UPDATE: Marca on Main is permanently closed.
Tucked right in that lovely stretch of historic Main Street Markham is a beautiful restaurant with seriously authentic Italian food. Marca on Main is open for lunch on Friday afternoons and on a warm July day it felt like a little escape to a trattoria in Rome. No one wants to make tough decisions in the summer so we ordered most of the appetizers and lots of white wine. The calamari fritti were light and tasty, served with fresh horseradish, garlic and lemon aioli.
Cantaloupe wrapped with prosciutto covered in parmigiana and drizzled with honey. A must-order.
The beef and pork meatballs are smothered in the house made tomato sauce which is the real deal. Order lots of these- you will not want to share.
Silician arancini (fried and stuffed rice balls) are heavenly when done right. Marca does them right. They are light, crunchy and full of flavour.
The scallops were juicy and a lovely complement to the meat dishes. The mint in the sauce gave a great kick to the dish.
Perfect crusty fresh crostini bread and a giardiniera (pickled veg antipasto) heavy on stuff I love- olives and peppers.
Desserts were off the hook. The homemade ice cream is sensational. Berry and chocolate mint was on the menu, which Vince scooped into little ice cream cones for us. The tiramisu (which means “pull-me-up” in Italian) was light and fresh. Perfect light desserts for a summer afternoon.
Marca on Main has a really neat contemporary design which is both spacious and cozy at the same time. It is one of those spaces that is ideal for a romantic dinner or an office holiday party. I really like the way the light streams in from the skylights.
The service is great, so warm and genuine. You can tell when people are proud of the restaurant they work at, and of the food they deliver to your table. Here are Vince and Derek in the open Marca kitchen.
Marca on Main is located at 96 Main Street North in Markham. Built in 1881, the building once served as the Markham Village Town Hall. It was reinvented in 1946 as Markham’s first movie theatre providing entertainment to the community until the 80s. The Harry James Group revitalized this rich historic site in 1996, carefully and beautifully preserving it’s original grandeur.