Mercadito Midtown

Those Mahi Mahi tacos are amazing. Auntie Ox drink also amazing. My favorite Mexican restaurant by far. I have been to many cities and countries and their food blew me away. The art on their walls was also very nice. Only bad thing is we for there minutes before 4pm and we were turned away by the hostess as were another couple. They could have sat us all down and we would have waited. We had an appetizer next door but the other couple left.

This place has delicious food hands down.
The room itself is magnificent to behold, unlike any other restaurant I’ve been to anywhere in the world.
The service was superb from our waiters and attentive busboy.
The reason I’m only giving 3 stars — the insincere plastic looking hostess who sizes you up at the door making you feel very uncomfortable and then sits people in the strangest places. Once you get over that, there is a dumpy blond waitress who really needs to wash her hair and walked around the place scowling at the customers like she owned the place. Both had very poor attitudes for the service industry.
With that said, I still recommend this place as the food and room are tops, as are the male staff.

:(Just read Miaminewtimes and it said it has closed shop ! So sad this place wasn’t even bad !

Ok, I am definitely reviewing more so for the drinks. The food was just OK, but the drinks are FANTASTIC!
They have a drink made with tequila and cucumbers, Pepino el Pyu, that is over the top! It is rimmed with cumin salt! Also, their margaritas are fantastico.
Can’t wait to go back, just to the bar… who’s with me?! :-)

Always great service and great tacos! The margaritas are some of the best in the city and if you go for happy hour it’s a great value.

I still love this spot. Prices are fair, staff professional, food and drinks delicious and bathroom clean. Extra love for the complimentary shots for the birthday girl and company.
Extra bonus for it being central and easy to locate. Fun fact: free trolley lets you out on the block before this place.
Discovered Brooklyn Beer and mango guacamole… yummy!

Maravilloso lugar, algo fuera del típico «restaurante mexicano», una propuesta moderna en un lugar con «onda» buen servicio, muy atentó y rápido, se antoja quedarse a probar la gran variedad de mezcales.

I’ll start by saying the food is usually good, and I’m a fan of the taqueria next door.
However, this review about the way the restaurant is run. This comes from personal experience, and after hearing the same story over and over again from almost everybody who has visited. You have to order and review your check as if you were dealing with con artists. There is always a catch; something they try and get you to order without knowledge of the price. There is always some limitation or spin on the deal or miami spice menu, and if if you are in a group, they can be less than accommodating. There are always charges on the bill that are incorrect, or items you did not know there was a charge for.
Mercadito, I want more than 5 chips with my tiny guac portion. When I ask for more chips, don’t you dare charge me. This might be an «upscale» mexican, but what mexican restaurant charges for hot sauce!

Delicioso! I love this place. The food had great taste, enough tang with sweet and spice. The service was on point, she was new in town but had the menu and dishes down to a math. Its the type of Mexican restaurant that doesn’t fill you up till the point of feeling overly stuffed
.

I went with a group for my Birthday this past December 2013 and we had the sharing menu. The sharing menu (Canasta)brings 2 types guacamoles, 2 types Ceviches, 4 different tacos, 2 sides and 3 dessert tastings. It was $ 30 p/​person plus tax.
Everything was delicious and tasty! My favorites were the ceviche mixto, shrimp ceviche (had some spicy kick, loved it) and their pork tacos (Carnitas)! Delicious! I had their Margarita Drink and was very good.
The staff was great, attentive and very nice. Great ambience and artsy décor. Great quality & creative food at a reasonable price. This was my third time going there, and they never dissapoint!

After two visits here and my love of Mexican food, I decided I should give my fellow Mexican food/​drink lovers some advice about this place.
The first time I came we just had drinks and some chips with guac. ALL of the margaritas that we ordered were delicious. Mine was the Pepino Margarita which was a refreshing cucumber margarita that can definitely sneak up on you. It gives you the slightest hint of tequila but the cucumber is such a nice balancing taste.
The second time I went for brunch and we opted for the Ultimate Hangover Brunch which includes 3 things off their menu and unlimited drinks for 2 hours. We both got the Pepino Margarita and it was just as good as the first time. The mango guacamole was good as well but nothing extraordinary. We got the pastor tacos and the carne tacos and each were good but also nothing amazing. The huevos rancheros were my favorite but still left something to be desired. The plates were very small which is fine for me because I like smaller plates since I get to taste a couple different things but for men, it’s not a hit.
I would say this place in general is okay but there are better places for Mexican. Come here for the drinks but if you’re really craving some good Mexican food, go somewhere else. Also, make sure you order your next drink before you finish the one you have, they really try and take long with bringing the next one when you have the ultimate hangover brunch.

I kept hearing amazing things about this place and had been wanting to go to Mercadito for over a year. My fiancée has been and told me it’s amazing Mexican food. Miami Spice is going on so I gave it a try.
Parking is a headache if you don’t valet your car. Mercadito is located beside Sugarcane.
The outside is charming with strung lights and high hedges. Makes outside Midtown seem very intimate and inviting.
The inside of Mercadito is done so beautifully, with artwork decorating the walls, and a big nice inviting bar on the right.
The server was quick to greet us but then quickly disappeared, i think it was from my Miami Spice questions. I was trying to make it clear how they serve their items. it was confusing with the language barrior or something.
The Miami spice menu is you each get one drink, and then they bring out appetizers (one choice) made for two (or four or six depending on the party) and all the other choices on the menu list correspond that way (ie. 3 choices of tacos for two means 3 different tacos with two made of each variety= 6 tacos).
The portions were small, I saw a regular serving of their guacamole, and it seemed Huge in comparison to the Miami spice 3 different varieties of guac we were served. The chips were okay nothing to rave about. if anything they tasted stale and not warm at all. It has a great salty spice on it though. Throughout the course of the dinner we needed more chips and they were the same, no better.
The appetizers were okay, small and sad Botanas servings for 2 .same thing with the tacos we tried 3 kinds of tacos with Miami Spice menu: Pollo, Carne and Pastor, nothing really impressed me. My man kept telling me this was nothing how he remembered Mercaditos. I guess the food quality has changed here.
One thing we tried that I found very good was the rice and beans. The beans just had a great flavour to them, something I haven’t had at a restaurant in a long time!
The desert we ordered was the warm Chocolate cake, that was a home run. I guess it’s hard to mess that up. It was warm and moist, had a chocolate drizzle on it and a crema fresca like whipped cream.
The bathrooms were nice too, this place is really lovely. just the quality of food was just not matching décor, and that’s the most important part!
I don’t know if Ide come again, there are much better Mexican places to try.

Hands down one of the better brunch spots this city has to offer. It’s not every day you find a place that measure up on all fronts– food, drinks and ambiance. Not to mention you can eat and drink to your heart’s content for just $ 30. Opt for the «Ultimate Hangover Cure» and you will thank me. As if I didn’t already sell you on this place, did I mention there’s live jazz music to add to the good vibe you’ll be feeling after just a few of their seriously strong and delicious cocktails? Mercadito takes brunch to a whole new level– one you’ll want to experience.

Fish tacos? Yes please! As I’ve mentioned, I’m not big on Mexican so I hadn’t given this place a chance until recently. I gotta say… I like it! Aside from the portion being perfect for lunch, it’s only $ 9 for 3 small tacos and chips. Not too shabby for Midtown.
You can choose from chicken, steak or fish (tilapia). They add a lot of toppings so it makes them that much more yummy. Looking for a quick and easy lunch? This is the spot.

It’s not cheap Mexican, and I couldn’t even tell you how authentic it is or isn’t. But I can tell you it’s GOOD. We started with the chips and «red» salsa. Although I was confused because the red salsa looked brown and I totally threw off a non-​English speaking food runner when I tried to send it back. But ok, it’s more of a brown salsa that they call red and it’s good. The chips are also tasty and they will happily give you extra.
For my meal I had the «dorado» ceviche with mahi mahi and Asian pear along with an ensalada verde. I reealllyy liked the ceviche. Since I had it as part of my meal I was very pleased with the portion, I didn’t feel it was skimpy at all and the flavor was awesome. I love that there were crispy plantain strips with it too for that crunch factor. The salad was good too. Nice size and fresh.
Let us not forget the best part though– the margaritas! On a previous occasion I had the big nose goes to mexico (what’s the deal with that name?). That was good but honestly this time I had the original margarita and added guava and it was perfect. My husband had an original margarita with nothing added and that was good too. I can’t tell you how much I love a margarita that’s not made with a crappy mix. I was also intrigued by a tray of shots and red chasers I saw so ordered whatever it was. Turns out they serve their shots with «sangrita de casa» a tomato juice mix with some spice. My shot was good just wished they served it chilled but I guess I should’ve requested it that way. I had never had sangrita before, that was cool!
Yes I definitely like Mercadito– fun atmposphere, good food, and great drinks!

Great place for Happy Hour or Dinner. Drinks are extremely yummy… I had a cocktail with passionfruit and it was delish!
The food is also very tasty, this time I tried the mango guacamole and traditional guacamole and the mahi mahi tacos. Everything was so fresh and amazingly good. Service was top notch.

Mercadito is the offspring of Chipotle and TGI Fridays. I mean, there is nothing gourmet about the food, nothing authentic, and hardly anything stands out besides the prices.
Don’t get me wrong. Mercadito has its merits. For example, it has a very nice and modern space, with beautiful clean walls decorated with modern artwork, work stations spread around the restaurant that give you the impression of movement, a very large bar area with lots of liquor and a great selection of Tequila and Mezcal. The outside area almost feels like an outdoor lounge and overall carries a very hip atmosphere. Mercadito seems like the perfect place to meet with co-​workers for Happy Hour.
As a matter of fact, that would be the perfect time to visit Mercadito, for Happy Hour. Prices on some drinks are cut in half, as well as the price of some appetizers. And that, I must say, would be the only reason why I would be back at Mercadito. To have some flautas and some guacamole.
But then again, the flautas and the guacamole are an incarnation of TGI Fridays secret recipe, and therefore belong on a waste basket. If Mexico ever had a franchise restaurant, a la Chili’s per se, the name would be Mercadito.
I have visited a couple times, and after sampling several items on the menu, my impression is that it is an OK place.
Of course, not everything is terrible at Mercadito. They carry a large list of tequilas and mezcales which is very impressive. And I appreciate the variety of tequilas, but when it comes to the mezcal, I have mixed feelings. As far as I know, mezcal is supposed to be an outcast’s drink in Mexico, comparable to drinking Milwaukee’s Best beer. That said, north of the border, it is premium liquor, and I applaud the exclusivity and the genius.
To summarize, if you are looking for a nice Mexican dinning experience, you must decline. However, if you are tired of Flanigans, maybe the spicy food and the tequila will make Mercadito your heaven on earth.

Whenever I feel like paying homage to my Mexican heritage, or quite frankly, any excuse to eat these awesome tacos, I head to Taqueria. My mom, whom I can thank for my being half Mexican, raved about this place so I decided since I trust her taste buds, I’d give it a try.
This is for their taqueria next to the restaurant– which is a no frills place. Keep in mind the place is not full-​service. Yes, it’s small, and yes, you have limited seating, but all I care is that the food is good. To start, their homemade guacamole is chunky and just plain amazing! I love their tacos– albeit they are on the small side– and I’ve tried all but the fish and vegetarian option. My favorite are the carnitas by far, and then a close second is the al pastor. I love the slightly sweet & spicy chipotle bbq sauce the pork is cooked in and the crispy onions give it the perfect crunch! Their tostadas are also amazing and quite large! So far everything I have tried I have absolutely loved.
So if you’re looking for some homemade tasty mexican food, check out Mercadito’s taqueria!

IF MERCADITO IS WRONG, I DON’T WANNA BE RIGHT. Yes, I’ve been to Mexico! Cancun, Cozumel, Tijuana, and Ensenada. OK, I know, I confess– I don’t know jack (or should that be juan?) about Mexico! So I couldn’t tell you if the food here is «authentic» Mexican or not. I can, however, tell you that it’s fresh, flavorful, fun, and delicious.
We caught the tail end of the Miami Spice promotion, which was an amazingly generous multi-​course feast. Their Margaritas are superb and they have plenty of tasty options for vegetarians. We tried 3 different guacamoles; I think my fav was the traditional because it seemed to have the best spicy kick. Among the tacos, the best are the «hongos.» They have a super rich flavor and meat-​like texture together with fresh herb seasoning. Really a treat!
The atmosphere is fun and service was quick. It gets a bit loud because the floors are hardwood and there isn’t any sound-​proofing. The staff was friendly and quite competent.
I’m a huge fan of Mercadito, and I’ll definitely be back!

I had been meaning to try this restaurant for a while when an amazing deal popped in my inbox: 2 for 1 Miami Spice! I was thrilled — it sounded almost too good to be true. I made reservations for a Wednesday evening and arrived with a little apprehension due to the coupon. I’ve had bad experiences with Groupons in the past, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
I have to say Mercadito accepted the coupon without complaint and provided excellent service the entire evening, despite the low price paid for the meal. I happily tipped the server 20% of what the bill should have been without all the discounts (more than tripling our bill due to the great discount!), each staff member who helped us was professional, polite and accommodating.
So A++ for service!
Ambiance is also great — we sat indoors at a booth. There was just enough background music to keep our conversation private, yet perfect for being able to hear each other at the table. The restaurant is beautiful inside, warm and inviting. Great for date night.
The Miami Spice menu this year included an alcoholic beverage, a sampling of two guacamole types, one additional appetizer (they have also several types of ceviches you can choose for this course), four types of tacos (you receive two of each type for two diners), a side item and a dessert to share. Probably one of the best deals for the money out of any Miami Spice menu this year, it comes out to a huge amount of food. We had to roll out of the restaurant by the end =)
We ordered:
Margarita tradicional — served in a stemless wine glass, it was elegant and tasty.
Chela (beer) — Modelo especial, only complaint was it wasn’t very cold.
Guacamole tradicional — traditional and good.
Guacamole elote — with corn added. I liked this one a lot better.
**Chips served with the guacamole were really tasty.
Queso fundido — melted cheese with wild mushrooms. Really, really tasty. One of the highlights of the meal. It’s served with warm corn tortillas. I will absolutely order this again.
Carnitas Tacos — really spicy, but a great combination with the meat and coleslaw.
Tacos al pastor — a bit spicy, but full of flavor. Loved the pineapple.
Pancinta Tacos — hands down favorite of the night. Absolutely delicious with pork belly. They were the hardest to eat though — be prepared to get a little messy =)
Nopalitos — I chose this side because I had never tried cactus leaf before. It was a huge portion that could have easily fed four. Tasty with a nice vinegar tang, yet not very exciting.
Morenita de chocolate — really good, although I have to say I could only eat a bite or two. I was stuffed!
We’ll definitely be back for more!

I LOVE Taqueria! I can’t say enough about them. It’s like a cheaper Mercadito with bigger portions and less frills. Taqueria is right next to Mercadito, so close in fact that Taqueria’s patrons use Mercadito’s rest– rooms.
Although there are no frills at Taqueria (no table service), the quality of the food doesn’t suffer and despite the bigger portions, the prices are much easier on the wallet.
I absolutely love Taqueria’s burritos, especially their signature carne burrito. Also among my favorites are their margarita helada and both their traditional and chipotle guacamole. Soooo good!
I am currently suffering from a serious Taqueria craving, which could explain why i’m reviewing them this morning. I really wanted a burrito yesterday afternoon, but unfortunately it didn’t happen for me. My fingers are crossed & hopefully i’ll be back soon!