Mercat

The Darkness. Dark rum, domain canton, lime. Worth the trip. *how on earth did this place close?*

not certain why this place is closed, hoping they’re just remodeling!
a total of 5 of us went for dinner, ordered a whole bunch of different dishes, drinks and dessert, and ended up with a bill of around $ 250. not bad, not bad at all.
if it does open back up, i certainly recommend it!

Update — I was told this place closed
Another tale of two reviews. This time, the food was really good (tried everything from the 5 cheese plate to short ribs to fried ice cream). None of the food stood out as spectacular, but nothing was bad either.
However, everything else was a bit of a mess. The Internet was down, which meant we had to pay with cash (they did tell us as we sat at the bar waiting for the rest of our party — so we had to walk down a block to an ATM). One of the two bathrooms was out of order so it was made unisex. They don’t have any soda (one of our people only drank diet coke/​Pepsi) and they don’t have any artificial sweeteners (so it was difficult for another of our party to make sweet tea — he was from Alabama). I am totally cool with the no soda or artificial sweeteners, just be forewarned depending on who is in your party (had we done our search for a place more than an hour in advance on Friday night this wouldn’t have been a problem). I have no idea how long the broken Internet, broken bathroom, etc has been a problem, it was more an inconvenience than anything.
Service was good and knowledgable. I will give them another chance as the food was good and hopefully we just hit them on an off night.

I came to Mercat once with some friends for an evening of drinks and tapas. I’m not really a big fan of tapas and I don’t spend much time in this part of town but Mercat was pretty nice. We sat downstairs which was a bit dark and cave-​like but in a good way. It would make for a romantic date. I had a divine cocktail with champagne as the main ingredient which instead of a name was assigned a number. I can’t remember the number and I don’t see it on the menu online. Maybe it was a special. Either way, excellent drinks.
Overall, while I wouldn’t have necessarily picked Mercat myself as a place for a night out, I would recommend it if you’re in the neighborhood or are in search of a tapas bar.

This place wasn’t bad but I came here for the morcilla (blood sausage) and it was edible but not good. I’ve had it before at a Spanish restaurant in NYC but I forgot the name of the place :(. I did like the duck with fruit and hazelnuts. The place was pretty loud late on a Saturday night but that is pretty much what you’d expect. The service was decent. I just wasn’t wowed.

My boyfriend and I went to Mercat this past Saturday night, and the experience was a little uneven.
We had an 8:30pm reservation, and we were seated at the counter overlooking the kitchen. I looked around and it seemed most of the tables were for larger parties (4+). We like sitting at the counter at restaurants, so we didn’t mind, but some couples might. The waiter was flaky; it took a little while for him to come over to us to place the order, and he forgot to put in our order of the Arros de Mar, but he apologized and gave us not one, but TWO free refills of our cava and wine. This was a great move, and all restaurants need to train their servers that if you mess up, apologize.
On to the food! The Patatas Bravas were fantastic, and are a must-​order item. Pan fried, oozing with special sauce, and a little kick of spice. Next, we had the Tuna Tartar. The tuna itself was delicious, but the proportion of avocado was off; there should have been more. The pork rinds on top didn’t really work for me either. I liked the idea of the crunch in an otherwise creamy dish, but again, the proportion seemed off, and they were hard to stab with the fork. The whole dish was over-​salted too. I did like the wispy seasoned yucca chips on the side though.
The next dish we got was the Brussel Sprouts, which had tiny nuggets of chorizo and some raisins. They were cooked well and overall pretty tasty. The last two dishes were the heavy hitters: the Botifarra and the Arros de Mar entrees. The Botifarra was not very pretty to look at since it’s a giant sausage, but it had some good flavor. The butter bean purée was a really nice pairing. The Arros de Mar was similar to a paella. It had succulent rice with a nice crisp on the outside, chunks of seafood, and one large shrimp. I would have liked two shrimp in there since it’s weird to split a shrimp with people, and odds are that people are sharing the dish.
Would I return? Hmm… if I was really craving patatas bravas, I might, but otherwise I wouldn’t go out of my way, especially when I live so close to Caliu.

Amazing tapas find! We started with cocktails… I got a standard Manhattan-​esque bourbon drink, while my friend orders a rum drink that she enjoyed.
We’re obsessed with our small plates — crispy potatoes with a spicy aioli and brussel sprouts with raisins and chorizo. Both are a MUST have. The squid ink pasta was recommended by the waitress. While it was fun to try, we regretted it. It wasn’t worth it. We chose the duck for our meat dish. It was good but pretty forgettable. We completely indulged and got dessert as well. The crème brûlée is average, but I really enjoyed the rich chocolate soufflé.

I was here just a few days ago and really felt the impact of how HEAVY Spanish food can be. Additions to my previous review:
C: The sopressata was disappointing. Two tiny pieces of bread with a heap of lukewarm ground meat on top. I expected something more like chorizo — a dry, sliced meat. Either way, bright orange oil soaked through the bread, all over the plate, and you could feel it flowing into your mouth when biting in. Yuck.
A+: The patatas brava is my favorite. It’s big for a tapa, fresh and hot, with a creamy, spicy aioli. You can’t fail with this one.
B+: The chorizo (xoric, on the menu) is nice for eating slowly, sliced in paper-​thin discs and served with a little cold bread.
C: Pan de tomate. What happened??? I remember this being good last time. This time, I swear someone SPILLED salt all over it. It wasn’t a big enough deal to make a stink about, but it really was inedible. The other piece seemed fine. B+ otherwise; consume soon after arrival, or else the tomato makes the bread soggy.
B: We got a sampler plate of the garrotxa cheese. It came with membrillo (quince paste) and was good, but didn’t stun.
B+: Churros and chocolate — I don’t know what makes the chocolate dip «artisanal» (per the menu), but it coated the churro in the most perfect way. The churros were flaky, hot, and damn heavenly, but after a meal that included soppressata grease, patatas brava grease, goat cheese fat, and a huge dosage of salt, I wasn’t feeling it.
After only the above (and a porron of wine, of course) shared between 2 people, we felt… sick-​full. Mercat has a lovely vibe, but remember to integrate lighter foods into the mix.

What can I say about this establishment that hasn’t already be stated! My sister, who lives blocks away, frequents Mercat for the soccer — she is fanatical about her team. So what a better place to spend NYE at.
Benjamin took care of us with great recommendations and lively talk. He truly made our evening complete. The food and drink was too die for. The entire staff was open and friendly. The wine was AMAZING as was our martini.
After dinner we realized we were too late to rush over to the Italia Disco party for the countdown, so we decided to move to the bar — Benjamin offered up some Cava and we drank graciously…
The countdown begin and kisses floated around the room. Truly a New Years Eve I will never forget. what a perfect dining experience. I look forward to my return!
Thank You Mercat.

Big birthday dinners are always a pain in the ass.* First of all, it’s hard to find a place that:
1. is convenient enough for everyone to get to (read: not in Brooklyn**)
2. will accommodate a large reservation on a weekend evening.
3. takes all types of plastic for the inevitable disaster that is paying the check.
4. is affordable enough that your friends that [make more than you but spend it all on shoes/​drugs and as a result] are perpetually broke won’t have to go that much further into debt to cover their share.
Mercat is one of the few restaurants that hits all of the above items to a satisfactory degree, and also provides the added bonus of serving delicious food. I was so pleasantly surprised by the excellence of everything I tried. (But let’s face it, I order like a champ.)
The patatas bravas are as good a variation as I’ve ever had; perfectly crispy and completely addictive. Get a couple orders for the table. The tuna tartar served on a bed of avocado is fresh and light, and topped with thankfully ungreasy pork rinds that hit all the right salty, textural notes. The stuffed peppers (pebrots, on the menu) are very nice, although the shortribs were a bit dry. The brussel sprouts with chorizo, golden raisins and almonds are slow-​cooked in a stock, and are as good as this vegetable gets.
My favorite dish, however, was the Coca D’anec, a coca bread topped with sliced duck, pears, spinach and hazelnut. It arrived after everyone else had already tapped out, and I had no qualms about taking it on myself. The startlingly addictive sauce had a vaguely Asian flavor, and I wouldn’t be surprised if was made with hoisin.
We did have a few service hiccups throughout the evening, but our waitress did stoically take seven or eight different credit cards, and brought out churros for the birthday girl.
I’ll happily return for future group outings, and perhaps I’ll even spring for the «cocktail» they offer that is literally just two shots of Jack and a bottle of Rose ($ 48).
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*Except for yours. You’re special.
**Even if it’s a shorter ride with less walking, some of you Manhattanites just refuse to cross bridges. You’ve got nothing to worry about. You’re not good-​looking enough for us to want to kidnap you.

Every November, I whisk away to NYC for at least two weekends. The reason for this scheduled travel are the birthdays of my two oldest friends. I must say that my buddy Ron’s selection of restaurants is improving with his age.
I arrived at Mercat and sat at the bar for a drink while waiting for everyone to show up. I ended up starting with one of their gin based cocktails and it was pleasant though not earth shattering.
When everyone finally arrived, we were seated at a large communal table right next to the bar. What followed was an onslaught of food. There were too many different dishes to mention without making this review read like a Dickens novel. I was highly impressed with both the service and the quality of all the dishes. The shrimp croquettes, blood sausage and the pork belly that we had were definitely standouts on the menu to me.
I definitely think this establishment knows what they are doing and it shows in all aspects. It’s definitely a wonderful spot to host a group and the food is diverse enough to please a wide range of people.

I went here with a few friends last night. We were able to take a corner of the bar and hang out for the whole night.
The bar is lively but you can definitely get a seat and people are very friendly and chatty.
They had a great list of Spanish wines and a nice selection of wines by the glass. My friend who rarely drinks much even had 4 beers. We had a selection of tapas and potatoes (papas bravas) were to die for. I also loved the rice dish which was like mini paella. What keeps me from five stars was the somewhat spacey service from our bartender. I think we probably would have had 2x more drinks otherwise.

The food is delightful at Mercat. That, its a fact. And gourmets should pay one visit at least. Now, this conclusion was reached while going through different ways to evaluate it, asking fundamental questions like authenticity, creativity, overall experience and the predominant flavor profile. Mercat features regional Spanish cuisine from Cataluña. That, is another fact. Actually, the menu is presented in Catalan, the language spoken over there. By the way, Barça fans may want to know that it’s also the home to the FC Barcelona’s Official Clubhouse and that shows all FCB games live … Okay.
What is extremely attractive to me however, is the general look. While the long shape doesn’t seems to be utilize in the best way possible, a second thought reveals how the idea is to create 2 different areas well delimited. The bar, right at the entrance, where you can have food and drinks. The hostess station is located right at the end of the bar area and creates the visual separation with the dinning room. Where small and medium tables will be able to isolate you for a truly intimate occasion. The lighting is beautiful, dark and sexy. I’m repeating others quotations because that is exactly how it is. It also have a rustic appearance with a NYC flair. You know, sophisticated at the same time. Reservations? you should. Otherwise waiting time could be over half hour. This happened last Saturday night for 4 people. In opposite to the food and the ambiance, I didn’t find the service extremely welcoming and friendly. Neither too attentive. And somehow that is a discrepancy note at Mercat. Some of them were also nicer than others, so your experience may be a little bit different.
Paellas, fideuas, with seafood or meat. you heard about it right? variations around the same theme are signatures dishes at Catalan cuisine. Also fresh vegetables. Cured meats and Pan amb (with) tomaca. All this is offered at Mercat. This is Mediterranean influenced people and that is noticeable in their food. The format is tapas style mean to be shared. The portions here are bigger than regular tapas in NY and therefore one dish is ideal for 2 in the sense of more than one bite of it per person. At least the ones we tried. The food is also filling, 4 people had enough with 5 dishes. Add one glass of wine, excellent by the way, with previous tasting before ordering, and it cost $ 30 per person. Extremely reasonable. The Fideua Negra, short thin noodles with cuttlefish in ‘its’ Ink and topped with Aioli, wasn’t as tasty as it should be and I’m used to crispier noodles although this is the way is made in Valencia more than in Barcelona. But, don’t get me wrong, its a must try. The Tonyina (Tuna) amb (with) Escabetx (escabeche), confuse me quite a bit. Escabeche is our version of ceviche: barely cook (poached or fried) fish (or certain meats) marinated for certain time in vinegar and some vegetables (pepper and onion) Here, it refers to the vegetables not the fish and I misunderstood while ordering. Instead, it consist in Tuna Tartar with Avocado, Cucumber, Pork Rinds and fried Yuca. It may not be as traditional as I would have like, but once you accept it, along with the use of a foreign element, Yuca, and the fact that the vegetables escabeche wasn’t strong on the vinegar flavor as it should be, it was very very good.
Cansalada is pork belly. Mercat made it with watermelon, caramelized onion bacon and orange marmalade. Others loved the watermelon combined with the pork. I didn’t. Another external element that I personally disliked. But I’m not a fan of watermelon anyways. Besides, the pork belly was flavorful and the texture perfect. So decadent and melting in your mouth. Although it lacked the crispier skin that I have got at Degustation or Socarrat. The Pan amb tomaca, was not as good as expected. Garlic is optional and I prefer versions that use it. Mercat is not one of those. But besides this, I find it a bit soggy and the olive oil wasn’t the best quality. I even question if it was extra virgin. But still, once again, it tasted good. And finally, my favorite, Arros D’anec: bomba rice with Sliced Duck and orange zest. This dish was fantastic. The most flavorful and close to the intensity taste of Spanish cuisine, something that is frequently missed at NY. It was unctuous and the orange noticeable without being overwhelming and only as an aftertaste flavor.
Mercat may not be as castizo (authentic) as you may demand. But this is a narrow assertion as Spain is clearly on the air, just a little bit evolved under expertise hands. And you know what?. Barcelona is known for being the most eclectic and multicultural city in Spain. Therefore Mercat ended up being as castizo as is should be? …regardless, at the end the most important question is … did it taste good? well, no, it really doesn’t. It just taste much better than that.

Located on the prestigious, Bond street in NOHO, this is one of those places you won’t find unless you’re looking for it. Unsuspecting from the outside, but dark, mysterious and sexy on the inside, with a iron spiral staircase leading upstairs where they store the wine tucked behind glass and warm back lit lights.
Mercat has an inventive selection of tapas with an amazing list of reasonably priced wines from Spain. I love Spanish wines, I took a picture of the label of the wine that we ordered. It had a beautiful label (Check my pics)
I love that they have things on the menu that I don’t see anywhere else. This is what we should expect from restaurants in NYC; interesting combinations of food, reinvented to surprise your taste buds and dining experience.
Two tapas you MUST TRY from their menu:
TRENCAT D“OUS
Mushrooms, Fried Egg, Truffle Vinaigrette and Fried shoestring Potatoes
FIDEUA NEGRA
Short Noodles with Sepia in ‘its’ Ink and topped with Aioli
Ask your server for their recommendations. The staff is casual, but well versed on the menu and their own favorites. I want to try to the soft shell crab.

Bond Street is so fkn sexy. Why is bond street so hot? I don’t know if it’s the extra wide cobble stone street that goes to nowhere, or that exclusive address that no one seems to know how to find, or it’s proximity to Collonade Row. Whatever it is, I’ve always thought it was a special street and judging from the real estate prices, a lot of other people do too!
At any rate, it’s not everyday that I’m over here, but on a good Wednesday night, after finishing off dinner at Pulinos, I decided to head over here for a second round and wait for a third friend to join. I ordered a Dilford which was some very fine cocktail, brown liquor (don’t ask) and bitters. This got the evening going, and soon we were ordering spanish tapas, and tasting a little bit Mezcal $ 18 tequilla shots. Yum. We had some Cauliflower with hazelnut aioli, pumpkin seeds and fried leeks. That was damn good with a touch of mayo.
This place is sexy. Date friendly, definitely!

High ceilings, dim lighting, tapas for sharing, nice wine list = perfect place for a date ;)
hanger steak — juicy and perfectly cooked with what tasted like chimichurri
seafood paella — came with one jumbo prawn on top black paella rice, very tasty
gambas — giant prawns simply grilled with garlic n oil
sauteed spinach — great compliment to your meal with crunchy pinenuts
take reservations, reasonably priced for excellent quality and service.

So my boss had guests from out of town and wanted to show them one of those cool NY style restaurants but not too complicated and expensive… Based on my friend’s recommendation, we’ve decided to check this place out…
The place is nicely deemed and suitable for dates more than true dining experience. the food quality was a OK. nothing special about their tapas. I’ve actually had better in other states… they don’t have Sangria which is funny since they are supposed to be a bit of Spanish tappas restaurant as well…
Would I go back? Hm. maybe or maybe not. all depending on the mood…

Place is cute on the inside. I would make ur date take u here it’s good vibes.
We had:
oysters on the halfshell… These weren’t the freshest but still good
meatballs … A++ so good these are battered and fried and have spicy aoli on top of them so good so good not dry at all
stuffed peppers with shortribs. Juicy, meat was seasoned well, I could have just eaten the pepper it was perfect
mushrooms with truffles… I feel like this was really good if you like mushrooms
potatoes and quail egg… Good, a little greasy, probably would only get this again if I was hungover
coconut flan… Love. So much. Mmmmm.
It’s tapas so try a bunch of stuff, it was all pretty good.

I had a spectacular meal at Mercat!
First, my Gypsy Tears cocktail was fantastic. It contained everything I love in a cocktail. I felt like it was made for me. White wine, St. Germain Elderflower liqueur, watermelon, and cucumber! Divine.
We started off with the Spanish omelet with eggs, potatoes, chorizo, and cheese. One of my favorites! The flavors blended together very well and it wasn’t overly greasy as my last few experiences with chorizo have been. Fantastic.
Ordered a side of spinach with raisins and pine nuts. It was a nice veggie side, but I’d rather spend that $ 7 on dessert.
We opted for the peppers stuffed with braised short ribs for our meat dish. The presentation was beautiful and it tasted great!
Our final dish was the fiduea negra, noodles with squid ink and chunks of squid. Aioli on top. Amazing… just be careful if you like to talk and eat because the black slime will be all over your pearly whites!
Churros with chocolate dipping sauce for dessert was a perfect way to end the meal. The churros are piping hot and I accidentally dropped one of mine in the chocolate, which was kind of a bummer because by the time I could fish it out, it was just saturated with chocolate. sadness!
All in all, I LOVED dining at Mercat! Great ambiance, great drinks, great food… what more could I ask for?
A tip I would give for future patrons is to be aware that the restroom is very dim, so don’t bother pressing the light switch because you’ll just end up in darkness.

Apologies to Bobby Flay @bflay kind of ;) You’ll see why this is necessary in a moment…
Quick review first: If it weren’t for the higher-​than-​expected-​even-​when-​it-​comes-​to-​tapas prices, I’d give Mercat (
) 5 stars. The food is great, and the vibe is dark, homey, and groovy without being ridiculous.
So the funny story that just happened to take place at Mercat. To set the story you need to understand that the walkway between the front entrance and the tables in the back is narrow to start with. Then you add on top of that a bustling bar on a Saturday? Friday? night and you’re basically elbow to elbow. Also. another good thing to know to understand the story: although I’m a 5’3″ little-​ish Chinese girl, I’m probably more confrontational than I should be. …Ok back to the story.
Here I am just trying to leave after a delish meal, and I’m saying to this big black dude «Pardonnn. :ahem: Excuse me. :pause: EXCUSE me.» The dude doesn’t hear me or is ignoring me, so I elbow him in what would be his ribs if he weren’t a big guy and therefore I probably hit him around his waist.
He turns around, gives me a dirty look, and then exchanges a surprised «Are you kidding me?» look with none other than Bobby Flay.
Is he Bobby’s bodyguard? Does @bflay really need a bodyguard? … odd. The guy moves aside a bit, and I squeeze by. …Good one, Melinda.