Mercato di Luigi’s flagship location is now “kinda” open in Chinatown, offering a carefully curated selection of coffee, pastries, and provisions.

Matthew Morgenstern (GM and Director of Hospitality for Kitchen Table Group) was on-site at 213 East Georgia Street when I stopped by for a visit yesterday morning (Tuesday, November 26th). He explained that, while Mercato di Luigi Georgia St. is not yet fully operational, they wanted to open the doors to the neighbourhood as a way of easing into service. The plan is to roll out full service operations in the coming weeks.

For now, visitors can order from a menu of espresso-based drinks (Americano, Cappuccino, Caffè Latte, Mochaccino, Espresso Macchiato, Espresso Con Panna, and of course, straight-up Espresso), all done “right”. The coffee is sharp and straightforward, with no-frills – in other words, just like a legit Italian cafe would serve. There is also a nice line-up of proper Italian pastries: Amaretti, Biscotti, Polenta Cake, Occhi di Bue (buttery shortbread and jam sandwiches, come on!), and Baci di Dana (hazelnut cookies held together with just enough dark chocolate).

Opposite the counter service area, a raised platform holds shelves stocked with specialty groceries, including olive oil, dried pasta, anchovy paste, canned tomatoes from Italy, and other high-quality local goods. A nearby fridge contains prepared meals ready for a quick grab-and-go transaction. By day, it’s a practical retail section; with the idea being that it will also act as a place where guests can settle in with a snack and a glass of wine, by flipping over into the cantina’s waiting area during the evenings.

This phased approach to opening reflects Kitchen Table Group’s thoughtfulness and commitment to letting the space evolve naturally. Lunch and evening services are on the horizon, with the cantina’s wine-centric dining experience soon to follow. It’s a simple plan: open the doors, start serving, and build momentum, bit by bit.

For a refresher on this project, have a look at what we wrote back in June 2024:

It’s been just a little over a year since Mercato di Luigi opened inside the former Oh Carolina space at 580 E 12th Avenue (see our March 2023 Opening Soon story here), but the cafe and Italian grocer is already ready to grow into a second Chinatown location – with an exciting, evening-time twist.

The new space at 213 E Georgia Street will take some of the heat off of the Fraserhood spot by serving as Mercato di Luigi’s flagship. Which means that guests to the Chinatown location can expect a pumped up deli selection and in-house bakery, to check off even more items from their grocery lists. The latter, no doubt, should have been an easy transition, owing to the space’s previous incarnation as Matchstick Coffee. The most anticipated feature of Kitchen Table’s newest addition, though, is a special section that will operate as a restaurant five evenings per week.

‘Cantina Di Luigi’ will be a wine-focused spin on the restaurant group’s beloved Railtown restaurant, Ask for Luigi, which it will be taking its service and food menu cues from. This new venture draws from a place of nostalgia, culled from Italian cantinas. Although if you didn’t grow up in Italy, you probably immediately think of a cantina as somewhere you stock up on provisions and maybe grab a sandwich from. Perhaps you’d never guess that wine was the thing at the centre of its purpose; this is where it was traditionally made and kept – barrels of it, if you were lucky.

When entering the space from Georgia Street, guests will at first step into the mercato area, characterized by a cluster of small wooden tables following the green walls of the forward portion of the room, and a coffee and deli counter running the length of the west wall. Like its older sibling, the Chinatown Mercato di Luigi will feature a selection of Italian pastries and proper espresso. The menu will also include a daily rotating offering of two types of pasta, arancini, fresh bread, sliced deli meats, and cheeses – ready to take home, or be assembled onto a charcuterie board to enjoy on site. Opposite the deli, a raised platform outfitted with shelving for specialty groceries (think olive oil, anchovy paste, and canned tomatoes imported from Italy, as well as locally produced quality goods) and a fridge stocked with prepared food to-go will serve as a retail section by the day… But in the evening, this space will be transformed into the cantina’s waiting area, where guests can perch to enjoy a snack and glass of wine as you bide your time.

In keeping with the Italian cantina theme, Cantina Di Luigi is separated from the main room by a curtained entry and enclosed by floor-to-ceiling wine racks, creating a cellar-like ambiance. While the bustling mercato area features a soothing off-white and green colour scheme, warm terracotta tones give the cantina a more intimate feeling, along with pendant lights hovering above the seating, and arched ‘windows’ along the west wall allowing in muted light from the kitchen. Even in its unfinished state, the 30-seat room feels private yet inviting, like the best kind of juicy secret.

As previously alluded, the restaurant’s food menu will follow the formula of pasta, salads and small plates which has served Ask For Luigi so well over the last ten years. Wines will be available by the glass and bottle, and there will an innovative cocktail program developed by General Manager, Matthew Morgenstern (also Director of Hospitality for Kitchen Table Group). Notably, for this project Morgenstern actually has some skin in the game, and he will be on the floor regularly to make sure everything is running smoothly – particularly during the cantina evening service.

Stay tuned for announcements about midday pastas and nighttime wine service. But for now, while the team readies the full experience, be sure to drop in for coffee, snacks and provisions!

Mercato di Luigi (Chinatown)

Neighbourhood: Chinatown

213 East Georgia St.

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