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All Reader Reviews of...
Mercadito
179 Ave. B, New York, NY, 10009
nr. 11th St.
212-529-6490
| 6.8 | "Recommended" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10 |  |
A screw in my taco!!!!!!!!! :-(
AllyF from 11000 | Posted on 9/23/09
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I used to LOVE this place. Unfortunately last time that I was there w 2 mexican friends, I got shrimp tacos, the first one was excellent, but for my surprise, while I was picking up the second one to eat it, I felt something sticking out from the tortilla. So I found A SCREW!!! A 2” black screw IN my taco!! First I thought it was some kind of like shell from the shrimp but when I opened the taco to see what it was I found the screw!!!! I was so disgusted, thank god i didn't bite it, because maybe I wouldn't have swallowed it but I could've broke my tooth!! When the waiter came because he saw something wasn't ok, I told him I found a screw in my taco, so he called I guess the manager, he apologized and went to the kitchen, he came back and explained to me that there was a loose counter in the kitchen so one of the screws must've fell in the food!! They were really sorry and they did apologize, but they only gave me a free drink.
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Amazing
CD682 from 10306 | Posted on 8/21/09
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Found this place on this website, and have been going there ever since, staff is very friendly, food is amazing, make sure to try to fish taco's and Red Snapper, Great Drinks, not many places make the michelda as good as mercadito, you have to try it if you like spicy mexican beer ! if going there on the weekend make reservations ahead of time !
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Surprisingly Great
mfc14 from 10016 | Posted on 1/26/09
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We had an incredibly nice and attentive server, and an overall excellent experience. Despite the fact that I was about 1/2 an hour late, the host sat my party without me - contrary to most restaurant's rules. Upon arrival, I got a delicious, refreshing, not too sweet margarita. My partner in crime and I split two taco dishes - the mahi mahi and the steak. Both were really good. The mahi mahi was hot and crispy and delicately spicy, and the steak was a nice interlude, a more mild dish but flavorful none-the-less. After we took care of our check for dinner, we loitered for about 20 minutes, not rushed out by our server or anyone else in the least. When we decided to stay for one more drink, we were happily served, despite our worries of annoying our waitress with the request. All in all, a great experience! (The only drawback being that the space is very small, and sometimes gets a little smokey with the open kitchen right in the middle of the room. )
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Cant get enough
Wino from 10007 | Posted on 12/4/08
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My boyfriend and I go to Mercadito at least once every two weeks, either for their amazing margaritas (tres citrus!) or for an entire dinner. Most times that we only go for drink we end up getting at least an order or mango quacamole or ceviche. The food here is to die for, especially the mahi mahi tacos! It never disappoints. The space is small and sometimes if just going for drinks its uncomfortable to wait in the cramped hallway near the bar, however we always do bc its worth it. The manager knows us now and is very hospitable. The waiter service can vary but overall its worth the trip.
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STINKY
iREALLYloveNY from 10016 | Posted on 12/4/08
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LITERALLY- this restuarant smells like a bathroom or urinal or something! The food is extremely overpriced for what it is and the margaritas are just not right! Our service was ok but to be honest the restaurant smelled so bad I am not sure why we stayed. Tacos, burritos, whats coming out of your bathroom!
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Great Food/ Poor Service
MexicaliLeo from 10023 | Posted on 11/6/08
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I actually am updating this review, because my iniital review was of Mercadito Cantina (same owner, same block). Since then I have been to Mercadito proper and while the food was of the same great quality, the service almost had my date and I walking out. We were 2 of 4 people sitting at the bar in a totally empty restaurant on a weekday. It took almost 15 minutes for anyone to ask us what we wanted and after ordering those initial drinks we had to wave down the bartender (who was 2 feet away) for anything else we wanted each and every time. The other main difference between the two venues is that this one actually serves tequila... In my opinion, stick with the Mercadito Cantina, the trade off in alcohol is worth the better (albeit not great) service.
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Waste of time and energy
olid99 from 10010 | Posted on 8/20/08
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The restaurant completely lost our reservation and did nothing to accomodate us when we were there. We were told "it should only be 5-10 minutes" three times and finally got fed up and left. I get the sense that they did not lose our reservation but rather did not have the guile to just admit that they were full. Like other bullsh*t NYC restaurants, the policy at Mercadito is to take more reservations than they can honor in order to ensure that they get business. Considering we tried to eat here on a Tuesday, I can only imagine how many frustrated customers wait for their "reservations" on a weekend. Save your money and eat at Papaya Dog instead.
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Nice place, too bad I was rushed out the door
superad13 from 11103 | Posted on 5/22/08
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I went here for dinner with a few friends. The food was great, especially the guac. The restaurant is really small but in a good way. Everything was fine, until we were practically thrown out after we paid our check. I was not at all impressed with the rude service.
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Avoid this place
tothemaxx from 10028 | Posted on 1/24/08
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Went here last night after hearing some good things about this place. I should have probably stayed away from the moment when I made a reservation for 6 people 1 night ahead of time and was told "sure, no problem." For larger parties, they seat you in the back, which has an ever-so-nice urinal aroma. Being lazy, we didn't bother leaving but normally I would have walked out of the place. The service was good but the food wasn't particularly fetching. Ceviche was ho-hum, not particularly exciting. The margaritas were nothing special and somewhat bland. We had the baha fish tacos, tacos al pastor, and the cactus leaf tacos. The fish tacos were actually pretty great but the pork in the pastor was dried out and the cactus was rubbery. Despite the good reviews, you're better off avoiding this place.
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Hidden Treasure!
slandry from 10026 | Posted on 1/22/08
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This is a hidden gem in Alphabet City! After not being able to get into the trendy Death & Co. for dinner on a saturday night, my husband and I happened upon Mercadito on Ave B & 11th. We got seated right away in the tiny yet very cozy and romantic restaurant. The restaurant only seats about 14 people, with a small bar for 8 people, but its very cozy and very romantic. It is dimly lit with candles and has french doors in the front that look out onto Ave B. The food was phenomenal! The guac is excellent and the flavors were authentic mexican. The menu included various types of tappas to share such as little gourmet tacos (pork & chicken mole, Tiplapia) to other well known mexican dishes. Every little bite was so flavorful and so unique! The Maragaritas were yummy and so potent (be careful)...made with top nitch tequilla. The service was great...the wait staff and host are very friendly and accommodating which is sometimes rare in nyc. Great date spot..I can't wait to go back! (reminded us of our vacation in Cabo)
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