Bar Mercato Brings European-Minded Dining to Boston

An all-day restaurant that takes cues from European food halls opens Friday, February 22 in the Hyatt Centric Faneuil Hall, near the Old State House. Bar Mercato (54 Devonshire St.) aims to replicate the fluid nature of such food halls, with both dine-in and cafe-style options for guests and menus spanning breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus afternoon snacks.

Bar Mercato is the work of Teodora Bakardzhieva, Jairo Dominguez, and Theo Bougas of Trio Restaurant Group, which is also behind Casa Caña in Lower Allston. The group set out to bring bits of Europe to Boston, from the restaurant’s menu to its design, which includes geometric lighting, wooden chairs, weathered-style tables, and concrete elements.

The group tapped executive chef Casey Lovell (previously of Post 390) to oversee the restaurant’s far-reaching menu, which starts each day with Fazenda coffee beverages, egg sandwiches, baked goods, and dishes like scotch eggs, frittatas, cheese blintzes, and pancakes. For lunch, diners will find items like charcuterie and cheese, roasted red pepper hummus, lamb gyros, burgers, and assorted soups and salads. The dinner menu ranges from appetizers like fried smelts and bacon-wrapped dates to entrees like cacio e pepe, fish and chips, and flatbreads, plus steak frites, grilled salmon, and vegetable sides.

Co-owner Bakardzhieva runs the bar program, which features nine kinds of vermouth, wine, beer, and cocktails that further evoke Europe with names like Greece Lightning (vodka, mastiha liqueur, fernet, espresso, and mint) and Sangre de Toro (wine, Averna, Amalfi limoncello, and crème de mure).

Boston firm Arrowstreet oversaw the design for Bar Mercato, using a deep color scheme, vintage paneling, and copper accents to call up some Old-World design elements. The dining area seats 48, with 18 at the bar, and a coffee/bar counter adjacent to the restaurant in the hotel lobby.

Bar Mercato opens Friday, February 22 and will operate daily from 7 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends. Bridging the gap between lunch and dinner, the restaurant will serve snacks and drinks at the bar between 3 and 5 p.m. Bar Mercado’s cafe area will offer counter service for breakfast from 6:30 to 7 a.m.; that same area will double as a wine and vermouth counter daily from 7 p.m. to closing. The restaurant will eventually add weekend brunch service. For a look at its opening menus, see below.

• European Food Hall-Inspired Restaurant to Open Near Faneuil Hall [EBOS]
• Bar Mercato [Official Site]