I recently tried the cheese pizza and do not recommend this at all. They use the white sauce with blue cheese and it was too much. Overpowering but the thin crust is great! I have tried other pizzas and they were better like the prosciutto. I also don't recommend the lasagna. Portion is very small and will leave you hungry. The pizzas are made fresh but not sure about the pasta. The pasta salad and tiramisu are recommended. They don't sell pizza by slice so it's by box. There are places to sit outside or indoors. The service is quick even when it's busy. I suggest trying this place as it still offers some good options. read more

Mercante - Cheese pizza - Pizza Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Real stone hearth oven, real ingredients, and made fresh each time. Exceptional for its tastes and portions for individuals. The dough crust is generally soft and reminds me of real Italian pizza. I would recommend that this place would be a staple of UBC food, but they've recently raised their prices from ~$12 to ~$18 each. Fortunately, their wait times have shortened. All in all, consistent service through and through. The wide benches and tables around the area are good for studying or eating in groups. Bustling area with people walking in and out of residence. If you're lucky to grab a study space, then that's one of the best places to spend a couple of hours. read more

Mercante - My three favorites: Al Pesto, Ortolana, and Alla Salsiccia - Pizza Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Price Increase! :( I used to go here back in "the days" and this was a good place to go for a filling, fast, and semi-decent quality meal. You could get pizza for ~$10 back in 2018 and around $12 in 2020-2021 according to photos on Google. Unfortunately, when I went back in June of 2023, the prices have increased to $16-$19. I paid $17 for the Alla Salsiccia pizza. Pros: - Pizza is made to order. Ingredients are fresh and it is baked in a 'real' oven. I gotta say it's pretty good. - Seating and vibe is pretty good for a campus restaurant. - Generally fast and efficient service. Cons: - Wait times can be long, although this doesn't seem to be the case anymore. - It's pricey for sure for campus food. read more

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My friend and I decided to go here to grab a pizza and share. We got the prosciutto e rucolla pizza but got pesto sauce instead of tomato (extra charge) but we didn't mind since their pesto sauce was amazing. It was about 10 minute wait and the pizza came out steaming hot. There was so much cheese (it was so good) and proscuitto and the dough and crust had an amazing chewy bite. Their pesto sauce was so flavourful too. I definitely will be returning to try more pizzas! read more

Mercante - prosciutto e ruccola pizza (with pesto instead of tomato sauce) - Pizza Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Really affordable for a really awesome meal! As expected, it was extremely busy but with good reason. And as with most pizzerias, this place smelled delicious but even better. I cant recommend the margherita pizza more for vegetarians. And for the vegans, a vegan pizza is offered! I believe their cheese is made from cashews. I havent tried their version but I've had a vegan pizza with cashew cheese before and it is really enjoyable. I saw quite a few people eating it and they seemed just as entranced as I was. Service is mediocre but I had no expectations since the place was so busy. Price range is awesome. Theres another neapolitan pizzeria that I love visiting but this one takes the cake for sure. It's a bit far from where I live but I'm more that glad I came! :) read more

Mercante - Margherita and tortellini - Pizza Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Tried their pizza out and gotta say it's pretty good for campus food. One of the better options at UBC. I had the prosciutto e rucola. I split it with my friend because we were just planning to have a snack. I could probably eat the whole pizza myself though. It was a bit difficult to eat because the person didn't cut it properly, so the prosciutto wasn't cut all the way through. Overall, food is pretty good and there's plenty of space to sit. Although I went in the summer, so during the school year, it could probably get crowded. But they do have nice large tables and a couple of chairs by the windows as well. read more

Mercante - Pizza Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Staff are nice.The flatbread is delicious but I'm deducting one star because the tomatoes are super wet and sloppy. The sandwich has to drip dry before you can eat it - it left a trail of tomato dribbles behind me as I carried it to a nearby bench. Still enjoyed it thoroughly and will be returning. read more

Flavorless pizza. I got really sick from the pesto pollo. The bread and crust is fine, but the toppings and sauce are awful. Had to add salt but it didn't help much. Won't be eating here again. There are better places on campus to eat. read more

This place has gone downhill, just gets worse and worse. What happened? They need a professional chef cooking the pizza not just some part timer. Today my pizza was way over cooked with charred sun dried tomatoes and burnt cheese while my husband's was way undercooked. read more

Mercante - Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

It is truly a miracle for Ubc to finally do something good with our money - opening a nice pizza joint that offers a great space for students and staff to talk, eat, and/or get some work done. 5 stars for Ubc standards!! I wish I was joking but I kid you not. It is a part of the new Ponderosa residence building that offers a variety of pizzas, as well as a select number of pastas and salads. This place is generally quite popular with the Ubc crowd, so it might be difficult to nab seats during lunch/dinner hours. There's free water, study rooms, and washrooms available at the restaurant. Also, there's a cozy little area with couches which is really nice for you to relax in when you're on your laptop or reading a novel. Now, the food. These pizzas are thin crust and use extra chewy dough. When ordering you will be receiving a personal little pizza for yourself, with an optional takeout box. I think all of the pizzas are pretty good (pesto one might be a little oily though) but my favourite is the one with sausage. Woo! Please don't get the avocado shrimp salad. I shouldn't expect too much but the shrimp is very tasteless and you can tell it's the bulk frozen type.. I know this salad is quite popular though so it might just be me. The lasagna is pretty good (always sold out when I want it) but the gnocchi.... Even worse than the salad. By the way, this is the only place on campus to get almond croissants from Ubc food service! There are some things to avoid here but for a campus establishment they're awesome. Will come back often! read more

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Located inside of the brand new Ponderosa Commons building, this University-run restaurant (UBC Food Services) is one of the better places to eat Italian food on UBC campus. I love modern rustic décor with the use of wooden communal tables, high ceiling, large glass windows which provides plenty of natural light. Since it was a cold fall day, the fireplace was even lit up. It's also nice to know that once you place your order, the pizza will be freshly made by chefs in plain view, which includes a view of a fire burning oven near the order area. You can either order take-out or eat-in, and I recommend ordering take-out because you will get a take-out box which comes in handy if you can't finish the entire pizza. I tried their most popular pizza known as Prosciutto E Rucola with tomato, prosciutto, arugula, bocconcini and basil. I was impressed with the generous amount of toppings especially the prosciutto which tasted fresh and not too salty. There was a generous amount of greens, especially the arugula, but where was the basil? I liked the fact the the toppings weren't charred. However, they could have cooked my pizza a little longer as it was so soggy that it was difficult to eat even with a fork and a knife. I ended eating half the pizza and I took half home and baked it in the oven for several minutes, so the crust became lightly crispy. It tasted so much better when I baked it a little longer at home. I hope the pizza chefs perfect their technique so the pizzas will come out more on the crispy side. read more

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Not bad at all! My first visit here i ordered a Pizza Bianca, they made it fresh for you after you order! Loved the texture of the pizza dough, it was chewy and crispy and taste of the cheese was rich in flavor! Would definitely come back to try out other combinations! read more

Mercante - Pizza Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Surprisingly good pizza for the price point and convenient location! I've had it twice now! The first time I got the vegano. It was actually pretty great as far as vegan pizza goes. The crust is more of a Neapolitan style, which I love. The sauce is really delicious too and very fresh tasting. The vegan pizza had a lot of arugula and some basil. The "cheese" on it was probably just nutritional yeast. But it was really satisfying! I came back for the margherita later, my go-to pizza order and the standard by which I judge all pizzas. Again, the crust and sauce were great. And the clumps of cheese were great. I thought that the mozzarella cheese that was put on like a regular pizza ruined it though. It ended up tasting more like the combo on a frozen pizza, when it had so much potential. I might try to order it without the extra mozzarella, because I'm sure that'd fix it! Someone nearby me ordered a very delicious looking combo, so I will probably be back to try to find out which one that was and to try it for myself! read more

Not the best pizza in town but not bad for a campus pizza place. I feel it lives up to it's price, not bad for a bite on a rainy in day on campus. read more

I am VERY surprised that this pizza is actually NOT THAT BAD! Like even for campus food pizza, I was quite surprised! This little special pizza place on campus is quite delicious, compare to the other pizza place in the old sub, that used to be open.... I mean the old place used to open until 3 in the morning, so you would expect it to be quick drunk night pizza anyways...... ANYWAYS, back to Mercante, this place actually has decent pizza. The whole Italian style in like a stove oven and like wood fire thing. Cute. I mean sure, even on campus to like put such a cute little wannabe pizza place was just a +1 for me. And the little benches to sit with your friends/family to enjoy a nice pie, wow. I ordered the Pizza Ortalana and the amount of arugula on that pizza was astounding. The pizza sauce was a bit sweet though, maybe too much surgar for my taste. And the soft thing crust was amazing. I love folding my pizza like the whole NY style. FOLD THAT PIZZA SLICE AND JAM IT IN TO YOUR FACE HOLE! (if you got that reference, +1 for you!). Come here on like a nice sunny day, grab 2 pies with a couple of friends, bike to the Rose Garden and sit down picnic style and eat. BEST THING TO DO. read more

I got a Pizza Bianca to go at around 5 pm because I had just finished my exam and this was the closest pizza place on campus. I've been to Mercante before and while their pizza is usually decent (nothing great but nothing to offensive), I was seriously at a loss for words when I opened my pizza box to see this... beyond the presentation, the dough was dry and oddly shape , and the toppings were very sloppily put on. It was seriously difficult to eat. I had such a bad experience I just had to leave a review, seriously if you have any other options for food or pizza please consider somewhere else, or make sure you don't leave the store without checking your box :( read more

Mercante - Pizza Bianca - Pizza Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

This place is awesome, I love the Pizza Bianca (add prosciutto and arugula) pesto pizza with artichokes is also amazing. I've been going since day one and I eat here every time I'm in the area. I love their breakfast too. This place gets busy at times so if you're not a patient person who loves great food, stick to Freshslice they have pizza drying under sunlamps waiting for people like you (average wait when busy is 10-15 minutes I consider very reasonable). read more

Mercante - Pizza Bianca, added prosciutto and arugula! This is my new favorite. Thanks Duke! - Pizza Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Great pizza! A lot of students buy pizza here because it just tastes so good! I'd say Mercante has the best pizza in UBC!

Mercante has great pizza, nice staff, and is a great place to study. If you are going there past about 5-6pm, make sure to check if the coffee is still nice and hot, they have a medium and a dark and they don't sell it as quickly in the late afternoon. If you get a lukewarm one they will replace it right away, but sometimes you might have already left. The only complaint I have (and this isn't really under their control) is that the study rooms in Mercante are a frustrating free-for-all. They are first come first serve and are managed by UBC, not Mercante, but it'd be really nice if Mercante would print out a waiting list for each room so that you could sign up. Often times I will be in there studying and waiting on a room only to have a group of people snipe it because I was looking the other way when the person left. You can't go wrong with the Alla Salsiccia, it's delicious. read more

Best pizza on campus by far. I've worked in a little Italian pizza shop (and Mercante still can't compare) but it is good! Also pretty cheap and quick, there are good choices like the prosciutto and the Bianca. The marinara however is too sweet for my liking so I always ask for no sauce. If you want good pizza, go to Mercante. Furthermore, cappuccino and tiramisu and quite good. Affogato (ice cream with espresso drizzled over it) is FANTASTIC when they have it! read more

Mercante - Prosciutto with arugula. I like it without sauce and spicy! - Pizza Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Best pizza place on UBC campus! To be fair, there are only maybe 3 options to get pizza but these guys make some solid thin crust freshly baked pizza. They have a ton of great combinations such as arugula and prosciutto, chicken pesto and artichoke, chorizo and tomato, 3 cheese, you name it! Their crust is thin and chewy with a nice salty/bitter flavour from the oven. The size is decent, it's around 11' and one can usually fill me up pretty good. Prices are very reasonable, they range from $10-$13 per pizza and for most splitting one half and half with a friend is enough to fill you up and works out to be a cheap yet quality meal! They also have a ton of space inside to relax and study! Check it out when you're at UBC :) read more

This is one of the best places to eat at UBC. It is easily the best place for pizza on campus. Why I like it: - It's speedy. Even when there is a queue, you don't have to wait too long. - They use quality ingredients so it tastes good. - The pizzas are big enough to save half for lunch the next day. Plus, the pizza boxes are perforated, so you can make them smaller. This means your half pizza won't hog the fridge-space. - The make them fresh after you order, so they are always piping hot. It's perfect for rainy days. The salads are less good, stick with the pizza! I love the Al Pesto. Om nom nom. read more

* Fresh Italian in an unlikely location with VERY difficult parking * Not too many years ago people frequently bemoaned the lack of non-chain pizza in Vancouver. Now Neapolitan style is popping up all across town - even in some VERY unlikely locations like this. I had heard that a new Neapolitan spot opened up in the unlikely location of the UBC campus. Huh? Really? Couldn't be. So I hightailed it over there (to hell with difficult parking!) to try it out. Based upon the huge line it was clear something different was going on here. Seems they have plopped an Italian cafe right in the middle of what would normally be a decent food vacuum filled with generic cafeteria style food outlets and fast food chains. Go figure. The menu has a nice variety of Italian options including breakfast to the tune of Uova in Camicia in a breakfast sandwich format (poached egg in fontina fondue with choice of toppings), lunch/dinner options ranging from freshly made Neapolitan pizzas to pastas, and dessert options including affogato, tiramisu, and torta di cioccolato amaro. Had to check where I was after reading the menu. I ordered the Pizza Alla Salsiccia, which was a very reasonable $9.50. It was described as having chorizo, tomato, basil, oregano and mozzarella. After ordering they prepared it fresh in the open kitchen and threw it into the large open oven to bake it off. The pizza was composed well, and properly baked off. The dough had a good amount of chew and was softer in the centre as it should be. It was slightly too thick overall though so it was a bit too doughy for my preference, but I'm nitpicking. The toppings are where it differed from the newer places around town - they were decidedly lower in quality - everything from the tomato sauce to the cheese to the sausage. They weren't terrible, but the quality difference was noticeable. Also as a stylistic preference, I prefer when they don't fully bake off the basil leaves and leave them fresher on top in the last minute. These were baked down to brown/black. Overall the pizza was decent - not at the level of several of the newer spots around town, but if this was 8 years ago it could have been categorized as one of the better pizzas in Vancouver. Photo: http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/mercante-vancouver-2?select=VvpMWKMt2NbA74FXU4holg#VvpMWKMt2NbA74FXU4holg My rating is based upon comparing to other options nearby (or lack thereof), not compared to the other Neapolitan options around Vancouver. When held up against those, this would not be my preferred choice (bad parking, and the quality is slightly lower). But that said, in the UBC area this is one of the better food options now - along with Chef Hung on the Southern end of the campus. read more

Mercante - Pizza Alla Salsiccia ($9.50) - Pizza Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Incompent staff. Took forever to get order right. Ordered lasagna. Practically no meat, pasta. Just filling. Barely warm Ceaser dressing bland. Asked for plates. Told no such thing since it was a "green" operation. read more

WARNING! Please ignore all the reviews written before October. This place became crap after opening for a few months. In the beginning, all food have great quality and taste great. Now I think they started hiring anyone that can operate an oven. There's no quality control, chefs are young and have no experience. They gave you burnt pizzas and they know it's burnt. I've got 2 in 2 weeks. Lasagna used to be heavenly good, and now it doesn't even taste good. Dry meat and the sauce is sour. Seriously, what happened to this great place!? The food are expensive here and people should get the quality they deserve. Please hire some real chefs, not some second year students. Edit: Don't trust the pictures, everything has changed. read more

Mercante - A big cancerous tumor bubble - Pizza Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I came on yelp to see if anyone else has noticed the decline in quality lately, I see some have. I work near this pizza place, and love classic pizza so I was excited when they opened. Although there were long line ups and they were very busy, I found it to be worth the wait because prices comparatively are cheaper than other pizza plces similar to this, and the quality was great (the crust was the right consistency, puffed and charred properly, and the mozzarella was great and chewy). But this has since changed. I have gone a few times recently and I dont think they care too much about the quality since they are still busy regardless. The last few times I have gone the pizza has been burnt, or considerably smaller, or the dough isn't stretched out right so the whole thing has big air pockets through it. The people working are friendly, but just don't seem to care too much. Ive seen them take a pizza out of the oven and then use a knife to scrape burnt bits off and then hand it to the customer. If you pay $10 for a pizza and then wait anywhere around 30 minutes for it, you expect that they are caring about the quality of the product they are putting out. The pizzas no longer look like most of photos that have been posted on here. And it can be hit or miss- where you have one good pizza to every 4th poorly made pizza (it doesnt seem to matter if you go at a busier time or quieter time). I am giving it two stars instead of one because occasionally you may get a pizza that is better quality and the staff are friendly, but overall this place has gone downhill after a couple of months of being opened. read more

Mercante is a solid choice for any meal of the day. Although the quality is declining, it's still some of the best pizza you can find on campus. Pros: Excellent environment (complete with separate study areas), conveniently located, take-out available, breakfast options, not terribly expensive Cons: A bit salty, runs out of items quickly, messes up orders, quality of pizza is getting worse, and they don't have affogato anymore (last time I checked) Avoid: Gnocchi. It doesn't resemble gnocchi at all. Super mushy and bland. Get: Pizza bianca, Margharita read more

Ordered a prosciutto pizza to dine in. The individual that gave it to me put it in a box and told me to take it to go. I told him I asked to dine in and when I opened it there was no arugula on it. I took the pizza out of the box and put it on the tray myself and ate it there anyways. The pizza had a laxative in it because for the whole day I felt uncomfortable and my stomach growled. The man working there was unfriendly and I regret ordering that pizza because of the way it made me feel afterward. read more

1. If you are Italian, chances are you will be disappointed. 2. Pizzas tend to be small, burnt at the crust and surprisingly soggy in the middle. 3. Still the best pizza on campus... Unfortunately. 4. Good intentions with a total failure in execution, get someone in there that knows how to spin a pizza and stretch it out properly. 5. Often times your experience will be scooping sauce and toppings that have slid off the center with bits of crust... Is it pizza or weird Italian nachos? Final note: This space gets two stars for having the best pizza on campus and a great design/study area. read more

Essentially a nice alternative to most campus food, but with lots of room for improvement. We took a look at the menu online and everything seemed delicious. The caprese salad and the pizza al pesto tempted us but knowing me, I'd probably change my mind after seeing someone else's food! After we saw all the pre-made caprese salads, along with some the sad, wilted basil, in cups, we went for the gnocchi instead. The pizza was delicious, its only issues were that it was hard to take apart since it wasn't cut through and that the basil was was crisped in the oven - a nice texture but I love the flavour of basil too much for it to be cooked through too much. Super easy fixes though! The dough is also a little too tough but the flavour is really nice. The gnocchi had nice flavours and they definitely didn't skimp on the cheese! However they were too soft for my liking and they ended up to be quite stodgy. In short, the pizzas are your best bet in terms of taste and value! I prefer the salads from The Gallery which are also far cheaper. The lovely, open environment along with some decent pizza make for a nice break from classes. read more

Inconsistent, disappointing. I've liked this place pretty much since it opened but don't go often. I was on campus last week and ordered the prosciutto pizza - the mozzarella was to die for. So, when I was on campus again this week, I ordered another, but unfortunately, this time it was underwhelming. Whoever prepared this one was sloppy, uneven, and barely put any cheese or sauce. So not fair. Robbed me of my delectable experience. I won't be going back for a while, to spare further disappointment. The line also happened to be twice as long as the first time, even though I'd gone around the same time both days. Again, this is just a warning and lesson in consistency. At least they don't drown them in greasy olive oil anymore. Do better. read more

Best pizza on campus! Have had every type and have loved them all! Baked to order in a hearth stone oven the crust is thin and crusty, perfect. Interior is quite nice, gets busy at lunch especially, not sure about dinner but the hours run late which is appreciated by students and people living on campus. Also have breakfast and salads which I see people eating but will save the review on that for others, I'm there for the pizza. Wish they had delivery.... read more

Best pizza on campus by far, although the bar is not high at UBC. Awesome authentic thin-crust pizza, the Prosciutto and Arugula is my favourite! Huge portions for a decent price are awesome. good desserts and other sweet and snack options too. Service can be a little slow and abrupt during peak hours and it can be tough to find a seat, but it's definitely worth the wait. read more

enjoyed the pizza because they top it with lots of veggies , arugula was unavailable then so i requested to top with kale which complement the dish. although it was served with no veggies at first so had to remind them. coffee good. relaxing ambiance with fireplace and a private room. read more

This place was talked up by a friend of mine, so we went here for a beer and something to eat. It was busy, but not slammed; there were only three people ahead of me in line. For a thin-crust pizza that works as a meal for 1, the prices are fine, and there is a decent selection, even for a vegetarian (nothing I saw for vegans, though). That said, the guy who runs the ovens is really unpleasant. There was a lot of seating available, both at tables with stools, and a lounge-area. If you ordered any hot food, you probably shouldn't sit too far away, or be willing to stand around until your order is ready, because they shout out your name, which would be fine except 1) some of the seating is around a bit of a corner, so it can be tough to hear, and 2) the person doing the shouting starts sounding annoyed, and gets less friendly from there, to the point where you can get pizza and chastisement in one convenient package. I asked if it was because the kitchen was unusually slammed, and the guy was getting exasperated, but no, the guy is just always crotchety to everyone. I could deal with an angry pizza chef if the food was worth it, but it really isn't. The amount of toppings immediately alerts you that this is a "let the dough shine" kind of place, which is fine if the crust is good enough. When I dug in, though, the crust was extremely spongy, as if it had not been cooked long enough. That theory seemed to be true because, by the time I'd walked up to the bus loop, I felt a little woozy; not full-on food poisoning, but I'm pretty sure that if the crust had been cooked longer it not only would have had a satisfying texture, but probably would have made my stomach feel better, too. I get that Pizza Garden is quite a walk from this area on campus, but I think it's worth it to get pizza that is all the way cooked, and doesn't come with a lecture on punctuality. read more

It is a solid 5 until 2014 September when they decided to change the menu while also reducing the size of the pie by at least 20%. The pre-2014 September Lasagna was simply amazing. But somehow the quality is not the same in October. I still enjoy their pesto pizza and love their new salads. You got to try their prosciutto salad and beet salad. They are both good. Their coffee is really a hit or miss. In general, I really like their food before September 2014. read more

The pizza here is very solid granted that its mot an artisan place but had artisan feels. The cafe selection is very good and nice for rainy days. Definitely a fav spot for students. read more

My friends and I wanted to go here after finals but turns out they closed early that day so we never came around to it. We tried going and again and luckily they were open and had nice outdoor seating set up for the summer. The staff is a part of UBC Food Services, so the service is standard. Prices are good for what you get compared to other places on campus. I ordered the Al Pesto pizza for myself to-go and the wait was only about 7-10 minutes. It had pesto sauce, artichokes, zucchini slices, a little bit of cheese, and pancetta (which is basically really salty bacon). I liked the thin crust and the fact that they actually have a stone pizza oven to bake them. The top was fairly oily and salty, I think it was due to the pancetta, so I'd recommend saving some for later or sharing it with another person. My friend ordered the Margherita pizza and she basically ate the whole thing in one sitting - but that's another story. I'd definitely come back because I love the design and it's a great place to meet up with a group of people over a late lunch. read more

The best pizza place on campus by far. I've tried quite a few of their pizzas. Most of their pizzas (ie. marguerita, bianca) are okay, but the best one I've had is the Al Pesto. The pesto is really tasty and complements the artichoke hearts and prosciutto. The only con is that the prosciutto is a bit greasy for my taste. read more

Nice and clean italian cafe on campus! The procutto pizza i ordered was pretty good. It was made fresh, good portion and healthy. It would be better if there was more punch in taste but it's not bad. read more