One of my favorite Mexican Restaraunts for a quick meal (especially when we don't feel like cooking) is El Mercado with several locations around town. My favorites are their Chili Relleno and Chicken smothered in a tomato salsa. Of course they do a creditable job with their beef and chicken fajitas (and currently have a special on Monday nights where you get your second order of fajitas for $2.50). Another frequent special is 2 for 1 enchiladas on Wednesday night. They recently irked me by refusing to honor their special for take home--at that point I asked them to serve me there...and then promptly asked them to pack the meal up. The service can be spotty at times especially at traditionally slow times when they are ridiculously understaffed (our waiter was the bartender and he had to keep running back and forth). Basically good food, some great dishes, spotty service.
El Mercado Restaurant, Uptown - (512) 477-7689 - 1702 Lavaca St, Austin, TX 78701
El Mercado Restaurant, North - (512) 454-2500 - 7414 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78757
El Mercado Restaurant, South, (512) 447-7445, 1302 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704
El Mercado, 6507 Jester Blvd., Austin, Texas, (512)231-1071
Ordered the lunch chicken taco salad and friends order taco and enchilda lunch plates. My lettuce was completely wet and sitting in a pool of water. The taco and enchilda lunches were both soggy and wet as well. No more lunches for me at El Mercado! What a disappointment!
Posted by: susie | April 12, 2004 at 01:37 PM
did someone from El Mercado pay for this review?? I'd have to say it is the worst Tex-Mex in town (and I've lived in Texas my whole life) Try Maudie's or Guero's for real Tex-Mex
Posted by: Lacey | October 22, 2004 at 01:39 PM
Mediocre texmex - its easy to find better in
Austin, Texas - and I'm a native Austin area
resident. I'll put it like this -El Mercado sucks.
Posted by: Sid | October 23, 2004 at 09:17 PM
I am from chicago, and i make trips to Austin just to go to this restaurant. It is the best tex-mex i have had.
Posted by: georgia | March 20, 2005 at 06:20 PM
As far as Tex-Mex food goes -- El Mercado is at best inconsistent; at worst, iit is very bad.
Posted by: Celina | May 25, 2005 at 10:17 AM
I go to elmer because it is a block from work. Not for the food... the chips are nasty the salsa like ketchup. Ok the burgers are the best in austin .. but it is a tex mex place
Posted by: Shane | August 09, 2005 at 03:31 PM
It's not where I would take an out-of-town guest to highlight Austin's fabulous cuisines, but it's cheap and fast and good margaritas. I like the vegetarian Enchiladas Rico.
Posted by: Dona | January 04, 2006 at 08:38 AM
Guero's better than El Mercado- you are joking right?! El Mer is much more authentic with their Tex-Mex(its all in the salsa baby) & it tastes pretty fair/good compared to some others- but definitely better than Guero's! The main reason I go to El Mer is for their Happy Hour deals, where you can get a cheap, but good margarita and sample their appetizers & taco bar for pretty cheap.
Posted by: C | January 11, 2006 at 01:24 PM
El Mercado is one of my fave Tex Mex haunts in Austin, and I've sampled most of the Tex Mex here. The food is cheap and good, and I looove the Hot Latin Kisses (bacon-wrapped shrimp and jalepeno). I also like the bright and colorful decor.
Posted by: lauxa | May 08, 2006 at 04:34 PM
On a recent visit our queso had a long black hair in it. The manager didn't even come over to apologize. When I brought it up with him after dinner he acted like maybe we put it there commenting that all his cooks have short hair. What the $#$%$? Like I need to save $20 bucks on a cheap tex mex meal. We've been eating there regularly for 15 years mainly because its close to home. Something had definitely changed at the Burnet road location.
Posted by: Disgusted | July 06, 2006 at 08:23 PM
Every year, a popular textbook company sponsors a dinner at El Mercado for my department. Even thouh the food is free for the students, I never go to the dinner b/c I did not like the food the first time I went. As a struggling student, I rarely refuse free food, but in the case of El mercado, I will never return no matter what.
Posted by: Memoria | September 26, 2006 at 09:57 AM
It was horrible. I will never go back
Posted by: leslie smith | October 07, 2006 at 10:20 PM
One thing that is great about Elmer is that you can create anything you want with any of ingredients in the kitchen...Helpful hint don't be afraid to request something special. the attitude is "we will do anything for you".
Posted by: shane | April 04, 2007 at 06:36 PM
I ordered a guacamole salad. I should have known there was a problem when the waitress asked what kind of dressing I wanted. What I got was three small ice cream scoops of commerical nastiness on a poop-load of lettuce for $5.99. This Tex-Mex rest. doesn't even make their own guacamole and they have the balls to charge $5.99!
Posted by: Mark | June 14, 2007 at 03:47 PM
El Mer"Nado" is more like it ... lousy service ... cold food ... poor management - won't go back & don't recommend it.
Posted by: Amy | November 02, 2007 at 09:20 PM
HI. I'm looking for a great, festive, large Rehearsal Dinner for my son & fiancee on Nov, 14, '08. Are you available on that date for a private party and can you accommodate 80-100? If so, please send me your information to diane@dianemazur.com.Thanks. - Diane
Posted by: Diane Dyer | May 28, 2008 at 05:35 PM