Alloggi al Mercante

The waiter was the best part of the evening, kind and smiling right through to the end. We booked because of The Fork’s 50% discount, already expecting the food might not be top quality, though we hoped to avoid paying €20 for linguine. The €8.90 portion of mussels as a starter gave us some hope: they were marinara-style with sage, bay leaves, and cherry tomatoes. The mixed starter at €14.50 seemed fair, with a few mussels and clams, one shrimp, some octopus, and other pieces of fish, served with salad and tomatoes. The spaghetti with clams tasted good, though the portion wasn’t generous. The bread was like cardboard, so only the breadsticks were worth eating. We expected to pay half price for everything and were fine with that, even with water at €4.50 a liter and a 14% service charge. When we arrived, we saw a sign saying they accepted restaurant vouchers, so we went to the register to pay. It turned out the sign was old and they no longer took them. We insisted, and the young man of Asian origins at the register called the owner after preparing a basket of bread. The owner agreed, so he accepted our vouchers and separated them from the cash. Spending €23.60 for two on fish was okay, and you can’t expect quality everywhere, but this felt like too much of an attempt to fool tourists. The service, at least, was definitely the best thing about the evening.

The prices were a little high, but the food and drinks were delicious and refined. We tried the pizza and lasagna, and the service was kind and attentive.

The service was friendly and attentive, and the food was delicious. I can’t remember the last time I had risotto this good.

Friendly service and a good location.