In Montreal’s Little Italy, a new arrival is making waves with a fresh take on Italian dining. Pasta Pooks, which opened in March 2025, is a compact five-seat takeout counter serving pasta and natural wine in a space that marries Old World charm with a contemporary edge; positioning itself as a bona fide neighbourhood hangout.
Designed by Montreal-based studio Finkel, the counter format encourages a European-style experience where guests eat and drink while standing, chatting with friends or striking up conversation with fellow diners. Despite its modest size, the venue delivers an aesthetic that nods to traditional trattorias while pushing into modern territory. Classic checkerboard floors and oak mouldings establish the room’s sense of tradition, while walls finished with rough plaster suggest a sense of history and permanence. Adding a dose of personality, hand-painted frescos by local artist and longtime friend of Pooks, Dre Wilkin, weave together “myth, memory, and neighbourhood pride,” turning the interior into a visual conversation as much as a dining room.
This carefully orchestrated balance of tradition and playfulness embodies the ethos of Finkel, a studio known for its ability to shape intimate spaces with bold identity. For Pasta Pooks, the designers have created an environment that celebrates Italian culinary heritage whilst capturing the lively, neo-punk energy that defines Montreal’s contemporary food scene.
Later this year, Pasta Pooks will evolve once more with the opening of a full-service dining room adjoining the original counter. The expansion, also designed by Finkel, will introduce an open pasta-making station, allowing guests to watch chef Luca ‘Pooks’ Vinci craft fresh pasta in real time. The new space promises a communal setting where tradition, artistry, and conviviality converge.
For Daniel Finkelstein, the collaboration represents a “love letter to both tradition and reinvention,” a sentiment that encapsulates the project’s unique position within the city’s dining landscape. By combining craftsmanship, storytelling, and culinary authenticity, Pasta Pooks is a veritable go-to hotspot for the hip kids of Little Italy and Montreal at large.
@pasta.pooks
@finkel.ca
@dre.wilkin
Photography, courtesy Finkel / Pasta Pooks Montreal.
