Pizzeria via Mercanti

Annabelle Goodman —

188 Augusta Ave         647 343 6647

Kensington Market bursts with energy both during the daytime for food shoppers and in the evening for diners. All types of restaurants are in the area. I am determined to try them all. There is no doubt the best Italian food is at Pizzeria via Mercanti. The quality of the pizzas is outstanding. The flour used is a special quality and you can taste the difference. Owner Romauldo ‘Romolo’ Salvati (love the name) has created a fun delicious establishment. Once you have been there you will know why it is packed by 6:00 pm every evening. The service is most efficient and very pleasant. Thank you Laura for the outstanding friendly service. The food is always amazing.

My guest started with an Arancini de Riso for an appetizer. ($5.00) A rice ball was infused with peas, meat, mozzarella, ricotta and parmesan and deep fried. It was a large portion nestled on a bed of fresh arugula. Apparently it was ‘amazing’.

The Pizzas here are the best. The crust has a corn meal flavor and the toppings are delicious. You can choose between Pizze Bianche or Rosse. Bianche Pizzas are topped with olive oil. Rosse Pizzas are prepared with tomato sauce. We decided to share a salad and a pizza. The Vegetariana Pizza was perfect. Fior di latte, oregano, roasted red peppers, zucchini, eggplant and the most delicious mushrooms were generously placed on top. ($15.00) Loved every crumb. Even sharing the pizza my guest had some to take home.

Margheritona is a Pizze Bianche with fior di latte and Gran Padano, prosciutto di Palma. ($15.00) There is a good selection of pizzas both white and red. Pizza Rosse Napoletana features black olives, cherry tomatoes, anchovies and oregano. Capricciosa is topped with fior di latte, prosciutto, mushrooms and black olives. ($15.00) Beware of the hot red chili oil at your table. It is fantastic when you use drops on your pizza. Try too much and you will be tearing for sure. It really enhances the pizza in a small quantity.

We shared an enormous appetizer salad, Rucola E Tonno. It was outstanding. Fresh arugula was the base for this flavorful salad. Red onion, corn, roasted red pepper, tomatoes, shredded tuna and olive oil made for a perfect salad.  Even the house bread was of amazing quality. You can tell the flour was of a special grade. The bread looked great and tasted even better.

I was delighted to note that Gluten Free Pasta is available at an extra cost of $4.00. Next time for sure. Fagottino di Parma is prepared with a house made pasta. It is wrapped in prosciutto di Parma. ($16.00) How creative. I have already decided to try the Linguine allo Scoglio with mussels, clams, shrimp and calamari. ($20.00)

Dolci suggestions are plentiful. Would we indulge in a Tiramisu ($8.00) or the Crème Brule. ($8.00) The latter won out. Surely they don’t intend one person to eat a whole Crème Brule. We shared it and were barely able to finish that tasty custard with the burnt sugar topping. Paradise on the palate.

Most people seemed to be able to finish a whole pizza without any problem. I watched them being delivered to the table and the empty plates being carried away. There are so many choices. The food is fresh and very flavorful. I love the friendly service. After dinner walk around  Kensington Market.