Via Mercato is Riyadh’s premier luxury food market
It’s also decked out with a caviar bar, a pizzeria, a sushi bar, a rotisserie and a dedicated cheese shop…
While the capital is now teeming with new places to eat, Via Mercato at Via Riyadh wants you to not only enjoy its onsite food experiences, but to also take them home with you.
Envisaged as a food hall parallel to the splendour of traditional marketplaces in London and New York, Via Mercato is an upscale food emporium brimming with seafood, pastries, cold cuts, cheeses, bread, organic fruits and seasonal vegetables.
It aims to give Riyadh the kind of one-stop gourmet shop we didn’t know we wanted. And for those with the budget to afford these luxuries.
Spread out over two floors, the new food hall, crafted by DTK Studio and built at 14 metres high, blends Japanese design and Salmani architecture.
On first impressions, it’s bright, airy and uber chic, art deco in style with a classic Grand Café brasserie. The ethereal skylight bathes the market, creating a charming ambience. Marble tiles, wood panelling, and brass lighting all add to the contemporary flair.
Within the main space is a beautiful caviar bar that serves an incredible range of delights, including foie gras ice cream, caviar pani puri, blue lobster roll, prawn carpaccio with caviar and more.
A feature staircase clad in marble with the finest leather and veneer guard rail leads to a mezzanine level – that boasts more retail offerings and a soft-serve booth – overlooking this central space.
As a luxury food market concept, Via Mercato offers an array of artisanal and speciality food products, including chocolates, coffee, truffles, Japanese delicacies, and other delicious staples. It also houses a salad and juice bar, a Matcha bar, a cheese shop, a bakery managed by Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, a pizzeria, and a rotisserie.
The latter is where you’ll find perfectly roasted chicken, served with creative sauces and sides. Although prices can be steep (SAR190 for a whole corn-fed French chicken and SAR90 for a whole local chicken), it’s worth it for a proper sit-down meal where you can steadily make your way through maple-glazed roasted multi-coloured carrots, crispy roasted baby potatoes and a whole corn-fed chicken.
If you’re keen on an indulgent dinner, there’s also a sushi bar by Japan’s famous sushi restaurant Teruzushi, which serves an omakase set menu. It is an intimate setup, with only seven seats at the wrap-around counter. Expect a creative presentation, but at its core, the omakase experience is about exceptional fresh produce. Prices start at SAR300 for a five-piece course, SAR600 for 11 courses, and SAR1,500 for a 13-course menu, which most definitely falls into the special occasion bracket.
Via Mercato entices you with a promise of diverse dishes prepared using the finest ingredients. From fresh seafood platter to authentic sushi and luscious Neapolitan pizza, Via Mercato has something for everyone.
Via Mercato, daily noon to midnight, Via Riyadh, Ground Floor, Makkah Al Mukarramah Rd, Al Hada, Riyadh 12912. @viamercato.sa
Images: Instagram