The Market at Papi’s

They have a Wednesday Pasta night where the pasta’s are more affordable at $ 9.95. My boyfriend and I would go occasionally for the linguine and fresh butterflied prawns. The prawns were divine. The next time we went though they were serving the linguine with some other prawns… we think frozen. and salmon. Was not as good. It is a cute and cosy little italian restaurant and the chef’s wife really makes you feel welcome. She made the evening one to remember. They seem to have a lot of regulars on a Wednesday and everyone seemed to know each other. We haven’t been in awhile. Perhaps they have changed the menu again. We will have to give it another try.

so far so good… i only tried the strips of honey garlic pepperoni, which are good but not spectangular — guess i like ‘em spicy next time.
but it’s a cool granville island-​feeling, fresh deli-like…and their turkey paninis are their signature… will try & if that’s good, this will be upgraded to 4 stars.
nice, friendly service.

This Italian specialty store located in the heart of Steveston Village is a hidden gem. The service is superb and the food is fantastic.
After my initial shopping experience at Papi’s Market, I am a worshipper. When you first walk in, immediately on your right-​hand side, you will find a fridge stocked up with fresh pasta (ex. Linguine), fresh pasta sauces made in house (ex. Bolognese sauce), anchovies, ricotta cheese, hummus spread etc. It doesn’t help either when you first walk in, you see a big glass counter full of deli. I can do a lot of damage to my wallet here. I learned that they make their own roast beef deli and other meats. I bought some roast beef and suggested Swiss cheese for sandwiches and they turned out delicious. I sampled their salami as well and they were pretty good.
As you walk towards the back, you’ll see two more glass counters: one is full of cooked foods and the other is baked goods (pastries, cakes etc). That’s a lot of fresh foods in one small shop. There is a small freezer packed with house made frozen pasta such as lobster ravioli etc.
My partner and I got a chance to chat it up with Ken Iaci, the chef and owner of Papi’s Market. He worked as a chef in Mondo Vino Wine Bar, Papi’s Ristorante, Joe Forte’s just to name a few. To keep his business model (and life) simple, he is now running only the market and his catering business. He and his staff were very helpful, enthusiastic, and passionate about food.
This specialty food store will be repeated again and again. I love the freshness of the food and I want to buy everything. The (quash, corn, and potato) gnocchi, jars of pickles, cans of oil (walnut, olive, macadamia) and balsamic vinegar and amongst other food items truly make this place a candy store for me.

* Small, high priced, Italian themed market *
I suppose if you are down in Richmond and don’t feel like heading into Vancouver to go to Bosa Foods (
) or Parthenon (
) this little market could provide some needed ingredients.
They have a small selection of mostly European foods (dried pasta, preserves, canned products, etc.) as well as a deli counter. The quality of everything seemed decent, with prices a bit higher than what you would pay in Vancouver (I suppose for the convenience of not having to travel into the city?).
But for someone who lives in the city, no real reason to head out here… So I doubt I will be returning anytime soon…