Taverna Mercatto

I was a little skeptical walking into Taverna Mercatto, since they’ve basically become a chain (ie I was expecting a classier East Side Marios). But I was ultimately quite pleasantly surprised by an above-​average Italian meal.
We started with the Arancini (chive, risotto, provolone, spicy tomato sauce). It arrived to the table hot and fresh, and was quite delicious. The inside of the ball was gooey and cheesy, while the sauce provided for the exterior was a perfect complement.
I ordered the Spaghetti e Bufala (tomato sugo, mozzarella di bufala, basil, padano). This was a simple yet effective tomato-​sauce-​based pasta dish. I really enjoyed the little pockets of mozzarella that kept popping up through the dish. I suppose my one complain was that it might’ve been a little *too* simple (ie it could’ve used more spices to give it just a little more flavor).
The service was slow but attentive.

I was fairly disappointed with Taverna.
It was nearly empty when I came in for dinner and to watch the Raptors game, so we took a little time to ask our server a few questions about the menu. We were intrigued by the dall’acqua (seafood platter) which was described as «king crab legs, wild shrimp, albacore tuna crudo, moroccan octopus & bay of fundy scallop salad, house hot sauce». We asked about the portion size, and we were told that it was a very big portion, with 4 – 5 king crab legs and a bunch of everything else. He said that to feed 2, all we would need was the platter and a pasta. King crab legs are expensive, so at $ 45, we thought this was a steal.
We ended up ordering the dall’acqua (seafood platter) and chitarrine e vongole (squid ink pasta with clams). I noted that we placed our order around tipoff time (7:30pm).
The first quarter was nearly finished when our seafood platter arrived at 8pm. We were disappointed with the portion size. The platter was large alright, but it was at least 80% ice. On that ice lay 5 shrimp, a small bowl with 4 pieces of tuna crudo, a similarly small bowl of scallop/​octopus salad, and one crab leg/​claw. The portion size was not «large by any means».
The food was decent, however. The albacore tuna was really good — seasoned perfectly. The salad had a few tiny pieces of scallops/​octopus mixed into a green apple salad. I enjoyed the scallop pieces but the octopus was quite tough. The shrimp was pretty meh — sizable but tasted pretty generic. The king crab leg/​claw was very tasty, but there was just so little. We also weren’t given a crab cracker.
So we finished our seafood platter and waited for our pasta. We didnt receive our pasta until after halftime (9pm). Prior to the pasta finally being brought to our table, different servers would come by us, see our empty table, and ask us if we’d like to order any more food. Each time, we told them we were still waiting for a pasta ordered a while ago. A 90 minute wait at a restaurant is unacceptable, especially without any reasonable explanation. Luckily, we were there to watch a game so we weren’t in any rush, but I was very disappointed with this.
The pasta itself was good, though, I’m a fan of the food, just not the value for money or the service.

This place sucks. Sorry it does. looks great from the outside but that’s it. The pizza looks like it isn’t so bad, but the pastas were both brutal. No flavour and the beef was dry. For the price point there are a TONNE of better options for Italian.

Rustic style Italian restaurant. Haven’t try out the pizza, but I see a lot of people ordering it. It is a decent size and looks good. Recommend you to try the restaurant’s recommendations. Be ware of the kids’ portion, the half size portion is too small for any kid older than 6.

This place is lovely! The interior décor is really funky and modern and is a nice Intimate setting for a night out or date! They have a nice selection of Appys and drinks to pair. Service is friendly and helpful if you need suggestions for items and was very fast all evening. It’s a pretty big space for dt so it’s pretty good for big groups or gatherings. It is slightly pricey but is a lovely spot for a special occasion of outing!

Great food and great ambience! I will return!

Five stars for sure! I’ve been here a handful of times and I’ll continue to go back as their food is consistent — always delicious. I haven’t tried everything on the menu yet, but what I have tried and would recommend is the: Calamari, Pizza (Margherita is my fave), Meatballs (omg!) and last but certainly not least… the Tiramisu which is just the right portion. The staff is nice also. :)

Came by after a visit to the aquarium. Lamb chops really good. Great ambiance and décor. Large place and lively.

This place was great. We showed up about 30 minutes before the hockey game and got the last available table outside. It was kind of cold so the restaurant had some blankets available.
I ordered the fried risotto and the albacore tuna. It was so good. I wish the fish was seasoned a little more but everything under the fish added more flavor. Pretty good but could still refine flavors a little.

Great atmosphere. Excellent cuisine (try the linguini Di Mare).
If you’re at the ACC or the SkyDome (I will never call it Rogers Centre), this is a great pre or post stop.

We decided to check this place out because we saw the pretty décor from the outside.
DRINKS:
Beer — Peroni
Appetizer:
SALUMI (³⁄₅)
(local and imported artisanal meats)
The jamon was delish!
The pretzels that came with it were a great mix with this charcuterie board.
Mains:
CHITARRINE E VONGOLE (³⁄₅)
(fresh squid ink pasta, savoury clams, guanciale, bone marrow pangratatto)
The clams & squid ink pasta were good. I liked this pasta compared to the tortiglioni that I’ve ordered. This pasta gears towards the lighter end of taste buds.
TORTIGLIONI (²⁄₅)
(butchers ragu, lamb neck, wild boar, provimi veal)
There wasn’t enough sauce and they added too much salt onto the pasta. But! The meats within the pasta were pretty good.

I am guilty of going to this restaurant way too often. This is my go-​to restaurant whenever I am too lazy to walk far for a meal.
I keep coming back though, especially to sit at the patio to people-​watch and soak some vitamin D from the balmy summer weather.
The décor of the restaurant makes where to sit a tough choice. The interior is absolutely lovely: gleaming counters, low set ceiling lamps, open bar coupled with an industrial-​looking ceiling. It’s chic, trendy and upbeat. Despite the gorgeous interior, I always opt for the patio.
Highly recommend their Chitarrine E Vongole, with fresh squid ink pasta, savoury clams, guanciale, bone marrow pangratatto. Seasoned perfectly, the squid ink is very well infused into the pasta.
I would also recommend the Insalata Di Salmone with chilled salmon, romaine, cucumber, avocado, farro, orange vinaigrette. Salmon is fresh and the vinaigrette dressing is very refined.
I am not a fan of their brunch menu to be honest. I find the selection to be very limited. The pasta is a meagre selection of Spaghetti E Bufala, Chitarra alla Carbonara and Orechitte di Pugliese. The Margherita pizza was mediocre. I was not impressed at all.
Props also to the very Gatsbyesque postcard they give you when you pay the bill.

I have only been here for Brunch but it is now my favourite brunch place in Toronto. Their patio and décor is rustic and beautiful!
We ordered the Carbonara and Pizza. The pizza had sunny side up egg on it and it was delicious.
Their Caesars are also very tasty. Service was great. Looking forward to try their dinner menu.

I didn’t like our server that afternoon, and that set the tone for the entire meal and this post.
He had this air of superiority over us, (and I’m only guessing here) because we didn’t want alcohol during a work related lunch, we didn’t want soft drinks (didn’t want all that sugar), and just went for the Toronto’s finest water. We skimped on the dessert because we just weren’t that hungry.
Having a clumsy waiter was slightly annoying, but to have a dirty fork fall off a plate and onto a diner (in their clean pristine work outfit) is inexcusable.
Food was just OK. It’s better than the food court, but it’s just that, OK. Tolerable because we needed a restaurant with service and a place to talk.

A nice upscale Italian place in the heart of Toronto. I highly recommend the tuna or the pork. The pasta dishes are likewise well-​spiced and have an interesting flavor.

Pretty good! The ambiance here is very nice — trendy, modern, and a touch upscale. There’s a generous amount of bar seating and outdoor seating available.
Portion sizes are a little small for what you pay, but the food was delicious. I had the pappardelle pasta with duck ragu and my boyfriend had the pollo fra diavolo (spicy chicken). We also shared the veal and pork meatballs as an appetizer. Service here is very prompt and our waitress was super friendly. We had a million and one requests, all of which she fulfilled quickly. My only complaint is that tables have to request bread, rather than it just being provided from the start of the meal.
The veal and pork meatballs were a tad overcooked, but the sauce that complemented it was delicious. It’s served in a mini cast iron pan, which was cute. I loved my pappardelle pasta — definitely tasted fresh and did not skimp on the duck meat. My boyfriend’s chicken was cooked perfectly — very juicy and tender and the kitchen was able to accommodate his request to use less cream.
All in all, this is a cute little eatery just down the street from the CN Tower with many other locations around the city. I would definitely eat here again if I were in the area and craving Italian!

Came here for an early dinner. Staff very friendly and foods great.
Our group had:
Lamb shank
Meatballs
Calamari
Beet salad
All very good.
Have a decent Barolo by the glass so I’m happy happy!

This is my second time here and I will be back again. The pizza here is excellent. They use very few ingredients but what they use is very high quality. The sauce is made from fresh San Marzano tomatoes which absolutely make this pizza. Reminds me of the pizza we had in Italy. I had the Diavola pizza… a bit of spice but not too much. The Burrata with beets and arugula was very good, but it was not burrata, just very good fresh mozzarella. Burrata should be filled with cream and curds.
The wine list has some very good choices. We had the Barbera. Perfect wine with what we had to eat.

When I walked in here on a Monday night with my friend, I was shocked at the size of this place! It’s monstrous! But I think that they do a lot more business when games get out and people pile in all at once. On this night, it was pretty bare bones.
I should have asked for a different table because I hate being sandwiched next to a wall. Especially when the place in empty. But I get that they have to seat certain server’s sections in rotation and my friend was happy with the seat so I sucked it up.
The menu looked good and the server was happy to recommend a bottle of wine for us to share.
We had the beet and burrata salad, which was quite nice, but the charcuterie board was pretty stingy for $ 26. Three tiny pieces of cheese and the meat was laid out flat to cover the board over and fool you into thinking there was more food than there really was. A few small olives and one small piece of pickled cauliflower. Kinda sad. We also partook in the Diavola pizza. It was good. Definitely not the best pizza I’ve had and certainly not the worst, either. The inside of the pie was a little gooey.
Generally, I like Mercatto for their value and the wines by the glass. Perhaps I we would have had more success sitting at the bar, as the server didn’t seem very knowledgeable about all of the selections. I’ve also found that the value for money is good, but not on this occasion. Perhaps the prices here are designed to gaugue the sports fan who’s already been fooled by spending $ 15 for a tiny beer.
I probably would visit the other locations again, but not this one.

I work fairly close to this restaurant so I dined here twice recently. My first visit was for a coworker’s birthday so we had a large group. The restaurant was very accommodating and obliged our request that we needed to be out in an hour. They also provided a complimentary slice of cake for the birthday boy, which was much appreciated. During my second visit for a dinner, service was less attentive. One thing that bugged me was that I had to ask for bread, or else they wouldn’t give you any.
Small issues aside, the food was great– especially the pasta! I tried the chitarra alla carbonara and the pappardelle with braised duck. The carbonara was creamy, rich, and delicious, albeit a tad salty. It’s a good one to share. The pappardelle was also very tasty and hearty. However, the standout dish for me was their lasagna, which sadly was a daily special. My coworker ordered it and let me try a few bites. I loved the savoury browned crust on the top layer and I would order it in a heartbeat if it was available again. All my other coworkers also seemed to have enjoyed their dishes.
Small issues aside, I enjoyed dining at Taverna and will probably revisit in the future, given its proximity to my workplace!