Mercado Awards

Mercado Restaurant Review:

Restaurateur Jesse Gomez and chef-partner Jose Acevedo produced their third incarnation of Mercado with this Hollywood location. Fortunately, each of the restaurants has its own identity, here the result of artists Carlos Nieto III and Jeff Ivanhoe’s murals, along with the work of designer Anna Henton. There are three distinctive seating areas, so according to your mood choose the communal table next to the long stone bar, the more private booths on the right side of the room, or the patio. Launching your visit with a drink is a given: margaritas are made with house sour. With over sixty different brands, tequila is queen; mezcal is prince with twelve labels. Then peruse the menu to find a choice of vegetables dishes that will please vegetarians, such as grilled sweet corn or roasted cauliflower. Note that some of these selections can be made vegan. Guacamole in a must in a Mexican restaurant, as are tacos. Acevedo likes to make them with crispy Mexican sweet shrimp or grilled steak skewers. The Cahuenga cucumber salad is very satisfying, while the “pescado del dia” (fish of the day) is dictated by the fresh market catch; the evening we went, we had grilled mahi mahi with farmers' market vegetables, cilantro lime rice topped with fried kale. We also recommend the scallops, encrusted with pumpkin seeds and served with a chipotle-peppercorn sauce. Carnivores should consider the slow-cooked natural pork accompanied by guacamole, chile de arbol salsa, and cauliflower with escabeche. Looking for something spicy? Order the chile relleno stuffed with queso Oaxaca, yellow mole and Mexican rice. Finish with the flan or the tres leches cake.