Great little place for fresh seafood: Osteria Mercede (9. September 2017)
The Osteria Mercede is not only famous on TripAdvisor it is also very punctual (and yes, we’re talking about Italy here), opening exactly at 7pm. The place is quite small with maybe 10-15 tables and is easily booked out. When we arrived, a bunch of people were joining us queuing and only because we had a reservation, we managed to get a place. Now, the place is really simple but generally lovely. With regards to the service, I am not so sure what to say especially given that they were friendly and helpful but, on the other hand, their attentiveness was definitely not satisfactory.
Given, the place is famous for seafood, I went for a “Cocktail di Gamberoni” (EUR 12.00) as a starter and was at first a bit surprised as I had expected something slightly different (i.e. the prawns in the sauce and not ‘separately’) but I must admit that it was truly tasty.
The next course were the “Tonnarelli Freschi Nero di Seppia” (EUR 12.00) which were cooked perfectly al dente – something most people in Switzerland would probably call “not cooked enough” but was – for my gusto – perfect.
The last course was good and not. The first part of the “Polpo arrosto su Macco di Fave” (EUR 16.00), i.e. the pulpo was delicious. Quite a huge portion too. The second part, the fava bean puree was really not to my liking as it was more kind of fava beans broken in random pieces of size and not really smooth but more of an unpleasant consistency. So, overall, the dish was okay as the main part (the pulpo) was great but the ‘sidedish’ part wasn’t really.
For seafood, I can definitely recommend the Osteria Mercede as the dishes are good overall, the prices are very decent and the place is lovely in terms of interior design. When it comes to the service, I’d wished for a bit more attentiveness of the staff but else, I can absolutely recommend it. And the fact that it is nearly impossible to score a table on short notice already tells you to book way in advance.
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Contact Details:
Osteria Mercede
Via Pignatelli Aragona 52
90141 Palermo (IT)
Tel.: +39 09 133 22 43
Homepage: http://www.facebook.com/osteriamercede
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
