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Meet The Mercantile On Main

Meet The Mercantile On Main

by Rachel Laber

The newest addition to Rochester’s renowned food scene features a flavor for every palate. Meet the Mercantile on Main, the first food hall in Rochester – and one of the largest food halls in upstate New York.

Located inside the former Sibley’s Department Store, the Mercantile on Main is the crown jewel of Sibley Square’s redevelopment from former department store to a mix of housing, commercial space, the Mercantile and the Commissary: Rochester's Downtown Kitchen Incubator.

When it first opened in 1939, at 1.1 million square feet of space, Sibley’s was the largest department store between New York and Chicago. The space inhabited today by the Mercantile on Main was artfully designed by The Architectural Team (TAT), featuring a thoughtful blending of art deco era details and a modern communal food hall. Enter the Mercantile through a new, bold-theater style marquee entrance, which serves as the grand entry to the space.

Once inside the Mercantile, pack your appetite as visitors will be able to enjoy cocktails, coffee and cuisine from seven different vendors, with five of the seven being minority or women-owned businesses.

“The Mercantile on Main is a curated collection of some of the best food and drink in our area with most food options costing less than $10 and ready in less than 10 minutes,” according to Ken Greene, co-founder of the Mercantile on Main and asset manager for Sibley Square.

Meet the Mercantile on Main Food Hall Vendors:

Palermo’s Market: Palermo’s Market serves handcrafted sandwiches, wood fired pizza and traditional deli market favorites.

Nani’s Kitchen: Inspired by the owner’s grandmother, Nani’s Kitchen offers Indian cuisine with a modern twist.

Flour Kitchen: The perfect blend of flavor and texture combines to create fresh pasta served with seasonal sauces and vegetables.

CUT: Select flame-grilled protein accompanied by your choice of seasonal vegetables, healthy grains and leafy greens.

Broth: Enjoy a traditional bowl of Pho, a simmering of aromatic bone broth, rice noodles and spices.

RoCoCo and Rufus Cocktail Bar: RoCoCo, Rochester Coffee Company brews and serves regionally roasted, traditional coffee, espresso, gourmet coffee and pastries. Rufus Cocktail Bar, expected to open in February, will serve local craft beer and wine.

The Mercantile on Main is a curated collection of some of the best food and drink this town has to offer. The Mercantile on Main features seven kitchen vendors, offers a cashless environment and was created with social distancing in the forefront of its design.

The Mercantile on Main is now open for both dine-in and take out, open daily at 6:30 a.m. and offering breakfast, lunch and dinner options. Additionally, the Mercantile on Main restaurants are part of Toast Takeout, and orders for deliver can be placed through the Mercantile website.

The interior design of the Mercantile on Main also features a new public art project, the Murals at Mercantile, curated by Rochester artist Shawn Dunwoody. These site-specific murals can be found on the restaurant roll up doors within the Mercantile, and are visible after the restaurants close.

Two, 40-foot life-size curling lanes and two, 8-foot chess/checker boards align one whole side of the hall for patrons to stay and play.

The Mercantile on Main is not the only new food concept that can be found in Sibley Square. Alongside the Mercantile, Sibley Square is also the home of The Commissary.

The Commissary is a not-for-profit and a project of the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation The 6,500 sq ft space features a Production Kitchen, Performance Kitchen, and food storage area.
The Commissary anticipates being home to up to 50 startup food entrepreneurs in its first year, ranging from food trucks, caterers, bakers, pre-startup restaurateurs, virtual restaurants, home-based food businesses looking to legalize and grow, and packaged food manufacturers. As a food business incubator, The Commissary provides food industry specific support services through workshops, on-site staff, a mentorship program, and entrepreneurs in residence. Lastly, Sibley Square is also the new home of DGX, a small grocery store open adjacent to the Mercantile for shoppers in downtown Rochester.

To learn more about Sibley Square and the Mercantile on Main, please visit SibleySquareROC.com.

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