Mercado is one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever enjoyed. The blood orange margaritas were spectacular, the coliflor con escabeche (roasted cauliflower with peppers that I thought were poblanos, but turned out to be jalapeños) was sublime, and the broiled mahi mahi over Mercado's "Cahuenga Cucumber Salad" (look it up on their menu - WOW) with their fresh guacamole blew my mind.
I’ve been a Mexican food aficionado since before most of the waiters’ parents were born, from Charro’s in Arizona to Rosa Mexicana in NYC to Aguila y Sol in Mexico City and never, ever, have I enjoyed a dish more than Mercado’s enchiladas, or their guacamole. And the Blood-Orange Margarita was no slouch either. Thanks also to great wait staff, including Tasha. See you again, not soon enough!
Awesome little spot!...so trendy w great food and service!! Props to our killer bartender!..he made the best spicy cucumber margarita!!
Great food and one of the best margaritas I have had. I wasn't crazy about having happy hour only designated in one area (it was full), but the food was to good to dock them a star for it.
The carnitas plate is second to none. I don't think there's a single thing on the menu that I don't like. Best Mexican quisine in Los Angeles.
Great Mexican place. 7 of us go the second floor nice table with no waiting. I had Kale salad was the best. Favorite guacamole was so good. Kids friedley. Staff so nice!
Fish Taco's that just keep on giving!!! Corn side that you can never not order!!! Guacamole that you'll need to order for life!! Habanero salsa - another life long ingredient that I will never leave behind.. Then the flan and the ice cream!!!! Forget it - the best. Then imagine you just came home to family when you get there.
Simply the best!!!
This place is amazing!! The grilled spicy corn is a must have- the perfect blend of savory, spice, and sweet. Our party had the enchiladas, carne asada and the scallops entree and they were all excellent. My husband had the blood orange Margarita and said it was delicious.
They have mint lemonade which I have never tried anywhere before. It was delicious and refreshing. The chips and guacamole was rather tasty and enjoyable. I order Tamale for the main course, but I indulged in too much of the chips and guacamole to eat more than a bite or to of the Tamale was was very good. The service was excellent.I highly recommend patronizing this establishment.
Perfect aervice, amazing food, great ambience! Double checked even by the manager! Great experience will definitely be back!
Yummy yummy. Margaritas, Dos Gringos tacos, guacamole to die for...
Really great food. I loved the tamales and the chicken mole enchiladas. The guacamole and salsa were great as was the cinimum chilo ice cream. I coming back soon
Christopher Norton Morales
+5
Luis served us tonight for dinner and was as amazing as the food and drinks! The Mahi Mahi topped with Pineapple salsa pico de gallo with vegetables from Santa Monica Farmers market and rice with yellow mole sauce was delicious and the Tres Leches cake OMG!
Dined there last night. Sat upstairs, which is more quiet. Food was amazing! Dip duo, with guacamole and choriqueso was spectacular! They need to jar and sell the choriqueso!! The red sangria and jalapeño Margarita was awesome. Both of our dinners were fabulous....nothing disappointed. Wish this place was in Kansas City!
I am from chicago and I went here 2 times while in Santa monica. The food is absolutely delicious and the staff is incredibly friendly. It does get busy so go early or make reservations. If I am ever back in Santa Monica I will be going back! Try this place you will like it.
Excellent dinner and wonderful service - a great night out!
A bit away from the Santa Monica Pier. Cool air and open space. The water was refreshing. Service was great, consistency and teamwork from the team of service. The food had unique flavor and fused with Mexican dishes with a bit of American. Definitely worth a visit while at the pier and no wait time as a plus.
Team Ultimate Exposure William & Bug
+5
So we were in town last night and were looking for a taco Tuesday. We stop at one place will not say any names and it was absolutely the worse so we decided to try this place. Well let’s just say we were happy we did. From the moment we walked in you can just tell from the way it looked that they take very high level of pride in there restaurant. We were greeted by the host and we said we would just take a seat at the bar. The bar area was cute probably had about 8 to 10 seats there. The bartender was very quick to say hello and ask us if we needed anything. He told us about the specials and told us about the happy hour menu. So we decided to work our way with the whole happy hour menu. And let us tell you all the tacos were amazing. The nachos were outstanding and the service was spectacular. When we were done with one plate someone came right away to clear it out of our way. And the food came fresh, hot and everyone was great. We will definitely go back again without a doubt. We saw other food coming out and it all looked amazing
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!
Update: the Papas tacos were really good and freshly fried! the churro ice cream is delicious, with pieces of churro in the ice cream, I would highly recommend.
Hand down, some of the best Mexican food and spicy margs you can find in LA. We’ve loved our meals every visit and the service has been wonderful. I personally love the cauliflower tacos and my partner has loved both of his fish meals. The guacamole is great too and I highly recommend for sharing with a group.
Excellent food and service. The pastor tacos were particularly good. The drink special for the day - pina colada margarita - wasn't the best idea.
Tasty food considering they dumb it down for the white locals. The Jamaica marguerita is bomb.
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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
My wife and I, plus my dog Leo had a great dinner tonight. Some of the best food we’ve had while in town. Mike was also a great server. I will definitely be returning.
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.
First Time Visiting This Place. We Managed To Get Same Day Reservation Within 1 Hour Of Our Arrival.
Guacamole Was Freshly Made, Tortilla Chips Were Hot.
Drinks Are Really Good, Well Balanced.
Handmade Tortillas For The Tacos.
Shrimp Plate Was Delicious, In My Opinion A Little Too Much Lime On The Rice.
Mole Oaxaqueño Was On Point, Good Portion Size.
For Dessert We Got Flan And Cake, Delicious.
Service Is Really Good, Fast And Attentive.
Overall I Would Definitely Come Back.
4.5 / 5. Elevated Mexican comfort food with elevated prices. Guacamole with tortilla chips: well presented, chunks of avocado, crispy/baked chips. Tacos: pork was good, steak was better. Beware the ceviche spicy carrot. At around $9 USD per taco (2 per order) it might be a little hard to wrap the mind around, especially the 4 tacos mentioned above will run you $37. Mezcal Margarita: decent.
Really nice restaurant with a great happy hour menu. Definitely love the carnitas tacos & mashed potatoe tacos. The carnitas plate with the guacamole is not on the happy hour menu but was delicious. Topped off the night with a Michelada.
Everything was fantastic. The tacos, margaritas, and guacamole!
We loved getting off of the busy 3rd street promenade and found this place on 4th street
The drinks were amazing and they have an excellent happy hour. Try the El Amante margarita. It’s the best! My Aperol spritz was excellent too.
You MUST order the duo appetizer. It’s 1/2 guacamole and 1/2 cheese dip. I’ve never had anything so good! It had mushrooms in it. So yummy!
(We ate it so fast I didn’t get a picture of it)
I had the dos gringos tacos. Fabulous.
And my hubby had the carne asada entree which he loved. My brother had the shrimp entree which looked yummy too. (I didn’t get a bite of it)
The flan was good and perfectly prepared.
We are amazed how well the staff worked together. From the hostess at the front, to the waitress, and all the runners who delivered the food. Everyone helped a lot and made us feel well cared for.
A must in Santa Monica!
Mercado is a great restraint with an awesome vibe. The food was great. The mix drink were a good pairing. Staff was helpful and courteous.
We were there at open on a Thursday, it was not super full but could definitely see it pick up shortly after open.
Great drinks and appetizers! Our recommended rib eye steak was burned and overcooked, we asked for medium. Friendly staff and service! Recommend their guacamole, Queso and seafood ceviche and churro 🍨 ice cream, don’t need to drive to Santa Barbara for it ☺️
Delicious food, great drinks and superb staff. Everybody made us feel like celebrities that night.
The steak was just perfect and you get the best flan in the Universe!
Thanks again for everything, Jesse!
This is one of the best Mexican restaurants in Santa Monica. Service was amazing. Ambiance is great. Totally recommend this place for everyone.
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