La Mano, a fresh pasta kiosk in North Vancouver's Lonsdale Quay Market

La Mano is a small neighbourhood pasta kiosk inside Lonsdale Quay Market in North Vancouver, serving fresh pasta to eat in or take away. Its designers, Twobytwo Architecture Studio, looked to Japan, where even an ordinary market counter can be a proper place to eat. The aim was to give a market stall the care and atmosphere of a restaurant.

The space is split between two materials: warm sapele wood on one side and cooler galvanised steel on the other, joined with careful joinery where they meet in the middle. A strong orange runs through the tiles, graphics and small details. Rather than the usual trattoria look, the studio drew on Italian Futurism and its taste for movement, geometry and industry, so you get reflective metal, graphic signage and geometric shapes alongside the familiar Italian food references.

Nearly everything was made for the site, from the illuminated menu boxes, lighting and millwork to the built-in takeaway window and the bespoke counter-height chairs, which make the most of a tight footprint. ANA Projects Ltd built it with the architects.

Worth remembering if you're crossing to the North Shore and want a quick bowl of pasta with more thought behind it than most market food. The article doesn't give opening hours or prices, so check before you go.

Our summary of a story from We Heart, published 3 November 2026. Read the original