The Making of a Mercadito Empire
When Mercadito opened in River North a few years ago, it was met with a good bit of trepidation from anyone besides the River North barflies. Would it be just another soulless barstaurant with overpriced cocktails tailored to satiate the needs of bar-hoppers? Or does it have some legitimacy? With locations in Miami and New York, Mercadito already had a bit of a party-friendly reputation, so the hesitation was warranted. But over the years, Mercadito has spawned a myriad of spin-off concepts throughout the city, making it a restaurant sensation worth paying attention to. Let’s take a look why.
Mercadito toes the perfect middle ground between upscale and casual, not taking itself too seriously but just enough to consistently turn out an array of contemporary and classic Mexican creations. Their in-house tortillas are wrapped around some of the best tacos in Chicago. Mercadito also showcases some of the best culinary talents from across the country for their Tacos for Strength program, wherein a different guest chef designs a special taco to be featured for a month for charity. Past heavy-hitters have included Gerard Craft of St. Louis’ Niche, New York’s Carmen Gonzalez, and Sean Brock of Charleston’s Husk. Their beverage program is equally strong, featuring an array of exemplary tequila-based cocktails and a subterranean sister bar called Double A.
From there, Mercadito expanded with Barcito, a bustling bar with energy all its own.
Next, they opened their most casual endeavor to date with Mercadito Taqueria inside Rustle + Roux, providing the Loop with a zesty new lunch option. This was quickly followed by Mercadito Fish, a nautical concept that took shape in the former Little Market Brasserie space in the Gold Coast. Here, the formula is primarily East Coast-inspired rather than Mexican-inspired, but the food is no less soulful. Expect killer lobster rolls, crab cakes, crudo, and lots more. Keeping the roll going, Mercadito Counter made its River North debut as well, a Mexican-American deli filled with Mexican hot dogs, tacos, milkshakes, and other hearty snacks perfect for late night antics downtown.
That’s not all though. Next up is Tippling Hall, a sprawling beverage-focused emporium in River North that promises an eclectic food menu, an ample drink program, and late-night hours.
All this plus the fact that Mercadito Hospitality shifted its headquarters to Chicago and also partnered with Municipal Bar + Dining Co., expanding its breadth exponentially.
The sky is the limit for Mercadito, a restaurant group that has swept the Windy City by storm and continues to pick up steam with each new taco, hot dog, and lobster roll.
Mercadito
108 W. Kinzie Street, Chicago
(312) 329-9555
Website
Mercadito Fish
10 E. Delaware Place, Chicago
(312) 640-8141
Website
Municipal Bar + Dining Co.
216 W. Ohio Street, Chicago
(312) 951-2125
Website
Tippling Hall
646 N. Franklin Street, Chicago
Website
Mercadito Counter
738 N. Clark Street, Chicago
Website
Mercadito Taqueria
227 W. Monroe Street, Chicago
(312) 285-2330
Website
