carrot cake is not very good. It was dry and quite tasteless with very little of the good ingredients.

Mercato West has a similar menu as Mercato Mission, one of my favourite restaurants in Calgary. Seating is more minimalist than the cozy cheerful Mission restaurant with lots of greys, black and chrome. Tables are well spaced from each other or you can sit facing the kitchen although you can't see dishes being prepared. Excellent wine list and cocktails although the bar is not accommodating to non menu cocktails. Staff are efficient and knowledgeable. Good parking availability. read more

INCREDIBLE service, delicious food, cool location, lots of parking! We celebrated a baptism meal in the private room. Francois was a master maître de...he just flew around the room providing excellent, friendly service. He anticipated all our needs WOW!! He really made it extra special for everyone in the room regardless of age. Well the MEAL was even better than we can cook. As a full blown Italian...I can tell you the meal is the very best I have had in YEARS. Compliments to the chef. I WILL definitely be back!!! Grazie a tutti! read more

After our son's Convocation, we stopped by to have a quick bite. Although our server was friendly, helpful, and efficient, I found most of the lunch menu items overpriced for the portions that are served. The toppings on my 10 - inch quattro formaggi pizza was quite sparse; the four cheeses(asiago, parmigiano, taleggio, f'ior di latte) were a wonderful combination, but I would have liked to have more prosciutto(rather than little shavings here and there) on my pizza ($21). My husband's cannelloni (with veal and pork filling, pomodoro sauce, mozzarella cheese) was served in a small rectangular dish and the sauce tasted okay. Our son's rigatoni carbonara with a perfectly soft poached egg, pancetta bacon, parmigiano, and romano cheese was a fairly good sized serving, but not worth $23. read more

See all

Arrived at restaurant when it opened did not get meal until 75 minutes later. Our waiter was terrible with smelly perfume. Food was OK but very expensive for what we got. Complained to the manager who did nothing. Place acts like they are doing you a favor to eat there. This is a one and done. AVOID !! read more

Freshly prepared artisan Italian dishes, suffused with subtle flavours, served with a zesty, upbeat vibe in a casually elegant contemporary ambience. I had the cannelloni, and it was a right-sized portion for lunch. My wife tried the Quattro formaggio pizza, and she liked it. read more

See all

A fantastic meal! The dishes are all family style, very large portions. Two of us split two pasta dishes - the carbonara ( not the name on the menu but what it was) and the chef special squid ink seafood linguini. The food was phenomenal and we received great service . It is an expensive place; however the quality of the food is worth it. The restaurant had great ambiance and you could sit at the bar right at the kitchen and watch the chefs. I look forward to trying another menu item as well as the more casual / pizzeria side as well. read more

Mercato West - a plate of pasta with shrimp and tomatoes - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

AVOID. Overpriced and awful service. Not nearly as good as the downtown location, which is actually one of Calgary's finer restaurants. They use the brand name to get customers in the west, but they do an awful job. Pasta was undercooked (they tried to do al dante but failed) and servers were a zoo. We got awful recommendations from the server -- they highly suggested the Arctic char on a special menu, but it turned they personally hadn't tried it before after I mentioned to them I didn't like the meal. I presume they only recommended it as it was one of the highest priced items on the menu. read more

I thought this pizza would be out of this world because the restaurant is so good. But this was very underwhelming. The toppings were extremely sparse and it was unremarkable in every way. Definitely disappointed. read more

Mercato West - Sparse in toppings - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Mercato never disappoints. This is a great place to order a variety of dishes to share and try with a larger group. Their pastas come in individual sizes or larger (one and a half) portions to share. Pasta is fresh and simply divine, whichever one you order. Our personal favorite is the Tagliatelle, with a simple tomato sauce. It may seem to simple or unassuming but trust me- it's so fresh and packed with flavor. It's the only pasta that has reminded me of some of my favorite dishes from our travels to Italy. We have also tried their sausage entree which was also delicious and a huge, shareable portion. To start we always order the octopus (Polpo) this is a long standing menu item and for good reason. It's delicious, they always change it up by incorporating a seasonal vegetable such as charred Brussel sprouts or crispy chickpeas- whatever it is, it's never been a let down. We love Mercato so much that anytime we are in town we carve out time to make it here twice. We can't get enough. read more

Thirteen of us came to celebrate my Aunt's birthday and the experience was fabulous from beginning to end. Because the food is served family style it suited our needs perfectly. We started with calamari, caprese salad, gnocchi & risotto and followed up with pollo, bistecca and a penne with sausage. All dishes were delicious and the service was impeccable. The ambiance is tasteful and sophisticated and we appreciated all being able to sit comfortably around a large table right at the window. Mind you, the window overlooked a parking lot and a dentist office so that part wasn't so great. It is kind of off the beaten path way at the western edge of the city but well worth the trek out there. read more

We love to come to Mercato for special occasion dinners or lunches where you just need something you know will be good! This location is super hip and trendy inside, nice decor and ambiance. The service is great and they can definitely accommodate smaller groups or kids, just make sure you make dinner resos far in advanced! Some notable dishes: the Bisteka is TO DIE FOR!!! Such a great flame grilled steak on the bone!! The fish is great. I've had a few pastas and they're all delicious, generous sizes, can't go wrong with any of them. The veggie sides are good as well, especially like the Brussels and asparagus. Their bread is AMAZIIIIING!! I dream about their perfect focaccia with olive oil and balsamic for dipping. Cappuccino is ok, typical for an Italian resto. Tiramisu is delicious! Everything is family style so don't bother coming if you're group is shy of sharing. We had a couple with us once who refused to share with even eachother (uh, why??) and they didn't enjoy themselves much. I don't see how anyone can give this place one star, you obviously don't like food. read more

Mercato West - Panettone Tiramisu - delicious conclusion - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

See all

The only reason I am giving this place 3 stars is the CUSTOMER SERVICE. When you pay almost 50$ a dish, you expect more. We had a reservation at 8:15 PM but when we arrived noticed that our table was not ready. We stood for 25 minutes, no offer to be seated at the bar or anywhere just for our table to be ready. We asked if we could sit at least at the bar while waiting for our table but they said it was full. Customer service ZERO but the food was great and atmosphere was really good. read more

Best Italian in the city! great private room for functions with amazing service and food that takes you right to Italy. Steak, Beans and Pasta are my forever go-to! read more

My first experience here was for dinner, which wasn't a very enjoyable experience. The food was over-priced, and the restaurant itself was very noisy making it had to hear the conversation. Not a great place to go and socialize. However, the service was good and the food itself was excellent. My second go around was for lunch and I was very impressed. A grilled vegetable Panini was not only a good value, but it was delicious. A much different atmosphere for lunch, bright, not too noisy and a long community table making it easy to converse. I would definitely recommend going for lunch if you want a great tasting casual meal. read more

I am not a fan of Italian food, and the fact that this is my favorite restaurant in Calgary speaks volumes. I have eaten here a dozen times, and each time is better than the last. The food is OUTSTANDING as is the wine menu! I would gladly eat here every single night, but my waistline would probably not concur. I have had almost everything on the menu (we order family-style), and I loved it all! It is a fun place to eat, the perfect place for family meals or an outing with friends. VERY child-friendly as well! I wouldn't say it is a place for a quiet date night, however. It can be loud, it IS a busy place. It is bright, open, and modern. It is upscale, but I wouldn't say it is stuffy. Attire ranges from jeans and t-shirts to business suits/dresses. They offer gluten-free options and are happy to help if you have any special dietary requirements. There are some growing pains as with any new restaurant, but each time I go it is better. The servers are eager to learn and please, and the management is more than willing to listen to any issues and make every attempt to make it better. That effort to be better, and strive for perfection, is worth any possible issue. Review #2 of Yelp's 30 Day Challenge 2012 read more

Our family of 8 enjoyed a really delicious dinner to celebrate our sons birthday ! It was on a Saturday evening and our second time here with our adult kids. It was a busy evening with great service and excellent food . It was pricey for dinner but for a special celebration , we all loved dining here. We enjoyed the hot fresh bread brought to the table and ate it with the olive oil & balsamic vinegar. It was so good, we had a second order while waiting for our meal. For appetizers we had the Bruschetta & the huge bowl of mussels ! I love those mussels! Huge meaty tender mussels with so much flavour . I would come here just to order the mussels and the seafood linguine dish. Definitely both my favorites to share with my husband ! Our main entrees was the Bistecca - 26 oz rib steak sliced and served on a wooden board. So delicious! We had the Pollo - Roast Chicken with fingerling potatoes. We ordered the Tagliatelle - a tomatoes saucy pasta & the Linguine - with huge prawns and scallops in cream sauce. A side order of oven roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic chips & prosciutto and a Caesar Salad was so good! This was plenty of food for 8 adults and we ended dinner sharing 3 desserts: a creamy Tiramisu, a light tasty Cheesecake and a Meringue with fresh berries along with coffee. Wonderful dinner and lots parking there! read more

See all

Alright this isn't specifically about dinning room side of the restaurant but more about the deli/market where they have a smaller menu consisting of pizzas, burgers and polenta fries etc. The top of the menu says the fresh items are used from the deli and used to create some of their creations so it was a shock to me to receive crap service from the waiter with a thick Italian accent when I ordered a panini from the deli. Got a pompous "that's all you're ordering?" Couldn't believe it, the item used to me on the menu and for what ever reason isn't on there anymore... Maybe it's not expensive enough? Everything else there seems to be over priced so maybe very well the case. Guess I will have to continue ordering the panini to go as to not offend the server that i didn't want to drop $50 for a lunch. Sheesh! read more

Lively and enjoyable, The restaurant is spacious and can accommodate big groups, but they do not accept individual orders for big groups, you all have to choose a few items on the menu and share (They compare it to a typical Italian large family dinner experience, which is really nice), but in every big group there are always a few people who are picky and end up not eating much and go home feeling ripped off and unhappy. True story! read more

So I picked up some frozen pizza and got it all home anticipating a nice meal. No instructions on the pizza as to how long to cook, at what temperature (I assume as high as your oven goes) and on an odd disc base that I wasn't sure was oven worthy....end result undercooked pizza. A fail I am afraid. read more

Went with a group for Father's Day and I wish I had read others reviews before coming. I didn't know they only serve the "family" style portions. While the service was great and every one of the 9 items we ordered were beautifully done, I felt like we were being pressured to order more just because there were 9 of us. Had we listened to the server and ordered three more dishes, we would have had too much food to be packed up and taken home. It is spacious enough for large groups, but I wouldn't recommend it for an intimate dinner. The odd shape and high ceiling makes it very loud inside, even when in our case, the restaurant was half full. read more

There is no doubt that the kitchen here can produce some outstanding plates, with fresh ingredients full of flavour. Problem is that service is spotty and the kitchen can, at times, be inattentive. We arrived on a Tuesday evening at 7:30, with reservations and had to wait a minute or two before we were greeted. The room was about three-quarters full, and we decided to pass on the reserved table to sit at the counter, with a great view of the kitchen. The hostess provided us menus and then we sat, ignored for about 10 minutes before the server arrived to greet us and offer water. Another 15 minutes before the server returned to take our order. Twenty-five minutes in and we had water. No offers of bread or olives that we could see at other tables. About 15 minutes after we placed our order our antipasti arrived, clams and mussels. Only none of the mussels were open so we had to send the order back. When the redone order of clams and mussels arrived we finally had something to eat, 55 minutes after walking in the door. The second order of clams and mussels as well as the rest of our dinner tasted great. The pasta courses (risotto and gnocchi) were outstanding as was the main course (bistecca with green beans). We skipped desert and coffee. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable, but disappeared for long periods of time. And the floor manager stopped by several times but was never helpful (e.g., asking us if we needed more water just after we had refills or offering to decant our wine when the bottle of three-fourths empty). If the service matched the food this would be a five star experience. read more

Great to eat on the pizza side . The pizza are great, the salad are beautiful and the Nutella crepe is a must for dessert read more

Mercato West - Cannelloni - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

We have never been disappointed by a planned dinner or a last minute drop in here at Mercato West. The service, ambiance, wine list and of course the food is absolutely fantastic. The family style sharing is lovely and really makes the dining experience fun. read more

This is the best restaurant on the west end. We've been going here since it opened and it never disappoints. Arancini, brussel sprouts, seafood linguini, veal chop, delicious! The food is always well seasoned and delectable. The service is always friendly and accommodating. Another Italian restaurant opened in the area so we gave it a try. The new restaurant's price point is a little less, but the food doesn't even compare to Mercato. I would definitely pay a little more for a far better experience overall. read more

For the last 2 years we were regular customers at Mercato West for occasional lunch/dinner and in summer time we would stop there for gelato at least 3-4 times a week while biking with kids. Not any more. Tonight we were refused to borrow couple of spoons that we can eat our gelato just outside their door since the weather is good. Apparently they think that people who can spend $5 for a small cup of ice cream is up to stealing 1$ spoon. Well, tonight they lost a repeat customer over 2 spoons, congratulation! Your gelato is good, but there are few other places around with good ice cream and better customer service. read more

I have been to the new Mercato West 5 times in the last couple of months side the opened. They continue the reputation of the 4th Street location having simply great food. But the similarities stop their. The ono duty management and serve staff is simply sub standard and negates the advantage their food quality should deliver. Not worth the pain let alone the $$$. read more

My wife and I came to this restaurant when it first opened up and we loved it. Unfortunately it has gone down hill. We ordered a prime meat cut medium rare and it came rare... on the border of being blue! I kindly asked if we could get it cooked more, when the waitress came back with it she told us to order it medium next time.... I felt like saying "No, I will order it medium rare, and just have your chef cook it that way next time!" needless to say when it came back it was medium and we had already eaten our pasta (Which was good). Considering the prices I would have expected a little more from this place. I doubt we will go back unless it's for some pasta only. read more

Restaurant was in a very nice plaza and the layout of the market and restaurant was nice. The main interior has very high ceilings and concrete everything so sound bounces off everything making it very hard to hear each other. Our meals were good - pasta is very fresh! The bread served at the table was rock hard and when we asked for another was told it would be an additional charge so we decided against it. Menu is quite pricey for italian food and is probably the main reason we won't be back. But it is a nice place to go for a dinner. read more

My bf and I decided to celebrate our anniversary at the Mercato West location earlier this week. While the food was decent (the quality has slipped since it first opened), the service was beyond atrocious. Not only was our waitress rude and made us feel rushed...for example, she decided that my bf was done his meal and rudely took his plate away. When asked if the restaurant was expecting a rush of people (there were only four other tables filled while we were there), the waitress laughed and said no. Strange. From there, the experience only got worse. We decided that we would split a dessert but instead of asking if we wanted to see a dessert menu, the waitress gave us our bill. When we asked for a dessert menu, instead of saying sure...we got...wait for it...an eye roll. Stellar. As we were leaving, I asked the hostess if I could speak to the manager on duty. I was told there was no manager...right...no manager...that could explain why the service was similar to a Kitchen Nightmares episode...but I figured she was lying. Clearly I wasn't getting anywhere with the service staff that night. Fast forward to yesterday...I called the downtown Mercato location and asked for the name of the manager at the West location. Instead of getting the name...I got the "owner" who then told me that there was "nothing" that she could do and that I should have spoken to the manager on duty that night. Sigh. So let this be a warning to all those out there who have a less-than-great experience at Mercato...be sure to bring it up with the manager THE VERY SECOND YOU RECEIVE TERRIBLE SERVICE...that is...if you can find them... Next time...I'm opting for Thai. read more

We heard about this place through some friends and we decided to try it. We went for dinner at the West location. Very clean. We sat on the more casual side and we really liked the atmosphere. I liked how they beautifully laid out all the Italian meats and cheeses. It all looked so yummy. I had the Risotto and it was awesome. The meal was served hot and the flavors were tremendously good. The server was pleasant and was well versed with the menu. We had the lemon dessert and it was to die for.....everyone enjoyed it. And of course I was served a perfect latte. One thing I really liked about this place was the portion sizes. They were very reasonable sizes. The price is a wee bit above average, but we had such a good time and such a great meal. Definitely coming back here. read more

Favorite place to go for a pizza and cappuccino at lunchtime with my wife or a friend. I have had good experiences with the service and food at dinner too. It's upscale dining, but the lunch side is casual. A couple of the servers provided the best table service I have experienced in town. read more

Ate on the pizza/lunch side and everything was delicious. Left totally satisfied. My friend and I shared a veal pasta, polenta fries (with honey aoili!!), and pulled pork sandwich. Their sandwiches are incredible, it's made with pizza dough so it's kind of like a fold over pizza. The polenta fries were insanely delicious, texture was just perfect. Portion size is quite big. Service was quite good as well. Be sure to pick up some stuff from the market to take home! read more

I would not recommend pasta take out. Spaghetti and meatballs were $18 and the spaghetti was dry and only had 3 of the smallest meatballs I have ever had from an Italian restaurant. In total take out was close to $90 and they couldn't even throw in some bread or buns! read more

If you are coming to this restaurant to enjoy good service, think again. We made a reservation for 8 to celebrate a birthday and upon doing so, I told the manager we had a guest who was Celiac and we would need gluten free options. Alli the manager, assurred me that they could accomodate us and that in fact, most items on the menu were gluten free as everything is made in house. Not once during our conversation did she think to let me know that NONE of the pasta was gluten free. Italian resturant.....I would imagine that we would want to comsume pasta during the meal. Our waitress informed us once we sat down that none of the pastas were gluten free, but the risotto was and gave us a choice of three different options. Great, except our guest isn't a risotto gal. The salads came and were gluten free, but no gluten free bread. So our guest sat for over an hour and a half with nothing more to eat because they brought the pasta out after the salad and the remaining food we ordered was slow to come, despite the fact my husband went and requested that they bring the protien items we had ordered out quicker so that our guest could eat something. Our waitress was snippy and defensive, and frankly after all the years we have supported this restaurant, this will be the last time we dine here. In this day and age where restaurants are closing their doors, customer satifsfaction should be something to aspire to. Our bill was 700.00, so attempting to find a solution rather than arguing with a customer would be something I woud think they would make a priority. No, as I just now got off the phone with the Alli manager who cut me off time and time again (I think she just liked to hear herself talk).She was adamant she informed me there were no gluten free pastas when I called to make the reservation, a choice their restaurant has made because of inferior product. Hmmm, interesting seeing as so many other restaurants manage to come up with amazing Gluten free pasta choices, as well as Italy.And had she actually conveyed that the didn't serve GF pasta, I would have chosen an alternate restaurant. So Mercato - Arrivederci!! We will frequent the many other restaurants in Calgary that pride themselves in both cutomer service and great food. read more

I have purchased to go through the deli side many times and I have eaten on the restaurant side twice. Without exception, the quality of the food has been above average but so is the pricing. Overall however, it's a go to place for me! read more

Simply fantastic. Great food -- incredibly fresh and well prepared. True, professional restaurant service that's so rare in Calgary. Both sides of the place (Mercato, the upscale, pricier side or Pizzavino, the casual pizza and salad side) are fantastic. read more

I will never dine here again. The worst family owned restaurant in Calgary by far. The waitress has no idea about proper etiquette and she was training a waiter. First of all you don't remove plates when people are still eating. Secondly you don't ask to pack the food if people are still eating and lastly you don't bring the bill before dessert. Ridiculous. On their website "simply drop in and say hello" so when we asked for the manager but she wasn't there so we called and we got the manager to tell me that we should have dealt with it on the spot. Then I spoke to the owner who is just as ridiculous as she is. Clearly they don't know how to deal with customer constructive feedback. You are better off spending your money at Bonterra Trattoria. read more

Extremely filling! Expensive but worth the price. The meat is so juicy and I suggest any of the Lamb meals if you are a fan. read more

If only...the Bolognese pasta had lived up to that of Bocce's! My husband had eaten it often at the little sister to Mercado, so he ordered this version, with high anticipation. When it came, it was a child-sized portion and dry, with parmesan cheese that had no hope of melting on the tepid pasta. He wouldn't complain but I asked for more sauce for him, which our waitress said she would bring but it NEVER came. She whisked his empty bowl away while the rest of us were still eating, leading me to think that she was going to bring him a second helping. Nothing came. He was very disappointed. Never going back, not for $18 for dry orange pasta. read more