Mercado Roma — Restaurant in Mexico City

Perhaps the pandemic is to blame, but I was disappointed by my last visit to Mercado Roma. While it seemed as crowded as ever at 8:30 on a Saturday night, it seemed that fewer than half of the vendors were open and those that were were in the process of shutting down for the night. A large part of the attraction of Mercado Roma has always been the variety of cuisines available under one roof, but this time the choice was between competing taco places; the result is that the vendors have become noticeably more aggressive about trying to herd you into their stall; this was never the case in the past, and you have to feel for them, as they must pay a premium to operate there. It appeared that most of the crowd was drinking more than eating; there were as many establishments selling alcoholic beverages and there were kitchens, and that may be what sustains the place at night. Maybe there's a wider variety of cuisines available at other times; I hope so, because even on this less-than-best visit, I still enjoyed the mazelike, treasure-hunt atmosphere The main seating areas are in the back, with additional seating on a rather high mezzanine (didn't notice an elevator, but maybe?) On this night, the downstairs seemed full, but there were empty tables under a canopy out front, which we found preferable. The seafood kitchen we ordered from also provided us with table service once we'd ordered, which was new to me for this place. If you just want great tacos and are counting your cambio, there are countless street stands that offer more pow for your peso; you'll pay a premium for everything here, but it's worth a visit. I'll go there again-just not right away, and maybe not on a...

After we touched down and checked into our hotel. We were hangry, so we went out to search for some good food. Yelp searching that is. We end up at Mercado Roma. We were surprised by the vibrant crowd of people outside. Thinking we arrived at a club we were apprehensive about going in. But the front is open like a market and there was a guy selling tacos at a small counter. We checked him out but wasn't satisfied by his options. So we ventured past him and ran into a cache of small eateries. There was Barbecue, Sushi, hamburgers, tacos and others. It was like an app store for food. We continued past that to see what was in the back. Maybe more jewels. There is a steady stream of gorgeous vivacious young people flowing in and out of the back. We make our way to the back like salmon in a stream. Curiously pulled by the unknown. We pass a chalkboard wall where you can right a love message or anything you want. We empty out into a seating area surrounded by 2 bars and see stairs that lead to what sounded like a good really good time. But we were hangry so we went to the Butcher and Son hamburger stand back near the front. Really really delicious. The hamburgerswere cooked right in our view and dressed with fresh chopped toppings. I had the Hendrix burger which come with barbecue sauce and cheese on it, while my companion had a veggie burger. We shared a side of truffle fries that were the best I ever tasted. My burger was cooked medium and was just that. We had 4 different ketchups to dip in: Regular, Chipotle, Spicy and Curry. This was truly a treat in a place that is unique. We settled our debt and waddled home...

The atmosphere was bustling early afternoon, "looked' like a great place. We stopped at one stall in the back, 1st floor. An over friendly man took our order. We ordered a cheese appetizer. He led us to another stall and we ordered 2 artesian beers. He said we could sit anywhere and pay later. We chose to sit outside in front. On the way to a table we ordered a spinach ravioli dish paid at time of order. We sat, sipped our 2 beers. The appetizer came. 4 Warm tortillas with a blob of semi melted cheese - not special, bland, disappointing. The waiter came- we ordered another beer- he said 160pesos for the beers (lost in translation, we thought total 160pesosfor two beers). We ordered another beer- and a glass of wine. The spinach ravioli dish came - it was cold. ( if warm and zucchini cooked a little more- it may have tasted better). I never got my wine, the beer arrive. Upon paying the bill...flurry of talking/ pay beer with cash only, the appetizer with credit card. The beers were 160 peso EACH, (at the store, beers are 40 pesos). This little mid afternoon snack was just under $1000 pesos?! - 3 beers, 4 tortilla shells, a blob of cheese and 6 bites of ravioli. I felt it was way over priced for what you got, the service was friendly but not genuine. I left feeling scammed, gouged. I will not go back. I would not...