I came for the much heralded Italian sandwich and it did not disappoint…read more
Small, 2-room shop on Salem Street, right next to Bova's Bakery, good for Italian provisions and artful Italian sandwiches. As the name "Mercato" implies, it's not a restaurant, so no place to eat, no place to "do your business" after, and if you've made it to the north end, you already know there's no place to park.
-- Italian Sandwich: Long, soft bread, kinda like the kind you had in your school cafeteria, only a million times softer, a million times more crackly, and a million times better. Setting the base are oil, balsamic vinegar, lettuce, tomato, pickles, hots, and provolone. Italian sandwiches usually come flat-stacked or in a C-shape. Here, it's a fluffy stack, with the VERY-thin-sliced-to-order meats-- prosciutto, mortadella, salami-- piled generously but delicately, like tissue paper. More oil and balsamic on the other side seals the deal. It's a glorious sandwich that'll fill you up with the first half, but you'll want to keep eating the second half, because it's so good. The deep flavors of the meats comes through, and that's soft, crunchy bread is a delight.
Pro tip #1: Get it with a small side of pesto. Have some bites with, some bites without.
Pro tip #2 (in more ways than one): Plan your restroom visit at the nearby Boston Public Market.
Pro tip #3: Plan your eating near the Paul Revere statue on Hanover Street, at the basketball court down Stillman Street, or on the Greenway down Hanover Street.
