I grew up in the area but moved away when I was younger. We always made it a point to eat at Mercado's when we were in town on a visit. We recently moved back to East Texas and made Mercado's one of our first stops. Not sure what changed but the food is not what it used to be. I am hoping we stopped in on an "off day" for the cooking staff. The recipes have definitely changed from what they were years ago. This change was not good. I miss the old Mercado's. Luckily, there are other great mexican restaurants in the area to enjoy. I guess we will be exploring them next time we go out. read more

I love this place! Yes, it's just another Mexican Restaurant in Tyler but the service is superb, the food generous, tasty and fresh. But I'm happy when I leave. Lots of cool stuff to browse through in their gift shop. Anytime I'm in Tyler I'm coming for a custom Margarita and delicious food read more

After reading all of the reviews we decided to take all things as a grain of salt and just go try it out! We have been blown away by the friendliness of the staff! The food was amazing. We tried the queso and elotes for starters, delicious!!! Our food came out quickly and was amazing too! We had a variety of food around the table! We had a large group and they sat us quickly in a room by ourselves which was great for our little ones! The waiter and wait staff were superb! We are a very picky family and none of the bad reviews proved us right! From start to finish... AMAZING! read more

We have enjoyed dining at Mercados for over 40 years. The food is consistently delicious and they continue to work on getting and training good servers. read more

Nope, no, never again. Their sign says the best fajita's in East Texas..... They lied. Let me just say we had much elsewhere. The fajitas were ok, but not outstanding. The salsa was anemic at best - what comes to my mind is canned diced tomatoes with light Mexican seasoning. Certainly a margarita would make it better...... Nope. Tasted more like cheap tequila with cheap margarita mix with no fore thought on making them. We came in with high hopes. Left completely disappointed. read more

I really hate writing this because to me the food is delicious !!! BUT they have so many problems. Honestly for like the last year anytime we call to place to go orders they do not answer the phone. They usually do not. Then if they DO choose to pick up they will ALWAYS get your order wrong . A l w a y s. This is from going there many many times for years and literally the last year or two their quality and service have tanked. Food is great and we would honestly eat there more often but it's too much of a hassle trying to reach them. Then when we arrive they do not answer the curbside phone line ...so we have to go inside to get our order ....which is wrong ....every time read more

I went there on a Sunday afternoon to meet a group of people. It took about ten minutes for someone to come to the desk where they give you menus and seat you. I asked the guy at the desk if I could get Tex Mex enchilada plate with NO TOMATOES. I have a deadly nightshade allergy. If I eat the slightest bit of tomatoes. I will get an upset stomach, vomit and spend two days feeling like I want to die, in bed. The guy said he would go ask someone. His don't-give-a-damn attitude made sure that I will never go there again. If they don't care about people like me with serious allergies, then I cannot eat there with confidence that I won't react to an allergies. All restaurants, unless they are classy, have cross contamination. Won't waste my time with these people. They don't get the concept of allergies and obviously don't give a damn about their potential customers. read more

If you want piping flavorful fajitas on a budget this is your go to Mercado's has been around forever I can remember my first trip here for food back in 2003 and it still tastes the same if not better. Drinks are good too and again will not hurt your wallet too bad like some of the other places and they have free frozen yogurt read more

Mercado's has been one of my favorite places for years but this evening was very disappointing. Food was average, service was below average, sopapilla was not fresh like before. Apparently they're now store bought and popped in the microwave. Their honey has been rationed and served in a tiny plastic cup. Change in ownership? Why the change? People don't mind paying more for service and quality food but when you start cutting back, you will lose your customers one at a time. Anyway, my #1 Mexican Resturant has fallen to #2. read more

My wife is home bound due to an injury. She wanted Mercado's so we ordered delivery. The combo fajita portion was NOT enough for a small child, let alone an adult, and there were NO tortillas. The Cancun dinner was ice cold on the inside. The outside was warm, but the inside was cold. This was the most disappointing meal we have ever had. After 20 years of patronage, I am afraid we are through with Mercado's. read more

Food is good but the service really stinks!!!

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in town! I've come here several times. It's a super casual place with fun decor. It's great for families and groups. They offer chips and salsa for the table. I don't love the chips, I think they're too thin for my taste. But I love the salsa. I got a house margarita on the rocks. I didn't particularly like this either, it tasted more sweet and too much mix. I ordered the chicken fajitas. The flour tortillas were amazing. They are handmade and it's fun to even see them making the tortillas behind the glass. I love the cilantro lime rice. The veggies on the side were well cooked and seasoned. They also offer sopapillas for the table for dessert which are absolutely delicious!! I will come back many more times! read more

This used to be a great place for Mexican food, but tonight when I ordered enchiladas with spicy green sauce, it was cold and the sauce was stuck to the plate kind of like those egg type aliens on Star Trek (tos) that killed people by sticking to their backs and sucking the life force out of them. The rice was dry and had no flavor at all. The other horrid thing was their chips and salsa. The chips were disgustingly thin like crepe paper and the salsa was so mild it was sinful. I crossed myself. In years past, this place served superior meals. Now it is expensive AND crappy. Obviously corporation takeover at work here. So sad. The only reason this place gets a star at all is because their overworked underpaid wait staff is fabulous despite corporate abuse. My waitress, Cori, was friendly, knowledgeable and quite efficient. read more

I love this place. The food is great! The atmosphere pretty unique. I love it. The staff is equally great as well. You must give it a try. read more

Mercado's - Love this atmosphere! - Mexican Near Me - Tyler, Texas

I will say I new previously that the Mexican restaurants were not good anywhere around. We still wanted to try it. Well it went like this. 45 minute wait so we headed to the bar where we found two spots at the bar top. We were the only two people in the cocktail/bar. The bartender (Kariah, got off receipt) didn't even greet us. I had to wave at her for service. Then I asked if she could make a margarita fresh (not from the pre-made machine) she said no. So I got a dirty martini- warm. By the way she didn't even greet us say hello or her name. We eventually ordered. Well this is what we received.... I took one bite and forced myself to eat it. Besides that this is the open tacos that were untouched. The beans were crusted to the plate and rice was hard. I gave two stars because the decor they were selling was cute) read more

During this tough time, we have really tried hard to, at least once or twice a week, patronize the local restaurants we love and want to help. We've gotten margarita kits from at least 5. Today we got chips, sauce, flour tortillas, queso AND a margarita kit. AS usual, Mercados is above them all. BEST service. BEST as far as including everything we ordered ( Sorry but Posados in Lindale - was the worst out of our 5) and THE BEST margarita kit of all.... read more

Mercado's - Margarita kit - Mexican Near Me - Tyler, Texas

They have been around for years, and there is a reason. Always good food served with a smile by friendly staff. They were a go-to back in the '90s for date nights or get-togethers with friends ... when you could get a table! They were always busy, and that has not changed. If you want top-quality TexMex, you won't want to miss a trip to Mercado's in Tyler! read more

great so far favorite Mexican place in Tyler, drive an hour here yum!! friendly staff and such a fun atmosphere too

I went in today to check out the new menu items and I found a wonderful fajita dish that turned my opinion of this eatery up to a higher level. The beef was extremely tender and had a tremendous favor. I could still smell the ocean in the plump great tasting shrimp that served to me as my other protein option. On the additional platter was an ample amount of guacamole, pico, shredded cheese and sour cream. The meal included the staples two items that you must have at every Mexican meal, beans and rice. I could eat just those two things and be happy. They served me a great meal that included everything I needed to make the fajita taco a different every time I rolled one up. All in all the service was great and I had a superb meal, I will be coming back often. read more

Classic Tex Mex always fresh. The ambiance is nice and Tex Mex ish; very colorful. Service is pretty good and standard. Margs are ok. Spicy queso sauce is bomb! Love the chicken enchiladas with white queso sauce and the mixed veggies as a side. Freshly made flour tortillas top it off! read more

We had a great meal here and had terrific service. I loved their chips and salsa! It was an overall great experience! read more

Mercado's - Salsa - Mexican Near Me - Tyler, Texas

Had dinner tonight with my husband. The food was delicious. Very filling. Our server was very busy but did his best to serve us the best he could. Will definitely be back to eat again. read more

Mercados used to be my favorite Tex-Mex in Tyler, but the wait times are too long for the inconsistent service and smaller sized portions being served. They should bring back their original menu as well as the portion sizes. I left hungry last I was there, and my bill for two was more than $45.00 without any adult beverages. Add in a tip and it is too much. Tables are too close together which removes all privacy and ambiance. read more

ATMOSPHERE! I sat in the bar and two tables were acting like fools! Cursing some serious words, really loud....GD, mf-er, mf-ing, do I really need to go on?! Ghetto language is not appropriate in any restaurant or bar where people are eating. There were three other tables besides these two and myself. The bartender, bar back, servers and two members of management heard it more than twice. What's wrong with the keepers of the zoo?! Haven't been there in a while, won't be back either. read more

Nope never again. The only reason I'm giving two stars is because Chase our waiter was patient, kind and helpful and the chimichanga was good and they gave fresh tortillas with the chips and salsa. Everything else was a flop. 1. The rice both the cilantro lime rice and Mexican rice was plain nasty. Can't even describe the taste. 2. The Tortilla soup tasted like tomatoes. 3. The Dr. Pepper had a funny taste to it. 4. They had a drink advertised that I really wanted to try but they could not find the price. Chase gave us complimentary sopaipilla to ease my pain and I totally appreciate him for that but I can't return to this. read more

Just a warning if you order margaritas ask about the happy hour ones, we ordered two house margaritas and the waitress asked if we wanted the big ones and we said sure, not realizing they were not included in the happy hour price. They were good but not at 10.00 a piece for house margaritas. When we received our Bill we were charged 40.00 if we would have had the happy hour ones our bill would have been 16.00. i said something to the waitress and she said "oh, those aren't the happy hour ones" Needless to say we were very disappointed and felt uninformed. A little Communication here would have been nice and it sure makes a difference. Also, spoke to the manager as we felt it very misleading. ( I don't think he cared by his attitude, that's why I wrote this review. As business owners our business succeeds from our customers and that's why we strive for the best customer service, we never want a customer to feel like they were taken advantage of and walk away unhappy. Not many businesses nowadays has the same Philosophy. Sad! read more

It's not all that anymore. Glad we sat in the bar area and had great service. This place was the go to more than 20 years ago when I left Tyler. Now that I'm back it seems they didn't keep up. read more

Normally go to mercado's at least once a month.This time we went to celebrate a co-worker's birthday. All the staff were really friendly,really enjoyed our waiter and I see what they have new managers. The menu has changed which was nice but the prices have also gone up a little bit. Also found out that soapaes are no longer free which is one of the perks of going to Mercado's. However they did add white queso to the menu which was good but if you don't like spicy you might want to be careful with it read more

I had a good experience with Mercado's, although I wouldn't recommend the fried taco. It was basically a corn tortilla, filled with ground beef and deep fried. Pretty greasy. But if that's your thing, knock yourself out. This is the first place I've seen a puffy taco but didn't try it. I try to avoid food that reminds me of a venereal disease. hahahaha Interesting atmosphere and a great place for large groups. read more

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Amazing food, everything was hot and delicious. The service was amazing as well, I was in and out, with a full stomach and a smile on my face. read more

I love the decor, friendly staff with quick service. I ordered the beef fajitas with charro beans and tortilla soup. The beans were a little salty but over all it was a good experience. I would go again. read more

Mercado's - Beef fajitas! Yum. - Mexican Near Me - Tyler, Texas

Thomas was our server. Wow! He is a caring attentive server and engaged us as we enjoyed a really good fajita combo. He is very professional. The steak was extremely tender and the garlic butter took it over the top. Loved having a choice of two sides from these offerings: Mexican rice, three types of beans, stir fried veggies, or tortilla soup. Loved the charro beans, tortilla soup, and the veggies (which I added to the my fajitas! We loved the atmosphere, the delicious food, the server, and the decor. read more

OMG they have the absolute best Chile Relleno's I've ever had anywhere! We were in Tyler on a fishing trip and ate there. I ordered it with rice and charro beans, both were good too. Beans had good size chunks of ham in them. Chips and salsa good too! I would drive the 2 1/2 just to go eat there. read more

We're from out of town and are here for the first time. Living in the DFW area we frequent restaurants similar to this one often. From the moment we walked in the door the service was excellent. The food was some of the best we have eaten. Our waiter Brett provided excellent service and was very friendly and knowledgeable. Michael the General Manager spent time at our table talking to us and ensuring that all of our needs were met. read more

Chips and salsa is really good! The queso is not. I've only had fajitas here they where really good! Service is always good as well. read more

Well, only one week after my first visit I returned excitedly for another great meal. This place has issues. They only had three servers on duty blaming that on federal unemployment benefits. They fail to mention that they most certainly don't just have three servers working for the store, but my money says they don't want to pay overtime. It took nearly 10 minutes for a server to bring chips and salsa. The margaritas tasted watered down and our server was agitated and called us impatient for getting up and seeking out someone -- anyone -- to get us some chips and another drink. We agreed as we left that this would be the last visit to this place. read more

Good solid food and service. I waited till my last day in Tyler to eat here and wish i would have done it the first day as I would have had multiple visits. BUT please clean the floors with a non greasy old dirty mop....it is slick and brings down the expectations. Also - you get a fork in a napkin - would it be to much trouble to get multiple utensils? I know it is Tyler - but they have a winner here. read more

Service was very good. Food was not original. Wanted better salsa. Not up to my cleanliness standards.

Not the best, not the worst... Actually good food but the service is spotty. It's hard to find good labor in this industry that is suffering and we support our local businesses.... You'd think that service would be a premium during these times...4 stars because of the food. read more

After many years of enjoying Mercados, I think the time has come to part ways. We ordered and left before we got our food. so many things went wrong during this visit that we just complete lost our appetites So many things to list. Place was very dirty Tables sticky Sodas were flat and waitress was rude about changing them out which the replacements were just as bad. Waitress was so rude even my 9 year old said "she's mean" The lady passing out the chips basically had us serve ourselves So many more things but I would write forever. We won't be coming back especially since there are many other alternatives in the area.. read more