Locale Mercatto is a popular Italian restaurant in Toronto on Bay Street. The chic-casual restaurant in Toronto’s Financial District opened its doors in 2016.
Locale Mercatto is best known for its approachable take to Italian dishes. Highlights from the Locale Mercatto menu include a parade of artisanal pizza, choir of handmade pasta and divine burger ozzing smoked scarmorza.
Step Inside Locale Mercatto Toronto
In the heart of Toronto’s Financial District, a long time neighbourhood restaurant favourite has been given a marvellous makeover. Nestled at the intersection of Bay and Adelaide, Locale Mercatto offers a modern take on the ‘local’ place of habit. It’s the newest concept from owners Jack and Domenic Scarangella who oversee Toronto’s popular Mercatto Italian restaurant family.
Locale Mercatto’s interior is clean, fresh and bright. The Italian restaurant’s breezy dinning room is a perfect perch for people watching as Bay Street movers and shakers prance across the pavement. The design here was inspired by the butcher shop, a tip of the hat to Chef Doug Neigel’s meat-centric menu.
The whole dinning room almost resembles a walk in fridge with white tiled walls, stainless steel accents and blood red floors. Aprons hang on hooks, an open concept kitchen allows guests to watch skilled chefs tame flames, windows and menus incorporate a design that resembles a 1900’s Toronto Street map grid and a recycled walk-in fridge door leads to the restaurants sister “330” takeout concept.
Locale Mercatto Menu
Locale Mercatto’s new space matches its new menu, inspired by Italian Rosticceria.
Chef Doug chirps, “It was the perfect divergence from pizza. The owners and I all thought about the restaurants we had visited in Italy, Philadelphia, and New York. They were all restaurants that do good old fashioned stuff but with high-quality product. We didn’t want to do any fusion, any twists or be fancy in any way. We wanted to produce traditional dishes, but on a higher level. For example, the Fogo Island Cod is top quality from Newfoundland Hooks and our Shrimp Crudo features top notch BC shrimps. This concept echoed through everything else, so when we decided to keep pasta on the menu, we decided to only serve fresh, handmade pasta by Famiglia Baldassarre.”
At the bar guests can chose from 35 wines offered by the half and full bottle, ten house curated cocktails, and an extravagant beer list.
Locale Mercatto: Share
- Olives: marinated cerignola, gaeta, taggiasca
- Warm Gnoccho Fritto: crispy dough, padano
- Fries: truffle crema
- Ricotta: garlic chips, balsamic, orange
- Beets & Pistachio: roasted beets, pistachio pesto, thyme
- Calamari Fritti: lemon fennel crema
- Arancini: provolone, truffle, mushrooms, tomato bomba
- Polpette: veal & pork meatballs, grilled sourdough, tomato sugo
- Tartare: Canadian prime tenderloin, cured egg yolk
Locale Mercatto: Vegetables
- Red Romaine: avocado oil vinaigrette, pumpkin seeds
- Kale: cauliflower puree, pine nuts, pecorino, cherries
- Chicory: pear, marcona almonds, pecorino, orange vinaigrette
- Verdure: green beans, heirloom carrots, brown butter, chili, walnuts
- Crispy Artichoke: frisee, orange, olive walnut tapenade, pesto crema
Locale Mercatto: Pasta
- Gnocchi: tomato, straciatella, padano, basil, pangrattato
- Chitarra alla Carbonara: pancetta, black pepper, egg yolk, pecorino
- Orecchiette: fennel sausage, rapini, pine nut pesto, peperoncini
- Tortiglioni alla Bolognese: veal & pork ragu, tomato, padano, basil
- Linguine: shrimp, scallops, calamari, spicy pilacca, pangrattato
- Ravioli: spinach ricotta stuffed, zucchini, oven dried tomatoes, pecorino
- Lasagna: ricotta, mozzarella, besciamella, tomato
- Spaghetti & Meatballs: pork & veal meatballs, tomato, padano, basil
Locale Mercatto: Pizza
- Margherita: san marzano, fior, basil
- Spinach: garlic confit, pecorino, fior, besciamella, lemon
- Potato: yukon potato, spicy ‘nduja, fior, rosemary
- Anchovy: white anchovies, tomato, gaeta, olives, chili, fior
- Pepperoni: san marzano, mozzarella
- Prosciutto: parma ham, arugula, san marzano, padano, fior
- Pineapple: san marzano, pancetta, peperoncini, fior, basil
- Diavola: spicy soppressata, san marzano, padano, fior
- Wild Boar Sausage: roasted peppers, san marzano, smoked scarmorza
Locale Mercatto: Entrees
- Short Rib & Brisket Burger: smoked scarmorza, bomba, fries
- Arctic Char: cauliflower, chicory, fingerlings, almonds
- Pollo alla Diavola: spicy chicken, creamy fregola, pancetta, kale
- Steak Salad: top sirloin, arugula, farro, avocado, roasted corn, goat cheese
- 8oz Black Angus: roasted fingerlings, crispy brussels sprouts, panna fresca
- Albacore Tuna & Quinoa Salad: kale, radish, apple, pistachio, chili crema, honey mustard vinaigrette
Locale Mercatto Hours
Monday to Friday: 11:30am to 10pm
Saturday: 5-10pm
Sunday: closed
Locale Mercatto Reservations
330 Bay Street, 416-306-0467
