Gold Winner il Mercato Trattoria Silver Winner The Chickenburger Bronze Winner Finbar’s Irish Pub First date, birthday supper, family meal, girls’ night out—it’s all happening under il Mercato’s roof any night of the week. This multi-time Best of Halifax winner captures authentic Italian flavour in its sprawling menu of pastas, pizzas and antipasti, but the […]
il Mercato Trattoria
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Italian Restaurant
Gold Winner Ristorante a Mano Silver Winner il Mercato Trattoria Bronze Winner Rinaldo’s Italian American Specialties Last winter, when Ristorante a Mano closed for two months and gutted the place, people freaked out. There were calls and messages fearing a menu change. Someone even asked if they could buy bulk salad dressing to get through […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Pasta
Gold Winner Ristorante a Mano Silver Winner il Mercato Trattoria Bronze Winner Vines Pasta Grill Ristorante a Mano GM Patrick Gaetz isn’t afraid to drop the L-word when it comes to the pasta served at the restaurant. “The dedication from our amazing chefs—they just put love into everything they do,” he says of what makes […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Pasta
Gold Winner Ristorante a Mano Silver Winner Il Mercato Bronze Winner The Bicycle Thief “I would eat it every day for the rest of my life,” says Patrick Gaetz about Ristorante aMano’s spaghettini con polpette, and he’s not alone. That’s the fan-favourite dish on the eatery’s expansive pasta menu, thanks to its spicy meatballs, bocconcini, […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Bedford Restaurant
Gold Winner il Mercato Trattoria Silver Winner The Chickenburger Bronze Winner Finbar’s Irish Pub The Bedford iteration of il Mercato has been treating local lovers of Italian cuisine to big-ass pasta dishes, full-bodied glasses of wine and towering desserts for 15 years, putting mall restaurants around the municipality to shame with its very un-mall atmosphere. […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Italian Restaurant
Gold Winner Ristorante a Mano Silver Winner Rinaldo’s Italian American Specialities Bronze Winner Il Mercato Ristorante a Mano has a good thing going, says GM Patrick Gaetz. “We offer great traditional pastas, a cozy atmosphere—it’s probably the whole package, the consistency. We don’t make a lot changes because we know why change something that isn’t […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Italian Restaurant
Gold Winner Ristorante a Mano Silver Winner The Bicycle Thief Bronze Winner il Mercato Trattoria There’s a distinctly Italian energy to Ristorante a Mano, and manager Melanie Kronbauer says that’s just as memorable for diners as the food itself: “It’s an intimate space, and it’s lively. The staff are proud to work in a restaurant […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Pasta
Gold Winner Ristorante a Mano Silver Winner The Bicycle Thief Bronze Winner il Mercato Trattoria If you’re wondering what makes these noodles stand out from the bunch, it’s all in the name, really. “A mano” literally means by hand—and that’s the secret to these gold-winning pastas. “We do make it daily by hand, we have […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Bedford Restaurant
Gold Winner il Mercato Trattoria Silver Winner The Chickenburger Bronze Winner Finbar’s Irish Pub Clanging cutlery, moody lighting and jaunty Italian music—it’s all these little things that contribute to the unwaveringly warm atmosphere at il Mercato. A sparkling jewel in the Sunnyside Mall’s crown, the Bertossi Group restaurant upped the ante big time since its […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Bedford Restaurant
Gold Winner il Mercato Silver Winner Finbar’s Irish Pub Bronze Winner Cha Baa Thai You haven’t lived until you’ve limped your way out of il Mercato with the top button of your pants undone. The Bedford member of the Bertossi Group of Italian-inspired restaurants is always full of life—the clinking glasses, jingling cutlery and hum […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Bedford Restaurant
Gold Winner il Mercato Silver Winner Finbar’s Irish Pub Bronze Winner The Chickenburger “I think il Mercato stole a little bit of Halifax’s heart,” says Bertossi Group’s John Michael Brewer of the restaurant that got its start on Spring Garden Road, but continues to blossom in Sunnyside Mall. “It’s always been a staple.” With a […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Bertossi Group sells its fleet of restaurants
It’s fitting that when I catch Stephanie Bertossi on the phone she’s at The Bicycle Thief with her husband and business partner of 30 years, Maurizio Bertossi, putting the finishing touches on the restaurant’s Fire & Ice bar, which will launch this Friday. Even today, after announcing that they’re selling all four of their successful […]