto Cucina was exactly what we needed. It's a seat-yourself restaurant with a nice atmosphere, especially for kids...some booths, some tables with lots of light and a big window up front. We ordered a little pizza and two kinds of pasta. The Fettuccine Alfredo was the best dish and the bread sticks were great. All the food was fresh and well prepared. The chocolate ice cream is delicious, too. All affordable and convenient. Staff was very nice, too. read more

Underwhelmed or should I say overwhelmingly below average. Just save yourself the aggravation and go somewhere else.

The staff were friendly and helpful, but the food was terrible. I ordered the lasagna and it was extremely greasy-- there was a lot of oil that separated from the sauce, and the sauce itself was very runny. There was a thick layer of rubbery-tasting cheese on top of the lasagna, which was not appealing. Additionally, there was barely any filling between the layers of pasta. The underside of the garlic bread that came with the lasagna was also covered in grease. I would not return, due solely to the poor quality of the food. read more

Despite themselves, this restaurant is still busy. Amazing to me that after changing to new ownership months ago they still cannot figure out how to run this restaurant. We live in the neighbourhood and would visit more but I think this was the last attempt (3rd time). Food is average at best, it takes forever to arrive, and the staff are in a constant state of confusion. Great location to run solid restaurant...if only they can figure it out. read more

Up until now, I would have given this place a great review. It has been our "go to" place for Margarita Pizza (and others) for years. We just brought one home, and we can barely eat it. The crust is hard, the tomato slices have been replaced by small chunks of diced tomato, there is no pizza sauce, and the cheese has changed. Not sure whether the restaurant has changed hands, or the chef has changed, but this is NOT a change for the better! We are off to find a new "go-to" place! read more

-100 rating. it was horrible. i had a hair in my food and when told them, she picked it out and offered me nothing. then went to the kitchen and stated to laugh. I've never been so unimpressed. will never ever go back. when i said something at the end and paid my bill she admitted it could have been her own hair, then laughed as i put my head down to pay. read more

great food and lovely waitress, very reasonable prices just a little dated decor