If you are visiting Genoa, you have to stop at the Mercato Orientale. It is one of the excellences of Genoa and with its colors and scents, this food market is a must-see for all Genoese but also for tourists coming in town.
The Mercato Orientale was born as a food market over a century ago. Now it has expanded its offer with the opening of MOG, a square with 11 food corners where everyone can get a taste of local products.
In the middle of the market, among the fruit and vegetable stalls, a large square dedicated to restaurants and street food has opened in the wake of other important European markets such as the Boqueria in Barcelona, Covent Garden or the Central Market in Florence.
MOG is born from the passion of a group of Genoese who want to relaunch this place and show to the world the excellence of its products while creating a meeting place for local people but also for all those who visit Genoa.
Mercato Orientale history
The structure of the Mercato Orientale was built in 1699 as a convent attached to the nearby Church of Nostra Signora della Consolazione. But the convent was never finished and, in its place, artisan shops began to appear.
The old Market took place in Piazza De Ferrari but, after the construction of new roads, it had become a hindrance for city traffic. So, the Municipality of Genoa decided to transfer here the city market.
On May 7, 1899 the Mercato Orientale was inaugurated with a large floral exposition.
Since then, it has always been a point of reference for the shopping of the Genoese and not only.
Shopping at MOG
From the main entrance on Via XX Settembre you are greeted by flower stalls and inside you will find fruit, vegetables, fresh fish, spices, handmade pasta, meat and cheeses.
With its over 600 square meters, you can find here anything you need for your meals with the guarantee of first-rate products.
It is the favourite place for Genoese food shopping, but also tourists can buy and take home Ligurian products to try to prepare an original local dish. Here you can buy pesto and DOP basil, Ligurian Riviera oil, focaccia and salted anchovies from the Ligurian Sea and many other delicacies.
But if you don’t need to buy anything, just walk through the stalls of the Mercato Orientale: it is a real sensory experience for sight and smell! Photographers love to take some pictures of the coloured goods displayed as paintings.
Eating at MOG
After exactly 120 years from the opening of the Mercato Orientale, on 7 May 2019, the Piazza del Gusto has been inaugurated. It is a square inside the Market where people can meet and taste the products of the Ligurian tradition.
On the ground floor you can find 11 gastronomic corners that offer culinary delicacies and gourmet delights of clear local inspiration. In the middle, a bar with a wide selection of drinks, coffee and croissants from a popular Genoese pastry shop for breakfast.
Here you can also find international products such as tapas revisited with local ingredients.
Among the corners you can taste pesto, fried fish from the fishermen of Boccadasse, fresh handmade pasta, focaccia al formaggio and Panera, a local coffee-flavored ice cream, always with the guarantee of eating high quality artisan products.
All within a striking structure with a crystal dome that fills the arcade with light. You can choose your favourite dish at one of the food corners and then you can sit at the tables in the middle of this buzzy place to share your lunch with friends.
Among the 11 corners there is also a wine shop that offers 40 types of Italian wines displayed in a futuristic wall.
It is a particular and innovative dispenser that allows to keep the open bottles in perfect condition and without alterations so that everyone can pour himself a glass of good wine.
MOG is open all day, you can come here from breakfast to dinner and you will always find something to taste.
Restaurant at MOG
Upstairs there is the MOG restaurant with tables overlooking the Piazza del Gusto. A more private and upscale area where you can be pampered by the dishes prepared by chef Daniele Rebosio in a charming atmosphere.
In the MOG restaurant there is an innovative menu inspired by the excellent raw materials of the Ligurian land. The chef is, in fact, a young Ligurian man who has travelled the world before becoming sous-chef in Paris in the multi-starred restaurant of Alain Ducasse.
In his travels, he found new inspirations to rework the Ligurian dishes and revive the emotions of home cooking in a modern way.
MOG Cooking School
On the top floor of the MOG, a state-of-the-art cooking school was created with professional equipment. Here we will organise soon some cooking experiences for our customer who want to learn the traditions of Ligurian dishes.
Stay tuned to know our new proposal at MOG!
In the meantime you can participate to our tours in the food market and have a pesto lesson!
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