Within the airy first floor of the Granary Building lies a curious phenomenon: a portal that transports you from Bellingham to an Italian deli. (To clarify: this portal is actually a sliding door.)
Mercato delle Bontà, meaning “market of goodness,” opened to the public on June 30, taking the place of now-defunct Black Fern Coffee. With a wall of Italian treats and a menu of sandwiches, pastries and coffee, it’s a viable lunch spot in the newest of Bellingham districts.
That said, anyone expecting trattoria-style pasta and wine will be sorely disappointed. Mercato delle Bontà takes the place of a bottega alimentare, aka an Italian deli. Their menu is relatively simple, consisting mostly of sandwiches — but oh, what sandwiches they are.
Diners have the option to build their own sandwich, but I ordered from the “specialties” menu on this inaugural visit, starting with the Astoria ($14). Turkey, ham, swiss, lettuce and tomato on focaccia, with salt, pepper and olive oil — it’s not quite as tall as a Dagwood, but it’s close. The flavors here are simple, but the ingredients’ quality is superb. I’d call this a safe bet, in the least critical way.
The Piccante ($15) comes piled with spicy salami and pepper jack cheese. Expecting actual spice, I was a bit let down. The flavor is wonderful, but the inclusion of Calabrian chili or some peppers would help make this truly “piccante.” (Funky’s Hot Sauce, a local hot sauce producer, makes a sauce called Pieno Di Stelle that I may bring along at my next visit.)
A bit different from the rest of the menu, the Original NY Pastrami ($14) is a proper take of a deli style pastrami sandwich, keeping true to the original with three ingredients atop the rye bread: mustard, sauerkraut and pastrami. They don’t deliver the hilarious mountain of pastrami a spot like Katz’s Deli might offer — but they do provide a sandwich big enough to be lunch without requiring a second plate to transfer the excess pastrami to. This isn’t some backhanded insult; the ratios allow the different flavors to meld and play nice.
The Caprese ($14.50) was my favorite of the day. With succulent pieces of hand-torn mozzarella, basil and thick slices of tomato, and a generous drizzle of balsamic, all heaped atop the focaccia … There’s absolutely nothing about this I would change. It’s spectacular.
On that note, the obvious star of the show is this house focaccia. Pillowy, savory and with just the right amount of chew, I could see myself happily sitting down with a dish of olive oil and an entire loaf of this bread, leaving nothing but crumbs. It’s without flaw — and I earnestly hope they’ll start selling it by the loaf so I can do just that.
Accompaniments to your meal include little charcuterie take-and-go boxes, pastries, espresso and a generous selection of nonalcoholic beverages. For $3, the plain croissant punches well out of its league — just the act of picking it up coats your fingers in a delicious film of butter.
The espresso was solidly Italian: dark and smooth, without the fruit and vegetal notes so common in the lighter-roasted espressos served at third-wave coffee shops. With the beautiful weather we’ve been having, a visit to Mercato delle Bontà for a beverage and sandwich would make a great stop before a picnic in the shadow of the Acid Ball — the lawn recently de-leaded!
I didn’t get an opportunity to try out their selection of breakfast frittata sandwiches, but with the quality of their primary menu sandwiches, a breakfast sandwich and a cup of dark, smooth coffee would no doubt make for an enticing treat for a slow morning at the office.
There are a goodly number of sandwich shops in the vicinity of downtown, but I have to reiterate just how spectacular the focaccia is — and, by extension, the sandwiches themselves. Poor-quality bread can downgrade even the finest ingredients and Mercato delle Bontà has made it abundantly clear they will not tolerate that. I’d love to see a few grab-and-go sandwich options at some point, but I understand that there’s an inherent loss in quality when one does so.
It’s apparent that real effort was put into meeting those exacting food standards Italians are known to have. I won’t claim that flying to Rome for lunch isn’t an excellent idea — but in place of that, you can go wrong at Mercato delle Bontà.
Mercato delle Bontà is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at 1211 Granary Ave. Info: instagram.com/mercato_delle_bonta_
Mark Saleeb is a frequent enjoyer of food. Find him at instagram.com/eats.often.
