Mercantina — Restaurant in Lisbon

I have worked in the same building as Mercantina for 4 years and never understood why this place gets so many good reviews from seemingly verified accounts.

First of all, my credentials: because of its location and comfortable indoor eating area, I've been "forced" to take business meals there for lunch, dinner and even at odd hours; I've also had takeaway ordered by my colleagues for when we had to work long hours in the evening. I've tried many different pizzas, pastas, the lasagna and two different kinds of risottos from this restaurant.

In all of this time, the only acceptable meal I've eaten there is the 13€ risotto funghi, which is actually comparable in flavour to (if not worse than) a 8€ risotto up the street at a shanty "Italian"-cuisine restaurant managed by people who are very kind but also very clearly not Italian.

What baffles me is how people compliment the pizzas so much. Even in the reviews I see here, I can tell from the pictures that the ingredients on top of the pizza are nearly raw and not good quality, with the ham and mushrooms being the worse offenders I've seen. The ingredients are also often very badly spread throughout the pizza, so most slices end up having an overwhelming amount of only one topping, and you can barely feel the pizza flavour. On top of that, in pizzas with certain ingredients that tend to contain more water (such as mushrooms), the dough below is always soaked in water and the "pizza" is actually just boiled dough with boiled toppings and watered-down sauce (see photo attached).

Speaking of sauce, non-pizza meals aren't much better. I've had the lasagna and the raviolis and they both come with the exact same sauce, which would be ok, except that sauce happens to be exactly the same flavour as the tomato sauce I buy at Lidl for 2€ per 500ml jar. I've had other people identify the flavour of their choice of store-bought tomato sauce on the ravioli unprompted.

Last time I ate there, people who were with me eating there for the first time felt very disappointed, so much so that, despite the very expensive prices for the quality, they felt the need to order a dessert to get at least some satisfaction out of the meal.

Unfortunately, the desserts are also very sub-par: I've had the tiramisu in two different occasions and in both the biscotti was very dry and the flavour of the liquor was so overwhelming and bitter it became a chore to finish the dessert. Another person ordered the panna cotta and we were surprised to see it doesn't come with compote, but rather with a scoop of very bitter lemon ice cream, which doesn't at all go well with the very soft flavour of the panna cotta, making it yet another chore to finish that dessert.

At this point, me and my colleagues joke that Mercantina is probably a drug front and people only post good reviews because they're buying something else other than the food. Honestly, I hope that's the case, because the only other possible explanation I can imagine is mass hysteria.

Overall, the service is very attentive, food usually arrives fast and the ambience is great inside, but because of the poor food and expensive prices, I can't give it anything over a 2/5. If you go there, make sure to get the most out of the service and...

TL;DR: 5 stars from the apple crumble, which was absolutely worth the trip, easily in my Top 3 desserts, if not the best I’ve ever had.

The restaurant was quite busy, with a high turnover rate, but it seemed like you could get a table with just a short wait. I also noticed a lot of pizzas were being sent out with delivery drivers. I arrived around 9 PM and ordered a mojito as a starter drink, along with the Capri as an appetizer. I also had a glass of red wine and ordered the Dama Rossa pizza.

The appetizer arrived very quickly, but the drinks were nowhere to be seen until I mentioned it to the staff. When they did come, everything was served at once, with the pizza arriving almost immediately after. A little chaotic, but forgivable. The appetizer wasn’t particularly memorable and could’ve been skipped.

The pizza, on the other hand, was well-made Neapolitan style. It could’ve been spicier, but overall, no complaints.

What really stood out, though, and is worth of travel, was the apple crumble – a warm apple pie served with ice cream. I’ve traveled to nearly every continent and lots of countries, and this dessert easily made it into my Top 3, if not the very top. Highly...

Para mim, um dos melhores restaurantes italianos de Lisboa, ele merecem ter o difícil selo "Ospitalità Italiana – Quality Approved" que demonstra a qualidade outorgado pela Câmara de Comércio Italiana para certificar restaurantes italianos autênticos ao redor do mundo. Este certificado garante que o estabelecimento segue padrões rigorosos de qualidade e autenticidade na sua oferta de culinária italiana.

Pratos pedidos Foccacia: é uma verdadeira delícia. Levemente crocante por fora e macia por dentro, ela é temperada com azeite de oliva extra virgem e ervas frescas, proporcionando uma explosão de sabores simples e autênticos. É o início perfeito para qualquer refeição, aquecendo o paladar para o que está por vir. Pizza Marguerita: é um clássico bem executado na Mercantina. A combinação de molho de tomate fresco, mozzarella de alta qualidade e manjericão cria uma harmonia de sabores que celebra a simplicidade e a tradição da culinária italiana. A massa é leve e crocante, cozida à perfeição no forno a lenha. Lasanha a bolonhesa: é uma homenagem à autêntica cozinha italiana. Camadas generosas de massa fresca, intercaladas com um rico molho de carne à bolonhesa e bechamel cremoso, fazem deste prato uma experiência reconfortante e satisfatória. O queijo gratinado por cima adiciona uma textura crocante irresistível. Lasanha de rabo de boi: é um prato que surpreende pela originalidade e sabor profundo. A carne de rabo de boi é cozida lentamente até ficar macia e suculenta, resultando em um recheio rico e saboroso. Essa versão inovadora da lasanha oferece uma experiência gastronômica única, destacando-se pela sua complexidade e intensidade de sabores. Pizza pesto e burrata:O pesto é saboroso e a burrata é fresca e cremosa, mas a combinação acaba por não destacar um sabor predominante, resultando em uma experiência um tanto confusa ao paladar. Com um ajuste na receita para harmonizar melhor os ingredientes, esta pizza poderia se tornar um dos destaques do menu. Achei um prato sem muito identidade. Bolo de chocolate com recheio de Nutella e sorvete: por mais que eu tenha achado o valor um pouco alto para a quantidade de alimento, o sabor é inexplicável, muito gostoso, o sabor do chocolate, da Nutella, do sorvete junto com a farofinha de biscoito é magnifica, vale a pena.

O restaurante possui uma decoração moderna e acolhedora, com um ambiente que mistura elegância e conforto. Localizada em Alvalade, uma das áreas mais charmosas de Lisboa, o restaurante oferece uma atmosfera vibrante e familiar, ideal tanto para refeições casuais quanto para ocasiões especiais. Os preços na Mercantina são razoáveis e compatíveis com a qualidade da comida e do serviço oferecidos. Embora não seja um restaurante de baixo custo, o valor pago é justificado pela experiência culinária autêntica e...