Mercado Restaurant

Food was good and service wasn't bad. Good choice for a small gathering. Recommended to share food for variety

December 31, 2024 on Google

The server was super friendly and sweet. All our dishes were scrumptious. Our dinner conversation was funny and entertaining. We had a lot of laughter, and hopefully, the other guests were not annoyed by our cheerful reunion of old friends. Our friendship goes back more than 53 years.

December 15, 2024 on Google

Atmosphere was beautiful. Food was tasty. Nice Caipirinha! Service was quick. Waitresses were attentive and friendly. Overall excellent first visit. Will be back soon

December 8, 2024 on Google

Mercado Restaurant on Caledonia is a gem for Portuguese cuisine. The attentive, friendly staff made our experience exceptional. We started with the perfectly seared scallops, then enjoyed the Beira Mar platter, a fantastic mix of meat and seafood that was both flavorful and satisfying. Highly recommended!

November 12, 2024 on Google

Food was awesome. Service was good. Interior was nice. Would recommend sitting outside in the patio (see pictures). Bread and Olive Tampanade was good. The bread was soft and went well with the olive spread which was delicious. If olive spread is not your cup of tea, they do have have olive oil and balsamic vinegar option. The potato pave was delicious. The potato slices were soft in the inner layers while the outer layers were crispy. Vieiras (seared scallops, passion fruit, ube potato, and vulcanic salt) was a great appetizer. The scallop was perfectly cooked and melts in your mouth. It paired well with passion fruit and ube potato sauce. Biera Mar Platter was FANTASTIC!!! It’s a meat and seafood platter containing: 8oz flat iron steak, 12oz angus steak, chorizo, pork belly, grilled tiger shrimp, grilled squid, and grilled octopus. The steaks were perfectly cooked. We got them medium. The pork belly was tender and flavourful with a super crispy skin. The chorizo was tasty and delicious. The grilled tiger shrimp were massive and just perfectly cooked. The grilled squid and grilled octopus were fresh, perfectly grilled, flavourful and had great texture. Would definitely recommend this meat and seafood platter. We also tried four of their desserts which were refreshing and cleansed the palate. Each dessert had fresh fruit (blueberries or strawberries) and chocolate shavings which complimented each dessert. Our favourites ranked from best to least are: 1)Torta Acoriana (coconut cake, passion fruit mousse and mango jelly) was our #1 favourite dessert. A perfect combo of coconut, passion fruit and mango. Would definitely recommend. 2) Tiramisu was good. They make a pretty good, not too sweet tiramisu that was delicious. 3) Ambrosio (hazelnut mousse and dark chocolate cake) was chocolatey good. A great combo of hazelnut mouse with dark chocolate. 4) Pistachio Mousse and raspberry jelly was okay. There was something off about this dessert.

October 6, 2024 on Google

Came here for a large birthday party. We sat inside but they have a nice outdoor seating area. The appetizers were delicious; we enjoyed the foie gras, the clams, the shrimp, and conch salad. We also had the ceviche. The escargots were incredibly difficult to eat and they don't give you the tools to do so which was kind of strange. We also ordered the meat and the seafood platters. The meat platter was alright; we had told them to cook the beef medium rare but one piece was closer to medium well. The pork belly, squid and chorizo was good but the steak was deader than dead. The seafood platter was an incredible disappointment; it seemed like everything on this $200+ platter was frozen, including the shrimp and lobster. I can understand the snow crab legs, but the shrimp and lobster had the poor mushy texture to it indicating that it was beyond overcooked or just came from frozen. You would think that for paying that price, it would be at least decent quality seafood. I'm not sure if they just had a bad batch of supply or what it was. The service was ok; we had to separate our party into two long tables and they really had a hard time serving the food to the appropriate tables. There was also no discussion about allergies and that had to be dealt with after the fact (the server was apologetic though). We also asked for more bread to dip in the appetizer sauces and it never came. The kicker was when one of us ordered a cappuccino after dinner and when it came she said there was a incredibly strong smell of bleach coming from it. I smelled it and definitely smelled of the Clorox bleach wipes used to clean in hospitals. The server apologized and said it may be from after cleaning the coffee machine - that is so concerning because clearly it wasn't cleaned/rinsed properly and could you imagine what would happen if someone drank it? Overall we had higher hopes for this place. In the end it was well over $150+ per person for a less than average meal for that price. Hopefully they can only improve from this point onward.

September 8, 2024 on Google

This restaurant is a decent find in an industrial area, about a 10-minute drive from Yorkdale. You'll probably need Google Maps to locate it, but it feels like you've stepped into an elegant oasis. The interior and patio are elegantly decorated, and the mismatched plates are a unique touch. Google Maps labels it as Portuguese, which matches the tiled interior decor, but the menu is more of a fusion mix. It includes dishes like Ceviche from Peru and French Escargots, with only Bacalhau à Brás and Arroz De Crustaceos are Portuguese. The Ceviche was good, but the Steamed Escargots were small and seemed out of place, especially after a recent heavy rain. It felt like they might have come straight from outside, which didn’t really fit the restaurant's style. The Seafood Board looked Instagramable but tasted average. The octopus was dry and chewy, and the shrimp sauce was heavy on butter. The Rabbit was dry too, a bummer since I expected more, but it was on special, so can't complain too much. On a positive note, the complimentary bread was excellent, especially the tasty olive spread. The drink selections were okay but on the pricey side. Service was on point, friendly and attentive. Overall, it’s a cool spot for a chill, intimate dinner if you’re into the vibes more than the food. But if you're focusing on food quality and value, there might be better options out there. Food (quality, creativity, consistency) - 3/5 Drinks (quality, variety) - 3/5 Ambience (interior design, cleanliness) - 5/5 Service (courtesy, knowledge, timeliness) - 4/5 Value (quality vs. price) - 2.3/5 OVERALL - 3.4

September 2, 2024 on Google

Went here for a birthday, and I cannot stress the level of care the staff put into this dining experience. The food was amazing, timely, the quality was premium. There was a lunch 3 course menu offered at 48$ you could get a starter main and dessert with a drink and espresso. There were 2 options so naturally we got one of each. I highly recommend the short ribs especially if you're craving a tender rib with creamy mash. My favorite dessert was the chocolate moose. It was perfectly balanced. Again over all 11/10 experience and I will be going back.

June 4, 2024 on Google