El Mercado Restaurant
El Mercado Restaurant
Mixed Grill Sizzling Fajitas Dinner Special ~ El Mercado Burnet
Custom order: 2 a la cart chicken enchiladas & side of grilled zucchini
Mexican martini
the interior of the restaurant
New HH menu as of 9/6/2024
Beef Fajitas, devoured
Fresca Plate Dinner vegetarian
Tex-Mex Smoked Brisket Tacos Plate
1/2 order pastor nachos
Strawberry Margarita
Tex-Mex Smoked Brisket Tacos Plate
Baja Plate. I think the shrimp upset my stomach. I found it tasty, but it didn't stay down.
menu
tacos, food
food
El Mercado Plate Dinner
Brisket Enchiladas Dinner
El Plato Bandera
menu
food
steak, food
wraps, burritos and wraps, food, burrito
tacos, food
Jerald M.
Feb 18, 2025
For many years, I had heard that the best cheese enchiladas in Austin were at Dart Bowl, and I did enjoy them. However, hands down, the cheese enchiladas with chopped onions at El Mercado are the best I have eaten anywhere! I have gotten the charro beans with my enchiladas which are fantastic, and the rice, with a hint of cumen, is wonderful! They also make a darn good margarita. The service was attentive, pleasant, and helpful. The venue is dull and old, but clean.
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John B.
May 6, 2024
El Mercado has been in the Austen restaurant scene for a very long time. The service is consistently top-notch, and takes very good care of you throughout the dining experience. The Tex-Mex food itself is very middle of road. They have taken a couple of the unique food items off the menu, and what remains is common Tex Mex. The salsa is freshly made, and has a wonderful flavor and it varies from day today because of the freshness of the ingredients. Nothing special about the ambience... Average food... Great service... Average margaritas, and cold beer... Not a bad combination.
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Diana V.
Nov 9, 2023
Lovely atmosphere, service and charm. Definitely white people mexican but honestly that's a vibe sometimes. Will for sure be back. The Mexican martini was delicious. Many Vegetarian options
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Aj F.
Oct 11, 2023
This has been one of my favorite places in Austin for Tex/Mex(mexican)I have been coming for over 7 years and it's always so good.Food-I have tried wide range of their offerings from apps to mains.I'm not a bit dessert person (sorry)Over all everything I have ever ordered has been great. Nothing major but the quality and portions are perfect.It feels like as if my grandma or a friend's mom was making dinner.Service-The staff is really really good. Typically when I would go I would have a server named Yvonne she was always so welcoming and it was always impressive that she remembered faces and folks orders. I say that because this place does have alot of loyal customers so to have someone remember so many details is very impressive to me.I have had other staff members as well and all have been great. The owner is also very hands on and when you go I'm sure you will see him around.Such a great feeling to see someone take such pride in what they have built in this city. We love to see it.Ambiance-It's such a great space.Large enough for big parties (call ahead don't be that group) and paired with a great outdoor patio it's perfect.They added some fake greenery to the wall that is nice. I wouldn't be mad if they maybe incorporated some life plants as well. (Totally doesn't effect the great space)Dog owners-I have seen many folks bring dogs as well to seat in the patio space. The only draw back with that I have ever seen there is there was one lady who took her dog (medium sized) and it was baking the whole time they were there and pulled a lot at the owners table to were the dog was basically at o their customers tables begging for food.I'm a dog owner and just don't appreciate the lack of consideration for other guests nothing on the restaurant.So if you bring your dog just be aware of others around you.All in all this is definitely a 9 out of 10 for me.
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Kelsie V.
Sep 17, 2023
This review is for take out, so perhaps others have better luck dining in. My burrito was almost inedible; I assumed the spinach would be sautéed along with the mushrooms (as it typically is) in a veg burrito, but it was uncooked. Super bizarre choice. The "salsa ranchero" tasted like straight up marinara sauce...just not good. I couldn't eat it. There are so many great enchiladas in town, but this ain't it. Servuce was excellent and so kind, but this is not good.
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Rebecca R.
Jul 10, 2021
It's been a while since I've been to this El Mercado location & while it used to be one of my favorite spots, I'm sad to report that it is no longer. I went to El Mercado on Weds. 6/16/2021 for my twins 21st birthday & we should've went elsewhere because the service was poor & the food was even worse. It was about 11:30am & my daughter wanted to order coffee but according to our waitress, they weren't serving coffee that day...seriously, no coffee on a Weds. morning...okay (insert eye roll) . The cook that day also must've been having a bad day because each of our plates were so bland w/ no taste at all. My 14 yr old son, who usually swallows food w/out chewing 1st didn't even finishing eating all his food & had we taken that food home, he would have had leftovers for the 1st time everrrrr. Our visit that day was disappointing for sure since we were there to celebrate our twins 21st & needless to say, I won't be returning to El Mercado any time soon. ~Rebecca out
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Carrie B.
Nov 2, 2023
Enjoyed a wonderful lunch here! Staff was friendly and welcoming. Restaurant is a cool place with an authentic Austin feel. Look forward to trying some other dishes here!
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Valerie W.
Nov 29, 2021
YUM. We stopped here on a whim after leaving another restaurant with terrible service. The host was friendly and seated us quickly. The booths still have the plastic barriers between them- love it! We were able to order quickly and we had chips and salsa on the table immediately. We ordered the beef fajita meal for 2. The meat was seasoned beautifully, it was tender and perfectly cooked. The salsa wasn't spicy but it had great flavor. The portions were great and we had food leftover to take home. We were able to get our check easily and paid quickly. From start to finish the service was flawless. The only downside was we do love when Mexican restaurants have several salsa options and we prefer Coke products over Pepsi. None of that changes the 5 star rating. Highly recommend El Mercado!
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Jordan S.
Apr 5, 2023
Drinks were FIRE!! And the best brisket taco! Queso was bomb as well. Definitely one of the best Mexican spots in Austin
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Jessica M.
May 26, 2023
Just a straight ahead, old school Tex Mex resto with great enchiladas, street tacos and tasty drinks. Take some salsa home for your next round of homemade breakfast tacos. Big shoutout to Gamaliel, one of the best waiters in town. Always friendly and never in a rush, Gamaliel is that rare gentleman who makes his guests feel welcome.
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