Maxwell P.
Yelp
My girlfriend and I had already been excited about Mera Kitchen Collective before we went, and it did not disappoint. We couldn't figure out what we wanted, so we ended up ordering far more than we could eat, with plans to take some of the food home. The entire team there was super welcoming, and the decor was cute. It felt like what every little neighborhood spot aspires to be.
It was sadly a little too early in the day for cocktails, but the house made juices were honestly so good we didn't care. The Bissap and Jus De Gingembre were both complex, refreshing, and just super, super tasty. The Bissap had a great balance of sweetness and tang, while the Jus De Gingembre brought some lovely subtle heat.
The hummus arrived next, and was similarly delicious. The flavor was deep, a bit roasty, and went perfectly with the thick, almost slightly chewy, bread that it was served with. The serving size was also pretty generous, and the hummus alone could have been a nice snack if you're looking for a light lunch.
The chicken tamale was rich, savory, and super well seasoned. Honestly, it might have been our favorite dish in a meal full of great food. The filling to masa ration was on point, the chicken itself was delicious, and the salsa verde on the side provided a perfect bit of heat and freshness. When (not if) we go back, we're definitely getting this again.
Continuing a run of great food, the yassa chicken wings were great. Savory, and with a bit of sour to balance them from the peppers, we finished the generously portioned plate in a heartbeat. The wings came with some ranch on the side, but honestly they were so well seasoned and sauced that dipping was completely unneeded.
I was a little selfish and ordered the Za'atar flatbread largely for myself, as I know my girlfriend doesn't usually like the sourness of Za'atar, but I'm so glad I did. I don't know how else to describe this than perfectly balanced. The sour Za'atar complimented the slight bitterness of the arugula, and both together somehow made the tomatoes taste sweeter and the cucumbers more refreshing. Add to that genuine fun of tearing the really tasty flatbread to use to grab the vegetables, and you have what was probably my favorite dish of the meal. This is sitting near the top of my "things I want to eat outside on a hot summer day" list.
Having hoarded the flatbread, I was too full to eat much of the fries, but what I did have was great. The fries were solid, the carne asada was wonderfully savory, and the tomatoes and salsa verde on top provided enough freshness to prevent it from being too heavy. My girlfriend, who is a bit of a french fry obsessive, said that they were really good, and she doesn't give out fry compliments lightly.
By the end of the meal we were stuffed and happy, our plan to take leftovers home completely forgotten (or more accurately, ignored). The food is amazing, the space is lovely, the team there is super nice, and just to add icing to the cake the fact that its a worker's collective makes you feel good about eating there. We're planning to go back to Mera Kitchen Collective when we're in Baltimore again, and you should go too.