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Merkado Mexican Grill & Bar - Fairfax, Fairfax, VA

Merkado Mexican Grill & Bar - Fairfax

3.6
3.6
32 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican / Southwestern
At Merkado Mexican Grill & Bar, We Celebrate Mexican Heritage throughout our Modern Mexican Cuisine.

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Cuisines
    Mexican / Southwestern, Tex-Mex, Mexican
  • Hours of operation
    Tue–Thu 4:00 pm–11:30 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–2:00 am Sun 11:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (703) 343-6688
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual

What 32 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.6
3.6 based on all time ratings
  • 3.6Food
  • 3.6Service
  • 3.8Ambience
  • 3.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Washington, D.C. Area

    Hot spot

  • Virginia - DC Suburbs

    Hot spot

  • Virginia - DC Suburbs

    Lively

32 Reviews
  1. OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 16, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience1
    Estuvo fatal todo, una comida horrible y si leen este comentario, pues le ahorro su viaje a este lugar y su dinero

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  2. Kara

    Washington DC

    20 reviews

    1.0

    20 reviews

    Dined on July 28, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience1
    We made a reservation and got to the restaurant only to find it closed. Sign scribbled on the door. They should have called their reservations to let them know not to come!

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  3. AnnieD

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 8, 2023

    overall2food2service3ambience3
    Good service, nice live music, OK food but extremely overpriced.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Jason

    Washington DC

    20 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    20 reviews

    Dined on July 2, 2023

    overall5food5service4ambience3
    Merkado was a pleasant surprise. The food was excellent, the meat was grilled to perfection and the sauces on the side so you could decide how much you wanted. The service was friendly and efficient.

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  5. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    7 reviews

    4.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on July 1, 2023

    overall4food5service4ambience5
    The food and drinks were excellent! The shrimp fajitas were delicious and the street tacos were tasty.

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  6. OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 1, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Rec this place, food is good and the environment even better

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  7. dcmimbo

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 9, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience1
    Not Mexican but more so Salvadorian. Food was disgusting, cold and brought in waves. Margaritas tasted of soap. Overall "HORRIBLE". Would never return nor recommend to anyone. A disaster in Fairfax.

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  8. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    1 review

    vip
    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 4, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience3
    Some of the worst food and service in the area — Taco Bell has better food 😂 The live band is excellent, but the DJ is meh (just like their drinks 🍹). Definitely eat somewhere else before and then come over to dance. Get there before 10 PM; otherwise, they have a ridiculous $15/per person cover 🤦🏽‍♂️

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  9. StevenM

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 26, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great and authentic Mexican food (finally) in this entire area. Lots of places that claim are Mexican food but only actually Central and South American and the tastes and salsas are very different. Good menu. Excellent ceviche and queso fundido. They did it right. Great selection of tequila and they nailed it with the cantaritos.

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  10. TomM

    Washington DC

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on May 16, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    The food here is really great - not your typical tex-mex dishes. Amazing shrimp cocktail.

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  11. Rick

    Washington DC

    71 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    71 reviews

    Dined on May 14, 2023

    overall3food4service2ambience3
    Food was good but they were really running late in the kitchen. The waiter came to tell us that there was no food runner and thus everything was behind. At the end we got our food and was good but just be patient if you go.

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  12. CristhianC

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 14, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Me and my husband had a great time. Food was a little pricey but other than that, it was great. We will come back again.

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  13. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    1.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on May 6, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience4
    Never got our order after waiting 90 mins at table

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  14. CathyE

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 5, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience1
    Went on coco de Mayo. Understaffed. Overbooked. The tacos were not very good.

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  15. OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 5, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience2
    Went for cinco de mayo. Unfortunately had an awful time. My family of 4 was there for a whole hour and barely got water. Had a 6:15pm reservation and after we were seated it was like no waiter was assigned to our table. After getting up to speak with front desk twice and asking for manager we decided to leave. Seated at 6:15pm and left at 7:20pm with only waters on the table. Never got our margaritas or any food, even after placing our order twice with the waiters we manager to flag down. Was such a waste of time on what should have been a fun night. So disappointed.

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  16. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    6 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on May 5, 2023

    overall3food4service2ambience4
    Nice ambience. Good food. Nice waiter. Food took an extremely long time to come out.

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  17. OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 5, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    A big shout-out too Karla, our server. Karla was always smiling, attentive, and knowledgeable about the food. Even thought the music was so loud, my husband and I had an excellent time. Food was delicious!

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  18. Leci

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 17, 2023

    overall4food5service5ambience5
    Steak was AMAZING!! Bartender was great! Wish they had some type of music in the background. Would definitely go back.

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  19. blancaf

    Nashville

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on March 18, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great for a birthday celebration. The food, service, atmosphere, and drinks were awesome. I enjoyed the music from the live DJ and live band!!

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  20. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 25, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Everything was a 12/10! The food, drinks, customer service and ambiance is AMAZING! Definitely a hidden gem and if you haven’t been, you definitely need to get there! Sit in Bryan’s section, he’s WONDERFUL!

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  21. NicolleP

    Washington DC

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 15, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Muy bien recomendado. Fuimos por primera vez para san Valentín, y todo estaba exquisito. La comida muy rica!

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  22. KathleenC

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 15, 2023

    overall2food3service5ambience1
    Our server was fantastic! He was attentive and knowledgeable. We enjoyed him. The ambience, however, was horrendous. The music was way too loud and we couldn’t hear each other speak it was Valentine’s Day! We just didn’t understand the need for music to be that loud The food was fine, but it didn’t seem like it was worth the expense.

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  23. PatN

    Washington DC

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 12, 2023

    overall2food1service2ambience3
    I would not eat here again, its not a good representation of Mexican food. Meat on asada tacos was overcooked (burned) and dry. Birria tacos had tons of horrible fat pieces and sauce was not birria sauce, some salty red chile sauce. Queso fundido was made with the wrong kind of cheese and had a cheap half slice of sausage. TexMex enchiladas with ground beef were the worst, ground beef burned and the sauce was a mixture of store bought taco seasoning. Tres leches cheesecake cake was dry, no leche in it, and couldn't taste any cheesecake. Top shelf ordered Frozen Margaritas had the cheap liquor pre blended in it with a shot of Patron mixed in for double the price....not a good taste! Food prices were rather high for the quality of food served. Quimbao Band was great! Music mix was also very well enjoyed. Family party atmosphere was fun and lively.

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  24. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    11 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on January 28, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience5
    I usually don't write bad reviews unless I feel like people should be warned. Horrible experience! Our server was brand new but had someone helping her but they both still messed up everything. We ordered queso and got this gooey mess of melted cheese with sausage and hot peppers (after specifically asking what queso would not be too spicy for our kids). It was not like any queso that we had ever had. Then my order came out wrong by giving me queso sauce all over my enchilada but I had ordered chili con carne sauce for it and the server remedied it by bringing me a bowl of chili con carne but by that time everything was cold and I already had a gooey layer of queso on my enchilada that I didn't want. It was disgusting. My kids said their steak quesadillas tasted like plastic and then when we got home, we realized we had been charged for two extra kids enchilada dinners that we did not order. Do not only was the service and food terrible, but we were ripped off too. Do not go here!

    Is this helpful?

  25. WageSlave

    Washington DC

    24 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    24 reviews

    Dined on January 8, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Decided to try a new spot for Sunday Brunch and booked this reservation without knowing much about the restaurant. What a great surprise to find it tucked into a corner of the Fair City Mall that had previously held restaurants that never caught my interest. The food was delicious and the waiter cheerfully provided a recommendation when I had trouble choosing between several appealing dishes on the brunch menu - the recommended dish with carnitas, eggs, potatoes, pickled onions and other delicious things was perfect. The tomatillo salsa was particularly enjoyable. I look forward to visiting for dinner in the future.

    Merkado Mexican Grill & Bar - FairfaxResponded on January 15, 2023

    Thank you so much for the positive feedback. Wage Slave It's great to hear from you, and we're so happy that you're so pleased with our menu options. Again, we're very glad you had an excellent time with us. We're looking forward to your next visit.

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  26. TerriA

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 5, 2023

    overall5food4service5ambience4
    Good food at reasonable prices. Large space with tables well spread out. Nice people and pleasant , efficient service.

    Merkado Mexican Grill & Bar - FairfaxResponded on January 15, 2023

    Thank you for for being so kind and sharing your thoughts! We hope to see you again soon!

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  27. OpenTable Diner

    Unspecified

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 5, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Never disappoint! My wife and I went to try this place the 2 week they opened and we love it, we love the decorations very clean, has attentive staff!. My piedra y fuego , tacos de cheese birria was amazing We will be back every week to support neighbors business

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  28. JerryS

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on December 31, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    This was our first time at Merkado. The food was outstanding and the staff were very friendly and courteous.

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  29. SorayaR

    Washington DC

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 25, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    wowwww, service was great, I loved it. food was good and music awesome

    Merkado Mexican Grill & Bar - FairfaxResponded on January 5, 2023

    Thank you for being so kind and sharing your thoughts with us, SorayaR We're very happy to know that you're satisfied with your experience with us We hope to see you again soon!

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  30. Scott

    Washington DC

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 23, 2022

    overall2food3service4ambience2
    It was so cold in the restaurant that we had to wear our jackets. The food was fine but the prices were outrageous for what you were getting. We will probably never go back.

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  31. LCee

    Washington DC

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on December 18, 2022

    overall5food4service4ambience5
    Went on Saturday night. Live band was fantastic, fun night of dancing. The quality of the meat was great. I was disappointed by the lack of birthday dessert offered when I wrote in the reservation that it was my partners birthday. The food was a little on the bland side.

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  32. AliceK

    Washington DC

    3 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 8, 2022

    overall2food2service3ambience3
    Food was just ok.

    Merkado Mexican Grill & Bar - FairfaxResponded on January 5, 2023

    Good morning, Alice I'm sorry if something happened, could you please follow up directly to me? I would like to find out more and possibly make it up to you, if you allow it. phone number is 703-343-6688 Thank you for your time.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Merkado Mexican Grill & Bar - Fairfax is rated 3.6 stars by 32 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Google Map for Merkado Mexican Grill & Bar - Fairfax

9650 Main St unit 10, Fairfax, VA 22031-3740

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Fairfax
  • Hours of operation
    Tue–Thu 4:00 pm–11:30 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–2:00 am Sun 11:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Cuisines
    Mexican / Southwestern, Tex-Mex, Mexican
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Wine
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