Speducci Mercatto

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Tradition, Technique, and a Lot of Heart

Speducci Mercatto sits in Toronto's Design District, operating at once as an Italian restaurant, café, mercato, butcher, and catering operation. The motto — I segreti del successo: tradizione e qualità — is not decorative. It describes exactly how the kitchen runs.

Chef Klidi Lazimi

The story behind the food starts in Rimini, on Italy's Adriatic coast in Emilia-Romagna, where Executive Chef Klidi Lazimi grew up watching generations of his family season, cure, and cook with care. He trained formally at IPSARR Scuola Alberghiera, then sharpened his instincts at Bella Rimini and La Brace, restaurants that taught him the balance between the sea's subtlety and the land's boldness.

The decisive chapter came in Milan, where he trained under Gualtiero Marchesi — the architect of modern Italian cuisine — whose discipline around simplicity, ingredients, and presentation left a lasting mark. After moving to Canada, Klidi worked his way through every station at Speducci Mercatto before becoming Executive Chef. His cooking blends rustic Italian roots with refined precision, always guided by seasonality. As one guest put it: "The food felt like coming home, with technique and heart in every bite."

What's on the Table

The dine-in menu centres on house-made pasta and wood-fired meats — the two pillars that define the restaurant's Italian identity. Brunch, BBQ, and dessert menus round out the week, while the beverage list completes the picture. Recognized in the 2025 Gambero Rosso guide, Speducci earns its place among Toronto's notable Italian tables through consistency rather than spectacle.

The Mercato

Beyond the dining room, the Mercato offers house-made salumi, artisanal sausages, a daily hot table, and premium Italian imports — all overseen by an in-house butcher. It's the kind of Italian market that makes a neighbourhood feel different.

A Place, Not Just a Restaurant

Speducci describes its team as a family, and that closeness shapes the experience guests walk into. "Customers don't just eat here," the restaurant says plainly. "They are invited into that same circle." Private events, chef's dinners, and catering extend that hospitality well beyond the dining room — making Speducci Mercatto one of the more complete expressions of Italian food culture in Toronto.