The Pub at Naples Mercato

The Pub, at Naples’ Mercato is poised to soon be at the epicenter of one of the busiest social spots in Lee and Collier County. The Pub alone gathers perhaps 800 people on some days in this off season- that says a lot! The Mercato may equal Naples 5th Ave South by spring of 2010, as the hottest spot in Collier for foot traffic and dining, with national chain stores Books-A-Million, Whole Foods, Sur la Table, AZN, Capital Grille and McCormick and Schmick now open. Mercato will really get going when the movie theaters open, and numerous empty spaces go from currently 25% occupied to full. The condos, still priced over market rates, are largely empty.

5th Avenue South has vacant spots, cancer-like, metastasizing here and there, as landlords further elevate rents, despite the tenant’s decreasing revenue with a deepening recession. Soon, the “great sucking sound” will be the people leaving 5th Avenue, (and sadly leaving the mom and pop stores as well) to “shop, have dinner and a movie” at the Mercato. When the mom and pop restaurants are gone, and uniform national chains remain, the very folks who flock to chains will whine, “Why are there so few local restaurants for us to try?” Uh-huh. Check out naplesoriginals.com; for 35 local restaurants, and there’s a couple hundred more good neighborhood spots to enjoy-check my blog. Off my soapbox.

With most of The Pub’s tasty food items priced from $8-12, and great brews on tap, from London Pride and Boddington’s, to Newkie Brown Ale, how can they not thrive?

Enter via the patio, relax at an iron table and chairs.

The side wall has painted scenes of Old Ben and, for Bluetooth youth, the red box is an old public phone booth, a relic that even predates both cell phones. Inside,it’s a traditional pub, with an expansive central wonderful open oak bar, with authentic draught beer taps..

Click here for more on The Pub at Mercato