Mercado Bar and Cantina

I waited three weeks after visiting to make sure I still felt as strongly about this before posting the review: this is truly the worst «Mexican» food I have had in my life, and I have eaten a lot of it (I am from California and have lived in Mexico). The friendly and prompt service unfortunately could not make up for the cheap ingredients and inauthentic/​sloppy preparation. «Mexican» food this bad might have been passable in the Midlands in the 1960s, but in the London of 2013, where there is a growing number of tasty, cheap and authentic Mexican and Tex-​Mex or Cali-​Mex options, it would be inexcusable to waste your money here.

Simply not good. below average food, bad service. Used to be a great place. Shame.

3 Stars is about right. Portions are Big, value is good, service is ok. Nothing bad, but nothing exceptionally grabbing. I had the fajitas and they were v.tasty. Mexican food to me is just a bit meh so probably take note of the other reviews. 3 stars for the restaurant — 3 stars for the quality of my review

Mercado has great margaritas, good fajitas, and is very reasonably priced. Although the service wasn’t exactly wonderful, they were very accommodating to our large group and very swiftly and surreptitiously provided a slice of birthday cake and fantastic sombreros for the birthday boy.
The other members of the party gave great reviews of the burritos and the enchiladas I really can’t complain about our experience at all, and would definitely go back.

My friend took me here for dinner, knowing that I miss california mexican food. and I was surprised the place is actually not bad. Though their food seemed pretty greasy and the staff was super sloooooow in taking orders, but once you ordered you’re food it gets served pretty quickly. I was there on a nice day so sitting with the open window people felt great and Church Street is great for people watching.
They do seem to get pretty busy in the evenings, so if you’re really hungry i’d advise to get there early or book a table. Oh and they have happy hour from 6−7pm and their drinks menu is extensive!

I have eaten here twice now and I must say that the food has been ok. I was a big fan of the guacamole, Mexican rice and the chicken tacos. The sauce in there was to die for. Nice complexities and depth of flavour ran through the sauce which danced around my mouth. Yet didn’t leave me gasping for a bucket of water to drink.
I haven’t tried much else from the menu as of yet but the tacos are good. I also had a chicken quesadilla too which again had a lovely depth of flavour and was served with some tangy and creamy guacamole.
I have tried the corn with chilli, lime and mayo and I feel it needs a lot more chilli and lime. In New York I had some corn done in a similar way and this one felt like a wimpy imposter in comparison.
On my first visit I did share some churros but I wasn’t overly impressed with them. But then after sampling the churros at Wahaca I think a lot of churros have a lot to live up to, especially where the chocolate sauce is concerned.
I have been twice on a Tuesday night very late and feel they have done well. I would like to return but on a night where it is busier and with more people so I can sample more of what the menu has to offer.

Been to mercado once and wasn’t that impressed at all the drinks are good tho ! Don’t waste youre money on the food !!

Very forgetful service and disgusting food. Really disappointing. The margaritas tasted ok but were warm. Don’t waste your money!
Chips and salsa were great. But the carne asada tacos and prawn burrito we ordered were beyond sub-​par. My friend that recommended the place is in the doghouse!

This was probably the 2^nd Mex place I tried after moving to London, and I have to say, they weren’t half bad. I’ve gone back a few times and have always been pleased. They do epic burritos, pretty good margaritas, and they even deliver if you live within a certain radius!
OK so if you’ve ever been to a typical Mex place in the states, you know they play that cheesy Spanish-​version of any kind of pop they can, and I saw the flatscreen playing something from Enrique in Spanish and I was like AHHHHHHHHHHHHH sooo cheesy, yet so legit. The staff were all very nice and although every time I’ve been, we seem to be the only people capitalizing on happy hour prices (don’t judge), the place always seems to fill up by the time we leave.
Bottom line, they’re good… if I lived in that area, I would go there more but it’s a little bit of a haul to get to Stoke for me.

This is the first place that I have ever tried Mole chilli sauce. When I saw it on the menu I thought it was strange as I didn’t think Moles were native to Mexico, eh?!
Anyway, its thick and dark and looks a little like poo but tastes sooo guuud! This is authentic Mexican food and drink in a place run by Mexican staff, which makes a change. These people ovbiously really care about this business having salsa dancing classes here and a fantastic happy hour. The service is great, the décor fun and the menu really hard to chose from (even with the moles on the menu) as everything looks so lovely.
I went here with my pregnant sister and even she was full by the end of it, the portions are not to be sniffed at. They do have a happy hour between 6 and 7pm so get in there for an after work margarita!
I will sday this now, this isn’t fine dining but is a great party venue for friends and even nicer in the summer when they open up the windows.

Why only 3 stars, I ask you London Unilocalers? This place was almost as good as Mercadito in New York… it was out of this world delicious! I have no idea what I ordered, it was a while ago that I went here, but I remember it being very very good.
The street is a major thoroughfare, *but* since there weren’t any close tube stops, the bus took us up there… basically you take Bishopsgate High Street from Liverpool station, that turns into Shoreditch High Street, which turns into Kingsland Road, which is full of Vietnamese restaurants… keep going and it becomes Stoke Newington Road which passes Stoke Newington Church Street… I kept calling it new stockington, as I get confused with London names… Tottenham Gate Court Rd or Tottenham Gate? Newington Court? Who knows…
Anyway, this neighborhood is pretty cool too, but it is *really* out of the way…

Mercado would without doubt win the prize for Stoke Newington’s most gaudy restaurant exterior. That said it makes this cantina hard to miss. The mexican menu is equally vibrant; we were drawn in by the 3 course set menu for £20. Approved selections include the chicken in mango sauce and the Sea bass. After the substantial starters some of the less endurant members of our party found the mains hard to finish, so it may be better to go for the flexibility of the full menu.
However, staff were happy to provide a doggy bag and went into impromptu fiesta mode as soon as it was discovered we had a birthday girl in our midst — think chocolate cake and crazy hat brigade, and not just for the birthday girl
Fairly quiet the night we attended, but I can imagine it has a good buzz on a saturday night. For the more adventurous there’s an authentic, if a little strange, crossbreed beverage somewhere between a beer and a bloody mary, called a Michelado (not to everyone’s taste!).
Not much wrong with this place. Double thumbs up!

Mercado clearly wants to be noticed. It’s yellow and pink exterior screams at you from miles away and once you’re inside it doesn’t get any more tame. Every inch of the wall is decorated in one way or another and lit up by a thousand fairy lights. Though some people would call this tacky, I think you would have to be very naïve to pass the signs outside and expect a classy kind of evening.
Quality of the food is a bit mixed and the menu sticks to old Tex-​Mex favourites like fajitas and nachos. We really enjoyed the fish taco’s but found the guacamole that seemed to be served with everything a bit insipid and runny. Also, most of the food seemed to taste roughly the same and for £10+ each we were looking for a bit more variation.
On the plus side everyone loves a cocktail! Our Margarita’s were very strong but still seemed to disappear all too quickly. My friend thought her Mojito was a bit watery but once she swapped to a Paloma she was a lot happier.
If I was coming back to this restaurant it would be to take advantage of these drinks again during their happy hour and to order a few nibbles. For a full meal there are far better options nearby but for tequila this has to be the best place to go!

You can’t exactly miss Mercado. It sticks out like a sore thumb on Stoke Newington Church Street and I was seduced by the promise of cheap cocktails and the multicoloured awnings outside. If only the food was as attractive as its décor. I thought it to be a huge disappointment. Even after a pitcher, I was not impressed. I really wanted to like Mercado more than I did– I’m a huge fan of Mexican food and I can’t seem to find a good one anywhere in London, especially east.
Mercado’s food is not cheap, yet everything tastes very processed– the vegetables and fish don’t seem that fresh and the squeezy cheese on the nachos doesn’t seem that authentic.
I would recommend coming for happy hour (6−7pm) for half price margharitas, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend this restaurant for the food. The bar is open till quite late at the weekends and when the staff clear away the tables to make way for dancing, the atmosphere almost makes up for the average food.

A really fun colourful place for some surprisingly tasty Mexican restaurant in a party atmosphere. Awesome cocktails are served by the pitcher, the margharitas are particularly zingy. Look out for the feisty fish taco, packed full of punchy Central American flavours from the plentiful fresh salad and generous serving of fried fish. There’s a fun happy hour and it’s open late at the weekend lending a party vibe to this end of the street.

I love walking past Mercado, especially in the summer watching revellers sipping their tequila laden cocktails at the many tables that litter the streets.
Once inside, the décor is very OTT, in a humorous and light hearted way. Fairy lights around every picture and a LOT of red! They serve a full Mexican menu, featuring the usual sizzling fajitas and tacos, but also some rare Mexican treats — their cubed fried potato’s are a dream.
The best thing about Mercado is the cocktail menu, mojitos and margaritas a plenty! You can just have nibbles with your cocktails too, some nachos or loaded skins, and there’s no pressure to have a full dinner. Recommended for large groups. Arrriiiibbbbaaaa!

The Mercado is a large and rather bright Mexican restaurant on Church Street. I find the large lemon yellow billboard to be a little out of place in comparison with the more elegant eateries lining Church Street, but it is very warm, colourful and tropical inside. And once you have the house Margarita, especially at the Fiesta hour from 6pm at half price, you’ll warm up and get with the tropical feel soon enough. The drinks here are pretty creative with their tequila, and the raspberry margarita is an inventive creation. Its a nice place to come with a large group of friends, as the atmosphere allows you to let your hair down and have fun.
The burritos and enchiladas are very filling — and pretty tasty too. There are a lot of vegetarian options on the menu, and some enticing salads. The food is very reasonable, and I don’t think you could eat for more than around 10 – 15 pounds. Music is quite fiesta like in the evening, and goes well with the bright ambiance.

Very bright and interesting décor, You may need sunglasses whilst looking at it from outside!
The staff were pleasant and not overbearing, I went at lunch time it was quiet and comfortable, I can imagine its buzzing at the weekend with the addition of music & Salsa classes.
The food is tasty and well cooked and the cocktails are very good. Recommended.

After a rather scathing review about how bad Mercado had become, I now have to eat my words.
For a while Mercado had become exclusively a TexMex affair, I’m pleased to report that it has returned nearly all the items of the authentic Mexican food to the menu, while keeping the TexMex as well. Ideal, I suppose, to cater to the less adventurous diner too.
All my favourites are back, Mole Poblano, Rajas con Queso, Crepas de Cuitlacoche, Enchiladas de Mole & Pechuga al Pimenton. I highly recommend any of these dishes. Maybe the Crepas de Cuitlacoche more than others; sour corn fungus, stuffed in crepes, covered in a rich creamy sauce.
Most of these dishes are served with rice and refried beans, quite, quite tasty. Words cannot express the flavours this food posesses. A word of warning though, if you are not very adventurous with food, then it’s probably in your best interest to stick to the burritos and tacos. I have friends who frequently slated Mercado despite my protestations. when Mercado changed to the TexMex menu they suddenly loved it, while I obviously hated it.
The little bar next door to the restaurant is quite pretty and serves Mexican beers, micheladas, tequila’s and delicious cocktails, a nice little bohemian place to hang out before going out somewhere.
I would encourage any lover of South American cooking to try Mercado in addition to the more well known Mestizo.
Pros
— authentic Mexican food
— has a bohemian little bar, quite popular with locals
— good drinks menu; cocktails, Mexican beers, tequilas
— good locale
Cons
— service is sometimes lacking
— still haven’t returned the café de olla to the menu.

I love exotic food and here is a place when you can spend a mexican night.
First, you go for a drink, you can seat outside and appreciate the sun or go inside and feel the sunshine of the place with a lot of different colours, a traditional music and smells of burritos not far.
If you are lucky you will be there during happy hours and have two margarita for one.
Then, you start to feel an uncontrollable hunger, forget the bar and take a seat blue, red or green.
A nice thing is you can check before going the website for the menu.
The food is not expensive about £10 a course you can’t finish even if it tastes so good.
After, you can learn salsa for free every Monday, it’s fun as the place becomes a dancing bar and also a meeting place.