Mercado

Brendan

TL;DR: This is one of the BEST upscale and quality Mexican restaurants in Southern California. This is an excellent quality craft Mexican dining experience which is difficult to beat. Order the guacamole, that’s a must. I also recommend the filet mug on tacos or the mole enchiladas. Absolutely one of my favorite Mexican dining experiences, hands down. The food and drink are unlike much Mexican dining I’ve ever had. To start, the drinks are carefully made with good amounts of liquor, they’re unique, and they stray away from many artificial fillers. Delicious! The food is on another level. Everything seems like it was made from scratch. It’s also well presented. The guacamole is the best I’ve ever tried at a restaurant. The food is cared for and the flavors reflect the high quality that the chefs place into making the entree. The service here is also excellent. At first, I thought maybe this place was a little too fancy for our family as we were strolling around in sandals and vacation clothes. Not at all. They were welcoming, helpful, and fast. Excellent service. Many casual folks here just looking for amazing food. One of the best Mexican dining experiences I’ve ever had. I thought I was spoiled by the food in NorCal. I was wrong. 10/10

Mayur Patel

This is a wonderful Mexican restaurant with good options for every type of water - carnivores, omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans. I tried the Chile rellino and I was pleasantly surprised because it came in soup/broth. The guacamole was fresh and excellent. The chips were perfectly salted. Next time I will have to try dessert here, because apparently it has the best flan in town!

Daniela V

We went to Mercado for a nice dinner while staying in Santa Monica and the food was AMAZING! Delicious cocktail menu with a great Tequila selection and so many amazing meal options. Service was excellent, definitely worth the trip for us!

Jason Locke

I can’t not give this place a 5-star review. I’m in town for a conference and had to get away by myself for the evening. Found this place and just wanted to sit at the bar, drink a margarita and eat some food. But it was packed. Not a seat available! I had totally forgotten that it’s Cinco de Mayo. 😱🤣 Manager was outstanding. Squeezed me in between two reservations. I wasn’t allowed to linger, but that was fine by me on this occasion. I had items off their special holiday menu. Ceviche was fresh, spicy (almost too much) and delicious. I had striped bass with beautifully grilled vegetables, rice and sauce. That was outstanding. I enjoyed the special blood orange margarita. It might not have had the most generous pour of tequila, but it was a perfect partner to the food. Service was attentive, polite and efficient. The atmosphere is excellent. From the outside, this place doesn’t look like much. But I had a great time and enjoyed my dinner.