Mercat

The Mercat is a curious one. It has gone through many rebirths over the years but it is (and I imagine always will be) a place for the market traders to have a drink after work. By that, I mean at 7:30 in the morning.
As my mom used to work there a while ago I visited quite often (not so much recently) and I’m not sure if it’s necessarily somewhere I would recommend to an outsider. It definitely has it’s locals and they’re not instantly very welcoming, but I have met some of the most colourful characters in there and never once had any trouble with any of them.
I must point out that almost all of my experience comes from the daytime, the rare occasions I’ve visited at night were usually some kind of goth or punk events but I couldn’t say if that is still the case now. It has crazy opening hours (7am to whenever 7 days a week) so it’s also a place to get a last one in if you are coming back from an all-​nighter.
It has had yet another rebranding recently as The New Mercat Bar and Grill and boasts some incredibly cheap prices on meals (the beer is also dirt cheap) but I think the fact that one of the offers is breakfast with a beer speaks volumes!
Personally, I like it. Good place to have a very late night/​early morning drink. But if you are into the gastro pubs and places that sell outrageously overpriced imported ales you might want to avoid.