El Mercado

Great atmosphere hanging out at the backstage area. Sunday brunch gets busy so go early to get a table and to catch up with friends before the music starts. Service is great when u get it out table was missed several times we received help from the manager who took our order. Drinks were great and music was just right. Ordered smoked carnitas tacos with a Tito’s Bloody Mary. Great way to spend a Sunday afternoon

I've been here several times over the years. My most recent visit, I went with my mom and my dog. The back patio was so nice. The restaurant is very dog-friendly, which is great. They provided my dog, Bogart, a water bowl. The service was great. Our waiter, Trent, was very friendly. The food was delicious - my mom and I shared an order of queso and chicken fajitas. The manager, Casey, checked on us as well and talked to us a bit. All in all, a nice dinner. I will be back again soon.

Wonderful place! The decor is very happy and colorful. Food is yummy. The waiter we had was the nicest and cutest!!!!! As a music venue, the most awesome and what a legacy of a place. If you haven’t been there, you’re not a real Austinite yet!!! The Backstage has fantastic bands!!! And the staff treats you well and are friendly! Like the old Austin!!

Enjoyed lunch at El Mercado South. Had a good time. Service was great. Food was great. Lunch specials were reasonably priced! $$ 😉

Great salsa, margs, and enchiladas. They have a lot of indoor and outdoor seating and a music venue. They’ve had to raise their prices with inflation so it’s not the great deal it used to be. But the lunch specials for $11 with beans and rice is phenomenal. I recommend this place to friends in the area who want TexMex. My favorite dish so far is the “queso and chili meat sauce Tex Mex enchiladas”

Dinner and live music. Great time with family. Happy Birthday Ginny Vota. Food was delicious.

I’ve come to El Mercado for 30 years at this location one of my favorite places to eat. The last two times I’ve been here the service was HORRIBLE. The first time the girl just sat up front and barley came to our table this time our waitress just took our drink orders which were wrong and we told her she kinda shrugged and didn’t care and never came back. Our food was dropped off by the manager on shift who was cool. But after that she came back for checks that’s it. She brought another round of drinks which was wrong again. And she offered to pour the wrong drinks into another cup that was it not fix it. I love this place it’s always my go to place. But these last two times were ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE service almost to the point where my entire friend group will want to go and we don’t because I remind them of the last two times. So sad terrible service does this to a place I love to go and have been going for 30 years. EXTREMELY disappointed in the service and I’ve never complained ever. This will be my first time and enough is enough.

Consistency is key- You should taste their salsa and their tortillas that’s how you can tell a good quality Tex-Mex restaurant in Austin. Over 50 years of consistency highly recommend y’all come check it out you’ll find yourself returning for the company and the ambience- let’s eat local!!!

Had the crunchy tacos for lunch. Just wanted a simple meal. Good, not great, but that's likely because you can't do much study crunchy tacos. Good service. Good atmosphere. Will try again.

I'm here today for the gospel brunch. Great music with some of the finest musicians in Austin. The queso is addictive and the breakfast quesadilla is what's up! I highly recommend!

First, the gentlemen that served us was very attentive and funny now we have an inside joke with him. Their mexican rice tasted just like how my grandma makes it. So so yum!!! I would definitely go back and ask for the waiter that served our table.

This Tex Mex spot is conveniently located on S. 1st St., just far enough from downtown and with ample parking. We have never had to wait too long for a table here but they always are busy. They have a lovely back patio and music venue as well as kids play area. They're margaritas and Micheladas are delicious as well as their food. The service is great too and very inviting.

Delicious Enchiladas, fun atmosphere and excellent service. Loved the queso served with my Cheese Enchiladas. My friends loved their Shrimp Tacos and said the Tortilla soup was delicious. Highly recommend.

Completely unfriendly & unwelcoming staff! They seemed very disorganized and an older female server was slamming things around. When we walked in, she was out on the patio smoking a vape pen. We sat & waited for someone to take our order. When we saw a roach on the table, we quickly got up and left. Never again. Disgusting!

If you haven't been here, you must do so at least once. It's almost an ATX resident requirement! This review will be short, I promise.. The last time I came in, I came with a companion and enjoyed beverages only. The drinks came out quickly and were solid. The waitress who attended to our table was upbeat and prompt. The table chips and salsa are not top tier here, but again, most don't frequent an establishment for the bread nor chips and salsa. #supportlocal #getyourdrinkon

Eddie was our server, great service, helped us out on what to order, I ordered a pork marinated taco and a brisket taco, awesome. The house salsa had just enough heat with the thin heated chips, I could have made a meal out these. 3 of us had the frozen margaritas swirled with Sangria. highly recommend!

We went to El Mercado on a Sunday afternoon, I was tasting their pork omelette. They have live music in the back part of the restaurant it was pretty packed so we sat up front. They also have an outdoor seating area. They have a great brunch selection, I've gotten the omelette before and it did not disappoint. Very tasty and the pork is smoked perfectly. My potatoes were a little greasy but then again they are breakfast potatoes. I had a brunch Mimosa to wash down my omelette & it was straight champagne with a drop of OJ! Just the way I like it! Perfect & did the job. My son had the enchiladas & he was very happy and satisfied with his plate. I had a bite of his & it was an authentic Mexican style taste (haven't tasted that in a while). Can't wait to go back!

First time here, and man when I tell you this hit the spot! I can't wait to come back for a date night. ‍

If there was an option to give a zero Star I would. Worst experience Iv had in a while. The food is nasty had no flavor. The inside has no AC so it's very uncomfortable when eating. Then to top it off they charged 18% gratuity on a party of 4 of us. In their eyes my 6 month old niece is considered a person. So we are a party of 5. Very questionable and concerning business ethics. Highly don't recommend.

We've had many Friendsgiving's here. There's space for a large group to gather. The food and drinks are always good. Someone that's gluten free would not have a hard time finding something to eat.

Haven't been since we moved back to ATX. Food was still delicious and staff is still awesome we love El Mercado!

Best Mexican spot in South 1st/South Congress area. The service is ON POINT! Food comes out fresh and hot! Brisket street tacos are so tender and delicious. Grilled Fish Tacos are my go to and they hit the spot every time. I love it here!

Small, quaint place. It's over 50 years old, and the dust in some areas shows it. First appearances and all, just something I noticed. We were greeted quickly and sat just as fast. Very friendly. The host was also our waiter. Great guy. I had the chicken burrito and my wife had the mushroom and spinach enchiladas. Both weee very good. The waiter bragged about the queso, so we tried it. Waant anything great, processed cheese product with a few spices. We added chopped japalenos to add some flavor. Salsa was really good. Ambience was cool, Mexican clutters theme, but the music was 80's hair band rock, was interesting. We always try to hit local fare when we visit any place we go, this was worth the stop.

We've been coming here for quite sometime. The food is always good and of course Hector is a fabulous server.

This was my first time at this restaurant and I'm sure it will be my last. I was visiting Texas and we found this restaurant when we were exploring Austin. We walked in and we were greeted, everyone was very nice. The food was just not it. I ordered chicken enchiladas because I wanted a safe meal & it came with rice & my choice of beans. I chose black beans. My rice was cold, my beans were hard & my enchiladas were the most edible thing on my plate. I asked for cotija or queso fresco but they only had shredded white or yellow, cheese. The garlic crema sauce was not that great. My food overall lacked flavor. My friends Mom had tacos, queso & black beans. Her queso was melted Velveeta, taco was hard shell & her food was too salty. My friend had shrimp enchiladas that were okay for her. The ambiance of the restaurant was okay. My seat was falling apart as I was sitting there, the restaurant had a small crowd which was nice for them. I will attach a picture of my food too. Overall, I was disappointed but wish them luck!

Not only is the food mediocre at best but the service and the servers must come from the scrapings at the bottom of the barrel. Last night the waiter used my credit card to pay for some other random persons bill without my permission or card in his possession. My signature was forged and all the manager could say was it was "an honest mistake "! HONEST???? There was nothing honest about any of this‼ The fact that I had already left and my card was with ME tells me all I need to know! What a horrible way to do business! Forgery. Stealing. Lying. Ya that's a great way to do business! And then to not even accept responsibility for a their mistake is beyond my comprehension! I had to take another hour out of my life to go back to get my money because they said they couldn't even credit my card back because they already "batched out"! How this place even has 3.5 is impossible to believe. If there was a way to give ZERO I would. I WILL NEVER BE BACK AND WILL SPREAD THE WORD TO EVERYONE THAT I KNOW!

Service was horrible. TIMOTHY was the worst server I've ever had. He was rude to all of the guests. Tried ordering enchiladas with verde sauce and he said no. Said it wouldn't taste right and he didn't want us complaining that it was bad. Then he asked what kind of tequila we wanted and we said bottom, he said "you want the shitty tequila" and then mentioned the "shitty tequila" again and once more when he served it. He also gave us a small marg and charged the same as a large and said it was the same amount. When we put it in the large cup and it was only half he said "fine if you're gonna be cheap about it" and then charged us double for the queso and removed the drink to make it the same amount. He tipped himself 18% even though we were all separate checks... He was rude the entire time and would never come here again after this experience. Would put 0 stars if I could. Edit: when we inquired about the bill, Timothy told him to "just be quiet, and if you're going to be cheap to go to McDonald's". WHAT KIND OF SERVER DOES THAT!! I will never come back to this location and neither will our party. We have been loyal customers for the past 2 years and this experience has truly ruined el Mercado for all of us.

I've been going to the South First location for over 20 years. I went today and it was one of the worst bowls of tortilla soup ever. Flavorless broth that comprised 7/10ths of the bowl. Five small pieces of chicken, a few straps of tortilla chips and a blob of cheese. Add-ins of rice and cilantro were limited. Temperature was tepid at best. Extremely disappointing. Ordered a side cheese enchilada. It was equally as bland. $18.60 for soup, an enchilada and an iced tea. I won't be going back P.S. El Mercado needs to take lessons in soup making from Maudies.

My wife and I are US expats living in Yucatan, Mexico and visiting Austin for a few nights. Yucatan cuisine is different and we had been missing/craving US style Mexican / TexMex food so we decided to give El Mercado a try Even on a Tuesday evening the the restaurant was 1/2 full, we were seated right away and brought chips and salsa along with some tasty and potent Texas martinis (like a margarita but with a splash of orange and olive juice). My beef enchilada and crispy taco combo was pretty good and our waiter seemed to appear at all the right times when we needed more salsa, more drinks, and when it was time to ask for the check

The food, staff and margs are awesome. Very affordable and always welcoming! Great neighborhood hang!

This place is awful. Host rolled their eyes when a group of 10 walked in. I've been sitting here for 35 minutes and asked for a water as soon as we sat down. Every waiter that walks by turns their head away from us. They're only serving and paying attention to people with 2 in their party. Rude. Worst service I've ever seen. Ever. I'd give it negative stars if I could

Rude and slow service. Acted like a group of 10 coming in when the restuarant was empty was the biggest impediment in the world. Gave our table plastic cups when all tables around us had normal glasses. We were not a loud or obnoxious group by any means. Disappointing

Went for the music. My first time and I was not disappointed. Plenty of parking. Lots of seats. Low cover charge. Margarita was fine, nothing special. Cheese dip was fine, nothing special. Chips were fine, nothing special. Music was exceptional. Monday Night Supper Club with lots of singer/songwriters swapping. Some of my faves. Incredible night.

We were looking for a shady patio for lunch on a busy Saturday afternoon and thought of El Mercado! We got here and there was plenty of parking and there was no one on the front patio which was the shadiest, so we had our choice of tables. All the tables were at least mostly shaded and overhead fans ensured a breeze. After checking in with the host, we sat at one of the completely shaded tables. The yellow metal chairs were surprisingly comfortable. Chips and salsa came right out and the salsa was wonderful! Had a bit of chipotle in it. The staff was all masked and doing a good job of social distancing. The single use, paper menus were full (front and back) of great options. My husband decided on chicken fajita tacos on flour tortillas with black beans while I had the brisket tacos on corn also with black beans. We both ordered iced tea. When the food came out, I was shocked at how much meat was in each of the tacos (see pictures)! I removed 1/2 the brisket in each taco to make room for the onions and cilantro provided as taco garnishes. After noshing on the chip for the fairly brief wait time, finishing all my food was impossible. I ate the two corn tortillas with 1/2 the (delicious, smoky) brisket, 1/2 the black beans and Spanish rice, and all the guacamole salad, then boxed up the rest for another meal! My husband enjoyed his two rolled chicken fajita tacos which came with fajita veggies, cheese, and guacamole on the side, as well as a cup of black beans and Spanish rice. The fajitas were well seasoned and the plate had good sized portions. He managed to eat all of his!service was excellent - they kept our tea glasses filled, our chips replenished, and our salsa bowl topped off (we are salsa pigs!). We'll definitely be back soon!!

We came on a Tuesday and were so happy with the food and the music! I got the brisket tacos and my husband got the brisket nachos. The brisket was AMAZING! So soft and flavorful. The chips and salsa was awesome, too. Perfect for a date night or coming with a group of friends! Make sure you bring cash as the concert is cash only!

El Mercado has been a family favorite for years. We used to visit the Burnet Rd restaurant and now we go to the South 1st. St. location. COVID-19 has left an obvious dent in business for this Austin original but they have done a perfect job getting the place ready for guests. We love the servers and the way they treat us like family. Patrick and Sam are so kind and friendly. The food is great and the salsa has a nice little bite to it. My father in law likes the #1 lunch special (cheese enchiladas). Nice size portions and great price.

I would say I have been to way better Mexican restaurants and I don't really like Mexican food that much and I can suck it up but this place was just plain bad the best thing they have is french fries the food was eh and kinda bland it smelled weird in the building and I don't know if this was just me being picky but the location was in front of a busy road and it was really loud I would go back maybe but the service was nice and our server was polite and everybody was polite and it was nice and clean.

The lady who greeted us, sat us and served us was extremely friendly . . . However friendly doesn't make an establishment a go to place and sadly I can't say I'll be back any time soon. We started off with chips and salsa (which was actually really good and had my hopes high for what was to come) and then we order the queso (which was velveta and rotel that seized up shortly after being placed on the table). My little person got a burger and we got the plates and my sister got the soup. With that said, my sister enjoyed her soup and she's the only one who enjoyed their meal. The beef enchiladas lacked flavor and was dry and the taco was just as bad as it was the same meat. I'm assuming my plate was heated as the cheese on my taco had melted on the plate. I subbed my beans out for double rice however the rice was also "meh" at best. I took a bite of the little ones burger as he didn't want to eat it and I wasn't so pleased with my food and the burger tasted like a frozen patty that they didn't season, so I couldn't even make him eat it. I also ordered a strawberry margarita and it wasn't anything spectacular. I just felt disappointed with the meal. I saw other reviews that said it's a hit or miss and this was a MISS!!

The tortilla soup had no flavor , tortilla strips soggy , could've kept in different container .

This place was good. It's the TexMex flavor of that's what you like. The service was phenomenal!! Beans, salsa and chips were my favorite.

The staff here is so nice!!! Always the best time. The playground in the back is such a nice touch. My friends and I always go down the slide when we leave:) The best part is people don't mind if you're loud, so if you're feeling rowdy, it's perfect! The only con of this place is the queso, but the quesadillas make up for it.

Shout out to Jason for the great service! We showed up at 7 with a show to make at 8 and the service could not have been better! Amazing smoked carnitas tacos with and perfectly cooked Flautes arrived by 7:15, right behind two delicious and strong specialty Margs. The best smoke pork I've had in 300 years of men was in my stomach by 7:29. Get around them stat!

The food was so delicious but the service was subpar. We got skipped in line to get sat and to top it all of our server greeted us, took our order and never came back. We had to get new waters, togo plates, and our check all from different people. Definitely had great food!

Ordered the chicken enchiladas and very disappointed :( the cheese is like the canned queso, the chicken was sort of watery without a lot of flavor, the rice tasted like soap, the beans are probably canned. Tex Mex isn't scarce in Texas so I thought it wasn't good. The chips weren't great either:/

My husband and stopped here for only a several minutes. It was our first day in Austin, and raining pretty heavily, and we had a few minutes to kill before our yoga class. He was quite hungry so ordered a bowl of soup and I ordered coffee. I was so moved at how kind and attentive the staff were! They brought us the most delicious chips and homemade salsa! I almost couldn't stop eating it, except wished to stay light before a 90 minute yoga class (I usually don't eat 4-6h before a class). My husband loved the soup and it looked so yummy and homemade. And it came with this delicious tomato rice and salad! The coffee was strong and delicious as well!! Thank you for welcoming us two NYers so warmly on a rainy day!! We need to return again to listen to some music and for a proper relaxed meal!! What a most wonderful first impression of the kindness and welcoming warmth of Austinites! Thank you!!

BRUNCH COCKTAIL SPECIALS till 3pm Saturday & Sunday need I say more :). Over the weekend I stopped by El Mercado Restaurant for lunch & was pleasantly surprised that they have Weekend Brunch specials AND brunch cocktail specials TILL 3PM...awesome & oh sooooooooo tasty!!!! I ordered pancakes which were REALLY good & fluffy!! 3 pancakes w/ sausage or bacon for $5.25..YES $5.25 Of course I also had one of the brunch cocktails..frozen margarita w/ a little orange juice & YUM!!!!! I went around 2pm on a Saturday & it was not that busy at all but when I left more customers were coming in. The inside does have plenty of tables & bar seating. I did take 1 star off for the parking situation..the parking lot is small but there is street parking but I could for sure see how lack of parking could be an issue depending on the time you visit El Mercado Restaurant. So to sum it up I WILL be returning to El Mercado Restaurant & totally recommend to all my fellow Yelp Peeps!! -Rebecca out

Take Kraft singles cheese. Add milk and heat up. That's the chili con queso. Very nice staff but understaffed. Food is below average. Unfortunate for the servers who do their best.

Because El Mercado has its own music venue, The Backstage, and even a separate Facebook page for the venue, I strongly believe they need 2 Yelp categories. One for the restaurant, one for The Backstage. however, after 20 minutes of searching different spellings, website, and Google.... There does not seem to be one. So, I will sandwich my review for The Backstage here in their restaurant's reviews. However, full disclosure, I do not feel that's fair as the variables can change from restaurant service to music venue. THE BACKSTAGE: Let's start with the PROS: An intimate colorful little place to see great live music. Sound system is superb. Not too loud as some small places tend to be. Good listening volume. Actual real FOOD is available which is very rare at most bars and music venues in Austin! FOOD! And not from a food truck, where you have to go outside and stand around in the heat or the cold for 20 minutes waiting. You get to stay seated at your table and have someone bring you a drink or an order. Awesome concept! The CONS: You may be waiting a while for that food or drink to arrive! Our last visit there we waited 25 minutes after ordering beers. I ordered a draft beer and was brought a can and told the draft was out. Not asked for a second choice which was upsetting. Same story on food. Food is good enough, however our order took forever to actually come out. And being hungry-grumpy can sway your true opinion of the food you are eating! I felt for a room this size they were very understaffed. Seemed to be only two waiters working the whole room, one waiter each side. And as waiters tend to do, they were focusing on the larger parties and ignoring the smaller ones. Not cool. Management, hire more servers to work The Backstage room! It will pay off with better service, happier patrons and better reviews. Parking is very limited. Tables are long shared-seating so be prepared to bump elbows with a stranger or have him shouting loudly in your ear to his friend across the table. Tables and chairs are the fold-out kind you buy from Costco, so not the most comfortable after a few hours. I think they have some kinks they could definitely iron out by hiring extra servers for shows! We have gone to The Backstage on 4 different occasions and will go again.

We came here for lunch while doing a site visit at UTA. The salsa is absolutely amazing. I could not stop eating it. I had the fajita chicken lunch tacos. The food was good. I expecting fajita veggies in it but it was just chicken. Still really good.

This place has always had middle of the road Mexican food but they used to have a great atmosphere. The staff has really turned it into an uncomfortable and unpleasant experience. The bartender is a jerk, taking about people under his breath while making drinks, refusing to serve at the bar unless you're eating there, giving dirty looks to customers and co-workers... the list goes on. The music at the backstage is great but the experience is soured by the unnecessary situation of treating poorly and seeing others treated poorly by the staff.

Now that the downtown location has closed, S. 1st is our new preferred location. A lot of the staff from downtown made the move with them. We always have a great time here and the salsa is some of the best in town. The staff and service are great and it's good old-fashioned Tex-Mex.

My wife and I are there last night based on a friends recommendation. We are from out of town and he used to be a local. It was excellent. I had the slow roasted beef BBQ tacos and my wife the enchilada plate. We ordered queso cheese sauce and guacamole: all excellent. The servings are big and we are outside: nice comfy shaded patio. The server was awesome and the manager also checked in on us. Just he opposite service of Casino El Camino.

We had some really good Brisket Tacos and frozen drinks. I would recommend this place for really good food

Had dinner here after forgetting to reserve for Fresa's. Honestly, considering the Texas heat, it was the right decision. Food: I had the comida deluxe (lots of beef enchiladas with nachos, guacamole, refried beans, rice) while I believe my date had tacos and enchiladas. Overall, it wasn't too bad. My date did feel that the taco meat was more on the bland side, and even I'll have to admit that I wish there was a little more flavor in the beef in the enchilada. Service: Servers were very attentive and plates were taken fairly quickly. It was a bit busy that night, but the waiting staff did an excellent job at refilling drinks and checking in on us. Vibe: It is a bit on the rundown side, but it wasn't to the point where I was nervous about everything being served to me in terms of cleanliness. The bathrooms are reasonably well kept. One weird thing is that some of the cleaning supplies are in an area where customers pass--not sure how I feel about it. Overall, it was a satisfying experience. The food was nothing to write home about, but I did appreciate the portions and the attentiveness of the wait staff. I'm definitely still a Chuy's guy!

I came by to check out The Eggmen Band which I love. In the back of the restaurant they have a separate live music area 'The backstage'. I ordered the pomegranate margarita which was good but didn't had much of the pomegranate flavor though. Decent place if u like the the band it has scheduled but wont recommend this place for any special family event or date night coz I find it dingy, obscure and forgotten, specially when this is located in the heart of South 1st district where many restaurants are re-defining Dining and setting up trends in Austin.

God bless Pat for the high energy service. The manager went above and beyond to be welcoming. 10/10 recommend and the margs are delicious too!

Pretty standard Mexican food... I like that they have the backstage for music while you dine but really it's too loud to eat and enjoy conversation so I'd stick to just drinks and all facing the stage if at all possible. Food was just ok to me.

My friends and I agreed we wanted tacos for Friday night dinner. We'd originally planned on going to another tex-mex with a "must try" reputation, but as I looked over the reviews and menu, I realized they were probably nothing but average food at tourist-trap prices. I'd first tried El Mercado earlier this week, and was impressed. I suggested we return to El Mercado instead. It was a good decision! My friends and I all enjoyed our meals and drinks! I got the botana appetizer platter again, and they got combo plates with tacos, but I cannot remember exactly which. We also ended the meal with churros, which had a surprise cream filling. Again it was medium-busy. Service was pretty good. I would have appreciated one more trip to refill my water, but if that's my only complaint of the night, I cannot complain at all! Whenever I want tex-mex food in this part of town, this is where I'll come!