Merkado - San Francisc

The food was decent, and the drinks were enjoyable. The asada was just average, but the tacos were quite tasty. You could likely find better options elsewhere.

I recently visited a fantastic Mexican restaurant near Oracle Park! We started with some pitchers of margaritas to share, and they were absolutely delicious, along with the guacamole and chips, which were also amazing. For my main course, I chose the camarones. While the flavor was excellent, I found it a bit overpriced at $36 for just five shrimp served with some rice. Although the food was great—the sauce was perfect, the shrimp were nicely grilled, and the rice was cooked just right—I was left wondering if the price was truly justified. A heads-up for anyone ordering camarones: be cautious when peeling them! The sauce squirted all over my shirt, and it was quite tough to remove.

The food was decent, but the enchiladas were merely warm instead of hot. The chips and salsa, however, were quite good. Unfortunately, the service was disappointing. We waited 20 minutes for our drinks and another 15 minutes just to place our order. The food also took quite a while to arrive. In total, it took over an hour and a half for us to get our food and drinks, and we noticed the staff spending time looking at their phones near the kitchen.

It's challenging to provide a positive review of this restaurant due to our timing. We made brunch reservations for Sunday at 11 am, planning to enjoy a meal before the baseball game at 1 pm. They opened right on time, but informed us that their produce truck had not yet arrived, which meant we could only order guacamole and tacos. We opted for two cocktails and a generous serving of guacamole, both of which were delicious. However, I was disappointed by the limited options. After about 20 minutes, the produce finally arrived, but by then we had already decided to eat at the ballpark instead. I understand that issues can arise, but it would have been helpful to be informed in advance about the lack of food options.

This restaurant offers gourmet tacos that are absolutely delicious, especially the carnitas. The homemade salsa and fresh guacamole are definitely a hit. Our server was friendly and attentive. We will definitely be returning. Don't miss the French press coffee—it's incredibly smooth and delightful!