Reviews Bar Mercurio

I love this place . The food is spectacular and the staff are amazing . I've been there several times and would recommend it to anyone !

from the cocktails to the gelato ..... pizza in the middle! it's all good

Always the very best of the best!! Joe and his team serve up warmth and friendly service paired with delicious fare. Love the Octopus!!

Superb food, friendly and attentive staff, great location.

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal & the service was great.

Intimate setting, terrific service, and best of all terrific cuisine. One of my favourite spots in Toronto.

I wanna go this place

The surroundings were warm & inviting, the owners & staff were charming & engaging, the bar was well stocked, & the food was magic. Thank you for a beautiful evening. We will definitely be back!

Very pleased to finally check out this strategically situated yet potentially overlooked gem.  Went mid-evening with a group of people and this place was still buzzing which is a very good sign.
Bar Mercurio has a strong showing for its pizzas but for variety I wanted to try something from other parts of the menu and for this evening, the menu of the day.  First as the appetizer, I had to go with the seasonal Frittelle di Fiori di Zucca (zucchini flower fritters).  They were so flavorful and light.  They were served with prosciutto and greens with artichokes.  It went by so quickly.  For the main course, I chose the grilled branzino.  It's a light fish also known as European seabass and was very tasty together with the attractive assembly of original vegetables.  
You can tell that they take care of preparing each dish.
Others at the table selected one of the pasta dishes served in mini-pans while others had pizza.  The pizza of the day included burrata, fresh flavorful tomatoes, and mushroom from the quick bite that I stole :)
This is the place that you can go to for a relaxing European-style dinner.  They don't rush you as in too many other Toronto establishments so they have earned a spot on my go-to list.  
A lovely vino rosso was a perfect accompaniment.  They have an excellent wine menu with rich variety.  For dessert, I enjoyed the lemon gelato.  The torte will be for another day with a coffee.
I can see myself going there many times either before or after a gig/rehearsal/show at the Conservatory.    Again, it's small and busy....so save me a seat.

We absolutely love this place! Fantastic food and service. The waiters know our names and we're always met with friendly faces, regardless of how many tables are full! Again, excellent food!

They have a wood oven from Italy. My favs were Pizza Maial and Pizza Acquadauzano. The crusts on the pizza were light and thin with a nice crunch. The food was good and the servers were friendly. You should check it out.

In addition to food, Joe's paintings are also on display for sale.

Very professional staff. Awesome food options, perfect location. Prices are decent for the taste and quantity provided. A great meetup place for networking and catching up with friends. Only regrets - this place closes pretty early..

In Toronto’s Annex neighborhood, right by St. George Station, there is a little Italian place called Bar Mercurio that has been loved by locals for over 17 years. This summer, the neighbourhood gem is launching their “Love Our Pizza or its Free” challenge, and trust me, you’ll love their pizza so much that not only will you happily pay for it, you’ll come back time and time again.

 

The interior of Bar Mercurio is adorably rustic, with dark wooden décor and a long beautiful white marble bar. Abstract art mixed with antique touches, like a big golden chandelier, make this space modern, while still keeping in touch with its cozy old Italian roots.

The group of bloggers and food writers were loud and cheerful, crowding around the table to get a good look at the classic Italian plates churning out of the kitchen. Peeking over each other and standing on tiptoes like little kids, we eagerly waited for people to take their photos so we could greedily dig in to their pizzas and menu highlights.
 

Throughout the course of the night, the servers were attentive, friendly and ensured the guests were kept cherrful with a seemingly never ending supply of red and white bubbly.

 

 

Much the typical Italian, owner, Giuseppe made a point to socialize with all of his diners for the entire event. Sitting down at my table to join in on the conversation, he described that the pizza was an old family recipe, dating back to 1923 and explained how nothing but the best local, seasonal ingredients are used in his kitchen. It’s obvious from the quality and depth of flavours that were present in everything we got to taste that Giuseppe knows his food. Take a peak at what I got to taste!

Piccoli Torte di Grancchio
Crabcake with fennel sesame spaghetti garnish & saffron aioli

 
Thick, juicy and full of crab!

Gnocchi Gorgonzola
House Made Gnocchi in a light Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
 
I could have eaten 4 bowls of these pillowy delicacies!

Tonna Ahi Al Nachos
Ahi Tuna, crispy wontons, avocado relish, truffle aioli, cilantro pesto and a spicy Kochujang Sauce
 
This was the crowd favourite of the night. A creative & delicious play on nachos!

Polpo Ai Ferri
Grilled Octopus on a warm chickpea salad with cassava crisps

 
Loved the pop of the warm chickpea salad

Pizza Acquadauzano
Pizza with Pork Shoulder Reduction, Italian Buffola Mozzarella and Extra Virgin Olive OIl

 
This pork was as tender as worldly possible!

Pizza Gorgonzola
Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, caramelized oninos, walnuts, prosciutto san daniele

 
My favourite pizza of the night! Prosciutto and gorgonzola one heck of a magical combination.

Pizza Gamberi
Pomodoro, mozzarella, shrimp and fresh garlic, chili

 

This was one spicy pizza but man, was it ever good!

Pizza Rapini
Sauteed garlic rapini, roasted tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and EVOO

 
Crispy and fresh with a sweet note from the roasted tomatoes.

Tiramisu

 

So rich with robust coffee flavour. Love, love, love.

Pistacio Gelato
Made in-house

 

Smooth, cold and creamy. The perfect treat for a hot summer day!

The “Love Our Pizza or its Free” challenge takes place from June 9th to August 9th and entering the challenge is as simple as e-mailing owner Giuseppe Mercurio (giuseppebarmercurio@gmail.com) for a dinner reservation. If you don’t love their pizza, it’s free but, judging from my spectacular meal, Bar Mercurio won't be giving away too many of their pies.

Disclaimer: The preceding meal was complimentary, however, as always, all opinions are genuine.
Contribution by AK Tasters: Maya Setton and Brea Giffin

abbeyskitchen.com

Excellent authentic Italian dinner with home made sourdough bread made by the owner. I especially like the appetizer octopus, so yummy. My seafood pasta was very very good too. A friend of ours liked the dessert coconut cream pie so much that he commented that it is the best one ever. I had an Italian beer, handpicked by the owner, and it tasted really good too. We will be back very soon.

I love the egg salad on a croissant here. It is the best in town. The chai latte was great too. The three of us sat on the patio and really enjoyed the ambience and it was not too loud so we could hear each other. I will be back.

Bar Mercurio is a beautiful restaurant with great atmosphere and cozy, comfortable, lay back environment. The owner is very friendly and welcomed at the door and seated by him. The housemade Sourdough bread they serve is the best Sourdough bread I have ever had at any Italain restaurant in Toronto and really good quality Olive Oil too. My friend and I ordered pizzas and one appetizer to share. The pizza dough is a Sourdough and it was amazing!!! Bar Mercurio is now my top favorite pizzas in Toronto. The toppings are generous and good quality fresh mozzarella cheese and olive oil on pizza. I couldn't of asked for a better pizza. I just wish they had a least one or two more options for vegetarian pizzas on the menu. There is only the Vegan pizza with no cheese or the simple cheese pizza for vegetarian. If they had one more other vegetarian pizza option that would be great maybe a daily or weekly special for vegetarian pizza. The servers were okay but didn't look like they wanted to be there no smiles or anything and never asked how the meal was. I definitely come back again and hopefully the servers will be in a better mood or at least smile. But they were attentive maybe just having a bad day. I will bring back my friends and family and maybe there will be some more vegetarian options on there weekly menu. I love trying new pizzas

Arrived near closing for dinner and break from the heat wave. It was an unexpected gem of a restaurant and spot. Food was very good, and I appreciated the wine recommendation selected. Great spot to spend the evening and thanks to the owners.