I feel like every time we go on vacation we find “the spot.” You know the one. It can be a scenic location or a restaurant, but it’s the place you want to revisit time and time again during the same trip. On our first trip to London, hands down, the Mercato Mayfair was this place!
We had seen an Instagram Reel about Dez Amore…it’s a fresh pasta restaurant in an old church that makes some of the most incredible dishes! It just so happened that it was a short walk from our flat. We knew this would be a quick and easy dinner on our first night! After our bike tour, we took the 10 minute walk past the Marble Arch station, down Oxford Street, to the Mercato Mayfair, where the little Dez Amore food stall is located. We were hoping for some delicious food to end the night. What we weren’t expecting was a next level London food experience!
Inside were more than fifteen different food stalls ranging from oysters and pasta to gelato and bao buns! They also had stalls that specialized in gin cocktails and another with an incredible offering of wine! There’s a rooftop terrace (although it was too cold for us, it was PACKED) and a basement sushi restaurant.
You could easily see how locals and young professionals would meet up here after work or for drinks and dinner on the weekend. It’s very trendy, lively, and has such a fun vibe! But it was also family friendly! We found that a lot of places closed early in London (by 9:00 stores and restaurants were closing down shop) but the Mercato stayed open late and offered us a stop for one more drink, a scoop of gelato, or just one more bowl of pasta to share!
We visited three times during our five days in London!
If you visit around dinnertime, expect to wait for a table. You’ll need to keep a watch out for people to leave in order to snag a somewhere to sit. But you can easily split up your party to have eyes on a variety of locations at once! Grab a drink while you’re waiting…it’s very pleasant inside! One of the best things about this venue is that there is literally something for everyone. Steak. Seafood. Pizza. Pasta. Desserts. Did I mention delicious adult beverages?! You can split up to order and reconvene at the table (my suggestion because that pasta line can get LOOOOOOONG) or have one person do the ordering. Each stall gives out buzzers to let you know when your food is ready, so you don’t need to hover by the counter.
Add the Mercato to your must visit food options while in London. You won’t be disappointed! The building alone is GORGEOUS! The high ceilings, open central seating area, and the stained glass windows…oh, those windows. They are, without a doubt, true works of art! The building has been around since the 1800s. The winding staircases are tight, but you can’t help but marvel at its beauty.
This place is so much more than pasta in an old church! The gelato was delicious. The fine drinks were fab! And the sliced steak and chimichurri from Beast and Field was out of this world! You could literally spend hours here eating, drinking, and hanging out! Add this to your food tour the next time you’re in London!
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