Mercadito
179 Ave. B, East Village, NY
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It didn’t used to be this way, but lately Mercadito frustrates the hell out of us. Have we had good times here over the years? Absolutely. But we’re over it now. The food has gone down hill, and we’re sick of overspending on Mexican food and margaritas that don’t leave us happily plastered and ready for bed. Also, the crowd sucks. Like a club that was once a hot spot, on weekends Mercadito is now a serious bridge and tunnel hangout. It’s a magnet for annoying girls who travel in packs that are ass wasted and loud as f*ck after one drink. Tone it down ladies…it’s a small space.
Across the street and down a couple of blocks sits Mercadito Cantina, one of our favorite East Village go-to’s, and an establishment which wouldn’t be here were it not for its predecessor. For that, Mercadito, we are forever grateful. Before Cantina’s arrival, we endured Mercadito because it was the best Mexican in the hood, and all our friends flocked to it for the $23 all-you-can-eat tacos on Sunday and Monday nights. Now that we’re getting down with the little sister, we’re straight.
Food Rundown:
Tacos
Each order of tacos comes four to a plate, and my biggest frustration here is that you can’t mix and match. Even though I really want two fish tacos and two pork tacos, I’m forced to pick one or the other. Can the kitchen really not handle orders of two instead of four? And while the whole all you can eat tacos thing is great if you’re a football player, us regular people aren’t necessarily going to eat enough tacos to warrant a $23 per person price tag. Plus, if you want all you can eat and the other person at your table doesn’t – you can’t get it. Everyone at the table has to. It’s the little things that win our affection and there are way too many rules to obey at Mercadito. All that complaining aside, the tacos are still tasty. Our favorites include the pescados (which aren’t as good as Mercadito Cantina), skirt steak, and chicken with sweet plantain
Flautas
Always a reliable Mercadito order, these crispy corn rolled tortillas smothered in chicken tinga, black bean purée, tomatillo salsa and crema fresca are a good appetizer to share.
Picadas
Although it’s hard to resist, every order of these crispy corn concoctions are constantly disappointing, regardless of whether you get them with chicken, steak, pork or even zucchini. Not worth the order.
Robalo Ceviche
Mercadito has a whole ceviche section of their menu. It’s a gamble every time you order, as the same dish can be great one night and not great the next. We’ve generally had good luck with this wild striped bass ceviche with mango and chile piquín, so feel free to test that out.
Three Corn Pico De Gallo
A mix of hominy, white & yellow corn, onion, tomato, cilantro makes for a super chunky, super tasty and pretty unique twist on pico de gallo. The only issue is that it’s not served with chips – you have to ask for them.
Plátanos Machos
Hot, mushy and damn tasty, you can’t miss with these.
