Albert Lee

I was craving mexican food, and boy was I happy. We had the happy hour meals, and the Nachos was really good. It is pricy. Between my wife and I, we spent over $200... But mostly because we kept ordering more food and drinks, then more food and drinks... then more drinks... because it was all so good. The guacamole was $18, but it was delicious. It's a good amount, probably enough for 3-4 ppl. Would I get it again? Yes. Food: top tier. Parking... is not the best. They don't validate for the Parking in the Commons. And the parking prices there is $2 per 20 minutes. Find local parking, or the parking south of there and cross the street. That parking has 90 minutes free and uses an app.

Kari LaBomme

We went to Mercados to celebrate our anniversary. The chips were fresh and hot with yummy salsa. My husband got the chicken enchiladas (usually served with mole) with their yellow mole but for some reason they put it on the side. The sauce was delicious but the enchiladas would have been better with the sauce on. I got the Dine LA prix fixe menu with the house salad, shrimp taquitos, skirt steak with cheese enchilada and bread pudding. It was all tasty. The skirt steak was a little tough but well seasoned. The cheese enchilada wasn’t melty but it looked really pretty! The bread pudding was good and would have been even better with a scoop of Dulce de leche ice cream. Overall we had a nice meal and the staff were friendly and attentive. The restaurant is beautiful.

Grisselle Halime

This place is a must! The food is amazing and the service is top notch. Our server was Matthew and he was so attentive and knowledgeable about the menu and suggested a few items. All the servers would walk by and help each other out, and the manager even stopped by to see how everything was. The kale salad, lobster tacos, guacamole, carne asada are to die for. My mouth is salivating just writing this review. If you like margaritas, the watermelon basil and cucumber jalepeno are so delicious. And save room for dessert, they have a churro ice cream that is worth the extra calories.

Justin Hall

Ok, so I happened to stumble across this gem while visiting in pasadena. And it was absolutely fantastic! My favorite was the queso mushroom dip! It was amazing, and I had Chile relleno to die for! Drinks were great and the dessert was perfection! A gem don't wait to try! My wife's fish tacos were good as well!

Leo CM

First time coming to here and wife and I can't wait to go back! The cocktails were prepared top notch (watermelon basil margarita and border psycho beer shown). I tried the jicama shrimp tacos and waiter recommended side of the aoli which enhanced the flavor. We ordered the duo dip and you must try it! Finally, wife ordered the enchiladas that she loved and I got the carnitas plate which are a signature dish that i can highly recommend. We tried the churro ice cream which was a delicious treat. In the end, we were amazed at the all the different flavors and modern takes on traditional recipes that warrant another trip.

+2

Daniel Perez

Excellent customer service and a great atmosphere! The drinks were good, especially the michelada and mezcal margarita. While the chicken mole enchiladas and carnitas were decent, the ceviche negro appetizer was the standout dish. Overall, I was more impressed with the ambiance and drinks than the main courses.

+1

M F

Food was delicious and service very fast. The restaurant itself however needs a bit of updating, it has a particular smell when you enter. Bathrooms also need a bit of a refresh or deep clean. Thankfully we were seated outside and it was really nice.

Susan Bugelli

Mercado Mexican Restaurant on South Lake in Pasadena offers a culinary experience from South of the Border. There is dine inside seating in an eclectic setting. Tables are roomy and the atmosphere is inviting. The outside patio is fun to dine in an open air atmosphere and people watch shoppers on South Lake. There is also outside seating in the Colonnade side, with tables along the outside wall of the restaurant. We heard their margaritas were a must "try," however I did not come away that feeling. Last time I was here I had a Sangria that I enjoyed and our server offered us a "Spicy Jalapeño Margarita" which she stressed three times was spicy.. so we steered clear. Our table ordered the cauliflower appetizer, yummy, the chicken enchiladas in a chocolate ranchers sauce and the carnitas plate. All were delicious and I'd enjoy again. Parking is limited on the street and you need to travel across the way for the public lot. 90 minutes FREE and $2 per hour thereafter.

regis kwong

After hearing about this place from our friends from Pasadena, we finally made it here for lunch after church on Sunday. Although I am very impressed with the decor and the excellent service, I feel food prices here are definitely not giving us good value. I am no expert on Mexican food but I do enjoy eating Mexican food. The food served here is not that extraordinary to command a premium. I couldn’t tell that much a difference between a taco from here and El Torito. In fact I prefer the taste of the tacos from El Torito. The flavor of the beef taco here is very strong on the acid side. Both the rice and the salsa on top of the taco I ordered came in with over powering sour taste that I was not used to. I could only eat one of the two tacos. The price for this taco dish was $18. On the other hand, my wife’s order of CHILAQUILES VERDES CON HUEVOS with Carnitas was delicious and very tasty. The carnita was very well prepared and tender. The based sauce was delectable as well. Despite its lack of presentation arrangement, this dish provided a saving grace for our dining experience here. I hope the restaurant will put more thoughts into providing a good value for its food. I believe it will elevate the restaurant to a different level in the old town Pasadena culinary scene.

+3

assaf horesh

Let’s start with the positives. The guacamole is great. This place is great for drinks and guac, as long as you’re sitting outside (inside it’s smelly). The rest of the food is mediocre at best. There is one flavor to the food: spicy. As if just being spicy is enough. No other flavors.

Winnie Yagan

Beautiful space, good and poor service. I was one of 2 people seated at the bar and the bartender did everything to ignore me, he also had no knowledge of the menu. II asked if what I was ordering has an ingredient i was allergic to and he said no. Thank God the manager overhear the conversation.

+2

Usagi & Neko

For party of 7, we made reservations for 7:30 pm but got the table 7:50 pm... Hum .... Unfortunately the attitude of the maitre ,.. I will consider her a C grade. After being seated, the service of our waiter was friendly and polite. The manager, I guess, came to say hi to us and apologized the waiting time. We tried the Lobster Taco. With special made crispy shell outside and small pieces of lobster meats with other ingredients are just a great combination. We all love it. The highlight was the chili peppers in the Mercado Surf and Turf Tablita. This was the first time we tried Fresno and Serrano Chili peppers. Oh... My Godness... Burning burning burning... 😵‍💫 The steak was tender and moist, bravo. The texture of the Carnitas (pork) was soft with balance of fat and meat. 🤣 Overall, it's a great dinner except the waiting experience. We ordered a dessert and the waiter put a candle for the birthday girl. Simple and he deserve a better tips 😘

+3

Cc

The servers were friendly. The atmosphere was pretty lively. But, the food was a bit too salty for my liking, and their margaritas could have been better. I got a Mercado Margarita, and it was very sour. It didn’t have the coarse salt around the rim, which I like. And, the restaurant inside smelled a bit like Clorox. And, we were surprised that they charged us $2 for a habanero sauce. (We wished we were informed about the extra charges instead of finding out about them when we got our check.) They pretty much charge you for anything extra, such as pico de gallo ($3) and tortillas ($2). They’re not very generous with their condiments.