A jewel on Balboa Island. Small family owned business, with great tasting Mexican food, with pleasant excellent service (Owner's Daughter?). I live out of town, or would make it a regular stop. My guest also praised very highly. Will go back, next time in Newport Beach! read more

What a horrible phone service! I called to get information on their 4th of July schedule, and the person who answered was so disgustingly rude! If this is the service I'm getting over the phone, I cannot imagine what service I'll receive once I'm there. I can take my hard-earned money somewhere else. I wanted to come here due to the fact that they're always empty, and I can now understand why. Fortunately, there are many other options. I'll take my business elsewhere. read more

My husband and I went here for dinner tonight. The food is extraordinary! Do not let the size of the restaurant full you. Their food is top notch from the salad to the slow roasted pork tacos that my husband and I had! If I lived here, I would put this on my once a week visit! Not only is the food delicious, but it's prepared in a healthful way read more

Cute Mexican dining spot on the island I had the steak tacos and hubby had bean and cheese burrito. Very good ordered 2 ice teas and fyi they did charge for refills. read more

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The food was average and over priced for what it was. The burritos start at around $20-22 with no protein!? Adding carne asada was like $6 more or so, and when it arrived there was little meat and lacked flavor. You'd get a way better burrito at The Taco Stand for about $10. A 2 taco plate was around $10 per street taco. We are in SoCal, there are so many great Mexican restaurants. Wanted to love it, as we frequent the island, but was disappointed with the items we ordered. read more

Really quick and easy to order salads with friendly service. Salads were fresh and perfect for a beautiful light lunch. read more

El Mercado Mexican Kitchen - Caesar Salad Platter to go - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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After living in Orange County for over 20 years, I cannot believe this was my first time eating at El Mercado on Marine Street right in the heart of Balboa Island. This location is prime, yet it truly feels like one of those hidden gems that mostly locals know about, which makes it even more special. The space itself is adorable and charming, tucked right into the island and surrounded by shops you can easily walk to before or after your meal. It is the kind of spot you stumble into once and then wonder how you went so long without knowing about it. The margaritas were absolutely delicious, and you can tell the mixers are made fresh. The ceviche was unreal. So good that my daughter literally drank the fresh sauce at the end. We ordered the carnitas and the carne asada, both cooked perfectly, tender, flavorful, and clearly made with care. What really stood out though were the homemade tortilla chips and tortillas. You can immediately taste the difference between store bought and freshly made. Same with the rice and beans, everything tastes fresh and intentional, like it was made from scratch just for your table. The service was excellent from start to finish. They offer a great happy hour from three to six, and Taco Tuesday runs all day, which makes this an easy repeat spot. To top it all off, the chef came out personally to greet us and surprised us with homemade churros. They were cooked to perfection, melted in your mouth, and dusted with just the right amount of sugar and cinnamon. This will absolutely be one of our new go to spots. If you are visiting Orange County, you need to add this to your list. It is one of a kind Mexican food that feels elevated, beautifully plated, and thoughtfully executed, like a Michelin level experience without the pretension. Walking distance to shopping, the bay, and all the charm Balboa Island has to offer, yet still feels like a locals secret. Highly recommend. read more

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The lady who first greeted us and took our orders was not very friendly, but the gentleman who brought our orders was very friendly. The place is clean and well maintained. The food was okay, nothing special about it, portions were really small and each dish was expensive, at least this was my opinion. e.g., a guacamole and chips costs $17, I liked the chips but the guacamole was not so special compared to other spots I've been to before. I'd not go back because I had much tastier and more authentic and affordable Mexican food closer to home. read more

Delicious food. I ordered the burrito and it was so good. The service was also amazing. They were quick bring out our food. You must order the chips and guac! read more

El Mercado Mexican Kitchen - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Late meal on the island . . it's unseasonably warm out now. . food was good, mexican spices & onions always make us thirsty. Got the bill and were charged for a second, third & fourth non alcoholic beverage. why didn't the server inform us?! there is also a charge for chips & salsa. . messaged the establishment on instagram and no response. No other mexican restaurants on this street lucky for them. read more

Good was great!! Good vibes and service. Our regular to go spot when we craving for some Mexican dish read more

Pretty good food, nice ambience, nice service , great location. We enjoyed our Groupon deal. read more

El Mercado Mexican Kitchen - Burrito and enchilada and margarita - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

We were on a nice walk around the island at Christmas time and we stopped in here because why not try something new to us? Really great decision on our part! Our server was professional and sweet. We each tried a burrito; El Mercado with asada and my two friends each had the Caesar chicken burrito. We all enjoyed our food. The salsa is the type I really love that I'm going to call puréed not chunky. Really fresh and I wanted more! The seating is very quaint and small and you can look out to the boardwalk. We all will be back! Congratulations on a beautiful location to eat! read more

I literally got goosebumps because it was so good. BEST MEXICAN FOOD EVER! The ambiance was so relaxing and peaceful. The service was so amazing. I will for sure come again!!! read more

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Overall this was really solid. The ordering system for Togo is phone in only unless you are in store... knocked the score down a little, the chips while tasty but were way over salted(see pic), waited on the phone to order for 15-20 minutes and had to call back. Brian was awesome! All the other food was really good... and excellent portions for the price and location. They just have some things to work out like the awkward inside seating and the tv menus that are turned off. If they can just work a few small things out this place will be great. They do some events like trivia during the week. Could be a 3 star but has a ton of potential, thus the 4 star. And bTW - I'm not some fake social media person as one review insists that any good reviews are... and if he would have taken the time to ask or speak to Brian, he would know... just call over and ask if Brian works there to know that review is the fake one... read more

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This was our first time to visit El Mercado. We had passed it a number of times on our walks down Marine Ave on Balboa Island. We walk the Island regularly. 6200 steps. We met Deja Bleu....a bright-eyed young lady who was friendly and helpful. She seated us at about 12 with no one else in the restaurant. By the time we left almost every table was filled. This is not really tourist season so it appeared that most were local. We decided to try it because of the 4.4 rating on YELP. I later read the reviews and it looked to me like friendly reviews...perhaps submitted by friends, and not one bit critical. I will try to correct that as I write alot of reviews on YELP and see reviews as an important way to contribute. We had: - tortilla soup with chicken - surf and turf tacos - chips and salsa - guacamole - carnitas taco The tortillas deserve special mention. The one other place for real Mexican food on the island is Todos Santos on Park Ave. and their tortillas fall apart in your hands and make eating tacos impossible. These tortillas are hand made in the kitchen and they are exactly right in firmness and flavor for tacos that will have shrimp and beef inside. The tacos was packed with everything - so much so that you could not fold them and eat...they immediately ejected their contents onto the plate but this is the way most people like them...overflowing with more meat and ingredients than you can hold in your hand....do most gringos eat a taco with their fork? Maybe so. Stupid gringos... The soup had a good flavor...packed with cubed chicken and vegetables...the shredded cheese was pilled on top, very stringy, hard to eat (it was very sticky and stuck to everything...my guess it was Mexican cheese but too much. The carnitas was cooked excellently ... very tender and very flavorful...I have eaten a lot of carnitas but this was as good as the best I've ever had. The surf and turf tacos were not what I expected...they were mixed instead of separate...I expected one tacos shrimp and one beef. They the combination was good - the shrimp didn't seem fresh or well-cooked. The guacamole was good...the chips flavorless...the salsa was bland and watery. All together I would say there might be a chef in the kitchen although they say nothing about him or her, there are some tell tales that a chef and not just a cook are at work. The Trip Advisor write-up makes it sounds like we're going to be taken for a whirlwind tour of Mexico. That promise didn't happen but it was generally good food well presented. There is no information about sourcing and preparation. They don't tell me what kind of oil they used to cook. They don't tell me where the chicken came from or where they sourced the shrimp or beef or pork. I had to eat it all on faith. To me, In today bad food climate, that will cost two stars from any rating. Presentation speaks well for the kitchen, but presentation is not food quality. They don't have a liquor license so be prepared to drink cleverly blended wine drinks. Because this is an outdoor restaurant sitting right on the street as people and cars drive by, it was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday. We probably ate more than most couples but $100 including tip for lunch for 2 seems at the high end of what we're accustomed to even for a street cafe. read more

All in all I wouldn't say it's a horrible place if you use the Groupon.. Margarita was a bit on the syrupy side but had decent flavor for what it was . Chips and salsa that you have to pay for would be a hard pass next time because the chips have a stale taste to them which I didn't care for.. the rice and beans were pretty good nothing special but decent and the tacos were definitely edible they just didn't pack a bunch of flavor I would definitely never pay full pop here but for the Groupon which was around 30 bucks you really can't beat it especially in Newport Beach but I'm sure you could find more authentic and flavorful food elsewhere if you want to spend a little bit more money all in all the services pretty good and the people here are nice and for what we pay you couldn't need a McDonald's for that so you got to give them that read more

Had dinner with tacos and margaritas - loved it! Our waitress was so nice and the guy serving the food was also very friendly. read more

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Great food. Priced fair way better than Javier's and amazing service. The food was delicious. Highly recommend.

Such a cute lil restaurant. Right over the bridge on balboa Island. Server was so sweet and informative and the food was INCREDIBLE. We got the steak taco plate and the grilled fish taco plate with chips & guac. Highly recommend read more

Cute little street-side restaurant on the main drag of Balboa Island, beautiful atmosphere and top notch service. The food gave me goosebumps, from the guacamole to the street tacos... we had three orders: the chicken, shrimp and carne asada and OMG! It was fantastic!!! And they adjusted my wife's plate for her food allergy without complaint. 6 stars out of 5. Will cherish this Valentine's Day dinner memory. Thank you!!! read more

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Great great spot! We went here at lunch time and our family needed something quick and delicious and we definitely found the place. Everyone loved their tacos and the lunch special with two tacos and rice/beans was cheap and perfect for what we needed. The food had a lot of flavor and each person loved their order. We had somewhere we had to be and we let the server know and she was on it. The place wasn't busy when we went but we had a bigger party so it was nice that the serve was so attentive. We will for sure be back and we will recommend for anyone visiting! read more

El Mercado Mexican Kitchen - Fish taco and asada taco - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Special carne asada came 30 minutes after we ordered. Cold. Meat was tough Not returning her. Mahi mahi tacos were ok. read more

El Mercado Mexican Kitchen - Carne asada plate - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Excellent food and drinks. Our server was so friendly, went the extra mile explaining the cuisine and specific dishes. Lovely atmosphere sitting outside on their patio on the adorable street! read more

Some of the best Mexican food I have had. The chef, Jason, is incredible and Vanessa, our server, was kind, warm, knowledgeable and professional. The carne asada platter and the carnitas tacos are insanely good! read more

Food was really good as well as the service during happy hour. Always appreciate the prompt service. We had tacos & margaritas & very very good. read more

El Mercado Mexican Kitchen - Fish taco. - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Ok- so there were 2 tales taken, the rest open... we went in with a party of 4, they asked if we could be split tables ... (mind you we have 2 kids with us) we said no and their response instead of giving us a wait time was "ok-she a good evening" it's a Tuesday night with no one at their restaurant... mind you we wen across the street and had a lovely few hundred dollar meal. Won't try El Mercado again. read more

If you want to try some amazing food- Mexican with a twist! The chef is always serving up something delicious. Last time I had the branzino and this time the short rib plate with a corn gnocchi, delicious avocado creama, and even the rice and beans had a flavor all their own. Not your typical Mexican - it's wonderful! This weekend Peruvian special for dinner! read more

El Mercado Mexican Kitchen - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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We spent a nice afternoon on Balboa Island today and ended the day. with some great margaritas and tacos! We ordered the shrimp and carnitas tacos. the flavor was so good and the corn tortillas were homemade and delicious. The young lady that waited on us was very nice as well. We will be back! read more

Terrible. Made reservations on line. Come in and were told "we don't have your reservation". No sorry, no smile, no apology of any kind. Just don't care. I had a confirmation on my phone which I showed the hostess. She shrugged her shoulders and walked away. Never again. read more

Reservation was made via Yelp today for 6 pm but when we came no table available and despite showing Yelp reservations on my phone- they said no reservation. wait for walk in way too long. We spent 20 min looking for parking just to stand there for 20 more min and leave. No apology was given. read more

This beautiful little restaurant is amazing. The food is absolutely perfectly seasoned and not too overly spicy. So pleasing to the eye and mouth. The service was personable and the drinks were amazing as well. My birthday lunch was topped with a Strawberry Margarita, a must have. This was worth the drive. read more

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The food was delicious! We had the pulpo tacos with homemade tortillas, asado tacos and cheese enchiladas. All were amazing! read more

This is one of our favorite hidden gems on Balboa Island. Every time we visit, the customer service is top-notch--everyone is incredibly friendly and welcoming. This was our fifth time here, and they actually recognized us, which made the experience even more special. We usually go for the fish and shrimp tacos, with chips and guacamole to start. And don't miss the margaritas--they're amazing. It's a great little spot that definitely deserves more attention! read more

El Mercado Mexican Kitchen - Guacamole and chips - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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We ordered takeout for 9 ppl and were really impressed with our food! We ordered aguachile, tacos, burritos, chips and guac and caesar salad. We enjoyed all of it. It was all a bit elevated...not grindy but also not too fancy. The food to a bit long to come out but the server was very nice and our meals were worth the wait! read more

Food was amazing, I ordered a carnitas burrito with no pico or cilantro. They got everything on my order correct and were very friendly.

my first time here today and I love it ! Great service, delicious food! I love the fish tacos, the burrito and salsa! Healthy food! Great margaritas!! I'm Mexican and I approve of this restaurant! read more

Warning- current website Happy Hour prices are incorrect! Not huge, but Happy hour Margaritas are $8.00 NOT $6.00! Happy Hour Tacos are $7.00 NOT $6.00...... Also- Margaritas are very WEAK! Made with Agave wine NOT tequila! Tacos were tasty but $14 for two with NO BEANS & Rice, was way too pricey. read more

I definitely recommend coming here! It has great food, sweet food and great Mexican food. Not only is the food amazing, but the service here is great here, waiters are really nice and patient with us. I would definitely come back. read more

El Mercado Mexican Kitchen - This was amazing! It's pancakes de mazapán. Very amazing and perfect if you have a sweet treat - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Wonderful surf & turf tacos! Great quick and friendly service. Ambience on Balboa Island is the icing on this place. Definitely will be back. read more