Marcello’s Market & Deli

This is one of my favorites places to have lunch in downtown, everything is fresh and delicious!.. And the menu changes everyday, I could have lunch here everyday and never be bored… They have salads, and soups and fresh food… I am definitely a big fan of Marcellos!

While I find Marcello’s lunches decent but nothing special, their breakfasts on Thursdays and Fridays are a different thing altogether. These two special days of the week, this particular location serves their hot breakfast buffet and has quickly become my favourite stop for a fast, hot breakfast in the morning. Scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, hashbrowns, waffles and even eggs benedict are part of the choices.
The eggs benedict are so very nice. The traditional English muffin, ham, egg and hollandaise sauce with a bit of paprika sprinkled on top. The hollandaise may not be from scratch, but it sure is satisfying. The sausages are awesome (kind of hard to screw sausage up) and the hash browns are seasoned and tasty. Can’t argue all of that for under $ 10. The cheapo in me is happy with that price. The hungry roaring lion in me is purring and meowing by the end of this breakfast.

This is super close to my work so frequent it quite a bit when I am too lazy to make a lunch (which seems to be every day). I usually get their made to order sangies which are super good and fresh. I buy their salads a lot too (BLT is my fav) and sometimes the pre-​packaged mini pitas with side veggies mmmm. I usually don’t hit up their buffet but it is always lined up so they must be doing something right. I did have some soup today and it brought me back to when I was 6 months old (not a good thing). I’m not saying that I remember what food tasted like when I was less than a year old, but this had to have been pretty close to this soup. It was the cream of veg, maybe should be called lump of veg instead. I have only had soup/​chili a few times here but it has been underwhelming every time. Stick with the fresh sandwich bar and packaged salads and you should be good.
p. s. watch out for the dessert cooler while you wait in line to pay, it can be very tempting, especially if you are hungry.
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Yay, I’m a fan!
No really, I AM a fan. A big one. of Marcello’s.
If you’re looking for a quick lunch at a reasonable price, look no further. Now, I have to say. I’m not the biggest fan of the hot buffet! I know, I know, I’ll probably get my head tore off for this, but I’m not! I much prefer their coffee, their soups, the salads, the custom sandwich bar? Yes. The soups are great because they offer dairy AND gluten free!
The salads are always fresh and priced anywhere from $ 4.50 — $ 6.50. Some people have reviewed Marcello’s saying it’s pricey, but for the freshness of vegetables and quality, I think it’s worth is. Very simple flavours, but tastes like homemade. Can’t go wrong.
Um, the custom sandwich bar. you get PICKLES ON THE SIDE??? Pickles, people. Pickles are wicked. I find the service there is pretty spot on. Fast, efficient, sometimes grouchy, but it’s super busy, I don’t blame them.
They have this HUGE cooler in the middle all filled with DESSERTS. I encourage you to try their in-​store made rice pudding with cinnamon and raisins for 2 bucks. They also have squares, cookies, cakes. Most of which are NOT made by Marcello’s, but definitely good variety.
The seating isn’t super ample and kind of covers the front, but there is additional seating downstairs provided by the building where they allow you to eat your lunch.
Don’t forget about Marcello’s for breakfast! On Thursdays and Fridays they offer a breakfast buffet (charged by weight) with french toast, waffles, fruit, bacon, so much good stuff. Also, they offer hard boiled eggs in the cooler or yogurts to go.
Try and get in before noon as it gets really busy, and super packed. You’ll encounter that awkward «uh, excuse me.» «Uh, sorry» «uh, sorry about that»
So next time you’re in Calgary Place or near the area, grab your water cooler companion and come on in for some delicious food you don’t have to feel guilty about after you’ve eaten it.

Hairy Eats! 10% of the time I get a hair in my soup/​sandwich.

This is only the second eating establishment I have been to where you pay by weight.. .. and I really like the concept. Good selection of food buffet style. If you want Chinese, Italian, sandwiches, etc.. . Just about everything here. Only been here a couple of times and prefer the Italian food over the rest of the buffet. Pricing seems to be a bit on the high side with the food being average. Good place for a quick lunch and located in the +15 makes it a good spot for lunch during the winter months.

There’s no way to beat around this particular bush… its expensive. Having said that, you get great quality food for the hard earned dollars you part with. Several hot dishes such as roast beef or turkey, several pasta dishes, a big salad bar, and a number of other nice selections are available. Sticker shock is extreme at the till but you’ll love the way it tastes. Chalk one up for rich yuppies, this one’s for you.

Marcello’s is a convienient place for breakfast and lunch. For lunch they have fresh or pre-​wrapped sandwitches, hot soup, pastries, squares, friut, drinks and there is a buffet with more heavier options (like chicken, beef, stir-​fry, pasta, etc.) that are sold by the weight. For breakfast there are assorted pastries and coffee available. Though there are tables, they are usually full; thus, it’s more of a grab-​and-​go venue. The staff are friendly and prices reasonable for downtown. Try to get there before lunch hour to avoid the long line-​ups. This place closes early as well, around 4:00 pm, so it isn’t an option after hours. Though the food isn’t insipiring, if you are looking for something quick and cheap this is a good option.

If you find yourself in downtown Calgary with friends or colleagues and you’re having a hard time setting on one type of cuisine that suits everyone’s tastes, then head to Marcello’s market and deli. They’ve got a little something for everyone. They’ve got both a custom sandwich counter and already prepared sandwiches available. As well, they have a large selection of fruits, salads, and desserts. Those looking for hotter, more substantial fare can belly up to the buffet, which featured roast chicken and pot roast the day I was there. I had the Giovanni Italian sandwich, which had prosciutto, smoked turkey, capicollo, and provolone on a bun, and it cost $ 4.99. For a loaded 8″ sub, the price was certainly reasonable and the fresh ingredients made for a tasty lunch. The only negative about the place that I can think of is the chaos of the sandwich area — there’s no orderly flow of traffic. Sometimes it seems like you’re swimming upstream to get your lunch, but such is life.

This place is good if you’re a rich yuppie who can afford to spend more than $ 10 every lunch. Okay, that may sound pretty harsh, but it’s totally true. Allow me to quickly explain.
There is a great selection of different food to choose from. They have everything from pre-​packaged sandwiches to delicious on-​the-​spot pastas and soups. Everything is always good, no matter what you get.
Unfortunately, everything is also pretty expensive. The only truly good deal I’ve found at Marcello’s are the little packages of single-​serving cheeses. Now those are wicked. Other than that, I can’t bring myself to buy lunch here anymore because it hurts my wallet too much.
I wish it wasn’t as expensive because it would be a really awesome place to have lunch! I can’t go every day, but I go sometimes because it is a nice place.