Mercadito - River North

The food and service was great but the place was a bit loud.

It was our first time at Mercadito and we really enjoyed it. We were seated quickly and received good service even though it was crowded on a Saturday night. We plan on coming back again.

Food and service over the top. Spacing of tables too close together but overall a wonderful experience

The food was delicious and moderately priced. I got the carne asada ($27) which came with two pieces of asada, nopales, a mini quesadilla which came with a side of beans and rice. It’s a cute place but the tables are way too close together, it is far too loud in there I could barley hear my boyfriend speaking and he was sitting right in front of me in a tiny table. It’s rather dark in there but that didn’t bother me as much as the noise level and the crowdedness of the restaurant.

Service and food were great!!

Great for girls night!

Fabulous food, drink and service. Excellent list of tequila and mescal. Order several plates to share among your group. A great dining adventure.

When I mentioned that I wanted to order from the Happy Hour menu, the server’s attitude totally changed. It was almost as if he didn’t want me to see it. Instead of suggesting how to get the best value, the waiter stayed away from us, and we were not able to order another drink before the Happy Hour ended. Also, the time for the Happy Hour is different online than it was when I arrived. Online it is from 4-7p. In the restaurant it was from 3-6p. Bait and switch! The food was good, though.

Our waiter was amazing. We enjoyed the food and the restaurant was not as packed as it usually is so it was great.

Food is always great and service always attentive.

We love Mercadito and go often, but the service has been very slow the past two times we have gone. The food was still amazing and the drinks were great. Our favorite tacos were the lobster!

Nothing to write home about

Service was terrible. We were seated and no server came to greet/take out order after 15 minutes of just sitting there, making eye contact with staff. After asking two bussers if we could please order, the manager on duty came and told us how he wasn’t a server but he would be taking our order. He then left and came back after a couple of minutes. At that point we ordered our food and were told by the manager, I believe his name was Kevin we would be receiving a 50% discount due to our situation. We got the check with no discount. It was one of the worst services and I could see how other tables were frustrated as well.

We eat at mercadito once a week and it’s always been great, however the last three visits have been terrible. the service level has gone down. One specific server has been the worst. A female server we’ve had during multiple visits takes 15-20 minutes to greet us and take a drink order. We just visited for New Year’s Day and we ran into the same issue. she took 15 minutes before greeting us, and another 30 minutes before checking in-when I had to ask if we could order food. The drinks were strong but way too sweet. This is really disappointing, since we love this place, but I think it’s time to find a new weekly place. Best of luck mercadito, hope you notice how bad your server is performing and get back to your amazing service.

Comida deliciosa, el menú un poco caro pero era entendible por ser víspera de Año Nuevo. La mesera que nos atendió muy buena y servicial. Los meseros que te llevan la comida no tanto (no podías pedirles ni agua, porque te decían que te atendía la mesera.. esto podría mejorar).

En general una muy buena experiencia, definitivamente volvería.

El guacamole, salsa, esquites, tacos de carne y el postre fueron espectaculares 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

News Years Eve, Great food & cocktail!

Made a reservation via open table. There was no note regarding the prefix menu for NYE. We didn’t mind it but if you’re going to offer a prefix menu at prefix menu prices the service has to be on par. We sat for 10 minutes and no one took our drink order, the rest of the night was just rushed. Plates piling up on each other while we were still finishing courses. Asked three different waiter for tortilla chips, and two different waiters for the bill. All while management took a picture with the photo op sign. Would’ve paid good money for any other prefix NYE menu in town. The food was good but overshadowed by the lackluster service and attention to patrons.

Mercadito is always our go-to but the NYE experience was not the best. Our server was not aware of the menu and was as if going over it with us was the first time she'd seen it. Our drink order came in incorrect and she tried to limit us "per table" for part of the fixed menu when it clearly said "per person". This made for a so-so overall experience.

Great dinner on New Year’s Eve.

Love the vibe here! Delicious margaritas. The tacos were delicious. Try the lobster or brisket tacos, delicious! The guacamole is fresh and tasty. Tried the seasonal pomegranate guac. Loved it.

Loved it! Food, ambiance, service - all fabulous

The food was poor, we ordered the short ribs which were so fatty almost inedible and a round of skinny margaritas that were super weak. We were excited about this restaurant. Super disappointing.

Perfection in every way! Finally the music volume has been lowered. Thank you!

Been there many times and they never disappoint!! Had three different types of tacos and all were amazing.
Would always recommend Mercadito's to anyone!

We found the Mercadito to be very loud, over crowded and extremely overpriced. Also, what Mexican restaurant charges extra for chips and salsa...Mercadito does! Food was good but very small portions. Forget about changing your mind during the ordering process because as soon as the server enters it on his handheld the order is sent to the kitchen...no changes allowed. Finally, we never spent so much money for simple Mexican food in our lives...way over priced. Would not recommend the Mercadito.

Amazing tacos. I’d higly recommend Carnitas de Puerco. Big size of portions. Quality of service and desserts can be improved. Our server barely had time to listen to us as he was running around and taking care of maybe more than 10 tables. He entered the tip amount himself and asked me to sign which was not very nice. I had Spicy Chocolate Cake and I am not a fan of it, will try something else next time.

I felt like I was being Russ her to leave by the waitress. After eating at the restaurant. I order food to go and ordered rice that was not what I was expecting. I communicated this with the waitress and she was hesitant about taking it back even though it wasn’t touched and she tried to convince me it was something that it’s not. Bad experience. Never going back.

Service was Excellent! Great food! Great location!

Amazing food!! The street tacos were fantastic as was the traditional guacamole. Definitely recommend!

Server was rude. That says it all. Besides being over priced and food nothing exceptional

I addition to being rude, my purse was draped over back of chair. Server got snagged on it and broke strap. No apology or attempts at restitution. I just let it go but I’m still annoyed.

The drinks are good, but the food is consistently terrible.

My husband and I came down to Chicago to see a matinee of Hamilton. We looked for highly rated restaurants near our hotel before the show. We really loved the ambiance of this restaurant and the food matched.

Service and food excellent. Music very loud. Hard to hold a conversation due to the noise level.

I had a Pepino El Pyu cocktail, it was a margarita with a cucumber mixture, it so delicious and refreshing! We ordered traditional and seasonal guacamole, they were both so fresh and tasty. Finally I had the carne tacos ( small but packed with steak) which were fantastic! Not over the moon on the Tres Leches though, although it was good. Our server, Benicio Was very friendly and attentive, as well as all the other staff. I really cannot wait to go back!

Food and service was great as always. Just wish they’d go back to 3 tacos per serving. 2 is too little and 4 is too much.

Everything was pretty great except for dessert.
Tres leche was bland.

I have never been in a restaurant so loud. We waited a long time for our reservation then when finally sat there was a mix up and our table had people at it. Had to wait once again, at this point we left. No food is worth the level of noise or lack of organization, will not return.

VERY loud and very tight seating ... could barely avoid bumping elbows with our neighboring tables and the crowd volume was so loud we couldn’t carry a conversation. There was plenty of food on the plate but was only adequate in flavor (mole tasted burned).

Too loud but otherwise excellent - great food and fun place

The food and service were great. The noise level is very very loud, and the tables are way too close to each other. You hear all of your neighbors conversation unless you are yelling with those in your party to have your own conversation.