Mercadito

The atmosphere is moody and lively. Very nice and clean indoors. The service here was great. Waiter gave us good recommendations and popular dishes. Very fast service. The dishes come out as they're ready and most dishes are meant to be shared. We got the guac trio which I highly recommend. All three were delicious and good to share. Mango was our favorite. Drinks were tasty. We got the cucumber marg and I highly recommend.

It's been a long time since I reviewed this place, and even longer since I'd been there. I perceive things have really changed since my last trip. I know... years will do that.So last night for dinner, I feel our waiter was just super annoyed and he was being kind of short. See, we are vegetarian and I certainly was asking about a lot of customization options. In the tacos, they basically only had one mushroom taco. There used to be slot more. Then he told us a few other tacos where they could make.ir veggie, but making it veggie just means putting carrots and zucchini in it and charging the same price. Like... All zucchini all day all around and nothing else. I'm like... Anyway, we were already there and despite his rudeness we ordered the mushroom one and just one zucchini one. Then zucchini one was pretty horrible. Mushroom one was good.Separately, the quac was decent. Side potatoes weren't crispy as i'd have expected.Then we got these $30 shrimp enchiladas. And I'm like... Can we just remove the shrimp and have that? He's like, veggie means carrots and zucchini, but I asked if he could ask the kitchen. I guess they agreed but clearly he wasn't happy about any of this, but he's like are you sure you want that because it will take an extra 25 mins (it took like 20 and we were eating the other items in the meantime, so it wasn't all that bad). And yes, I timed it. More importantly, I didn't like the enchiladas anyway, so it's all neither here nor there.Too much hit and miss for my liking and curt service which I don't expect when I'm paying $30 for a cheese enchilada. We still tipped the guy 20%, by the way. I don't even know why, but I probably shouldn't have. The place was still nice in terms of ambiance and crowd. Probably 60-70% full at 8pm-ish on a Friday night. Not bad.Regardless, I won't be going back here. Way too many good options in Chicago to deal with this. It's ok, not every place caters to everybody and I'm good with that. Now I know.

This was my first meal that I ate in Chicago, and wasn't particularly impressed. The actual restaurant is super clean and has a nice ambiance; the service is also really fast and was super efficient.The food was disappointing. I went with the tacos de pastor, which tasted good, but were extremely small. They also were fairly pricey. My friend, who got quesadillas, got a much bigger portion and really liked the food.Not a terrible spot, but don't get tacos if you're hungry because you probably will leave hungry.

This was what I expected for an elevated take on tacos in River North. The salsa trio was fun to try and compare heat levels. First time also trying pineapple guacamole. Loved the carne and brisket tacos. Filling enough not to need sides. The staff were on their A game when it came to refilling waters and checking in on our table. One thing that was odd - we put our table's order in and we're still eating chips and guac. Maybe 5 minutes later food was starting to come out, but it was staggered timing. So we were waiting for each of our 7 guests to receive their food. It would have been a better experience if our table's food came out at once. Keep in mind, this is probably not the best place to have an intimate conversation, as it's very loud with the music. I could see have a group birthday dinner here, but personally I would only come back if I were eating with one other person.

Being that it was cinco de mayo it was fitting to have Mexican food. Upon entering it's a lovely spot, trendy, upbeat music and relatively comfortable seating. It's a nice place and fun for a night out! We had a reservation and ended up in a booth that faces outward. Up first, chips and salsa! There are a few salsa options, we went with the habanero, which is spicy, but I loved it! We also had the green salsa, I don't remember the name, but the flavor included a pickled taste that I wasn't fond of. The chile arbol salsa is pretty good too. The chips were amazing, fresh, hot, and not from a bag! I love their chips - well done! I ordered a spicy margarita, unfortunately, it missed the mark for me, it had a sweetness that just wasn't working. I really like spicy. The drink was good, just not what I had a taste for. Our waitress Evelyn was kind and accommodating.I had the langosta tacos on corn tortillas. You receive four tacos! Nice!! The tortillas were nice and fresh and soft. These tacos were quite tasty, including the jalapeño emulsion which has a nice, mild, garlic flavor and it is not spicy. I added some habanero salsa... yum, I would order again or maybe try the shrimp tacos next!

Conveniently located at River North near Merchandise Mart, Mercadito has a wide selection of Mexican food and cocktails. I tried the Spicy Mangorita, the mango flavor was spot on however I expected it to have a little more spice. My suggestion would also be to have a tahin rim instead of basic black pepper which did not complement the drink. The tacos were hot and my favorite were the Lobster tacos. It's important to note that they serve 4 of the same tacos a plate. Wish there was an option to mix and match a taco plate. The 4 taco style works well for family style but not for individual meals. They have an open dining concept so it could be hot and humid as there aren't as many fans. The low lighting creates perfect vibe for date nights. Last but not the least it's a great place for birthdays as they serve the best flan!

This restaurant is conveniently located in the heart of River North. They offer a variety of drinks, including margaritas, Palomas, and non-alcoholic options. The trio of guacamole and salsas was delicious, and the street quesadillas provided an interesting twist on the traditional dish. However, I found it a bit pricey for the portion sizes. Additionally, the combination of loud music and chatter made it difficult to hear conversations across the table. Despite this, it's a cute spot for a date.

It's a hot sunny day and the restaurant was cool and dark. It's not ideal, but it's a setting for that day. We were there to cool off, get margaritas and mezcal and something like to munch on. The ceviche mixto was good but the chips were too thick. It wasn't busy yet so we were able to get good service at the bar.Since we didn't try anything else, 3 stars for now.

The food here is soo gooood!!! So good! The service is great as well. I was very surprised considering some of the reviews posted on Yelp but I would revisit. I came with a friend and we shared the pollo tacos, mango guacamole, and steak. I can't speak for the cocktails, but I'm sure you can't go wrong with a margarita!

If you're looking for a Spanish vibe this is the place. Fancy ambiance. The restaurant itself is pretty loud. If you are there for date night or to converse, good luck hearing the other person. The food is pretty decent portion to share, if you like to share. The margaritas were delish, I wasn't a fan of the watermelon margarita. But overall this place was a great outing.