Mercadito - River North

Everything was pretty great except for dessert.
Tres leche was bland.

I have never been in a restaurant so loud. We waited a long time for our reservation then when finally sat there was a mix up and our table had people at it. Had to wait once again, at this point we left. No food is worth the level of noise or lack of organization, will not return.

VERY loud and very tight seating ... could barely avoid bumping elbows with our neighboring tables and the crowd volume was so loud we couldn’t carry a conversation. There was plenty of food on the plate but was only adequate in flavor (mole tasted burned).

Too loud but otherwise excellent - great food and fun place

The food and service were great. The noise level is very very loud, and the tables are way too close to each other. You hear all of your neighbors conversation unless you are yelling with those in your party to have your own conversation.

Poor service with average overpriced food. Used to be much better.

Waiter came to the table late. Said food would not be spicey. It was. No shrimp in one of my enchiladas ..

Was there for a nice little dinner date and my boyfriend and I could barely hear each other over the noise from the restaurant. There was no ambiance it was loud to a point of Uncomfortability. The salsa is not on the house, you have to pay for each one that you order-something I didn’t appreciate because I like to use salsa all over my food and didn’t get to enjoy that. Our server was aloof for most of the time we were there. Don’t think I’d go back.

Not the servers fault because they were understaffed, but very slow service.

It took a lot to get my friend food. Portions were very small but food was great

We use to come to the the Mercadito, every year for several years in a row. It was our tradition each time we come to Chicago. But after our last experience, I know for sure that we wont come back. The food was ordinary, the service too. Far from what it use to be. Too bad...

The ambience, wait staff and the food was excellent. A little overpriced but expected, being its downtown Chicago.

I didn't like the carne tacos, not tasty, but guacamole y queso funds are DELICIOUS, good drinks too

Holiday gatjering

Food and margaritas are always amazing! We definitely go here every time we come to Chicago!

Outstanding food and drinks. The atmosphere is very lively and energetic. Despite being very busy the service was very good.

Unique spot with great quality food and cocktails. Service is great, will go back again!

Really really good food and service. My only complaint is the price of the margaritas. $13 is unnecessary even forChicago!

Excellent service great food. Very loud but not unbearable

waited 45 minutes for a table after having reservations and was missed in the seating cue. service was extremely slow and almost rude. bar ran out of glasses and had to wait 20 minutes for a drink. very bad night for what i used to look forward to as my favorite river north spot. things have really gone south.

Some of the best Mexixan food we've had this side of Mexico. The carnitas tacos were amazing! A little pricey for Mexican food, but well worth it. We'll be back for sure!

Although the food and drinks were very good, the noise level was extremely high. Hard to socialize and enjoy. If going, I would highly recommend going at an unpopular time.

Anniversary dinner for me and my wife! Food was great and the service was amazing.

For the most part, service was good. Did not like how the waiter would take away dishes without asking rather I was finished with my meal.

The tacos are so amazing

I liked this restaurant a lot, the food was excellent , we tried all different types of tacos, guacamoles, salsas and dessert. The atmosphere was very cool and modern and not very noisy.

Every little detail was amazing! The food was to die for. A bit pricey but what isn’t in Chicago?

Annoying and loud waiters rushed us and food sucked

Surprisingly busy for a cold Tuesday night. Fun vibe but a little loud. Great food. We happened to be sitting next to a couple celebrities, and I think our service was negatively impacted because of it. Slow to refill waters, clear plates and never offered another round of beverages. I’m sure that was an anomaly.

Food and margaritas were fantastic

Food and service were amazing. Great atmosphere. The brisket tacos were to die for! Loved them!

Came in for my birthday dinner with a group of friends. Was informed by the quite snotty hostess that we had to wait for the entire party to arrive before we could be seated, which we were not informed of beforehand. There are no chairs in the waiting area, so most of my party had to block the entrance as other people checked in.
Bathroom was pretty clean, no complaints there except I’m sure a challenge to get down two flights of stairs for people with disabilities.
Drinks came reasonably quick after being ordered, and were standard (aka quite pricey) for the area. Mine was not very strong at all, but tasty.
The food took a bit to come out, but I understood they were busy. Problem is, they neglected to bring out one persons food. As people generally do, we wanted to wait for her food to be delivered before we started eating. After a while, the manager came by and introduced himself, and we let him know we were missing a plate of chicken tacos. He said he’d check on it, and took over 5 minutes to come back, leading me to believe the kitchen probably forgot to make it, as I’m sure everything is to the point of needing to be heated/assembled in the kitchen. My lobster tacos sat for roughly 20 minutes after being served, and while they were pretty good, I’m sure they would have been better warm/fresh.
I was brought a tasty dessert with candle, which was a great touch. Our server was also very friendly and knowledgeable of the menu. No gratuity was added, which I thought odd. I may return but probably for a Tuesday date night, versus with a large party.
Oh, and it also gets SO loud, the acoustics are not great, and it was hard to hear anything the person across from me was saying.

The service was slow and the server was rather indifferent. The food was lukewarm and, in the case of the chicken, drowning in excessive mole sauce. I had eaten here before and had a good, although not memorable, experience. Next time I’ll head straight to Barrio.

Perfect service !
food was beyond my expectations !

The chicken tacos are so good!!

Traditional margarita and lobster tacos are the go-to and never disappoint—although we keep requesting the “old lobster tacos” before they changed them. Still delicious though!

It was OK, food was good, not great, steak was "chewy", if you know what I mean, kind of tough. Tables are too close together and really loud. I would give it a B as a grade.

Wonderful dinner

Mercadito never disappoints. Had dinner with my mom’s friend who was in town from FL and her 8 month old granddaughter. The staff was super accommodating and the food was delicious! Thank you :)

Great place and great food. Quite a bit noisy but that's just a reflection of how busy the place is all the time. Great service, very accommodating staff. We went with our 3-year old son, so not a bad place to bring your kids.