I'm from NYC and have enjoiyed many fine restaurants including those of the legendary Mario. Have to say that Mercato was very good. Food was excellent (half a notch below the legend). Service was good (not overwhelming) We sat downstairs - there was an awesome jazz trio playing Bucky / DJango style. Very cool. Great experience (July 3, 2008) more

Prior to our trip to Charleston, we did considerable research on the best restaurants in town and we tried lots of them. Most were very good. A couple were disappointing. Mercato was the best of the best, in our experience. We were joined by friends from Alabama and we all have varied menu preferences. Mercato had a great offering for... more

My wife and I recently visited Charleston and were told by our conceirge to dine at Mercato. The restaurant is gorgeous and the decor is amazing. We had the rissotto fritters for an appetizer, and also the white bean soup. The Osso Buco was the best I have ever had! But the service was awful. The waitress took longer than... more

Two of us had dinner on March 15, 2008 and were not so impressed. The only thing good about the whole experience was the food. It really was great. I had the white bean soup and the wild mushroom risotto. Very good. But the whole experience was not worth it. The service was terribly slow. I have been in the... more

trying too hard more

I've been to mercato a few times since it opened. at first, i wasn't very impressed, but now, WOW. The changes they've made are fantastic. the service is amazing. our server, andrea was never without a smile. the managers came to our table, and had us rolling with their great tableside chatting. and the food...the food was phenomenal! i had... more

Yummy Italian comfort food...beautiful atmosphere...the chef is super talented in Italian food and changes the menu often. If your party is small, eat at the bar...its more fun! more

My wife and I ate at Mercato when we were in Charleston for a weekend in November. We were looking forward to eating there as the reviews were positive and it had been written up in some Charleston magazines. The atmosphere was fantastic, but that is the only nice thing I have to say about it. We were seated in... more

Went there for Mom's bday because she wanted to hear music. That part was great but perhaps the entire staff was hungover because they didn't have three of the wines we ordered, it took us an hour and a half just to PLACE our orders, then they brought out the wrong food. Our server was in the weeds all night.... more