Mercado in Montclair Pays Homage to Owners’ Portuguese Roots

STYLE

Modern sandwich shop with a Portuguese twist. Inviting white and light-blue color scheme with Scandinavian-style wood seating. The floor-to-ceiling front windows and the open kitchen give a sense of openness reminiscent of the European food halls that inspired Mercado.

THE SCOOP

Marcelo and Carla Silva managed to open Mercado at the height of the pandemic. It replaced their previous eatery on the same site, Sandwich Theory, and pays homage to their Portuguese roots.

THE MENU

Mercado has a wide selection of breakfast and lunch dishes, from classic to adventurous. Breakfast keeps it simple, with staples like buttermilk pancakes and the breakfast sandwich on Portuguese bread. The salads, bowls and wraps include interesting options, from fish tacos to signature grain bowls. In the sandwich menu, Iberian flavors come through in the grilled Portuguese linguiça sausage and the serrano pan con tomate, as well as the chicken and chorizo panini. They also offer standards like a Reuben, a roast beef and Gouda, and a smoked turkey and Havarti. The wide-ranging coffees, juices and smoothies pair nicely with the pasteis de nata, the signature pastry of Portugal.

HEADS UP

Grab a table by the front window for a nice view of Montclair’s main uptown shopping street.