Twenty Three Delicious Reasons To Hit Up Il Mercato Centrale

il Mercato Centrale is offering up hungry punters three (well, two-and-a-half) storeys of dining from snackable finger food like arancini all the way up to fine dining overlooking Collins Street.

The first international iteration of the famed Italian foodhall, situated in the McPherson's Building is chockablock with dining options. The offering on the lower floor spans from coffee and cannolis all the way to steaks (availble to eat in or take-away) and fresh seafood. There's also crunchy, proper roasted whole pig porchetta, massive mozzarellas and a stack of wine and drink options. 

Upstairs is where the magic happens. You'll find Il Riso, slinging a stack of gluten-free options, most notably their risotto which is ooey, gooey, cheesey and a real mouthful. There's Lo Smashburgers and their fully loaded burgers and chips (not to be missed; instead of chicken salt they've sprinkled turkey salt on top—no turkey included), a bar dedicated to negronis and gins, and handmade pasta.

The 23 traders run the gamut from fried calamari to piadinas (traditional Italian flatbread for the uninitiated) to wine and spirit stores: La Frutta e la Verdura; fresh fruit and vegetables, Il Pesce; a fishmonger, La Pasta Fresca, La Pasticceria; serving cakes and pastries; La Mozzarella, La Pasta Fatta in Casa; housemade fresh pasta, Il Forno; the house bakery using Victorian-sourced flour, La Pizza al Taglio; big square slices of pizza, La Carne e i Salumi; cold cuts and aged meats; I Calamari Fritti, La Pizza Napoletana, Il Riso, La Piadina, Lo Smashburger, Il Ristorante, I Cannoli, Il Cioccolato, Il Gelato, L'Enoteca, La Distilleria Main Bar and The Cocktail Bar. It's a lot to get through, we know.

Part of the fun is the spectacle of the traders, spinning pizza dough, launching them into the massive discoball-like ovens, stuffing gnocchi into pizza dough bowls, or the flare bartending at the cocktail bar. You can pop yourself down, sip your cocktail, chow down on your slice and watch the 109 shoot past. 

In Melbourne we’re used to our markets being more farm to table, but the idea here is distinctly European and integrated, heroing the makers; think more from their hands to our mouths. The master pasta maker can roll you out fresh tagliatelle and while you wait you can pick up the espresso you ordered with them from the bar downstairs. 

The mercato is a day-to-night situation, taking shoppers and diners up to 10pm from Sunday to Thursday and wrapping up at midnight on Friday and Saturday. The best part is, the whole market is licensed so you can wander around and sip your vino as you pick your zucchino. The market promises to be open 365 days a year and has a large function space upstairs as well.

Originally established in Florence’s city centre in 2014, il Mercato Centrale is one of the finest Italian artisan grocers globally. With a sleek architectural design by Alberto Torsello (former artistic director of Mercato Centrale Milano) the expansive venue is set to be a homage to Italian life right here in Australia.

Check out Melbourne’s best Italian restaurants over here. 

Images: il Mercato Centrale | Supplied