This cozy Italian BYO gem serves inventive dishes that make for a lively dining experience, perfect for date night or a low-key dinner with friends.
"This intimate Italian spot in Washington Square West has a menu of delicious but reasonably-priced things like fontina-stuffed meatballs and ricotta gnocchi with short rib ragu. Despite the space being so small, they have much more sidewalk seating than your average BYOB. Plus, the floor-to-ceiling windows open all the way up, so the entire 30-seat dining room becomes an open-air restaurant, which is especially dreamy on a spring date night surrounded by flowers." - candis mclean
"This intimate Italian spot in Washington Square West has a menu of delicious but reasonably-priced things like fontina-stuffed meatballs and ricotta gnocchi with short rib ragu. Despite the space being so small, they have much more sidewalk seating than your average BYOB. Plus, the floor-to-ceiling windows open all the way up so the entire 30-seat dining room becomes an open-air restaurant, which is especially dreamy on a spring date night surrounded by flowers. " - candis mclean
Mackenzie Hilton, Executive Chef, Winner, Episode 4.1, April 6, 2010
"There are so many Italian BYOBs in Philly, and you can go to pretty much any of them and get a solid plate of pasta or chicken parm. And while Mercato is no exception - it’s a classic Italian neighborhood place that serves things like fontina-stuffed meatballs and ricotta gnocchi with short rib ragu - they have much more sidewalk seating than your average BYO. Plus, they also have windows that open all the way up so that the entire 30-seat room becomes an open-air restaurant." - Sydney McElwee
"Center City’s rustic Italian eatery Mercato and West Passyunk’s Latin-leaning La Mula Terca also plan to let patrons bring their own booze as usual on Thanksgiving Eve." - Tierney Plumb
