VIBE
I have heard many mixed reviews about Via Mercanti but I wanted to try it out for myself. So we walked in as part of our restaurant/bar crawl that night. So yeah, the guys that work there do the flirtatious stare but otherwise, we didn't have a problem.
Service is a bit off. No Peroni. They had the other one...that tasted just like Peroni. Actually, no other international beers. It was weird.
Also, so much drama around getting us a seat because *every* table was reserved. We were happy to sit at the bar. They didn't need to make a big deal out of it. The pizza makers were fun and nice but don't really speak English. I'm not complaining.
WE ATE/DRANK
I had the Ciambella Ripiena. It's a margharita with salumi and ricotta in the crust. It was delicious. The cheese was gooey, the tomato sauce slathered and the salumi just spicy enough. Plus, it's made in the oven. I really liked it. A solid contender in the 'za wars in Toronto.
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
MERCAN: the pizza is good.
MERCANT: Service could be better and less dramatic. As well, you may want to have Peroni on hand if you sell it.