As soon as we arrived , 10 min early the place was packed and filled with people however, they had our table already ready! We didn't wait 1 second and got seated right away. This resto screamed authentic from the wood burning over in an open concept kitchen where you can even sit by the bar and observe the chefs cool up pizza's and food in front of you, it's quite an experience ! We sat down ordered 2 bottles of Prosecco for our table of 4. Unfortunately, they didn't have orange juice .. in order to make a mimosa's quite a bummer. Service: Quick and easy, waitress was very nice to us .. perhaps I wished she took more time explaining their menu.. Food: Charging money because you have a gluten allergy is absolutely BONKERS !!!! The bread itself came automatically for our table already ready.. however one of my friends has celiac and they charged an extra 15$? For Gluten free crackers that didn't taste that good!! The Bistecca was the highlight of the night A huge 25 oz tripple A (small size) bone in ribsteak was big enough to feed all 4 of us , cale with delicious shiitake mushrooms (funghi) Absolutely delicious loved it!! The burrata was alright, I've had better.. wish it was dressed in a different dressing. The salad was ok.. nothing really special. The eggplant was a lil undercooked... very cold and harder on the bite.. shouldn't be this hard to eat an eggplant lol Overall, the service could be better, the food was ok could be way better .. however steak was absolutely fantastic definitely the game changer.. maybe I'll be back again when it is less busy and that day was just a one off .. Cheers read more

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The food was outstanding. Had a nice 2019 Chianti that was a perfect pairing for the entire meal. The Caprese with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella starter was so delicious. The special pasta with tiger prawns was light and cooked perfectly. We shared the roasted lamb as a main dish. We also had the eggplant as our veggie side which was amazing with soft, smooth and sublime seasoning. Ended the meal with tiramisu and carrot cake. Our server Fabio was fabulous both attentive and friendly. Ambiance was very clean and comfortable with large group high top tables and large bar around the chef's open kitchen. I loved this first experience at Mercato Mission and look forward to a future visit when we return to Calgary. read more

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Rarely does a night out become seared in your brain forever but last night, dining family style at Mercato is an evening I will never forget. Each dish was perfection. The portions kept coming out. Our server was delightful and the ambiance was cool and comfortable. read more

We were super fortunate to find parking right in front of the restaurant; however, there really is not a lot of close parking available. We shared a burrata salad, which was an excellent antipasto. I had my absolute favourite dish, the pappardelle with the ragu of wild boar and beef ribeye. It was delicious! I even asked about buying the sauce in the market, but they do not sell it there. My wife tried something new and had the canestri with a butternut squash crema and whipped burrata. It did not disappoint! Absolutely, scrumptious! We experienced a bit of a blip with our order over shift change, but they resolved it with grace and generosity. read more

Head to Aida's and Skip Mercato. I walked into Mercato and asked for a table for 1! I was told it would be a 2hr wait. It was 7pm and they close at 9 - Humm. I looked around and there were many empty tables. I then pleasantly said thanks and left. I then looked online and there were reservations for 1, every 15min. If the service was so bad at the door I figured it would be the same if I ate there. So, I decided against making a reservation. I went to a very cute place a couple doors down called Aida's Bistro where I received excellent service and superior food. read more

Truly exceptional. The most authentic of in house handmade pastas. Simple, perfect flavors that transport to Italy and a wine list that does not miss. One of the best spots in Calgary what the room lacks in Charm is made up in spades by the service and Quality. Don't miss it ! read more

Loved everything!! Came with a team of coworkers and the experience was memorable. Would come back 1000% read more

Mercato Italian Gourmet - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

A must try when in Calgary. Make sure you try the bistecca (steak) and the funghi as well. Pasta was also cooked to perfection. I would go back just for the funghi. It's got the perfect smokey flavours but it's just mushrooms! read more

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The lovely K had been to this establishment previously so we decided to give it a go on our free evening in Calgary, and boy are we happy we did. The atmosphere is electric, it's loud with lots of activity going on and best of all, the fantastic food is cooked in front of you. There is no hiding when you have your food on display, on the grill or in the pan a few feet away from you. For foodies like us it doesn't get any better than that. We ordered the half Risotto and the grilled Orata along with a bottle of Tiefenbrunner Sauvignon Blanc. We watched the Risotto go into the pan and the fish on the grill. Our waiter even grabbed the corkscrew as he brought the bottle of wine and then realized it was a screw top, all three of us had a good laugh over that. Watching our own order hit the pan to make the Risotto and our gilt head bream hit the grill we watched the entire meal unfold. Pretty cool experience from our point of view. The dinner itself was top quality! Our waiter was informative and entertaining as well as a great storyteller. Our dinner was excellent, the service on point during a very busy night, what more could your ask for ? We will return without question read more

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The food was incredibly delicious and our waiter Tim was exceptional! His suggestions were on the mark. The pasta, steak and cheesecake were out of this world! I highly recommend eating here. read more

5 stars for service, especially from the lovely Hannah who was so personable and provided authentic friendly service. The hostess who sat us and offered to move us to a different table was also great and can't leave out the gentleman server who was helping us out before shift change. Food was well prepared as usual. Pasta al dente. Bistecca slightly more medium than would've preferred but still nice. Asparagus was chewy and stringy on some ends but otherwise grilled well. 1 star deducted due to overall cost of meal. Would happily come back though when in town. read more

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It pains me to leave a bad review of a restaurant I have loved so well in the past. This has to do with Pizza Mercato and the sad decline in quality in recent months. The pizza blanco (salsiccia) ordered this evening was inedible, everything from crust (undercooked and metallic-tasting), tasteless red sauce (on a "white" pizza?), to cheese (runny) and sparse toppings (definitely not the original products). So very disappointing, not only for Mercao but for any pizza. read more

Mercato Italian Gourmet - Salsciccia pizza - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Yum is all I can say! When it comes to carbs any italian restaurant is the place to be! Pasta and bread.. perfect! I had their meatballs with foccaccio bread here during lilac festival and it was so delicious. It was only $5 and you got 2 huge meatballs that were made up of a combination of pork and beef dripping and sitting in tomato sauce and then you were also served a piece of foccacio bread to eat the tomato sauce with. It was delicious and amazing! read more

Mercato Italian Gourmet - Beef pork and chicken meatballs with focaccia at Lilac festival - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Boy. Disappointing. Yelp reviews...friends recommending? Whats wrong here? Is my cooking and our local LA restaurants THAT much better? Yes. They are. The service and wine suggestion were good. No issues there. But 2 people doing family style here? No bueno. Now the real problem: the food was mediocre at best: a flat, bland Caprese; a salty Pomodoro (but tasty pasta) and the biggest disappointment, the steak...WAY undercooked, meh flavor and plenty of gristle. And The whole chabang was $400. Calgary: is this the best you got? read more

Last time I was there I saw cockroaches and the waitress mixed up my order and said they now charged for the previously complimentary bread. The quality, ambience and service have gone way downhill. Even the staff look miserable. Such a shame. Don't even bother. read more

My family took me to Mercato for my birthday which turned out to be a wonderful present. The food, service, and atmosphere was exquisite. I live just around the corner but for some reason had only been there one other time in the last 5 years. I definitely made a mistake by not making this place a regular dining choice for me. Sure it seems a tad expensive when you're looking at the menu but when you compare the price to the portion size it's not as bad as it looks. We all shared the Caprese and Polpo for appetizers and for main courses we had the Gnocchi, Tagliatelle, Seafood Linguine, and the Tonno (Tuna). Everything was outstanding. The weakest dish of the bunch was the Polpo (Octopus) but was not bad by any means. I was just expecting a larger piece of octopus with a hard char on it. Very hard to pick the best dish but it was probably the Tuna or Gnocchi. Most of my family would not eat rare tuna but I forced it upon them because it was so delicious lol.... they were glad that I did. I wanted the steak because it looked amazing but with two young children with us it would have been a poor decision because it takes a minimum 30 mins to prepare. It was a great birthday dinner and I'll for sure be back many times. read more

Mercato Italian Gourmet - Tonno - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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It was so busy there, even though we walked in at 530pm, which is when they open. We snagged a table because there just so happened to be a last minute cancellation, otherwise we would have had to sit at the bar. I hate sitting at bars, because it's hard to have actual conversation, and plus i'm short, so getting up and down on the stools is quite a pain. We quickly ordered because I was hungry. We ordered a mushroom pasta, octopus pasta, the bistecca with a side of mixed mushrooms. The pastas were great! Even though pastas tend to me heavy, both these pastas were light and flavourful. I guess its because it was a oil based sauce instead of a heavy cream or tomato sauce. From both these pastas, the octopus was my favourite. Very tender! The main was the steak. It took FOREVER to come. I know people like to sit and chat and enjoy their meals slowly. But I was hungry, borderline getting to be HANGRY. I just wanted my steak damn it. We kept asking them how much longer, and they kept saying soon, it's just resting etc. It finally arrived, and unfortunately I don't think it was worth waiting for. I find the steaks I have in Toronto are much better. There just wasn't much flavour. Alberta is known for their beef, but yet, the beef I've had in Alberta, is well just meh. Do they ship out all their beef to other parts of Canada instead? The pasta was good, so good I would come back just for the pasta if i'm in Calgary again. And I will make sure to make reservations next time, because I definitely don't want to sit at bar. read more

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This place is pricy but you have to give it a try if you are here in Calgary. Their steaks beat Caesar. Best steak in Calgary. Not bad. It was delicious and juicy for sure. Service was awesome. The place is family style dishes. I also tried the tiramisu cake and wow its big portion. Very good food here. Service was wonderful. Funny how the server thought we forgot our takeout and went to the back to look for us but it was the wrong table he was looking for. read more

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Sat at the kitchen bar. Had the capresi salad which was the best I've had anywhere. My linguini clam pasta dish was a bit disappointing not enough clams. Extensive wine list great atmosphere and excellent service. read more

I don't know why but Mercato reminds me so much of Vivo Ristorante in Edmonton. They could be brother restaurants. Same high end, expensive concept. Same family style dishes. Heck, even the menu design/layout looks identical. Better make a reso if you want a spot here on Friday and the weekends. We came here Sunday evening and it was pretty packed. The cool thing about Mercato is that they have their own market inside the restaurant. The layout inside is very cool as there's a couple different areas to sit at - the bar, tables, or right along the open kitchen. This seems to be a trend in Calgary, Pigeonhole is another spot that comes to mind. The menu is split into four: antipasti, primi, second and contorni. - Bread - Olives - Polpo ($23.00) - Gnocchi ($19.00) - Risotto ($23.00) - Bistecca ($97.00 double cut) - Asparagi ($16.00) - Broccoletti ($16.00) - Caffè latte - Panna cotta ($12.00) Mercato knows what they're doing and it shows in the food. We rolled out of the restaurant fully satisfied but this is definitely one of those "special" occasion/splurge places. Happy to have tried it! read more

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I Was in Calgary for one night after a trip in Banff and in the mood for some hearty Italian. My girlfriend recommended Mercato and it did not disappoint. We had the pleasure of sitting around the bar, where we got to watch the chefs execute every dish from beginning to end. Absolutely impressed by the efficiency, cleanliness, and skill that came out of that kitchen. I could have watched that chef line for hours! It was great that I got to see most of the dishes before I even ordered! To start, I had the Polpo. It's grilled octopus that they finely slice.They top it off with some Marsdon salt, olive oil, purple onion and lemon. Fantastic. I've never had octopus like this and it blew my mind. My husband and I shared two 1/2 orders of pasta dishes, the pappardelle and the gnocchi (I asked for the simple marinara sauce on the gnocchi). The pappardelle tasted like a big hug. It was warm, flavorful, and like it had been cooked for hours. The gnocchi was perfect little delicious pillows of love. I was so full by the end, I could only bring myself to order the gelato. The other desserts looked large. I crushed the gelato, no problem. It was the perfect ending to a beautiful meal. Shout out to Daniel, the sous chef, who ran that chef line with so much ease and confidence. Impressive. read more

Mercato Italian Gourmet - View from the bar. - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

wow somebody's making a lot of money! would you believe $9 for three tomatoes, seriously.... came in for coffee and to grab a few items and won't be back, sad in this current struggling time of food prithat the owners feel the need to jack the prices so high read more

Great place to eat and socialize with friends. Food menu is delicious. Pricey but worthwhile. Atmosphere is very conducive to eating and catching up with old friends. A great place to take adult friends. Service is very good and try their coffees. Yummy. Don't forget to visit and pick up something at their deli next door. Always leave hear satisfied. read more

Probably the best consistent quality of italian in the city! Service is always great and a good vibe. Bit expensive but the experiece is well worth for a special dinner outing! Could use new menu items once in awhile. read more

Too bad the menu has been cut in half!! The pasta dish was nothing to write home about! But the bistecca, mmmm , you can never go wrong!!! read more

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Delicious food. Great for sharing. The bruschetta is a must. And then the pasta. And the wine. Great service. Highly recommend.

The best steak you can have in town, and the best pasta, well all they do is awesome. We always seat at the bar where all the action happens. Do not forget to check their wines read more

My favourite restaurant in Calgary. The freshest and best food. You must try the calamari - different than anywhere else.

Sadly, didn't live up to the hype. I'm baffled by the fact that it's always full, and you can never seem to make reservations for normal dinner times The pasta didn't taste like 'fresh, home-made' pasta :( Menu was pricey Claims ' voted best steak in Calgary'.... nope me thinks not. Lamb was ok. And the thing I hate the most.... everything was wayyyyyyy over salted.... soooooo salty.... almost intolerably salty... :( Overrated. Still on the hunt for good fresh pasta in Calgary... read more

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I hate to say this buy our dinner last night wasn't as good as it used to be. We've been going to Mercato for several years now and since it had been a while since we've gone we thought we'd give it a taste to make sure it was still our fave italian restaurant in Calgary. We ordered the tagliatelle, bistecca, and green beans. Tagliatelle was fantastic, simple and delicious but could have used a little more bite - in other words a touch on the soft side. Sauce is beautiful and simple. Bistecca was medium and not the typical medium rare!!! We even mentioned it to our server and he didn't even offer to do anything about it or explained if it was supposed to be like that (even though we knew it isn't). We usually just end it there for our meal but thought we'd add some green beans. Never had them before and oh gosh tasted salty!! I had to wash my palate everytime I took a bite. Ok maybe a little exaggeration but it wasn't "add salt to taste" it was more like "salt is the taste" Anyway, giving this a deserving 3 stars as we still did enjoy our time there watching the chefs, the server was nice just didn't handle the one situation well, and the overall flavors were wonderful! Some tweaks and they would have had 5 stars. As for it being my fave Italian in Calgary....I dunno I'm willing to try other places, any suggestions?? read more

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Once upon a time, there was a place called "the Italian Centre" that existed in Bridgeland. And one day it moved far, far away, classed up and became the beautiful restaurant/grocery store called Mercato on Calgary's hip Beltline. It also had some of the best authentic, traditional Italian food outside of Italy, and certainly in Calgary. So one day, old friends of the Italian Centre trekked down to Mercato to see how much it had changed. But behold, the insides were still the same! They were pleased to find that the grocery side was as well-stocked and delicious as always, the staff as friendly and laughing as always. And the new adjoining restaurant quickly became an addiction, a gourmet realization of all of their Italian hopes and dreams. It was full of light woods and an open kitchen, with tables scattered around the edges. And because Mercato had become so beautiful, it had new friends filling it almost every day of the week! These old friends found that while the lunches were cheaper and delicious, dinner was where it was at! Just last night, they visited their new haunt once again. Delicious food was to be had all around. A "small" starter of Ahi Tuna Carpaccio was excellently prepared, light and delicious but flavorful with the addition of a light aioli and sea salt. Also amazing was the stuffed cuttlefish. Then came the pastas and risotto. The risotto was flavorful and filling, and surprisingly light. The gnocchi was covered in marscapone and a light lemon sauce, adding a refreshing spin to a dense dish. Throw in a dry prosecco, some excellent service and a lovely atmosphere for a night out, and it became the stuff of delicious history. The story ends happily, as the old friends parted stuffed full of delicious food, and promising to come back soon. read more

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Just a hop skip and a jump from my home, Mercato Italian Gourmet. I have lunched here twice and in two different ways, first of all with a friend indoors and by myself outdoors. The two seating options have two different menus and prices. Outside on the patio one can get an option of about 5 light lunch dishes all under $10. This is a great place for me to write and I can get a lot of work done here, while watching the colourful 4th avenue populace walk by. I believe I had a prosciutto sandwich, and a well brewed Italian coffee. My lunch was delicious and the service was impeccable but I had to resume it indoors because an umbrella caught wind and almost knocked over myself and my laptop. Indoor seating is reminiscent of a very fancy New York diner with an open main kitchen with high stools surrounding the Chef action. To give the Mission elite a chance to watch their Italian dishes prepared, garnished and served. I always get a kick of watching the business women in their Prada and Gucci pencil skirts shimmy up the high stools. The menu indoors is incredibly pricey but well worth it around 20 dollars and up for a main course. I have also seen many patrons enjoying full bottles of wine at lunchtime. I have had the mushroom appetizer as well as one of the main pasta dishes and they are presented in very large portions plus are accompanied by fresh focaccia bread complimentary with every meal. The decor is very chic and expect the service to be top notch, the Italian delicatessen reminds me of the ones in Little Italy in Montreal. Huge variety of meats and cheeses and everything from the best olive oils to the most decadent of deserts. 5 stars without a question, if you don't mind paying for such a privilege. read more

Mercato Italian Gourmet - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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After bring introduced to this place last year I couldn't wait to return. Everything is delicious and you want to keep eating and trying every dish. Salads proteins and wines with a view of the kitchen if you need something to look at or possibly have some time to study how to handle these dishes on the fire. This rating is for the restaurant as I think there might be a deli here as well read more

Mercato Italian Gourmet - Ribeye x2 - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

We had such an amazing dinner, Suzzie knew her stuff about all the food. There was no Barolo on the wine list and she pulled one out of the wine cellars just for us! We had so much fun and everything was so amazing, best service and so excited to recommend her to all our friends read more

Mercato Italian Gourmet - Our amazing Barolo - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Every time I know I'm going to Meracato, I starve myself a bit and get super excited. Only because I know the food will be AMAZING and don't want to fill up on anything before I get there. The food and service is so top notch. Honestly I have never had anything at Meracato that wasn't fantastic. I will continue going there and sing their praises to everyone who hasn't been yet. Worth the visit and price tag. read more

The limited selection of goods and prices in the deli are almost pure rip-off. Perhaps a reflection of the late Victor's temperament, I don't go there anymore. Buying a few small cooking tomatoes for a pasta sauce and paying an arm and a leg, whew. Prices aside, I sense that the open kitchen puts out some good Italian food but the deli so put us off that we've never bothered to eat there. Not sure what else to say, but an owner's attitude does influence the buying patterns of discerning consumers. In contrast, the Scarpone patriarch is so obviously pleasant in his old country way, and even a non-Italian can feel his warmth in his daughters and staff. But at Mercato? Nah, make room for a 15 minute drive from the city centre, and go to Spinelli on south Fairmount Drive and be drawn in by the selection and commensurate prices. read more

We enjoyed a pleasant dinner at Mercato the other night. We found the staff to be accommodating, knowledgable, pleasant, and professional. The food was fresh and delicious. The atmosphere was vibrant. And the bill didn't send us into sticker-schock. We arrived for our Thursday night reservation to find Mercato in full swing. The place was packed and quite lively. We asked to move to the kitchen counter as our table was quite low and close to dinners sitting on the counter. Close proximity to strangers' butts, practically in our faces, is not our idea of a pleasant dining experience. They moved us without question. As it was our first time there, our waiter walked us through the menu and made suggestions without trying to oversell. My GF and I shared a Caprese salad, an appetizer-size pasta, and a bifsteca Florantine with a side order of grill eggplant. The water-buffalo mozzarella in the salad was amazing. It's flown in regularly from Italy. It's smooth and creamy, you think you're eating a cheese ice cream. The pasta was delicious and just the right portion for us. The linguini was loaded with clams and pancetta. My only quibble is that they could've given us spoons to eat the pasta with. Knife and fork just doesn't cut it. No pun intended. We ordered the smaller of the two steaks which turned out to be more than enough, as we were getting full at this point. The dry-aged ribeye was grilled over an open flame and served simply with a little olive oil and sea salt. It was lip-smacking good even though it was a tad over-cooked for medium rare. I'd order it rare in the future. With a couple of glasses of wine, the bill came to $120 before tip. Not bad. Given the quality of the service, food, and ambiance, it's surprising that we haven't eaten here sooner but we'll definitely be back before too long. read more

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Mercato is the best restaurant in Calgary. Always delicious with impeccable food and service. Highly recommend it for a truly amazing experience. read more

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Sat at the bar with my 14 year old son last weekend for a boy's night out. Went out for pizza but no pizza at Mercato. We shared three appetizers and I had two glasses of wine - over $100 with tip. Alot of money but the food was spectacular. Service at the bar was excellent and all the staff were pleasant and hustling. Crowd was a great mix of young couples, afterwork crowd and families with young children. A great experience, if you can afford it. read more

Mercato is exactly what you would come to expect from a solid Italian restaurant. I think the question anyone should ask here is what's not good? Leftovers what leftovers? Thanks for the hospitality! read more