I came with a friend on a Friday at 5:30pm for Merkado's SF restaurant week $30 cocktail and small bites tasting menu. We were seated immediately upon arriving, and I was surprised that there were only a few other parties seated, mostly at the bar, despite it being in the middle of their happy hour. The space is nice and open, with high ceilings, and I can see it being a great place for groups. We were honestly blown away by the quality and value of the tasting menu. We got three FULL SIZED cocktails paired with 3 small bites which were honestly a decent size and enough to serve as a light dinner if we weren't super hungry. The drinks were super creative, strong but well balanced and all tasty, and I would definitely come again just to have cocktails with a friend. -Great to Meet Ya: this was a gin and campari based drink, and even though gin isn't my favorite this was refreshing and I really enjoyed the herbaceous notes with the sage. -Dungeness crab quesadilla: the crab smelled a little fishy at first so I was skeptical, but this was super tasty and a good starter bite -What's Your Story: a mezcal based drink, with citrus, cream and soda this was nice and light but still smokey from the mezcal. -Chuleta al carbon: this was grilled lamb with a poblano-potato gratin; the lamb was super tender and flavorful, and the poblano potato gratin perfectly crisp on the outside and creamy inside - this dish really impressed us -Nightcap: this was our favorite cocktail - tequila, anise, pineapple and egg whites; it was simple yet complex, and the anise really tied everything together. -Chile ancho chocolate cake: the waiter was super kind to let us know the cake takes a while to prepare and checked in to see when would be a good time for it to come out - this was delicious, a nice soft lava cake style but not too sweet, and the ancho chile was just so perfect with the chocolate and ice cream - reminiscent of a dandelion mexican hot chocolate. I'm so glad I came to try Merkado, and I can't wait to come back again to try some more cocktails and bites! Definitely come check them out if you're in the area :) read more

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Pre Giants Baseball Game Spot - We sat at the bar and very much enjoyed the food, talking to the staff, and enjoying the vibe. I had the South Beach Torta which was AMAZING. (recommended by the bartender) It is beer battered shrimp, spicy slaw, chioitke aioli, queso frito. The shrimp was cooked to perfection! There is paid parking nearby, but expensive. We took CalTrain to the city... so that worked out perfectly. Walked to the restaurant... then walked to the game... then walked back to CalTrain to go home. Would I go back? YES! read more

Love the casual vibe here. Easy to walk in without a reservation and get a spot, since the place is huge. An interesting drink menu almost the size of the food menu! Chips & Salsa: A classic starter. Neither salsa was particularly spicy. One of them tasted like smoked and puréed veggies, which was nice. Queso Fundido: A skillet with browned gooey cheese on top. Underneath is a a very thick layer of spiced ground meat. So much meat it's kinda like a shepherd's pie! You only get four corn tortillas with this, which doesn't seem sufficient given all the cheese and meat. Thankfully we had ample chips from the chips & salsa to redirect to the queso. Aquachile: A cute little ceviche dish with "raw" shrimp in a nice citrusy tangy sauce. I really liked how it was served with shrimp crackers and they would crackle when the shrimp and sauce was added on top. The ample amount of avocado was nice too, partially making up for the somewhat skimpy shrimp portion. Relleno: Really liked this dish. The eggy fried batter was perfect, nice and fluffy. Lots of cheesy inside the chili. And the fancy little mushrooms on top were a very nice touch. Elevated Mexican food the way it should be. Duck Enchiladas: I enjoyed the green sauce, which had a nice herbal flavor. However, the shredded duck didn't taste very duck-like to me. It honestly could have been swapped with pork carnitas and I wouldn't notice the difference. Also, wasn't a fan of the basic shredded lettuce on top, make it seem very Taco Bell like. Churros: Very crispy. I really enjoyed the fruit jam dip. The chocolate one was ok, but nothing like the dense rich chocolate you get with Spanish churros. Forgot to Clock Out: I was hoping the passionfruit and ginger beer would be more pronounced, but I barely tasted them. The smoky mezcal really dominated the flavor profile. While I have nothing against mezcal, it wasn't the right choice given the other more delicate ingredients. Is There Parking?: This was much more to my liking, with a very fruit-forward strawberry flavor profile. The tequila was a good choice to mesh well with the other ingredients. read more

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Interesting tacos and fun drinks. The vibe was nice, but it got a bit loud once the pre-game crowd showed up. The service was attentive.

We were blown away by the flavors! Every plate and drink provided its own dance in my tummy, with so much flavor. The staff ensures you're not forgotten, as it's quite the spot before and after events. The bar and dining room has many unique designs that create a rustic backdrop with tasty bites. It's definitely one I come back to often. read more

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The drinks were really good. It didn't matter what we ordered and we ordered about 8-9 drinks and every drink came out with a perfection. The service was fast and we were seated right away. The place is very cozy and very good night spot. The appetizers were really good. The ceviche is worth trying. I loved how they gave the ceviche out with Yucca chips. That added to the uniqueness of the Dish we ordered a couple of different tacos. Pork taco was the best. The octopus was good too. Great place great service. Great food. Great drinks overall. read more

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Came here for restaurant week, and wow was it a blast. I'm left surprised at why this place wasn't more full on a Saturday night, especially at their bars. The outside is an unassuming brick building, but inside was well furnished and combined traditional Mexican elements with modern decor. They had a separate area for the bar and drinks. There was also a corporate event in the back, but they are pretty out of the way and we didn't even notice them until the end. We had the $30 cocktail tasting menu, and for the price, the 3 drinks and 3 bites we got were all top tier. Parking can be a little tough since street parking is limited, but we found a spot across the street since we just passed the time for the 8am-6pm loading zone time (hint: 5:50 is a good time to hunt for parking). We ordered a cocktail tasting menu and an Enchilada with duck. It's a shame the tasting menu isn't in their traditional menu, because we were in love with every drink and bite. The meat quality was very high, and you can taste the quality of the ingredients in each bite. I attached the tasting menu, but our favorite cocktail was the Summer in the City (dark rum with passionfruit, guava, mint, and lime). The presentation of each cocktail was also very picturesque and colorful. The small plates were also very well presented and were bursting with flavor. Our favorite dish was the duck leg. I just wish they had the duck leg meat on their regular menu, because I'd actually come to eat here on a regular basis! The enchiladas was also very good, and the duck carnitas was a nice surprise. The duck was not gamey, and very tender and flavorful. Service was also very friendly. We were always greeted with smiles and they were very accommodating to our questions. A great experience with the food overall, but my review may be a bit limited since it was mainly the cocktail tasting menu. read more

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Flavors were top notch. Patofreido had a delicate crisp to it that complimented the creaminess of the dish. Only thing is that the portions felt small. The plátanos were like Mac & cheese balls but with a plantain, it was so good. read more

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Everything here is flavorless. Ceviche didn't taste bright, duck mole enchiladas had no taste at all and even some duck skin, fat, and bone (not high quality), churros barely had cinnamon sugar on them and need to be served with caramel sauce. Our server was very good but the bussers were terrible. Taking drink glasses when they weren't finished, not taking appetizer plates before bringing mains, leaving remnants of appetizers while serving dessert. They leave the door open so it's freezing inside. Just not a good experience at all. read more

Decor: 5 stars. Nicely done interior. Service: 2 stars. It was our servers first day and it showed. She probably should have had someone shadowing her. Food: 2 stars. No one at our table loved their meal. The Queso Fundito was the best item, but more of a chile queso fundito. Tortillas were good. Overall value was there, it was $310 for 7 including a few cocktails....but we wouldn't return to the restaurant. FYI 20% tip was adds to our bill for our "large party". read more

I used to frequent here a lot. The food was flavorful and exciting. These days I'm faced with inconsistency in every part Horchata: The horchata the past 3 times has tasted different every time; unfortunately all 3 just don't taste like horchata. Had mixture of too much cream, not enough cream, or just no spice of cinnamon. Guacamole and chips: The tortillas are still good but the guacamole is lacking in flavor and just disproportionate to the amount of chips. Tostada: Once used to be topped with exciting flavors now just resembles a ceviche on a tortilla. Unfortunate. Yucca fries: Very well done. But for the price of 4 fries, it's hard to justify vs some neighboring restaurants. Quesadilla: Was tasty and an interesting take. There's a lot going on and as I write this review I don't even remember what meat it was. Maybe it was buried under everything. Unfortunately, it'll be hard to return as each visit just feels like a gamble of what it used to be read more

Merkado - Quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

I had a great time dining here. We came for Valentine's Day and the atmosphere was nice. We got started with chips and guacamole which was wonderful on its own. We went with the duck enchiladas, Barbacoa Tacos, and a side of plátanos & arroz/frijoles. I would definitely recommend the duck enchiladas and the plátanos, they were delightful. The drinks were great too, very refreshing and the horchata wasn't too watered down either. The service was excellent our waiters were very friendly. They also played Bad Bunny the entire time we were there so it was a nice bonus! read more

Merkado - Tacos Barbacoa, Plátanos, Duck Enchiladas, Arroz & Frijoles, Chips & Guacamole - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Need some dinner and really wanted to have some Mexican food. Dropped by here on yesterday. Service was fast. My server was welcoming and offered some suggestions. The place was clean and busy with some good music going and the food was great! I definitely am coming back for more ceviche for sure. read more

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Great place for a family brunch or for a friends party. Very spacious, modern and the food is great. They have brunch and dinner menus. We loved everything we ordered, even though ceviche was pretty spicy. Service was fast. Also the place has good accessibility for strollers and I'd call it kid friendly. read more

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We were lured into Merkado for the first time by their SF Restaurant Week cocktail tasting menu, which features three superb cocktails paired with generous 'bites' for $30 - an insane value, especially considering how insanely tasty everything was. The drinks were creative, balanced in unique flavor vs. liquor strength, and showcased their bar's ability to make a diverse range of drinks that were all unexpectedly mind blowing. We also ordered the El Valle and MRKDO Sando from the happy hour menu (not pictured) to round things out. read more

Merkado - Course 3 - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

We visited on a Wednesday evening for dinner before a Giants game. With a large party of nine, we were glad to have a reservation. Despite the busy atmosphere, our service was prompt, and all our food arrived together, which was nice. The cocktails were delicious, and the chips and guac hit the spot. The tacos were on the smaller side, but that gave us room to try different appetizers. It is a little pricey but I would definitely come back for dinner before another Giants game! read more

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Didn't get to try the food, but the drinks were delish! Also loved the place and how spacious it was. I'd definitely go back to try the food soon. Everyone there was cool, and attentive. read more

Merkado - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Got lunch here today with some coworkers. The restaurant was empty at noon except for us (not surprising on a Friday in SOMA really), but our service as a result was nice and quick. We got chips, salsa and guac to start all of which were really good. Our main lunch orders came soon after. I got the mission bay torta. It was delicious! Came covered in the red sauce so I ate with a fork and knife and it also came with some greens and peppers on the side. Overall I really like Merkado as a lunch spot my only complaint is the price point being a little higher than other sit down lunch spots nearby. Still will be returning in the future! read more

Merkado - Mission Bay torta - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

We had a corporate event in the back room, so my review may be from a different perspective. The back room included access to an outdoor patio, and we enjoyed a rare occurrence in the summer...a fog free late afternoon/evening. Our event included an open bar, empañadas, siit down entree choices, and flannel. It also included a margarita making class taught by Effern. We had the room for 4 hours. We could've stayed longer. Effen and team did a magnificent job, food was good, drinks were great, and it was excellent for networking. If you want to host a memorable corporate event, consider this place. You won't regret it. read more

To say this experience was disappointing might be an understatement. We made a reservation for 9 for a birthday party during restaurant week. When we arrived the host seemed to have no idea about our reservation and got a bit flustered. Which even if they had forgotten or didn't make note of our reservation, it really shouldn't have been an issue because there were countless tables available. After we got seated we were informed that they had sold out of their restaurant week offering, which is the primary reason we had chosen this restaurant, mind you this was 7:45pm on a Saturday. We ordered a couple of pitchers which were poorly mixed. In every pitcher the alcohol sat at the very bottom. The area where they get some points is in their sides. The guac, queso fondido, and cauliflower were good. I thought the ceviche was mid, all I could taste was the acid despite it having many more ingredients. The ambiance and decor also gives them a point. Now on to mains, I can't speak to everyone else's dish but I got the carnitas. The pork was dry and extremely gamey, not in the good way. The boar taint was strong in this one. Also for the price what you get in each main seemed underwhelming. Now back to service, while our group did take a while to order, the way they kept coming back and had multiple servers come a few minutes after each other to inquire about our order made us feel extremely rushed. When last call came around, we ordered two more pitchers which never came. When we asked the server about it he acted as if we had never placed the order when all 9 of us could attest that we did. The upsetting part isn't the fact that they forgot our order but the fact that the server got defensive rather than apologizing, it's not a good look for customer service. Given the price point and ambiance of the restaurant, the service is severely lacking, and you can't even cut them slack for it being busy because it wasn't. The restaurant was at 1/3 capacity at best and now I understand why. read more

Food was good, but one funny thing did happen. We ordered the cheese dip which was missing of an important ingredient. See picture below. Other than that, all good. read more

Merkado - Cheese dip which I scrapped from the pan. A total of 3 good portions that fed us. - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

I fell in love with the interior design and vibe of Merkado. Although the music selection wasn't really what I was expecting. We actually mentioned it to the staff and they changed it to latin/Spanish music. This place is very big and it has a backroom that almost looks like it could be a club. We ordered some appetizers which were good. I loved the salsas and guacamole that came with the chips. Although we didn't order them, our server made it seem like the chips and salsa were free and asked if we wanted some, but we were charged for for them. The chips that came with the ceviche were super good. This place is beautiful and can be so great! read more

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Came here for friend's birthday - great ambiance (nice tables and lighting, spacious). Food was very average - got an assortment of tacos and guac and chips for the table, but still felt hungry after. read more

Merkado - Assortment of tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

A nice higher end mexican restaurant where I had a VC dinner at. My favourite dish was the chili relleno - I loved the sauce and the chili pepper was stuffed to the brim. read more

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I loved the large space and decor of Merkado! They have an outdoor patio that's really nice too, but don't always have it open so I would call to double check if you're planning on going. Overall thought the food was average, and the menu options was a bit limited. When I went on a Sunday afternoon, they were only serving brunch. I ended up getting the pescado tacos which were good, but pricey for the amount they gave. I did like the drink selection, and loooved the dessert churros. The service was also really friendly. read more

Merkado - Pescado Tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

Came in as we were in town for a baseball game and I was so happy because it happened to be a Tuesday! The place was so nice and I spent a lot of time looking around and admiring the decor. We ordered a special that included the chefs taco and a Oaxacan margarita as well as other tacos and man where they delicious! The tortillas are hand made and they were so good we ordered a queso fundido to pair with it. The service was great our server was very at tentative and I also observed there were servers that would come by with water and others that just picked up plates it was fun to watch as it was like a dance or a well oiled machine! read more

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Visited for a weekday lunch during work. We quickly got seated but there are a lot of space. We got the ceviche (a little too spicy for me), guacamole and chips (really good), and shared the barbacoa (4/5 - wanted to try the goat meat but it wasn't that bad), and carnitas (5/5 very good). Service was a bit slower than I had hoped given that it is lunch workday and it feels a bit pricey for tacos when you're paying ~$15 for two tacos but that's SF for you. read more

We stopped here on a Tuesday right before the spring baseball game of the San Francisco Giants vs the Athletics. The restaurant wasn't packed so we sat at the bar. We'd already gotten good from another restaurant so we went straight to the bar and grabbed margaritas. The altos margarita was great and made very well. A great balance of tequila and juice. I'd return again for it. read more

Merkado - Altos margarita - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

Taco Tuesday for the win! Came for dinner and everything was great. I got the special taco for the evening which was a sweet potato taco. It was super yummy! I also got the ceviche starter and it was tasty but wayyyy spicier than I expected. I loved the taro chips that came with it. For a bevvie, I got the beet and tequila cocktail. It was delicious!! The Waiter was great and ambience was nice. Definitely would come back. read more

Merkado - Ceviche - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Had a post wedding dinner for 27 people at the tequila room and the food and drinks were great! Efrain was one of our servers and he was friendly and tending to our party needs. They customize your name on the menu and drink menu and you are allowed to bring your own florals as well. Oversll great experience read more

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Mercado has amazing food and drinks every time! We come here before or after GS Valkyries and Giants games!

Great Mexican restaurant near Oracle Park but a little pricey. The restaurant has a wonderful atmosphere with lots of seating (indoor and outdoor patio) - think modern Mexican vibes with large bar shelves and a warehouse feel. The staff is also friendly and prompt with taking orders and checking in (however they felt a little pushy as if to try to rush us to clear the table. This was weird considering there was barely anyone in the restaurant). We started with the ceviche which was 100% the highlight of our dinner. The fish was so fresh and perfectly seasoned with the lime and avocado. Initially we thought there wouldn't be enough chips for the ceviche but we quickly realized we needed more ceviche relative to chips (we found ourselves just eating the ceviche without the chips). This was delicious and I could have definitely had this as my main meal. For the mains we tried the Barbacoa and pork tacos. The Barbacoa was better imo and I really loved the crispy layer on the meat and all the toppings. The pulled pork was ok but I didn't love the broth sauce on the side. I think the tacos are also overpriced considering the portion size. read more

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Great Mexican restaurant near oracle park! We ordered margarita pitchers to share (they were absolutely ~delicious~) as well as guac and chips (also ~amazing~). I ordered camarones for entree which, although very tasty, was a bit overpriced. $36 for 5 pieces of shrimp with some rice, was it worth? The food itself was great though- sauce was spot on, shrimp grilled and rice cooked perfectly. PSA to those who order camarones: be careful when peeling, the sauce squirted all over my shirt and they don't come off easy. read more

Merkado - Camarones - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

We did not eat here, so I cannot speak to the food, but having two small boys who needed to go potty in the city where no one lets you use their bathroom unless you're a patron, I was so thankful and pleasantly surprised that they let us right in to use the bathroom. The restaurant is very aesthetically pleasing inside with a huge light fixture in the middle of the room and an open kitchen with meat on spits where you can watch them cook. The bathrooms are very clean. And judging by their willingness to let us in to use the bathroom without hesitation, I am guessing their service is top notch, as well! I will definitely be back to give their food a try! read more

Not busy at all for a Saturday night. Maybe because there was a giants game. Service was friendly. Tried the house margarita, chips/salsa, pork tacos, barbacoa tacos, plantains. Everything was good. They charge for everything. They don't even include chips & salsa. Overpriced but expected for the area. read more

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The interior of this restaurant is so spacious and gorgeous, and the people who work here are friendly. Overall the speed of service was good! When it comes to the food, it was just alright. I wouldn't say this place serves legit mexican food. Prices are high, as expected of this area, but the food didn't blow me away or meet the expectations I had, especially based on the pricing. I live in the area and I feel like the food surrounding here is subpar at best, and this spot doesn't stand out from any of the others. read more

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Came here for dinner and had one of the best service experiences I've had in the city! I was unsure if we were going to make our reservation and Genevieve was so kind and personable on the phone and made sure to educate me on the latest time we could to make it to the restaurant to get dinner and drinks. She greeted us with a warm welcome and gave us options for seating. My boyfriend and I chose to sit at the bar and the bar staff was amazing! JJ ended up being our bartender and server and gave fantastic recommendations, which led to me having one of the best margaritas I've ever had. I truly felt like all of the staff went above and beyond. Cannot recommend the food, drinks and vibe of this place enough! We will definitely be back. read more

Merkado is tucked away on Townsend street - very close to AT&T park. Came here for happy hour and realized that the happy hour pricing isn't actually different from the normal pricing. This is something to be aware of. The service was great - our host was very helpful and provided great recommendations on entree and drink selections. We ordered the queso fundido, vegetable tacos, and guacamole. I thought the veggie tacos and guacamole were great - very fresh. I also got the house margarita and it was refreshing. I wasn't a huge fan of the queso fundido as it had too many caramelized onions/was very oily. They have 3 different salsa options - all of which were incredibly fresh and tasty. Overall would definitely come back to this spot, great place for drinks and apps. read more

Merkado - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place has a really good vibe to it. The inside is big and there's an outside area in the back. They take reservations as well! My friend and I ordered chips and salsa. It came with a spicy creamy sauce and regular salsa. I enjoyed the regular salsa. I ordered the puerco (pork tacos). The tacos were small but packed with toppings. So you do get a lot of meat. I also ordered the elote. I love me mexican corn. My friend ordered the Albondigas as her main. It was good but I felt like there was soooo much oil in it. Felt like I was drinking it. Overall, food was pretty much average mexican food. Would come back for the vibe of the place or if I'm craving mexican in the area. read more

GREAT Service!!!! a plate was late to be delivered to the table and they compd it! they had a busy day (SF Giants opening day), not one of their staffed seemed overwhelmed. they still provided excellent service. read more

Merkado - fish tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California