Pizzeria Mercato

Pizzeria Mercato delivers across the board—food, service, and atmosphere. The Anson Mills Farro Piccolo Salad was fresh and vibrant, a perfect opener. The Neapolitan Meatballs were tender and deeply flavorful, and the Salsiccia pizza had that signature Neapolitan crust: airy, charred, and chewy, with perfectly seasoned sausage. Dessert was a knockout—the salted caramel gelato was rich and velvety, while the 2-piece cannoli offered a crisp shell and smooth, lightly sweet filling. The service was warm, attentive, and genuinely knowledgeable about the menu. The atmosphere struck a perfect balance: stylish yet comfortable, with an energy that made the whole experience feel special. A truly memorable meal—can’t wait to go back.

Good value-for-money thin pizza. Funghi, Panna, and Marg are my highlights. I’ve been here a couple of times. It’s a clean “modern” spot. The pizza is nice, a tad underbaked, and has huge crusts. Their ranch is pretty nice for the big crusts though! You have to ask for Parmesan / chili flakes. Ask for 1 set per pizza: we found ourselves rationing the Parmesan across our pizzas because there was not enough and it was difficult to get ahold of a server. However some dishes are absolute misses for me. Roasted olives get a thumbs down. Overpriced, way too hard, not even a toothpick to eat them with. “Side of garlic focaccia” is not even focaccia. It’s stale bread at best over roasted. Tiramisu cheesecake was far too heavy and lacked the coffee flavour. Salted caramel cookies are served cold and like they came out of a box. If you come here, get the field greens salad, pizza, and end with gelato. Maybe a side of ranch for the crust. Following this order, I think Pizzeria Mercato is a 4 stars. In my experience, it’s really been more of a 3 stars, but given the dearth of restaurants in the area, their salad + pizza + gelato is a good shout. BTW, 2 pizzas for 3 people is a good portion. Now for the tough part. Having ordered catering and been to the restaurant several times, unfortunately, the service is not reliable or attentive. When I ordered catering >1 week in advance, I made sure to email and call twice. I called on the day of ~1 h before agreed upon delivery time. They forgot! The manager of the restaurant said she couldn’t deliver half my order, only the pizzas plus salads. I told her I had 30 people coming over and we were relying on them for food. She told me she could throw a few more pizzas in. In the end, we got the same amount of pizzas as I originally ordered and just salad (instead of pizzas + salads + 3 main dishes designed for 30 people). Unfortunately it was not enough food for everyone. The pizzas were really good, sure, but it’s pretty disappointing to not have enough food to feed everyone. I asked for cutlery too, and I got 5 sets instead of 30. At the restaurant, I thought things might be better. There is one very excellent and attentive server (short curly hair), but everyone else seems more concerned with talking to each other than visiting customers. In my most recent visit this weekend, the restaurant was 3/4 empty on a Sunday night. Most servers were gossiping amongst each other instead of coming to the tables; as a result, our dishes were essentially never cleared and we wanted to order a few more things but we never gained the opportunity. In a previous visit, our group had empty water vials, waited >30 mins for appetizers, never got a wine refill, never got our takeout boxes, etc. During this same dinner, we had a server spill wine while pouring it and never cleaned it up. Minor note. I understand the aesthetic of casual dining. However, I think some of the outfits of the servers could be more thoughtful. I think wearing pyjamas or gym clothes is a line worth drawing, especially at a restaurant in this price range. Another small thing, vegetarian and vegan options should be more clearly labeled. Overall, you can get a nice, decent meal here. Don’t expect stellar service. This is probably better as a takeout spot. Also, not fit for groups >5 in my opinion.

Exceptional foods, always. This place should be Michelin Star restaurant! ————— Definitely the best pizza place in Chapel Hill. It was our first visit, took a single bite, and regretted not having come earlier. Crispy, chewy crust with fresh tomato sauce and cheese was a fantastic combination. Garlic bread was great with grilled octopus. Can’t wait for next visit! ——- It was our second visit to try different menus. Gnocchi was really great! Margarita with prosciutto was fantastic again!! Would love to visit everyday :) ——- After multiple visits, we’ve finally become big fans of this place. Our conclusion is that EVERY food in this place, including entree, main dishes (i.e pizza), and even desserts, is absolutely awesome! We thank staff in this place for providing such great foods!!

Amazing food - probably the best pizza we have had in the NC area. Highly recommend the basic Margherita pizza to get an idea of the high quality ingredients they use and definitely ask for the chilli oil, which elevates the pizza with a few droplets. Polenta is great and comes with an egg yolk that you mix in leading to extra creaminess in each bite, surrounded by garlicky roasted butter mushrooms. The cacio e pepe style arancini was also amazing and I highly recommend it along with the Winter citrus salad. The cons would be they were extremely busy so the attention from the server was a bit lacking. The tagliatelle was also good, but nothing to write home about. The quantity of pasta for the price was also on the smaller side. My ratings would be Pizza - 9.5 Arancini and Citrus salad - 9 Polenta - 8 Tagliatelle - 7 This is a great place and I would recommend everyone to check this out, given the caveat that you will need to book in advance during evening as they tend to get pretty busy.

We had a reservation so we didn't have to wait. The salads were great, and the pizza was extraordinary. Impossibly thin and crispy for Neapolitan. Desserts were high quality as well. Now that Pompieri is closed, we will be making the trip out to Mercato more often!

Finally had the opportunity to go there tonight after years of anticipation and it was worth the wait! We started off with the crispy green beans, which were fried light and flaky with tempura batter and served w/ a ricotta salata which offset the heaviness quite nicely. Then we ordered the stuffed shells and the Formaggi Misti pizza. I was told the stuffed shells were very good but did not have the opportunity to try myself. The pizza however was incredibly good - the crust was light but also puffy and chewy, the sauce was bright, and the cheese was rich and melded everything together. We had the chili oil, chili flakes, and parmesean cheese alongside our pizzas and the chili oil was subtle at first but had a nice build of spice alongside the flakes. For dessert, we had the cannoli which was absolutely fantastic. It had pistachios, chocolate, and candied oranges as filling. All the flavors were very well integrated and it was a real treat at the end. Overall - the quality and freshness of the food was top notch, the service was very attentive, the atmosphere was cozy, and the prices were modest considering what you get in return. I will certainly be returning, perhaps next time to try the arancini and affogato!

Pizza was good. Toppings are high quality but skimpy. Two or three pieces per slice. Service was nice but the process was chaotic. Took almost 10 minutes for them to check us in and tell us it would be 45 to 60 minute wait. Very loud with the concrete floors and exposed ceiling. I would definitely eat there again but didn't blow our socks off. Still one of the better places to get quality pizza in the area.

The food here is amazing. The fennel sausage pizza was our favorite. We also had the salami and the margarita. The red pepper flakes makes everything taste better and chili oil. Enjoyed the field green salad, which was huge, meatball anppetizer and the olive oil cake, which tasted like a caramel fireball.

Need serious pizza with a light crusty crust? Mercato is the place. I always order the funghi (mushroom) with added fennel sausage. Fills all the cravings. Reservations recommended. Great neighborhood spot.

First time back to this place in a few years. Great minimalist dark atmosphere. Super friendly and helpful staff. My server Bobby was spot on. I've been here several times before or ordered takeout and it's always good. One of the best pizza joints in the area. I ordered the Salsiccia which I've had before. The ingredients on it have changed a bit since I had it last time but nothing stays the same. Maybe some ingredients got too expensive. Now there is no mozzarella and less sausage. It has cherry tomatoes now but its still good and tasty. I'll have to come back more often to try some other menu items.

Atmosphere: Pizzeria Mercato has a rustic interior with several tables and a bar. Service: We ordered takeout over the phone with a group, but there ended up being a mixup where one of the pizzas didn't make it onto the order. It was a mild inconvenience and should've been fairly straightforward to resolve, but we felt that the hostess was rather passive aggressive about handling it. Food: We ordered the Pancetta e Gorgonzola Pizza. For the price, the toppings were quite sparse on our pizza, with maybe 2 pieces of pancetta on each slice. Their thin crust was decent but nothing to write home about. Otherwise, we found the pizza to be pretty bland. Overall: Unfortunately, we didn't think that Pizzeria Mercato lived up to the hype. Between the mediocre service and pricey pizza, we'll likely find ourselves heading elsewhere for pizza in the Triangle.

I like this place and have been coming for years. However, I'm finding it irksome when not one but two wait people ask my party, "What are WE having" or "How are WE doing? Well, I'm doing ok..Are WE splitting the bill? Plus, less nuts in the salad. More problems with pronouns than I want to admit

The food from this place was out of this world. The focaccia and meatballs were so great, the pizza amazing, and the dessert was fantastic! Want to come back to try their other gelato flavors!

10/10!! I was in town for work and stopped by with some family who suggested this place. This is some of the best pizza I've had in awhile, the crust was perfect. We also shared a salad and an order of the green beans and you can really taste the freshness. It's evident they use high quality ingredients I really enjoyed my lunch here!

One of the BEST pizza dives in Carrboro! Mercato is a cozy spot that still delivers on a regal fine dining atmosphere. The service is warm, attentive and very on top of things. The food itself was delicious! I enjoyed the texture of their dough- not too thick of thin, crispy on the outside but still gives a little bit of chew. The calzones we got were a special menu item, so make sure to ask your waiter/waitress about the daily specials!

Ordered pickup on Friday night - They let me know right away that it was going to take some time (about 1.5 hrs) and I appreciated it. After getting it, I can see why! Margherita pizza had delicious buttery crust, good chew, and fresh ingredients. But the real star was the arancini - herby, crispy, cheesy... probably some of the best I've had.

Workers were so nice ! I brought my baby and we got free cookies because our baby was SO CUTE!! i also love their pizza.I love this place and will forever.

Pizzeria Mercato served perhaps *the* best pizza we've had not only in the Triangle, but in the entire state of North Carolina. This was one of the first restaurants that a friend had recommended to us in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area. We were impressed. Carrboro is lucky to have this place. The business opened in 2016 in a freestanding building downtown. There's dedicated parking on two sides of the building, but it's limited to only about 20 spots. You can't park next door at Country Junction. We parked for free on Elm St, the adjacent residential side street. This place is popular. If you're visiting for dinner, you'll want to make a reservation: https://pizzeriamercatonc.com/reservations/ Lunch is first come, first served (no reservations). My wife and I didn't have a reservation. We showed up at 6:30pm on a Thursday. We got lucky and were seated almost immediately. Others weren't so lucky and had to wait by/at the bar or outside. That said, when I checked their website, Pizzeria Mercato said, "We do always have tables open for walk-in availability!" The space isn't huge, but it's not tiny either. They don't have outdoor seating. Inside, the tables were placed closely together and it was loud. The proximity of the tables means you and your neighbors will hear each other's conversations. The interior was industrial-like with an open kitchen, exposed ceiling and ductwork, wooden tables, and a painting of Michael Jordan pulling up for a jump shot in a Carolina jersey. We were seated at a two-top. As soon as we sat down, I knew the table wasn't going to be big enough for what we'd eventually order. After placing our order, our server realized that too. She told us that she would have to pace our order so that everything would fit on our table. That ended up being fine, but in general can be problematic if you want to order and sample a bunch of food. Pacing dishes means you might get full before the final dishes hit the table. This isn't prix fixe. It's pizza. Anyway, I get it - First World problem (and Pizzeria Mercato understandably is trying to maximize their profits), but as diners who like to try a bunch of different things, we regularly run into this issue. During our visit, the menu was fairly straightforward with about a dozen appetizer and salad options ($7.00-$16.60 each) and nine pizza options ($13.00-$19.50 each). They have a small yet decent selection of wine and beer. No cocktails that I saw. The pizzas aren't very big. One hungry person can finish one pizza, easy. The pizzas are Neapolitan style. Don't sleep on the salads and apps. This place serves excellent food all around -- pizza isn't the only thing they're great at. This is a locally-owned, single-location restaurant and they get many of their ingredients at the Carrboro Farmers' Market. The high-quality, locally-sourced ingredients make a difference. Days after we ate here, when I told my wife that Pizzeria Mercato gets their ingredients from the local farmers' market, it made sense to her (she loves farmers' markets). She said to me, "Remember the texture of the tomatoes? It was amazing." Here's what we ordered: Verdure * Anson Mills Farro Piccolo Salad ($13) - red onion vinaigrette, sweet corn, Provolone, cherry tomatoes Piatti * Neapolitan Meatballs ($14) - pork, beef, tomato, focaccia crostino Pizza * Margherita ($14) - tomato, fior di latte, basil, EVOO * Funghi pizza ($18.50) - panna, Fontina, oregano * Salsiccia pizza ($19.50) - vodka sauce, Pecorino, fennel sausage, scallion Dolce * Cannoli (2 for $7.50) - filled with candied orange, chocolate, and pistachios The Farro Piccolo Salad was great. It was really fresh and flavorful and had great texture all around. The farro piccolo, a.k.a. einkorn, was appetizingly bouncy and chewy. The red onion vinaigrette was delectable. Just a really wonderful salad. The Neapolitan Meatballs were served in a hot mini cast iron skillet. We got three big, savory, and tender meatballs. My wife thought the tomato sauce was a little salty. The meatballs are a safe choice. My favorite pizza was the Funghi. My wife's favorite was the Margherita. You can't go wrong with either. I love mushrooms and the Funghi had plenty of them. The pizza was packed with umami flavor. I also loved the rich and creamy Fontina cheese. The Margherita was well balanced and each of the ingredients shined. The crust was thin, crispy, chewy, and flavorful. The fior di latte was creamy and yummy. The tomato sauce was sweet and robust, and the basil was herby and aromatic. This was in contrast to the Salsiccia where, while not bad, the flavors kind of muddled together. The Salsiccia was good, but not great. The cannoli were tasty. If you're a fan of cannoli, I recommend them. Pizzeria Mercato's version had scrumptious, light, flaky shells that weren't too greasy or doughy. The fillings were terrific, fluffy and gratifying. Service from our server Eva was fantastic.

Pleasant atmosphere, very friendly staff, and ample parking. The Cecina starter was a welcome surprise, the pickled cauliflower was a revelation. The Formaggi Misti pizza was well baked, thin crispy crust and flavorful sauce & toppings.

Always fabulous! Thanks to Gabe and his team! We will see you again, SOON! Best pizza this side of Italy!

I don't usually have strong feelings about pizza but after having dinner at Pizzeria Mercato, that's all changed. We started with the crispy pork belly. Crispy, salty slices of pork belly with fresh veggies to contrast and a creamy sauce to bring it all together. Beautifully plated and ridiculously delicious. We share a Salsiccia pizza. The most perfect pizza crust ever. Thin with the perfect level of crisp and topped with a creamy garlic sauce, pickled onions sausage and wonderful little golden roast garlic cloves. Thanks to the not too large size of the pizza, we also had room for dessert. The lemon custard cake and cannoli are also exceptional. The staff were all friendly and efficient. We asked our server for their favorites which they shared and then highlighted a few other selections providing what made them unique. Overall an excellent dining experience.

Its great to have a real pizzeria in the area. The pizza was not too greasy but hits a perfect sweet spot. The experience was positive, will recommend

Make a reservation if you can - it will be worth it! Not much else to say other than the obvious, service was great, food was tasty, and service was quick/friendly. Salsiccia pizza was the favorite of the night but the marinated beet salad is also work mentioning!

Always a phenomenal time. Can't go wrong with the quartino serving of wine and the field of greens salad. Then choose between a classic pizza or one of the seasonal ones and you won't be disappointed. Always a great time. Friendly staff. A little loud in the establishment.

Pizza was delicious. Area near the window was a little toasty on a hot summer day, but the PBR took me back my college days. Nice, friendly service.

This is the best pizza in Chapel Hill by far, but it shouldn't just be considered a pizzeria. Our appetizers were spectacular, particularly the Brussels sprouts salad, the roasted carrots and the Calabrian barbecue pork. Then, to top it off, their deserts were top shelf, especially the salted chocolate chip cookies, the Tiramisu Tres Leches cake and their gelato! All in all we had a fantastic meal!!!!

Zero flop Neapolitan? Yes. Amazing toppings, piping hot, careful with the cheese or will melt your face. I think the giant metal gas oven brings the Neapolitan into the firm place that most others can't achieve. Amazing toppings, we had three pizzas. Formaggi Misti (4 cheese), the Puttanesca (anchovies, olives, capers, chili, garlic...plus cheese), and the special last night was a shredded brussel sprout with chunks of guanciale and pecorino. Very accommodating place for the kids, even asked about allergies at the table without us saying anything. Great staff, great food, must check it out! Setting was great, empty bottles for the water is a neat idea. Staff were super polite to the kids.

I hope M doesn't kill me for the 4/5 stars. I promise I loved going to Pizzeria Mercato for early Valentine's Day and genuinely enjoyed the thin crust and upscale yet casual ambience. However, I admit I'm ashamed that I forgot to take a picture of the Funghi pizza... The grilled octopus was fresh and nicely charred, but I was a little disappointed by how little octopus was included given the much higher proportion of octopus-adjuncts. I did really enjoy the Piccolo salad, which was a unique combination of chicories, winter vegetables, and my favorite: the SOFT (not chunky or crumbly) feta. I thought I would compromise on Valentine's Day to get the anchovy pizza, but maybe I should have listened to the tiny voice in the back of my head telling me that I have never liked anchovies... These were chopped finely and very well incorporated into the sauce. I can appreciate how any anchovy lover would enjoy this pizza. Just not for me. Sigh. I guess it's not a moral failing to have likes and dislikes :P I think M probably echoes my above sentiment with respect to the Funghi pizza, lol. But I chose this one based on other Yelpers who raved about it. It was decent and certainly highlighted the mushroom. Longer drive out from Durham for a nice weekend evening, and I would definitely recommend making reservations!

The Margherita Pizza is anything but a simple pizza. Delicate balancing of the cheese and sauce is carefully done, leaving neither feeling stronger, but instead complimenting each other. The thin crust and char was done very well, and the crust was soft and fluffy. The Salsiccia E Soppressata Pizza was reminiscent of a meat lover pizza, but without the overbearing taste and grease that is usually associated with it. The Fritti was crispy on the outside, and creamy on the inside. Tasted great with the garlic aioli. Notes: Get the Margherita Pizza, you won't be disappointed.

Can't recommend the puttanesca pizza enough. So good and I also suggest getting paying the extra to add the mozzarella on top -- sooooo worth it. Staff is also so friendly!

Everything was outstanding! Great service, great mushroom pizza, great rice balls, And great panna cotta. We will be back :)

Always delivers. We walked in on a Saturday evening and sat at the bar with Bobby, our straight-out-of-John-Oats (of Hall and Oats) at his prime, bartender. Delightful service. Started with mussels, (with heat), fresh greens, then meatballs, with a saulsichia pizza. Nero red paired. Place is consistently loud but the bar seating for two is fun, lively. Hard to have a conversation with groups when we have sat at tables but the noise brings a Brooklyn energy feel on the quiet side of Carrboro's main drag.

This is a delightful southern Italian restaurant on Weaver Street in Carrboro. It is tiny but bustling. They do take reservations and we were glad we had one even on a Sunday night. We started with a warm bean and frisée salad that was creamy and still had a bite. We also shared the irk & beef meatballs which had a delicious flavor and the included grilled bread was a real treat. My fav thing about the Neopolitan pizza here is the crust. It is crunchy instead of being wet like I feel so many pizzerias have with this style of crust. My only complaint is we didn't pick well on our pizza. Although the flavor combo was fantastic on the smoked eggplant one, the combo of capers & castelvetrano olives made it entirely too salty!!!!

Very good food!!! Service was good no issues and the restaurant was cute for a date night, my boyfriend and I did a walk in because reservations were full on a Friday

I kept hearing incredible things about this place, so I brought my friend when she dropped into town in need of a pizza place. I'll save you a menu scan and highly recommend the mushroom pizza. It's somehow made with cream?! It's so good that I think about it once a week. The staff here is wonderful, and everything comes out quick. Can't wait to come back and try the cocktails!

It was ok. Very busy and looked good but thought the pizza was under cooked. We picked up the pizza at the curbside pick up.

Amazing food and service! I went to dinner with friends and we shared the marinated olives, zuppa, summer tomato salad, spicy watermelon salad,meatballs, puttanesca pizza, funghi pizza, and grilled corn pizza. The zuppa was incredibly fresh, pizzas were delicious (perfect crust), and the salads were outstanding. Highly recommend!

A gem in the area. Pizza is exceptional. Owner is fantastic and the wine list is super interesting. Go, you won't regret it.

Service was great, food was great! We had the margherita pizza, and the eggplant pizza. The smoked ricotta was out of this world! The crust of the pizza had a crispy bite. We also had the fritti & cannolis for dessert. We will definitely be back when visiting the area again.

Our favorite restaurant in Carrboro/Chapel Hill. Relaxed friendly atmosphere with delicious pizzas and other inspired dishes that mix comfort foods with culinary innovation. I'd eat here every week and not get bored. Really recommend the field greens and the margherita pizzas, but everything is fantastic.

First I love a restaurant with parking. The space is very modern and open with industrial vibes. We loved the arancini- perfect sized bite and texture. I do wish the sauce was a little less thousand islandy and more fresh tomato. The panna pizza with arugula was hot, thin, and had the right balance of bitterness from the arugula to cut the heaviness of pizza. The meatballs were my least favorite item- just average to me with a strange texture. The cannoli are small but they're a good bite with lots of pistachio crunch to them. Nice wine list as well which I didn't try but my partner seemed to enjoy.

Smoked eggplant pizza or Puttanesca Pizza, where to start? Two 12" "pies" were more than enough goodness for 3 hungry travelers!

The pizza and small plates are amazing. The owner, Gabe is always there working with his team to create incredible food. Great staff.

All-around great food and vibe. Servers here are more than servers: they are cool people who love what they do and show it. Meatballs were out-of-this-world delicious. This will be my new go-to. My one issue is, the tables are quite wide and it's loud, so it's difficult to hear the person you're sitting across from. Could be a *bit* more warm and welcoming in terms of seating and tables, but I'll put up with that for the food and service.

Really wanted to love this place and their pizza, but it was just ok. We showed up and it was take-out only. People were there in their cars and the staff were walking the pizzas out to them. We got out of our car and asked the woman working there if we could order a pizza and she said it was online only with scheduled timed pick-ups and they were only making only so many pizzas an hour. Sorry to foul up your take out schedule lady, but we are trying to frequent every local restaurant/business during this pandemic to help keep the local economy going so we thought we were helping and not hindering you! We purposely drove 47 minutes from Raleigh to get a pizza from this place and we didn't want to turn back empty handed. Then a guy came out and said he 'could squeeze us in' if we ordered right now. Ok then! I ordered a Margherita and she ordered a pizza with some kind of special pepperoni on it. We ate it in the park nearby. It was ok. Not great, not terrible. a little soggy. We expected better and we wanted better for this price point, it just didn't deliver. NOTE: We have been ordering online at several small restaurants during the pandemic, but there have been a few occasions where the online system didn't work, so we showed up and just ordered in person. For those occasions, the staff was happy to take our order at those restaurants. Just wish it was the same for this place......

Excellent , locally sourced food with seasonal flourish. The ziti and octopus starters were delicious. The greens salad , the corn pizza and the fungi pizza was excellent. Service is attentive without being overbearing.

We happened to be going to Cat's Cradle For a show and our friends brought us to this place. Pizza was some of the best I have ever had. The wine was simply the best. Our table shared multiple appetizers and they were all phenomenal. Great atmosphere with super friendly staff. Highly recommend!

There is no better pizza in the United States. New Yorkers and Chicagoans can weep in their beer as their vaunted pizza mastery slips under the waters of the East River or Lake Michigan. What makes this pizza so special is the crust--"crosta" in Italian. Crosta was the first thing my nonna would talk about when she and my Italian family began an inevitable critique of the pie on the table. Pizzeria Mercato's crosta is so light that it has to be ballasted by sauce and/or fior de latte or it would float away. Crispy, crunchy, too, so that you have to discipline yourself to eat your slices slowly, savoring each bite. The sauce, the fior de latte, the deft hand that balances the added ingredients so that nothing overwhelms the whole--all these elements combine to make this pizza so extraordinary. Service consistently has been personable and professional. The primi piatti and insalate are creative and toothsome. We also love that you have to show proof of vaccination prior to entry. Thanks, Frank Bruni, for your reference. But most of all, thanks Pizzeria Mercato for providing so many memorable dining experiences.

Bravissimi. Talk about epic meatballs and pizza. Thanks to my best six year-old friend, we had an awesome takeout experience, and as soon as I get back from Italy hope to return. Grazie mille.

Pizzeria Mercato is a restaurant that utilizes locally sourced & fresh ingredients to craft a variety of unique dishes. The restaurant itself has a calm yet vibrant ambience, perfect for a date night or a dinner out with friends! The wait staff are extremely caring and attentive, which greatly improves the experience. My waiter seemed to love his job as much as his expansive sock collection he told us about! They offer a variety of appetizers, salads, entrees, pastas, and neopolitan style pizzas on the menu. Everything sounded extremely appetizing, yet being the pizza lover I am, I came in wanting to order myself a pie! A few of the dishes on the menu rotate seasonally, but most of the classics remain year round. Mercato's menu has a wide range of pizzas- from a margherita to a clam pizza- but whatever you decide on, you can not go wrong! I chose a simple margherita pizza, and it was definitely a great decision. I could taste the fresh ingredients with every bite!! The menu not only looks appetizing, it tastes just as amazing!

My first weekend visiting Chapel Hill was a great success and part of the credit needs to go to Mercato! Friday night our group of 7 came in without a reservation and even though they were quite busy, we were seated after a reasonable wait time. Several bottles of wine and pizzas later we were all in agreement that this was some of the best pizza we had tried in a while! I went with the Formaggi Misti and it was cooked with the perfect amount of crisp. Mercato seems perfect for either a dinner out with a group or a date night. If I lived in the Chapel Hill area this would be one of my favorite spots for sure.

So I don't remember the names of what we got. All I know is that it was darn good! The appetizer we ordered might've been the crostini - toasted bread was topped with ricotta, something like smashed butternut squash or pumpkin, a bunch of herbs, and other toppings. The bread did come out a little too burnt (you can see it in the pic), but I didn't want to send it back and it still tasted amazing. The sweetness of the squash went really well with the savory flavors. I'm pretty sure that they use fresh oregano because it was pretty strong (in a good way). The pizza we ordered was also great and not overloaded with cheese. We asked for arugula on top just because it's so good on pizza. I also enjoyed the wine and thought they had a pretty nice list. An added plus: Came here for a friend's birthday so we were ready to splurge a little but the prices were actually quite reasonable (we each spent $25 for appetizer, entree, wine, and dessert) for the fancy atmosphere of the place, especially if you plan to split a pizza.

Another great pizza place! The service here is awesome- our server was engaging, knowledgeable and really took care of us The food is beautifully made- the food came out randomly so it was hard to enjoy a peaceful meal- especially with kids but overall it was very good. Pizza crusts are nice and crisp- the mushroom pizza was a bit disappointing but the marguerita was great. Had the caponata - the flavors were there, but I didn't like the execution- large pieces of fairytale eggplant? Kinda made it hard to eat. Desserts were okay- cannoli was best we've had in area.

After hearing all the hype about this pizzeria my BF and I decided to finally check it out! We already had a favorite pizza place in the Triangle, but this place actually managed to take it's spot as our new favorite pizza! We tried the Margherita pizza and, based on Yelp, decided to order the fritti as an appetizer. All the hype about the fritti is well deserved. It's hot, the cheese is gooey, the filling is creamy, and the flavor is bold. And the dipping sauce is flavorful! You won't want to miss out on this! The pizza here was delicious! Their crust style is thin. Although thin crust is not my BF's favorite, even he admitted the rest of the pizza was great, and he's super picky about pizza being from NY! The crust is burnt just right, to deliver enough crisp without actually tasting bitter. The cheese is super melty. The basil imparts incredible flavor, I only wish they actually tried to place the basil in a way that every slice got some. For drinks we tried a wine based on our server's recommendation! We opted for the "quartino" serving size which serves 2.5 glasses worth, perfect for sharing among 2! I also couldn't pass up on dessert with coffee on the side. All aspects of my meal were enjoyable! If you want a smaller meal, split one pizza with someone else, each pie is medium sized (about 6 slices total).

With all the great pizza spots in the Triangle, I'm so glad to have finally made it to Pizzeria Mercato! This hip little eatery sits on a corner and doesn't look like much from the outside. Inside they've got a great open space with some art on the wall, little 2-tops and an open kitchen on the left side. Small menu of salads, antipasti, pizza and some larger plates, I did the fritti (arancini) along with a Amatriciana pie. The arancini are amazing, stuffed with smoked mozzarella and tomato. Super crunchy on the outside, delectably gooey on the inside, they're served with a fresh basil aioli. My pizza was quite good, quality ingredients but probably should have gone with something more basic. The crust here at Mercato is different than what I would qualify as Neapolitan, showing off a snappy and stiff crust. While it's better for holding toppings, it's a bit unconventional to me but still enjoyable. Service at Pizzeria Mercato was excellent but I visited during an off-hour. From what I've been told, the place can get quite busy so hopefully the service holds up under that pressure! But awesome first visit, Pizzeria Mercato. I'm still trying to sort out your pizza in my head but those arancini are truly to die for....

Love the food and the people! They really know how it's done. I wanted to lick my plate when I was done.

Excellent service, outstanding wood fired pizza with a lightly crisp delicious base and mouth watering ingredients!