Mercat a La Planxa

The room itself is a Chicago Classic - gorgeous. The high ceilings and tightly packed tables create an energized and loud environment. That said, every item on the tasting menu was delicious - as were the drinks. The service was over the top. Fun experience!

Pre theater dinner

Very beautiful ambience how ever over price and extremely slow service took over 2 1/2 hours. The food was just okay.

We were 20 minutes late to our 7:15pm reservation on Valentine’s Day, the restaurant was so nice about it and seated us right away when we arrived. Our waiter/chef recommended awesome meals and appetizers. (The bacon wrapped dates were AMAZING order a plate or two) Free cost check, all the staff from hosts, to waiters, to management spoke to us and made sure we were ok. The atmosphere was busy but not at all rushed. We plan to come back ver soon!

It took 5 minutes to find our OpenTable reservation and 15 minutes before the first visit from the waitstaff. Every time the waitstaff stopped by, another waitstaff followed a few minutes later to ask the same questions. The food was great as always, but the service left something to be desired.

The food was very good and service was outstanding. Recommended!

One of our favorite restaurants in Chicago, the tasting menu is excellent, superbly prepared by a Barcelona born chef. Each and every dish fit within the entire progression of courses. The highlight was the Paella, with generous marine and terrestrial elements, of deliciousness infused. Paired with Spanish white and red wines, a wonderful experience.

The server didn't mention the Chicago Restaurant Week menu and tried to discourage us from ordering it. The dessert didn't match what we ordered. Most of the items were tasty, but some were incredibly salty. Also, the meat in the paella was tough and dry. Would not recommend this place to friends and family.

The service was horrible. The restaurant was empty and our waiter didn’t attend to us until 15-20minutes after we got seated. There was probably 2 other tables being serviced. Unfortunately the food was tasty. However, in my Mercat Benedict I found an egg shell. I sent it back and got a fresh one made without the egg shell. I brought it up to the waiter. They comped my drink for the troubles. I don’t think I plan to return. Very disappointed.

For how unhealthy and rich the food is, it could taste better. The potato omlet was good, everything else was unremarkable.

Recommend the scallops from the tapas menu.

I have to admit that the service overwhelmingly tainted our experience. Not attentive at all- didn’t clear plates, replace cocktails, check on us, bring our check, fill water... you name it. The ambiance is a bit tired and the food ranked just okay. The octopus dish was chewy and ridiculously salty, but no one even asked us how things were so I thought I would share here.

We liked the old menu better! But we did have a great time, as usual.

Came for restaurant week and was happy with the meal but disappointing that the first course was out. I was looking forward to the first course.

Went for brunch. The food was just okay. Nothing that I would order again and way overpriced for the quality. Service was also okay. The best part of the experience was the sangria pitchers. I would go back but only for drinks.

They were very pleasant and friendly. They made us feel special on our special night without us requesting any special package. We will definitely return.

Good brunch and decent portions, did the restaurant week menu and it didn’t disappoint

I have to say that their wine prices are 3 to 4 times the store price (they should be charging only double.) The room is large with very high ceilings and the temperature was cold near the windows (it was January in Chicago, BTW). The lighting isn't very warm in the room either. The last time we dined here it was a hot summer evening and natural light was coming in the large arched widows-- this was a much better atmosphere. Also, they advertise that they close at 11pm (on Monday) and we felt sort of rushed out of there at 10:30. The food is excellent and was presented like a work of art.

The food was good; service was not. We were here early on a Sunday evening when the restaurant had not so many diners. The host was congenial, gave us a great table, and took our coats away after we were seated. The waiter appeared with menus, answered a few questions and disappeared. Usually, restaurants can’t wait to get a drink in your hand. Not so here. Only two of the four of us were drinking, and a good thing, too. We had to flag down our waiter to order. Wine came just as the first tapas plates were served. The service thereafter was equally raggedy. Would we go back? Hmmmmm — not so sure. Food was good. But Chicago’s a restaurant town (and we live here so we know) and there are lots of options. We’d probably go elsewhere.

Great meal and service

Wonderful restaurant with amazing food! We got the Chef’s tasting menu with wine pairings. It was so much fun to sit back and relax while food kept showing up. You definitely do not leave hungry.

A wonderful place for an excellent, flavorful meal. They have a great wine list with a nice selection available by the glass. The service is attentive, knowledgeable, and very polite. We try to visit every time we are in Chicago.

Great food! Excellent atmosphere. Will definitely visit again.

the atmosphere is great and the food is wonderful. the service is excellent.

Food was good but I felt their options for tapas were limited. Also they were out of shrimp at 7:30 on a Saturday. Service was just okay. The worst part of the dinner was where they sat us, in a corner where you almost feel like your being seated with the party next to you. It was my birthday dinner and they did provide a free dessert but wished they would have saved dessert and given us a better table.

This really is based on my opinion only. Well most things were good but two of our dishes were terrible which affected everyone’s experience. The fist dish to avoid is the cheese plate with the spongy bread and Chardonnay jelly. Everyone at the table thought the jelly tasted like soap and spongy bread was stale and a looser. The worst was the short rib cannelloni. The pasta was mushy and the filling had a texture of foamy beef texture. Nobody could stomach more than a bite I would suggest the bacon wrapped dates and the croquets. The cocktails were excellent.

Sleek, modern interior. Excellent service. Classic Spanish tapas with an edgy flair. There are not many classy options along this stretch of Michigan Avenue so Mercat is the only game in town. And that’s just fine.

Been here many times when I visit Chicago. Food is always good. They forgot to bring one of the tapas and we did not remember it until the next day and we were billed for it. I guess I should have reviewed the bill more closely.

We were a party of three, one of whom had never had tapas. This was a great experience! The food was excellent, though not quite as good or creative as our favorite tapas bar in Evanston. The restaurant itself is lovely; a beautiful old spacious room with outstanding views, especially at night. As this is a downtown hotel restaurant, the prices are good. All in all, we had a wonderful meal.

Two friends & I went to Mercat a La Planxa on New Year's Eve specifically, because on their website they promoted a champagne toast with caviar and music. Upon arrival, we asked our server about that and were told all of that would be available downstairs. We were fully expecting to be toasting midnight in the beautiful dining room but that room closed at 11:00 p.m. (We were the only ones left at that hour), and we had to head down to a windowless room in a basement-like setting to toast the new year. Furthermore, there was no caviar, nor was there live music, as we'd expected. The food was very good as always, but we had high expectations for New Year's Eve which fell flat.

Food was okay. Some dishes were excellent, but others under the expectations. A nice steak plate cooked rare came out cut. The rareness was beautiful. However I still wonder what piece of meat that was since when you serve a rare meat one has to expect to be chewy but easily chewable if a quality piece of meat is used.
Noise level HIGH! Not recommended for romantic evenings

Very nice dining experience. Service was good, food was very tasty, ambience was excellent. I would definitely return or recommend it.

Not sure if it was an 'off' night in the kitchen, but we were so disappointed in the food. The tomato bread with ham appetizer was soggy. The lamb meatballs were teeny and lacked taste. The one 'save' for the evening was our waiter who was attentive and personable. Unfortunately, can't recommend this place.

Amazing food. I’ve been there three times, and each time I go, I am still incredibly impressed with the flavors. Whoever creates the recipes is a true artist. Highly recommend doing tapas for all to share so everyone can try multiple dishes. Very affordable considering the location, ambiance and quality of food.

Wonderful cocktails, food and service. Always on our dining list when visiting Chicago.

Beautiful surroundings with beautiful food! Will definitely come back

Hostess seemed bothered and took awhile for service. Reservation made a month and advance and only seats was by bus server station

Superb experience. We went with 6 people and had 6 tapas, 2 entres, and 2 mains (plus desserts for the table). All were excellent but the Lamb "lolliops", roasted pork, and almond soup were standouts

Delicious food% table was a bit messy and chairs are worn. Not exactly representative of a fine dining establishment.
Still, I would return for the chefs specials.

Great place to eat. The tasting menu is a great value.