CLOSURE: Specialty grocery and wine store set to close in Toronto

A chic specialty shop in Toronto that sells frozen and prepared foods, pasta, pastries, wine, coffee and more is slated to close its doors for good this week. 

Recently, Leslieville residents took to social media to express their disappointment about the imminent closure of Mercatino E Vini, a wine bar and shop that sells a wide variety of pantry staples and also offers diners a relaxing respite with a comfortable seating area.

A representative of the shop confirmed that the store, operated by the Ascari Hospitality Group, will close permanently this Sunday, April 27. 

While the closure of the shop has come as a surprise to many, a listing posted on multiple real estate sites suggests that the wine bar and market, located at 1091 Queen St. E., hit the market late last year. 

The market opened in 2021–about 13 years after the hospitality group’s long-standing restaurant, Ascari Enotica, began serving diners in search of higher-end Italian fare in the Queen and Pape area. 

A shop representative said that the restaurant, which opened in 2008, will not be closing. 

The shop and cafe offers Ascari-branded pastas and sauces, but it’s probably best known for its extensive and exclusive wine selection, which includes dozens of bottles that are not available at the LCBO. Other offerings include frozen and prepared meatballs, tourtieres, pickled vegetables, dips, cheeses and more. 

Multiple residents took to social media to say they’ll miss the shop and the comfortable seating area in the back of the store.

“I liked popping in for a quiet place for a drink,” one resident wrote on Facebook. 

Other residents agreed. 

“We noticed the last few times that the stock was low on a lot of items. This is too bad. It was great,” another poster said.

Unconfirmed rumours indicate another cafe could be opening in its place in the near future. 

Cover photo from Mercatino E Vini’s official Instagram account