Reviews & Ratings for Mercadito

02/08/10

worst place ever

by angels2579

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. I ate in the restaurant once, and the food was definitely not the quality I was hoping for the price. ($14.00 tacos). The other night I decided to order delivery from them since it's a block away from my apartment. 2 hours later it dawned on me that I still had no food in my stomach. I tried calling to check on my order and they hung up on me. Tried calling back and they put me on hold (I hung up after 7 minutes of being on hold). Call back, and they tell me the guy just left on his bike. Since I only live a block away you'd think that he'd be there in approximately 2-5 minutes. 20 minutes later and I was still starving. Call back to ask where my food was and got hung up on YET AGAIN. For $14 tacos, I at least want the food to GET TO MY APARTMENT. It's probably a good thing that I never got my food since the one time I ate there it gave me the runs. Never again.

• Pros: none
• Cons: everything

01/04/10

Horrible! Bad Management!

by CSMobileUser4

The food is great and tha Management was horendous! Thank God for the pleasant server. I have been in the restaurant industry for a while and I feel bad for the staff. Yikes!!!

12/10/09

Worst Dining Experience Ever-- STAY AWAY

by grade_a

Unfortunately it is impossible to enjoy a dining experience at this restaurant due to the rude manager and wait staff at this establishment. i attended with a group of 7 experienced diners and we were treated so awful none of us would consider returning. We were forced into a prixe fixe menu which wasn't explained to us when we made the reservations. Their version of prixe fixe required everyone in the party has to agree on 2-3 specific dishes, despite various food requirements, and depending on which level of prixe fixe you are willing to buy. Throughout the course of the dinner, we were rushed repeatedly, they wrote down the wrong reservation time (7:15 instead of 7:30) then lectured us for arriving late even after learning they were the ones to make the mistake. They gave us the check with dessert and refused to offer coffee/tea, and asked us to leave before we started eating the desert. The manager smirked at us when we complained about the treatment and the situation was never rectified. There were so many instances in our evening that we were treated with disrespect for the business we were bringing to the restaurant. I would never recommend a person to eat at this restaurant unless they are masochistic and enjoy being treated with disrespect and disdain while paying the perpetrators. Our group was unable to enjoy our precious time together due to our treatment in this establishment. I implore the reader to spend your money elsewhere and support better run businesses.

• Pros: overshadowed by cons
• Cons: Rudest Treatment by Manager and Staff Ever!

10/17/08

horrible, very expensive place for a big party

by ktobiassen

My friend had her birthday party here. Upon arrival, we were told that there would be a price fixe of $30 per person for chips, ceviche, and tacos. Not what I might have chosen, but whatever, fine. We were also informed that there would be a price fixe of $30 per person for open bar. When we explained that several people in our group don't drink, we were basically told tough luck -- opting out of open bar was not an option. This was a 40-year old crowd, generally not big drinkers. With the tax, tip, and kicking in for the birthday girl, it was almost $80 per person for tacos and one or two drinks. I feel robbed and angry.

Take a look at the people giving this place 'awesome' ratings -- it seems the vast majority of them have only reviewed this one particular restaurant. Highly suspicious!

• Pros: tacos and guacamle are very good
• Cons: draconian party policies, highway robbery

09/16/08

Poor service, Great food

by nycshan

My friends and I had reservations on Saturday night for 8:30. It was raining, so obviously the outside seating was not an option. We had to wait until 9:30 to sit and we had to stand outside in the rain while waiting for our table due to the tight quarters inside. No apologies, no explanation, nada. The food was yummy, though petite...to put it nicely. Our waitress was nice, but the management is rude.

08/20/08

"Lost" Reservation

by andy99

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

08/07/08

Scary Customer Service - Stay Away

by erock3

We had a terrible experience with the manager of this establishment. He basically erased our reservation and pretended we didnt have one. Never been treated worse in a restaurant.

This place needs a new manager badly and i feel sorry for the people who have to work for him.

05/22/08

Good restaurant, wish I was allowed to stay longer.

by nyc4lyfe

Great atmosphere, good food. The guac was amazing. Really nice place. The only problem is that my friends and I were rushed out the door literally as we paid our check. After dropping a solid amount of money on dinner and drinks, I'd expect to be able to finish my drink. Kind of a turn off.

• Pros: guac, ambience
• Cons: service-too rushed

04/29/08

Intoxicating Drinks, Delicious Food and Great Service

by Rohit1

It's a rare dining experience in New York to be ushered into a fun, vibrant scene at no sacrifice to great food and accommodating service. Yet Mercadito accomplishes this balancing act with aplomb, good-heartedness and creativity. Not surprisingly, the drinks, especially the ones laced with peppery bite are like sucking down ice, sweetness and fire - that really leaves you happy and mellow. The fish tacos are great - but I imagine just about everything on the menu is worth trying. I went with a big group and the servers were great and didn't rush us out despite it getting busy. Highly recommended.

04/25/08

Great mexican date and drink spot

by evbart

This is a great t little restaurant in an even better part of town. I used to live in this neighborhood, and I can't believe I've never gone here. I think it was mostly because there was always a line, and no one wants to wait in line on their own street.

Anyway, best fish tacos I've had in NYC so far. They've got some pretty creative dishes, and the drinks at the bar are a lot of fun. Most importantly the managers there were super cool with getting us seats, despite all the people waiting and all the reservations. Bartender (Mesh?) also knew all about the food, and made some great recommendations.

The restaurant itself is a bit cramped, though there is a big back room. The decor is cool, and it works as a date spot, if you're comfortable with some solid background noise. Tequila will do that.

• Pros: Fun interesting food, creative drinks, good management
• Cons: Creative drinks (some can be a bit too different, but thats good sometimes!), small space