I was in Toronto for the weekend and arrived at my hotel fairly late on Thursday night. I asked the concierge for a recommendation for a nice spot for dinner and he recommended Cantina Mercatto, which was just around the corner from the hotel. I headed over about 9:30pm and I was greeted warmly and shown to a nice table. The restaurant was very nice inside - I quite liked the decor and high ceilings. I ordered a cocktail called "It's Complicated" which was exactly what I was craving. The server recommended their winter special for dinner, which was any pizza or pasta plus dessert for $32. I chose the pasta carbonara and tiramisu for dessert. The pasta was really flavourful, and I loved the egg yolk on top as it added an extra level of richness to the dish. The tiramisu was really light - I wish it had more mascarpone but it was still very good. Service was excellent and I left full and very happy. read more

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I got the orecchiette pugliese pasta. I really liked the flavour of the dish and like the amount of rapini included. The server was nice but I wish she had mentioned the happy hour specials they had as the time we came was during happy hour, which I only found out about later. We came on a weekend afternoon for a late lunch and the restaurant was very empty. There are seats with couches that look very comfortable for medium sized groups. read more

Cantina Mercatto - Lasagna - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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It was good - personally, I feel like I could have made a few of the pastas at home, but I really want to try the lasagna. That one, I probably wouldn't make at home. :) The service was also okay. Our server was pushy and almost got mad because we asked two questions about the menu. I didn't love her tone and she kept calling my male boss "Love" (to be fair, she called all of us that, but it was still a bit cringey, since I'm sure she was younger than all of us). Ambiance/interior and outdoors was very cute - felt like "Industrial Italy". I did love the summer special where it was get any pasta or pizza and get a free gelato or tiramisu. I'd come back, but there are so many five-star Italian restaurants I've been to, so it's hard to give this one a solid five (probably a 3.5, rounded up to 4). read more

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I really enjoy the Mercatto family of restaurants and so I was delighted they opened this in our neighborhood. The place is open and fresh as it has very high ceilings, mixed seating at tables and counters. It is clean and well decorated. The staff are friendly and helpful with questions. I particularly enjoy their grilled chicken (spicy oil, so know this if you don't like spicy). My kids enjoy their pizzas and pastas, we haven't had any that they haven't enjoyed. They are foodies. If there's one thing they would say to improve, it would be larger portions (they are big eaters!!). We all enjoy their calamari. And oh, their espresso is nice!!! read more

came here for a nice italian dinner with friends! Servers were nice and it had a good atmosphere. I went with the chitarra alla Carbonara (pictured at the bottom - $23). I also had a taste of the pepperoni pizza (pictured top left - $24). I found the pasta to be tasty but was surprised by the portion size. I was expecting it to be a little more and didn't feel very full afterwards. I also had a taste of the pizza and found it very good but a little bit too greasy. The pepperoni were crispy but I found the pizza overall okay. I've had better. Overall, the food was not bad and the place was nice but it wasn't particularly filling and didn't blow me away at any point and was pricey. A little bit disappointing. read more

Cantina Mercatto - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

After checking the reviews on Yelp we decided to give this restaurant a try. After struggling to open the front door :), I had to fight through some curtains to get to the front desk. We were promptly greeted and seat. Once seated, our waiter was very attentive and informative. Once the order was placed, the food came very quickly. I had the arctic char. The servicing size was good for the fish and the accompaniment. The skin was nice and crispy and the fish was not overcooked. The sizes were also cooked well. Quite tasty. Ricotta Gnocchi - The gnocchi was tender and the tomato sauce tasted homemade. Linguine di Mare - The seafood was fresh and the pasta had a nice seafood flavour. Pollo Alla Diavola - Spicy chicken. The chicken was lightly spiced. It had good seasoning. This also came with creamy fregola. I've never had this before and it was tasty. This was a nice discovery. The only issue I had with the restaurant is that it was cold. I would return. read more

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Food 3/5 Service 4/5 Ambiance 4/5 I will say that I'm biased about this food because I got sick eating here. I have a sensitive stomach & I was here for a work event. We had a set menu which was supposedly catered towards my food intolerances. I'm not sure what upset my stomach exactly as I had a mocktail & the hors d'eouvres that were being passed around by the waitstaff. Service was good. The waitstaff seemed a little frustrated because we were a large group (we closed out the restaurant) & there isn't much space in between the tables. One of the servers mixed up my dish with someone else who had a regular dish. I will give allowances for that, as I found it quite noisy & chaotic with such a large group of people. I think the servers did their best & some of them were even enjoying the excitement of a big group. Ambiance for this restaurant is nice. The decor is green, medium wood tones, and gold/chrome accents. It's a nice looking place. There are only 4 single washrooms though on the lower level. So there were lineups. Also there isn't adequate signage to show where the washrooms are. You would have to ask the servers where the washroom is to know where it is. Otherwise you might accidentally walk into the kitchen. LOL. I'm rarely in this area so I will most likely not try this restaurant again. I'm not sure if I would try this restaurant again despite the other good reviews. read more

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Decor 4.5/5 Service 4/5 Food 4/5 We went there for brunch on a Saturday morning. When I stepped in, I instantly liked the modern and refined decor of the place, it's pleasant, bright and beautifully decorated. We ordered gnocchi, sausages, mushroom pizza, with Tiramisa and canola as desserts. Most Italian restaurants serve fresh bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar on complimentary basis, but here we had to pay to order. The foods were on par, the mushroom pizza was only good as mushroom aroma didn't stand out; and the desserts were delicious. The gentleman server was friendly, he missed our gnocchi order and quickly placed it for us. All in all, we enjoyed our dining experience and won't mind to come back again. read more

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The linguine I ordered tastes amazing I can taste the fresh ingredients and I love the sauce/juice as it is reduced to the perfect amount by preserving the delights from seafood and richness from the butter and not too thick Service was good and I love the ambiance and the wine shelf in the basement. It might be absurd to mention but I even love the washrooms too read more

Cantina Mercatto - Seatings - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Got the mushroom pizza, it tasted delicious even tho I wasn't hungry at all, that's how you know something is actually good lol! Freshly made dishes, nice interior and awesome service. Had a great experience here, would recommend! read more

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Great restaurant with friendly service, spacious interior, nice ambience, beautiful wallpapers, and delicious food. We came without a reservation on a weekend afternoon and were seated right away (there were plenty of empty tables). The interior temperature of the restaurant was a bit on the cooler side when we were there (perhaps for the wine cellars located both on the main floor and basement level), so bring a sweater or long sleeve. Restrooms are downstairs and they're gender neutral. Everything we tried was excellent: APPETIZERS / SIDES: 1) Insalata Verde (leafy greens with pine nuts and sherry thyme vinaigrette) - Loved the subtly crunchy pine nuts in the salad. Good portion size. 2) Octopus Salad (grilled octopus with frisee, potato, olive tapenade, grape tomatoes) - The grilled octopus is cut up into pieces and they're quite tender. I liked the fingerling potatoes in this dish. 3) Pesto Bread (grilled sourdough with basil pesto and shaved grana padano) MAIN DISHES: 4) Mushroom Pizza (with cremini mushrooms, besciamella (béchamel sauce), grana padano, fontina, thyme) - Thin crust pizza with very thinly sliced cremini mushrooms. 5) Albacore Tuna Salad (grilled rare albacore tuna, chickpeas, kale, grilled peppers, cucumbers, carrots, orange vinaigrette) - The tuna reminded me of the seared tuna in aburi sushi (great texture and taste). The salad ingredients were very fresh with a small amount of dressing, which was perfect. 6) Arctic Char (with green beans, roasted cauliflower, castelvetrano olives, almonds) - LOVED this dish. The arctic char was cooked nicely with the skin still crispy. The cauliflower and carrot were still crisp, the green beans were perfect, the sauce and little bit of mashed potato smear on the plate were delicious, and the seared almonds added crunchiness. Note that the menu on their website might not be up-to-date. (When we went, the menu presented in the restaurant was slightly different than the one on their website... with differences in some of the menu items.) read more

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Went for an early dinner at about 5:30PM on a weekday and we were seated promptly. I ordered the Linguine Di Mare, my wife had the Arctic Char and my son had the Pollo Alla Diavola and we shared a Ricotta Gnocchi. The meals were on our table within 10-15 minutes. The seafood in my dish was fresh and flavoured the pasta nicely. We all enjoyed our meals and our server was very helpful. The room is open and airy and the decor is modern and refined. All in all, it was a pleasant dinner experience. read more

Decor was bright and modern. Service was super friendly and helpful with the menu. We ordered drinks and two entrees, everything was solid and would recommend for a quick lunch/dinner. read more

Cantina Mercatto - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Can I say amazing??? We had the pepperoni pizza with a spicy oil on the side that was one of the best pizzas I've ever had. You gotta go here! We sat at the bar and had a great bartender/waiter who was very friendly and the restaurant was cute. I'd say this is a great place for anything (date, business, family etc.). read more

Cantina Mercatto - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Typical Italian restaurant good food good vibes not too expensive good for a night out really loved the interiors - very modern. Service was very fast. read more

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This is one of the most convenient and ideal spots for a lunch or dinner for business professionals & overall anyone looking to dine at an Italian restaurant in the core of downtown Toronto! The food was really good, I had the Orecchiette Pugliese and my colleague had the 7 OZ flat iron steak. Both dishes were amazing! My only comment is that the orecchiette was slightly bland. Otherwise, my colleague said her dish was perfect! The service was okay. I believe that since we were on the patio, we were less attended to as opposed to being seated inside the restaurant where the service is prime. The ambiance on the inside of the restaurant is beautiful, open and warmly lit. Front of house employees were kind and welcoming. Waiters & waitresses are very knowledgeable about the menu & drink pairings. Overall, good food, ambiance is great on the inside of the restaurant but slightly lacking on the patio. Service is good inside but lacking outside. Staff are great and friendly. Make sure to book a reservation if you're planning to go during peak hours as they get booked up quickly! read more

Cantina Mercatto - 7 oz flat iron steak with house wine - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Walking in, the vibe in the restaurant is super chill. There is music playing in the background, but enough to have a conversation with your table. The waiter was very attending, and made good recommendations. We got Calamari Fritti- shareable for 2 and pasta - Chitarra Alla Carbonera - shareable for 2. I ended up getting a fruity drink - a peach spritzer. I'm unsure of the name. It was overpriced and honestly not the greatest. Try something else. Overall, I will still rate it a 5 star. Everything else was delicious. read more

Cantina Mercatto - Carbanera - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Chose this with some friends to stop at for dinner before a show. Great ambiance and decor. We made a reservation less than a week before and we're able to do so for peak dinner hours on a Saturday night. My friend and I had the carbonara and HOLY it was amazing! My other two friends had the pan-seared lasagna and linguine di mare and both were great as well. I'm already thinking about when I'll be coming back to have that carbonara again! read more

Cantina Mercatto - Chitarra Alla Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This is a pretty decent spot for Italian food in Toronto with good service and a calm ambiance. Of what we tried, the Mushroom pizza was the standout, while the pasta was quite plain and unflavoured. read more

Cantina Mercatto - Linguini Di Mare and Mushroom Pizza - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Food is amazing, staff is friendly, and the environment is super nice. Would recommend going just for the pizzas

I don't think I would ever go back here. There other much better Italian restaurants in the city like Terroni, Cafe Libretto, and Familia. The food was mediocre, Arancini was bland, Caprese salad was not bad, Mushroom pizza was good. I had three cocktails : All were mediocre. Tiramisu was fantastic, and the best part of the meal. However the service was great. The waitress, and staff were quick, and pleasant. It was a nice relaxed atmosphere, and quite a beautiful restaurant design. I think this place is a mediocre tourist restaurant. read more

Had great time at this restaurant and it was really good. The staff was friendly and very helpful, the explained the menu in an informative manner and gave good recommendations. The food was chefs kiss and seasoned well, nothing was over or under cooked at all, just right.the atmosphere is good for patio or indoor, it can get noisy depending on the time you attend so keep that in mind. read more

Cantina Mercatto - Carbonara, pesto garlic bread and lasagna - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Had a quick lunch on a hot Saturday. Restaurant was very quiet but service was good and friendly. Fairly large restaurant and decent decor including outdoor patio. Had the pan-seared lasagna. Pretty tasty. Good amount of bolognese sauce, pasta had nice crispy crust. Had a nice chilled Italian white wine served at correct temp and in a wine bucket. Prices were reasonable. read more

Cantina Mercatto - Pan-seared Lasagna with bolognese - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Nice ambiance and surroundings though the tables are very close to each other. Excellent staff and time to deliver the food is pretty good. Food quality is excellent...excellent calamari. Pizza is decent. A definite repeat. read more

We came with a large group of friends after a conference, we were starving, and we arrived 30 minutes before closing (we were unaware of this at the time because we were so exhausted and hungry), but all of the staffs were so outgoing, sweet, and approachable! We felt very sorry, but everyone on staff reassured us. I'd like to thank literally ALL the staffs. The food is average in my opinion, but the tiramisu and mocktail blew me away. Everyone was envious of my drink! I couldnt stop dreaming as well as talking about the tiramisu! read more

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Came here with my friend after a long day at work. Loved it! The vibes were really nice and our service was amazing. The food was great!!! I recommend getting a pizza. The gnocchi was good too but in my opinion you get more bang for your buck with a pizza. The flourless chocolate cake was soooo good. Honestly I didn't expect much because it kind of looked dry on the outside but the inside was so fudgy and moist. I devoured it! Price wise, this is definitely more affordable than other Italian places, but just as tasty!!! 9/10 :) read more

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Ordered the arancini to split with my friends. Regular order consists of 3, however you can pay extra to add a fourth. Flavour wise it was so good - pesto sauce it came in was fresh and the arancini itself has a great crunch to it. However, my arancini was the only one out of the four where the cheese wasn't melted at all. I also ordered the Ricotta Agnolotti. The pasta was SO delicious. You bite into it and it literally had a burst of flavour. The sauce it came in was also really yummy. Only downside was the serving size is a bit on the smaller size so I was still quite hungry after. I tried a bit of my friend's Salsiccia pizza which was pretty good! Perfect amount of honey drizzled on top (sometimes I find some places overdo it a bit and it becomes way too sweet). read more

Cantina Mercatto - a plate of food on a table - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Last year I came to this place and I would of gave it a 3, but over the year the place has drastically improved in quality and in service. The last time I came here we waited for over an hour for our dishes but this time only 20 mins, our server was also very kind and the food was a little above average at best but this time the food was amazing and I especially loved the Carbonara and the Mushroom Pizza! The only wish I would have is if they had bigger portion sizes but other than that it was amazing! The ambiance was also very good and chic with modern undertones. read more

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We went as a group from work. The only thing a vegan could order was pizza without cheese. Even the salads had either butter or cheese in them. Disappointing as it would be so easy to offer a simple pasta and salad option but not even a slight effort to make an option available. read more

Went to Cantina Mercatto as it was close to meridian hall and i had a few hours to kill before the show and it was just around the block. Had the Arancini for an app and it was amazing. Seasoned well,sauce was delicious (on the sweet side) little too much oil around the edge for me personally but otherwise delicious. (Forgot to take a picture) Next was the wild boar gnocchi, again amazingly good. Gnocchi was as Soft as clouds, boar was tender and melted in my mouth and well seasoned. To round off the meal was the tiramisu which was to die for IMO. Only small nit pick would be the portions felt a little small though i am a big eater so that doesn't apply to everyone (if they were about 30% bigger it would have been exellent) Definitely go check it out if you're in the area. App, entree and desert was about 60 for me without any drinks or additional sides. read more

Cantina Mercatto - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Now this is what I call a good pizza!!! I completely devoured the margarita pizza and heavily recommend it for anybody else. The service was really good, everyone was nice and had a smile on their face. The restaurant itself is beautiful and has really nice scenery. I would 100% come back here in the future. read more

Cantina Mercatto - Margarita pizza - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Ordered the carbonara and it was the most disappointing thing. Looked great but tasted very average and ingredients felt very cheap. Service was good though and restaurant is beautiful. read more

Great little spot in the financial district. I'm a fan of the Mercatto brand generally. The Toronto st location was my favourite. Really enjoyed my meal here. Mushroom pizza was fine but would have preferred more mozzarella rather than Parmesan. The lemon dessert was nothing to write home about but the Gnocchi was delicious. Attached are the pics of the apps and dessert. Really enjoyed the flavour of the tuna tar tar and the artichoke dish. Well done. Will be back and great for groups ! Reasonably priced and cool , hip ambience. Great service. read more

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This spot is serving curbside pickup during this time (Toronto lockdown) & offers fresh & frozen meals! We got our hands on 2 frozen pizzas (Gluten Free Mushroom za & a regular crusted Pepperoni pizza). Both were delicious!! It came all vacuum sealed & the instructions were easy to follow. Oh & i got a fresh salad to go! Got to get my greens on ! Can't wait to order again read more

Cantina Mercatto - Take out frozen gluten free mushroom pizza & kale salad - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I had a pizza and burger here on the patio and wine and loved it. If I can find pics I'll post. Burger is a Friday thing only so I had to try it -- no regrets-- it has brisket and chuck in it and cooked med rare as I love. Only thing it needed was a pickle. read more

Cantina Mercatto - Wellington st - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Came here with a group of four for dinner on a Friday and we were seated quickly. I ordered the orecchiette and found it to be quite filling, but it may be because orecchiette tends to be a bit dense. Also had the tiramisu which was very good, nothing super special but I would definitely order it again. Service is definitely the highlight of Cantina where everyone is kind, attentive, and quick. read more

Great ambiance, wait staff was very attentive food was very good. We had the pasta carbonara which was a small portion but filling, pepperoni pizza- crust was perfect and it was quite spicy, which i like, as well as the baby gem ceasar salad which was excellent. I would come back! read more

I would say this restaurant was fine. Not wonderful, not bad- just fine. Came with a small work group and shared the burrata and beef tartare to start. The burrata was good. The tartare seemed a little too brown and not red/pink enough- maybe the meat wasn't fresh? It tasted fine (not amazing), but I would say that it was the most questionable-looking beef tartare I've had in Toronto. I probably wouldn't recommend it. I had the cavatelli as a main and I loved the smoked rabbit that came with the dish. It was very well-balanced and seasoned well. I would say that it probably needed a bit more pasta, as there was a high rabbit-to-pasta ratio. Also, the sauce was quite runny (maybe because of the spinach?), but it tasted great. I had a cannolo as a dessert and it was good, although not made with ricotta. I would come back for a work meal, since my office is close, but I probably wouldn't recommend to friends. read more

I walked by this restaurant many times, I finally asked my friends to check this place out with me. I really enjoyed the LINGUINE shrimp, peperoncini, garlic, pangrattato, bottarga $20. The linguine was so al dente and I loved the flavour. The minor improvement that I would like to point out -portion was a little smaller than expected. But I did enjoy the taste and the pasta. Service and ambiance was nice and relaxing. My friend and I were already saying once our friend return from her vacation, we will take her here! read more

Cantina Mercatto - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

My colleague suggested this restaurant so I said why not. Right in the heart of the financial district, this place has a nice contemporary atmosphere. There were lots of tables to accommodate larger parties, which I thought was good planning on their behalf. Because you know, I never quite understand restaurants that only have mostly tables for 2 or 4, while the large parties have to wait until a couple of tables next to each other open up so they can be put together for the larger groups of people. We ordered a couple of appetizers. Most notable was the calamari as it tasted fishy. I ordered lamb loin salad with the lamb cooked medium. It came perfectly cooked to my specification. A bite into the slice was tender and juicy. Melts in my mouth. It comes with bulgur, cucumber, tomatoes and rice crisp, drizzled lightly with olive vinaigrette. The bulgur and rice crisp actually took away my enjoyment of the lamb as it was kind of coarse. It was too bad, because the dish was beautifully presented. After our main meal, we sat around and chatted for a bit. The server came around with water refill. Then we decided to leave. As I was leaving, I thought it was a bit strange that we weren't presented with a dessert menu. Oh well. read more

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