Mercado Restaurant Manhattan Beach

Mercado is a sleek and elevated Mexican restaurant located in Manhattan Village just east of the central outdoor courtyard. The ceviche was delicious and fresh with great plantain chips to scoop it up. The carna asada burrito was actually stuffed with filet.. extremely tender and flavorful with great spices. The fish tacos were popping with flavor and looked as good as they tasted. The service was great, efficient, friendly, and really good knowledge of the menu. Be sure to ask about all the off menu specials.. they might have several dishes that don't appear on the menu but sound pretty enticing. Overall this was a really great dining experience.. the room is beautiful, the food is pretty and delicious, and the staff does a great job bringing it home. If you love Mexican food and want to try some of the best around visit Mercado asap!

OMG, Mercado is amazing 😍 !!! When my friend popped the idea of having Mexican food for lunch, I literally told her that I'm very picky with Mexican food as I used to work there for almost 3 years. But you know that, Mercado aced it !!! The fillet mignon taco was one of the most delicious tacos I've ever had, and the grilled octopus was so fresh and well-seasoned. Have to mention their guacamole 🥑, probably the best I've ever had, definitely will come again!!!

The Baseline: For a Mexican restaurant the flavors of the food must make use of the prime Mexican ingredients (corn, beans, chiles, rice, cheese, and meats), preparation of sauces/salsas, the meal portion size must make me feel full, and feeling of the restaurant must give me the feeling of a Mexican restaurant. September 2025 Review: Food: The Mercado Surf and Turf Tabilta is like the greatest ever. It can and does feed a family of 3-4 people. Pork, chicken, and shrimp with peppers, onions, rice, and beans makes this a meal plate. Pair with the chips and salsas. We also had the seasonal margaritas which were delicious. Service: Great service the night we came. Never ran out of water (which is needed with the hot peppers). Ambiance: Week night chill describes the vibe when we came in. The lighting and music made this a great dining experience. Bathroom was clean. April 2025 Review: Food: The food at Mercado is amazingly good and I have been here several times. This visit we had the Mercado Surf and Turf Tablita which was full of meat, shrimp, chilis, and veggies. The carnitas was prolly my favorite protein on the plate but everything was grilled and cooked to the amazing flavors you will get at Mercado. For drinks we had the house michelada and the watermelon basil margarita. Service: You will have great service at Mercado and the wait staff works as a team. If someone notices a need they try to fulfill it. My water glass and bottle was always full. Ambiance: This is an upscale Mexican dining experience and the decor displays that feeling. Bathrooms were clean and serviced. There is a nice outdoor dining space that overlooks the Manhattan Village common lawn area.

So this is going to seem like a weird review, but that's fine. I love their jicama shrimp tacos and came here just to have them for lunch only to find out they no longer offered them at lunch. They only offer them a happy hour or dinner. And I can't get a couple of tacos without getting them as an entree. I don't want rice and beans and things like that. So it's not to say that the food is bad because it's not, it's good. But they restricted their offerings so I won't be back unless it's for dinner which is unusual for me to come this way.

We thought this was just another boring Mexican restaurant — WRONG!! We thought the food was going to be average, or worse, underwhelming… once again WRONG. I might need to raise my criteria for 5 stars, because this place checked all the boxes and then some. Our waitress was attentive, bubbly, and very knowledgeable, which makes an average meal way more appealing… but in this case, the food needed no help. The items we selected were exquisite, tantalizing, and just downright 🔥! Simple Breakdown of Meal: • Chips and guac with the mushroom choriqueso, that's a 5-star treat in itself. • Pulpo al Pastor (octopus)… my wife said it's 🔥🔥… I wasn't brave enough to try it, but it looked amazing for the 'gram. • Tacos de Pescado: exquisite and magnifique (I'm sure I butchered that word… but you get the drift). And to wrap it up and put a bow on it, the atmosphere and artwork bring the whole experience together beautifully. I've never been so excited to be wrong about a Mexican restaurant.

Good Mexican restaurant nested in Manhattan Village. They do offer a patio sitting area as well as indoor, with both a room and a bar area. The menu is classic however, kuddos on having a vegetarian-veggie section. I personally enjoyed the cauliflower al pastor, really good, paired with the classic black beans. I definitely recommend to stop by in case you are hungry after a day of shopping at the village.

My husband and I like to meet at this restaurant with our LA friends. We love the food the atmosphere and the staff is so friendly. Andrew is the manager and we have seen him every single time we go! Last night, one of my friends became extremely dizzy and passed out on her way to the bathroom Andrew stepped in as if he was Superman! I can’t even tell you how he went above and be beyond to make sure that my friend was OK that we were OK. He called Security with a wheelchair and we were able to get her out the back door after she slightly recovered. ! I told Andrew I wish I could have him as my son ! lol! We should all be so lucky to have people like Andrew around us, especially at times like this! Thank you again for the excellent food wonderful service and Andrew’s management skills! We will be back!

Can’t beat the taco Tuesday happy hour here. Definitely get the guacamole, it is very fresh!