Mercadito Grove

Came in for Sunday brunch with 15 people, and we gave the host 5 minutes notice. The food was amazing and the staff super accommodating. Margaritas were fantastic. Estilo Baja tacos (beer battered mahi mahi) were even better! Some of my nearby friends ordered the Pastor (pork) sandwich and were crazy about it. Never made a Unilocal review before but felt compelled to give this place some love based on a great experience. Also they got us good and drunk. We will definitely be coming back.

$ 5 guacamole is on point. Gotta love the price.
$ 5 pineapple margarita is ALL THAT AND A BAG OF LAYS!!! As a non drinker I wanted to chug one down in a swiftness.
Looking for cheap decent Mexican after work… Take a walk, train, cab ride over. It’s a cool place

Came on a Tuesday to enjoy Tacos and happy hour until 7pm. They had excellent margarita’s and so-​so pork taco’s. The chips and guac were decent.
The total bill was so cheap, considering how many drinks we had.
I walked by recently and saw that they’re closed?!

Some people think fancy tacos are silly but these are really good fancy tacos. They used to offer all you can eat on Monday nights but I think they realized this was too good of a deal, and people could eat a lot more delicious tacos than they thought.
Also they have just about the best margaritas I’ve had in town. Kind of pricey, and space is tight, but very good.

Came with some friends for drinks and tacos. The margaritas, the guac, and the tacos were all exceptional. The outdoor seating is also a big plus.

We went back with one more person (so 5 of us.)
The menu was a bit odd, it only contained the tacos, guac, salsas, and a few appetizers. There were no main entrees listed.
We were eventually able to ask before we ordered and it seemed that the grill was not working so they had to change up the menu. They could have told us before but oh well.
Drink:
a carafe of red sangria [enough for 4.5 glasses] for 35 dollars (didn’t list price on menu.) Not enough guava as before and there was barely any fruit in the glass. 2.6. We also got this very late, right before our entrees and after the guac.
Appetizers: We had the guac as before (see previous review,)
Mains:
People had the salad (from the appetizer) + 1 with chicken.
The one with the chicken was the original salad with some chicken on the side. Was it mixed in? Nope. 2.0
I had the Al Pastor taco which was oddly sweet. Needed either more pineapple or that sauce should not have been as sweet. 2.5 for price/​taste. I was still fine with eating it but it wasn’t Al Pastor.
Another person got the fish tacos (see previous review).
A final person got the vegetable (Hongos) tacos. For some reason, the tacos were entirely mushroom and there was barely any sauce. She did not finish. 1.5
Overall, the main dishes were around a 2.0.
Sides:
Plantains (well more maduros) with the sauce on the side. The sauce was good but the plantains were not crispy enough and there were not enough of them for the price. 2.8, mostly due to the sauce.
I got an order of the Brussel Sprouts. There was no pork belly in sight but the flavor was delicious. 3.8.
We also got the sauce rice/​beans, 2 orders (both of them the same issue with the rice as before but the beans were good, see last review.)
Overall, the side dishes are around a 3.3.
The middle of this is a 2.65 but I am going to round down as the servers did not inform us and they were also quite slow and not too helpful.

As others have mentioned, the guacamole is good, but the rest of the menu is somewhat lackluster. And for the price, that is unfortunate. This is one of those places that seems to suffer from the unexplained increase of menu prices on Mexican food. For rice and beans, one doesn’t ordinarily expect to dish out upwards of $ 20.
The drinks were top notch, and the guac and chips kept me happy, but it was downhill from there.

The place is pretty tiny on the inside, but has a lot of outdoor patio seating. However, when you walk in on a rainy day you kind of prefer to be indoors. We sat outside b/​c the noise level was high — the restaurant seemed to be a hang out spot for the young professionals/​students? Our waiter was very good at trying to include other items we may have wanted to order off the menu… for instance the chips and salsa… asked if we would have wanted guacamole also.
The food was pretty good! Just kind of expensive for four small tacos. But be expectant of this since it is more of a trendy/​fusion type of restaurant. I got to try the hongos y pastor tacos which both came in sets of 4. The chips, salsa, and guacamole were good… and I had one of their margaritas on the rocks.
I would come back for some of their other types of tacos — they all sounded pretty interesting. And yes, this place has Taco Tuesdays! 2 for $ 6 (if you order 2 sets, its like getting $ 2 – 3 off if you were to order off their regular menu (4 for $ 14.50).

Plainly put, our experience at Mercadito Grove was mediocre, at best. It was a last minute decision to come here — and after living in the city for 9+ years now (last week actually makes 9 yrs) I had heard good things about Mercadito… maybe we had come on a bad night. I will say, though, our service was great. Attentive, gave recommendations, water glass was always full, chips refilled, food on time etc. They got a star from me for that.
Here’s where the two stars comes in:
We sat outside on a rainy night, under an awning. It was nice out and we didn’t get wet at all. We started with their Traditional Margarita — which is made with Torada tequila — and their Little Market margarita. The waitress told us Torada was «100% Blue Agave» and that all their tequilas are 100% Blue Agave. Well, I hate to break this to you — but my research says otherwise — Torada is «a distillate of Blue Agave (which means it’s a cheap tequila they sell for $ 12 a bottle at the liquor store — the margarita clocks in at $ 10.50 and tasted orangey — and it was made with Orange — no Cointreau, no Triple Sec, just «Orange.» The Little Market was alright — a bit spicy, nothing special.
We ordered the Chips and guac trio — I was hoping for the nopal, but apparently they replaced the nopal (cactus) guac with piña /​pineapple. Meh, it worked and was good. The chips were good, too.
The Mixto ceviche was a bit on the sweeter side. Ample seafood, still a small portion. The fish tacos tasted a bit too fishy when compared to other fish tacos I’ve had — were wayyy too breaded and fried, and the slaw was a bit heavy.
Apparently we learned they were having a kitchen issue and «had no gas» so their menu was limited — and were not serving their large plates. I asked about other dishes after reading on Unilocal about the «tampiqueña» steak and the «pollo a la plancha» chicken. I don’t know if this «kitchen issue» had an effect on the the food we ate (my companion walked right by the kitchen as he went to the bathroom and saw the fire on the stove working just fine — so not really sure where the issue is).
That said, again, it was just overall a mediocre food and drink experience. We ended up spendng about $ 70 on an order of not-​so-​great tacos, ceviche, guac, and two margaritas — next time I’ll go elsewhere.

Horrible experience!!! The food and the service were mediocre!
Service: We were the only people at the restaurant at that moment and not even once a sever came to the table to ask how was the food! They were all standing outside including the manager talking and making jokes! The busboy pour tap water in my boyfriends glass even though we were drinking sparkling water and didn’t replace the glass or offer an apology.
Food: we ordered a couple of starters and not even one stand out!
Guacamole: Bland!
Mahi Mahi ceviche: Old fish and lacking of flavor
Hongos Tacos: Soggy mushrooms and cold tortillas
Save your money and walk a couple of blocks up! You will find great Mexican restaurants!

I’ve been here a few times. Usually it’s to meet a few people for an afterwork outing since I enjoy their happy hour deals and flavored margarita options. Cinco de mayo was set to be one of those days. Except… everyone else had the same idea do it was pretty crowded. The wait was about 30 minutes and once my party of 3 was seated at a table for 2 we learned that happy hour had been suspended for the day. Great business sense — I get it-​, but not a happy point for patrons.
The food is good, but doesn’t exactly stand out… Well, the chips are pretty amazing and the guacamole is tasty. By the way, this place is tiny, so save yourself the trouble and don’t come with a large group.

Love the mahi mahi tacos! My companion got the carne tacos and that was yummy too! The best part is that you can substitute the tortilla with bib lettuce! Of course the sangria was great. We also had corn on the cob and Brussels sprouts. soooo delicious!

A small, but endearing spot.
Great Hispanic music. Love it.
Guacamole & plantains are amazing.
The margaritas are strong, but full of fresh fruit. Flavors pineapple, strawberry, & mango to choose from. Pineapple by far my favorite. Super fruity, yet strong. Whoa…
Strong. That word keeps coming up…
Staff is politely pushy with you ordering food from the menu. I really don’t mind.
Once you let them know what you came for, they leave you be.
But go on a Monday cause the guacamole is at it’s freshest.

Came here just for happy hour drinks and chips/​guacamole. The drinks (sangria, margaritas) weren’t very strong but tasted good. The place itself is pretty small so as soon as it started getting crowded we were sitting pretty close to the people at the tables next to us, with minimal elbow room. The service wasn’t bad but because my friend and I hung around a little longer to talk we definitely got a few stink eyes.
Probably won’t go back but it was a decent spot.

Great blanca sangria! This is one of our go-​to spots for happy hour, especially on taco tuesday!
Happy hour starts at 5pm and ends at 7pm for the drinks. But continues the rest of the night for the tacos.
All tacos come in pairs and are $ 5 for the pair for happy hour. The margaritas & sangria are also only $ 5 during the happy hour.
One of the most original and delicious sangrias I’ve ever had is here. It’s the red sangria, but what’s so unique about this drink is that it’s made with apples and cinnamon. A perfect drink for fall or really any time!
Also, if you’re there, you MUST try the Mexican French Toast dessert. A-​Maze-​Ing! It’s a pastry filled with something yummy covered in some kind of caramel or syrup and then it’s lightly seared/​toasted. The caramel crystalizes and becomes so delicious and crunchy!

2.5
The good: Outdoor seating, drinks, Queso Fundido– incredibly tasty. Nice service.
The so-​so: vegetable side order– actually pretty good, not greasy, healthy option with pumpkin seeds.
Al pastor tacos — small portion. not terrible but it’s your typical not-​so-​great NYC area taco.
The bad: Chips– thick kind and not very good. Had to ask for them. They don’t give you chips and salsa automatically like other Mexican places.
The portions — pretty tiny for the price.
Yep, the price– way too expensive for what you get.
Definitely not one for me to return to.

Mercadito is a great place to hit up for Happy Hour (5 – 7) on Tuesdays.
Grab a seat outside and enjoy half off drinks, $ 5 guac, and $ 5 tacos. The traditional margarita is tasty and strong. If you aren’t a fan of tequila try the red sangria, it may just be the best you have ever had.
The guac and home made chips are great and for the price you can’t find anything better. The tacos aren’t huge, but at 2 for $ 5 its not a bad deal. All are good but I’d highly recommend the pancita (pork belly), estllo baja (beer-​battered mahi mahi) and one of my newest favorites hongos (wild mushroom).
Do yourself a favor and unwind after work at Mercadito.

Came here after works for their margaritas. Sadly, it was after 7:00 so we didn’t get the $ 5 margarita happy hour special. I ordered the «Little Market» — margarita with pineapple, lime and chile piquin — sweet and a little spicy– delicious. My friend got the «Pepino el Pyu» which is made with cucumber and cumin — also very delicious.
We only ordered the trio of guac to snack on with our drinks. It was very good, but I think guacamole is one of those things that just shouldn’t be messed with.
We sat outside because it was GORGEOUS out. The restaurant is located on the bustling 7^th Ave, which is good and bad… lots of people watching, but a lot of noise and street traffic. Inside looked really tight with just a handful of tables.
Wait staff is great– very friendly and let us sip on our drinks and nibble and chat for almost 2 hours.

Just spectacular. Went for a brunch with friends to celebrate a birthday.
Food: We did the all you can eat Taco special. We tried ALL of the tacos. Seriously, they were all so amazing. The food was just great. Well cooked, seasoned… right amount of flavor and jam packed with filling. no skimping on the filling of these tacos.
Drink: Great. Can’t beat a good selection of Import beer to accompany your tacos.
Ambiance: SMALL, very small and packed. It’s not a glamorous place instead looks like a hole in the wall… they packed as many tables and chairs into a small space. I am not even sure it’s legal. Haha
Staff: Also great, they did give us a hard time when we wanted more tacos and refills… they were quick and efficient. Kind f hard not to be when the place is so small. haha
Price: GREAT price for your dollar. You will not be disappointed.

Want a romantic, quiet dinner? Don’t come here. You want excellent food for a really good value in a lively but cramped space, then do come here.
I came here with a group of 7 for Taco Tuesday with a reservation and we were seated immediately. For Taco Tuesday, you get any 2 tacos for $ 5. Plus happy hour ends at 7:00 and we were there at 6:30 so we also enjoyed half price apps and drinks for a short moment.
The tacos (in order of deliciousness):
Estilo Baja — get these. Many of these. Crispy mahi mahi with a slights spicy slaw. This is the perfect taco.
Mole — really tasty chunks of chicken in a savory mole sauce. Nice change of pace taco.
Chorizo — ground Mexican chorizo (texture of an Italian sausage as opposed to a Spanish chorizo which is more like a salami) with a creamy sauce. Very nice indeed.
Camaron — typical shrimp taco. Reliable but not a rock star.
Pastor — the pork was actually pretty pedestrian. Skip this one.
We had a bunch of the Tres Citricos margaritas, which were tasty, but not as spicy as advertised. If you need some heat, eat the jalapeño garnish, but do so with caution.
The total for 7 people ordering 3 guacs, 1 ceviche, 40 tacos (!!!), and 25 drinks came to $ 55 a person including tax and tip. Totally worth every penny.