Worst experience I have had in Chicago in the 2+ years I've been here. I used to like this restaurant but last night we came for drinks and some food. Huge mistake. When we asked for a table, they initially told us there weren't any even tho there were plenty of open reservations that we could grab online. Then they miraculously found a table for us. The service was awful. We asked if they had mocktails and were flat out told no. We asked a different server we knew and he said that absolutely they could make virgin margaritas. Our server kept coming back every 2 min for the first 10 min and then told us that we only had 90min at the table and disappeared. When we finally ordered food, he only put in one of the orders even tho it was very clear what we wanted. Then he disappeared. Flagged him down 10min after the first plate arrived and was done, come to find out he never put the order in and gave an excuse saying he was checking with the other people at the table. The person that put the full order in was seated right next to him. Cool ambiance. Decent food but overpriced. Tacos are tiny and 4 won't fill you up. I would avoid this place on service alone. read more

Unfortunately, we will not be returning. The busser/server would come up from behind and just take things that we still needed without asking anyone. On many occasions we had to stop her or ask the waitress for another because the busser would just take it away from the table. If there is a person away in the restroom, you do not just take her plate or her napkin without asking somebody if she is still working on it? Frustrating as it happened frequently, that we had to guard our things. We never received the Guac when ordered, and the waitress didn't even notice that we were still waiting on it, and we had to ask her where it is- somehow it was missed by the kitchen. Lastly, portions sizes were not great - the salsas were so tiny- and as a larger party we had to continue to ask the waitress to refill our chips, which should've been anticipated that we needed more than two small bowls of 8 chips. Food tasted great, but the service did not make for a great experience. read more

The food was great! Raphael was a wonderful and attentive server. The place was busy and a little loud worth it.

The food was amazing. Some of the freshest Ceviche i've had in a long time. I loved the subtle spiciness in the mango guacamole, it went perfect with the citrus Mahi Mahi read more

Mercadito - Esquites - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Yana was wonderful! Super full of energy and so kind! It was my birthday and she brought out a dessert!

Raphael was fab! Great food and atmosphere. Tacos were solid. Drinks were fab. Great service.

Great food, a pleasant ambiance, affordable prices, and excellent service. Our waiter, Yana K, was attentive, friendly, and made the dining experience even better. Highly recommended! read more

The guac was delicious and I highly recommend the enchiladas! Very filling but light and flavorful. Yana was a fabulous server and brought amazing energy to make sure our table had a great time! read more

Came for a casual weekday dinner! Service was a bit slow to order food after getting our apps but the food was quick to come after. We got the guacamole and chips, shrimp tacos and elote. All were good but kind of wish the shrimp tacos had some more toppings - flavor was great though! read more

Mercadito - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We went in for brunch and had a good time. The chicken tacos, street quesadillas, and elotes were our faves! The bottomless margaritas didn't disappoint either. If you're looking for good food and drinks, definitely stop by. read more

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We are Streeterville locals and easily the best tacos no matter which one you order! Guaranteed or we will come take them from YOU!! YUM!!!!! read more

This was my second time here and this is a great place to come with friends or for an intimate dinner. The top floor has amazing music and vibes, a little on the louder side. The bottom is more intimate and a little quieter but still a vibe. The food is so delicious with many options to choose from. Highly recommend getting different tacos to try. The waitstaff was really kind and quick with everything. Definitely will be coming back again! read more

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Love their mimosa brunch special! It's always a good time there and our server Yana made the experience all the more enjoyable :)

Was able to snag seats at the bar before the craziness of cinco de mayo kicked in. This place is nice and the food is decent. Drinks are strong. Our server at the bar, Michelle was noticeably more attentive to everyone other than my friend and I, but all in all, it was decent evening read more

I've been here a few times in the past, and came here last night for dinner with friends. Luckily, we made reservations because after 6pm it got really busy. Food was great. Had chips and guac for an app. Ordered a sweet margarita that was on fire when it arrived to our table. My entree was chile relleno stuffed with cheese, lobster and shrimp with a side of rice and beans. Both were very filling. The creamy sauce that came with the chile relleno was really good. My only gripe was I think there's a time limit of how long you can stay because of the amount of reservations they get. We got our check and wanted to hang out, but we were told by our waiter that the manager would buy us a drink and let us sit downstairs because they had to turn over our table. It was a little confusing. The manager was supposed to come by and escort us downstairs, but he never came. We wound up leaving and going to Fado's down the street. read more

The food was DELICIOUS!!! and that is coming from a Californian aka the land of Mexican food. My team and I stumbled upon this restaurant walking around the city and what a delight!. They were able to accommodated a party of 15 which was greatly appreciated. The vibe was very chill and the food was hands down amazing. I personally had he grilled red snapper on a bed of Mexican slaw. In addition, I had the guacamole, ceviche and potatoes which were all mouth watering. This is definitely on of my new favs when visiting Chicago. Give them a try you will not bet disappointed! read more

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Went here for restaurant week dinner with a group of 5 friends and we loved it! The decor itself is very river north esc & feels more contemporary then barrio across the street. It is very loud, but you kind of expect that in this area. Service was great. Very nice, quick & attentive. They will take off the credit card surcharge if you ask. We ordered drinks and we all enjoyed our cocktails. Dex works extremely flavorful, and the espresso martinis are made with tequila which tasted incredible. The food was the star of the show. You get a LOT of food for the price. The quac, ceviche & chips were addictive. The flauntas were crunchy with a slaw on top. The best part of the mail was the tacos. We got the grilled mahi-mahi tacos, the Carne, tacos, and brisket. The brisket and steak tacos were incredible. They both had such unique toppings, and just tasted very elevated. The mahi-mahi taco was good as well, but tasted more like a typical fish taco. We also got corn and rice/beans sides. These were very good as well. Overall, I would definitely come back here and would actually be interested to see how the brunch is. Definitely an upscale Mexican restaurant that actually has good food and feels worth the price with the portion sizes! read more

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Really great vibes in this restaurant!!! Felt like a trendy, hip, food spot!!! Our waitress was fabulous and our food was great too! Highly recommend the spicy margs and Brussels sprouts with pork belly! read more

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Great night! Margs were flowing! Our waitress, Emma was a star! Emma! Emma! Emma! Emma!

The food was really good. The buzzkill was the hostess telling guests that there's a 90 minute table limit...so we felt like they just wanted us to hurry up and eat and get out. Wasn't a great first impression. The seating is also very cramped. Like bumping into people's tables when you're trying to get to yours. The restaurant is really pretty but the noise level is too loud. Although the food was good, feeling like they want you in and out, in addition to the cramped seating we will put this on our "do not go" list. read more

Service was great!!! Attentive to our drinks and chips. Wait person provided recommendations and they were all great. Salsa Especial from the trio was my favorite. Spicy but not overbearing. Great mixture of flavor and spice. I was so full from the chips and pineapple guacamole that we barely finished the entrees. Highly recommend this place and there is so much more to try that if I'm back in Chicago I would definitely come back. read more

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My favorite place. If I could eat lobster tacos and drink Misty's Sleeve cocktails all day, I really would. The decor is cute and the vibe is always live, hip and colorful. I love how the core elements of the menu stay there same, but the recipes are tweaked every so often. Always a great and exciting experience. Keep it up! read more

Mercadito - Pork Belly Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Mercadito is located in River North's hot spot area and it is a good authentic Mexican restaurant. I've been to this place a couple of times, recently visited on a weekday with a friend and it was surprisingly packed. We ordered a side of Guac (mango) and chips and it was ok, not that great. I ordered a Vegan mushroom taco which was quite good (although a bit dry) and my friend ordered Chipotle shrimp tacos. They don't have any hot sauce on the side so we ended up ordering the Habenero salsa and it was SOO good! I might end up going back just for the salsa. They also offer a wide range of cocktails/ drinks, we didn't order anything on this visit as it was a weekday. Although I've tried their mezcal based cocktail before with Dos Hombres (any mad BB fans?!) and it was quite good! It's a great place to try good authentic Mexican cuisine with decent food and drink options! read more

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Best food ever , staff is very personal and professional. True showmanship in drink creation and service after the sale read more

Mercadito - Cucumber mojito I think - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Sorry to say this was underwhelming. Sat around for 20 minutes waiting for appetisers that got lost in the order g process, but no problem - mistakes happen. It was really the food that was underwhelming - tacos were just not flavourful- proteins were, but the build, the spice just meh. Makes me cry when two margaritas are $41 incl tax/tip. No wonder fewer people are going out to eat. read more

Janessa was amazing!! She was so attentive and constantly checking on us. The food was so good. The unlimited drinks Amigas Sandras hit the spot. 10/10 recommend . read more

Mercadito was an absolutely delicious & semi-pricey meal. It was my husband & I's first day in Chicago, and we wanted anything but deep dish pizza (sorry Chi-town!). It was between Mercadito & Barrio, and we ended up with Mercadito. The vibes inside were immaculate - loved the boho chic décor and the corner table we got was a 2 seater booth. We had a reservation, but it was a Thursday at 6 ish pm, and we were able to get seated right away. We noticed a lot of business diners and assume they came for the happy hour (which we missed by 30 mins). Anyways, we ordered with our stomachs and ended up with too much food. We started off with the queso & plantain fries which were both absolutely delicious. The queso came with corn tortillas instead of chips, which was a surprise! It tasted amazing, and I was quickly getting full after eating the tortillas. For my meal, I had ordered the mushroom tacos since I'm a vegetarian, which were okay in my opinion. I do like mushrooms but don't love them, so seeing a taco with pretty much only mushrooms was a downer for me. My husband ordered chicken tacos which he loved. As for the cocktail, I ordered a watermelon margarita which came with a tajin rim and that was so freaking delicious. Overall, I would recommend & if I came back again, I would come for happy hour only. read more

Mercadito - Watermelon margarita - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Super super cool place. Set up and decorated so uniquely. Food is solid and a completely tequila-based drink menu! read more

Mercadito - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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the food was super good! our server and a host were rude towards us... he didn't bring our drinks, snatched my friend menu out her hands, and ignored my friend when she was about to order. we told a host we'd wait outside the restaurant for our reservation at 8:45, and got seated until 9:10. we had to go up to the host to remind them we were still here... she was rude "we called for you everywhere" no she did not.. don't work in the food industry if you're not a people's person . read more

2 stars for the food, but service and wait time for drinks was trash. Can't enjoy bottomless drinks with a 90min time limit if it takes 30 minutes to get mimosas don't post on tik tok to get clout if you can't keep up with it. We finished food before drinks came. They add additional charges that unless you ask them to remove their charging for no reason. Menu says 20% gratuities added to bar tabs unless asked to be removed, as well as an auto 20% gratuity for parties of 6 or more... (as a server that's a low ass and petty number for an undeserved tip) and a 3% surcharge is auto added whether it's cash or card unless you "ask to remove it" Wasn't worth it and doubt I'd recommend this to anyone I actually like ‍ read more

Mercadito - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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. read more

Food and drinks were good. It had a nice ambiance as well! Good variety of food including veg options.I would go back. read more

Mercadito - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here for a bday brunch and had such a nice time. Food was great, good ambiance, and great service. Jose was great and helpful. Thank you! read more

Food: the ceviche was good. I also for chips and tomatillo salsa. I was disappointed that you could only order an order of 4 tacos and the same tacos. Can't even mix and match. It was too much food for me. The menu is simple, but I do think has something for everyone. Service: I sat at the bar and the service was good. Very attentive alt all times and happy to make suggestions. I enjoyed the ambiance - they played the same songs a million times, but it was a good vibe. read more

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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! read more

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Glad we dined here during our visit to Chicago, the tacos are delicious. Cool vibes too!

Met an out of town colleague for tacos. He was staying in River North so we chose. The place is really fun and had great energy. We got some chips and guacamole and then, I got the pastor tacos and he got chicken. The value was good. They're not winning an award, but in a city of amazing tacos, they were pretty good and would probably be the best tacos in most other states. read more

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! read more

Mercadito - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great location. Hosted an event here and could not wait to get there and did not want to leave.

Mercadito has always held a special spot to myself and my husband. 7 years ago it was where we had our first date :) they still to this day never seem to disappoint! The tacos and margs are always delicious and service is great too. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a nice night out! read more

Mercadito - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois