This is my favourite restaurant in Halifax area. I have enjoyed every meal I have had here. Wonderful Italian meals from antipasti to desserts. Favourite items are the Italian Seafood Zuppa and Marinated Grilled Vegetable Salad. Pasta dishes are amazing. For dessert, Zuccotto (signature dessert). Service is outstanding. Friendly and professional. This place has a lively vibe and is a great experience. The only difficulty I have experienced is that when the restaurant is crowded, it is difficult to hear the conversation at your own table. Very highly recommended.
marti hopson
Gnocchi was the best I've ever eaten. Food was really great, so well made and fresh. Cocktails were superb. We were celebrating an anniversary, and servers were very nice to acknowledge!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Toni Gerges
It's really hard getting a reservation in this place. It would seem that they always keep tables available for special VIP clients. If you have connections, you can get reservation very easy, if you don't then it's difficult getting a prime time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Lynn Brown
We recently had dinner here on a monday night. The place was extremely loud and hard to hear what my guests were saying. Service was really good, although my shrimp appetizer was overcooked and the new menu item, lobster risotto was undercooked, lacked seasoning and unpleasant. The mushroom ravioli was perfectly al dente but the sauce was an unappealing gravy-like brown color. We skipped dessert, because at this point the bill was $200 and we were not impressed. Also, the last time I was there, the duck special was raw and I had to send it back. Then I was asked 3 separate times how I wanted it cooked, including the temperature. I'm not a chef, but I know duck should be dark pink and not blood red inside. When they finally brought it out 35 mins later, it was overdoneand tough. If you want better Italian food, go somewhere else like Resto, as its half the price.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Ralph MacDonald
We went for my birthday and it was amazing! The waitress and I wish I remembered her name was the best service we have had in years! She was so friendly and even though the place was packed she was very attractive and gave excellent service! Making me feel like I was important to her! She came with a free little ice cream with a candle for my birthday which absolutely made my day!! What an amazing evening!!!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Leanne Flett
Great food and service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
fifihza
I should have written this review when the experience happened, but I decided to let it go at the time since I had no intention of returning. However, after visiting several restaurants over the past few months, I realized just how poorly we were treated at Il Mercato compared to others.
We celebrated my birthday here a couple of years ago and booked a reservation for four with a birthday request. The service was honestly just okay. Our server mentioned they would do something special and said I could choose any dessert at the end. When it came time for dessert, we assumed it would be complimentary since that’s what was implied. Instead, the server told us, “It’s actually just a scoop of ice cream that’s on us — you have to order the dessert first.” Not the kind of “birthday treat” you’d expect, but fine — we didn’t make a fuss.
Fast forward to this past August 10th, my partner booked a reservation for our anniversary, again including a note for something special. The restaurant confirmed they’d take care of it. We had our dinner, finished our meal… and were simply handed the bill. No dessert, no acknowledgment, nothing. Our server never checked on us during the entire meal and made no effort to make the evening feel special.
After visiting other restaurants since then, we’ve realized how much better others are when it comes to service and honoring special requests. Our anniversary dinner at Il Mercato was a disappointment — it used to be one of my favorite restaurants for special occasions, but not anymore. The standard has been set elsewhere, and I won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Ghada Elsehemy ( NewLife Studio )
Our server was an absolute ray of sunshine! 🌞 She made sure we were well taken care of and went above and beyond to make it such a memorable experience. Loved her energy — we’ll definitely be coming back to see her again! Everyone enjoyed their food; mine was a little on the bland side, but honestly, her warmth totally made up for it! 💛
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Alex Harrop
Loved my first visit to IL Mercato!!. I had the calamari as my starter and the linguine fruitt di mare as my main. All of the food was amazing. The calamari was the best I have ever had. The restaurant was super clean with amazing staff. Great atmosphere as well. I will definitely be a return customer for sure.
Beautiful meal. Wonderful service. Enjoyed the lovely patio.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
E. Gervacio
Had a lunch here with family last week. The food was amazing, everyone enjoyed their meals. I have complicated allergies and our server, Flor, was very patient and helpful with finding safe food options for me. She was also very attentive and kind.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
bill mac
The food and the service were fantastic but I felt the portion size of the main course was on the smaller side!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
NEHA DALWALA
Amazing place for dinner and special occasions, Italian food and hospitality at its best! Cocktail and mocktails are unique and flavourful. I had vegetarian pasta (Primavera), specially recommended by the server, it was amazing! Bruschetta and Focaccia bread the best ever I had. Desserts are from the gourmet category, extremely creamy, perfect texture and exquisite taste! The best birthday cake for my special day. My friend had reserved the patio table for the dinner and the temperature was perfect, that made quite the ambiance for the dinner.
Great food great staff
This is my favourite restaurant in Halifax area. I have enjoyed every meal I have had here. Wonderful Italian meals from antipasti to desserts. Favourite items are the Italian Seafood Zuppa and Marinated Grilled Vegetable Salad. Pasta dishes are amazing. For dessert, Zuccotto (signature dessert).
Service is outstanding. Friendly and professional. This place has a lively vibe and is a great experience. The only difficulty I have experienced is that when the restaurant is crowded, it is difficult to hear the conversation at your own table.
Very highly recommended.
Gnocchi was the best I've ever eaten. Food was really great, so well made and fresh. Cocktails were superb. We were celebrating an anniversary, and servers were very nice to acknowledge!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It's really hard getting a reservation in this place. It would seem that they always keep tables available for special VIP clients. If you have connections, you can get reservation very easy, if you don't then it's difficult getting a prime time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
We recently had dinner here on a monday night. The place was extremely loud and hard to hear what my guests were saying. Service was really good, although my shrimp appetizer was overcooked and the new menu item, lobster risotto was undercooked, lacked seasoning and unpleasant. The mushroom ravioli was perfectly al dente but the sauce was an unappealing gravy-like brown color. We skipped dessert, because at this point the bill was $200 and we were not impressed. Also, the last time I was there, the duck special was raw and I had to send it back. Then I was asked 3 separate times how I wanted it cooked, including the temperature. I'm not a chef, but I know duck should be dark pink and not blood red inside. When they finally brought it out 35 mins later, it was overdoneand tough. If you want better Italian food, go somewhere else like Resto, as its half the price.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
We went for my birthday and it was amazing! The waitress and I wish I remembered her name was the best service we have had in years! She was so friendly and even though the place was packed she was very attractive and gave excellent service! Making me feel like I was important to her! She came with a free little ice cream with a candle for my birthday which absolutely made my day!! What an amazing evening!!!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I should have written this review when the experience happened, but I decided to let it go at the time since I had no intention of returning. However, after visiting several restaurants over the past few months, I realized just how poorly we were treated at Il Mercato compared to others.
We celebrated my birthday here a couple of years ago and booked a reservation for four with a birthday request. The service was honestly just okay. Our server mentioned they would do something special and said I could choose any dessert at the end. When it came time for dessert, we assumed it would be complimentary since that’s what was implied. Instead, the server told us, “It’s actually just a scoop of ice cream that’s on us — you have to order the dessert first.” Not the kind of “birthday treat” you’d expect, but fine — we didn’t make a fuss.
Fast forward to this past August 10th, my partner booked a reservation for our anniversary, again including a note for something special. The restaurant confirmed they’d take care of it. We had our dinner, finished our meal… and were simply handed the bill. No dessert, no acknowledgment, nothing. Our server never checked on us during the entire meal and made no effort to make the evening feel special.
After visiting other restaurants since then, we’ve realized how much better others are when it comes to service and honoring special requests. Our anniversary dinner at Il Mercato was a disappointment — it used to be one of my favorite restaurants for special occasions, but not anymore. The standard has been set elsewhere, and I won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Our server was an absolute ray of sunshine! 🌞 She made sure we were well taken care of and went above and beyond to make it such a memorable experience. Loved her energy — we’ll definitely be coming back to see her again! Everyone enjoyed their food; mine was a little on the bland side, but honestly, her warmth totally made up for it! 💛
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Loved my first visit to IL Mercato!!. I had the calamari as my starter and the linguine fruitt di mare as my main. All of the food was amazing. The calamari was the best I have ever had. The restaurant was super clean with amazing staff. Great atmosphere as well. I will definitely be a return customer for sure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Beautiful meal. Wonderful service. Enjoyed the lovely patio.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had a lunch here with family last week. The food was amazing, everyone enjoyed their meals. I have complicated allergies and our server, Flor, was very patient and helpful with finding safe food options for me. She was also very attentive and kind.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food and the service were fantastic but I felt the portion size of the main course was on the smaller side!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing place for dinner and special occasions, Italian food and hospitality at its best! Cocktail and mocktails are unique and flavourful. I had vegetarian pasta (Primavera), specially recommended by the server, it was amazing! Bruschetta and Focaccia bread the best ever I had. Desserts are from the gourmet category, extremely creamy, perfect texture and exquisite taste! The best birthday cake for my special day. My friend had reserved the patio table for the dinner and the temperature was perfect, that made quite the ambiance for the dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Classic
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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