Restaurante Mercato — Restaurant in Almuñécar

Eaten here several times last summer & this summer with my wife and also as groups, either with friends or extended family. The food is good and always presented well, the design, decor and overall atmosphere of the whole establishment is very good and the reason why we continue to return & enjoy evenings here now we understand how the restaurant operates!!!

You should Make a reservation….!!

So many positives, it’s a shame that there are some negatives, 1st you will have to search for a member of staff to assist you in getting a table, although the kitchen opens at 20:00 tables often look reserved because tables booked for 22:00 will have reserved signs on them already, it’s OK though, just go to the back of the restaurant (where the bar service is) here you’ll find normally a group of staff having a chat. Once you’ve parted a member of staff from the group huddle they will become extremely professional & attentive. I can easily say in more than 8 visits, we’ve never been approached to see how we could be helped ….we’ve always had to head to the staff chat zone to get assistance. Last negative.. if beer is your drink of choice, don’t worry about how the first 50cl looks (€4.50)as you get another drink the same glass becomes a little fuller.. have a 3rd & that time you’ll get what you’ve been...

When we decided to get married in Spain, as well as planning our wedding, we also liked the idea to plan a night for before the wedding where all our family and friends could come together. Having visited Mercato many times before and always enjoying the ambience and food/drinks we felt like here would be the perfect venue. We worked with Dioni and Jacqueline ahead of our stay who helped us to make a booking for a group of 80! The night itself was just what we had wished for our party, the space was fantastically laid out, the food and service was excellebt and it was also possible to book a musician who we had seen playing there the previous year, which just made the night! What a wonderful way to kick start our wedding celebrations the day after - all our guests had a wonderful night, and many took the opportunity to visit again on other occasions through their stay. Thank you so much to all staff for being so accommodating and welcoming to our party, we look forward to seeing you again...

Friends from La Herradura said this was one of the best restaurants in the village, I was looking forward to eat here this time around, especially that I am staying at the hotel for the whole week. But when I asked for help with the menu I got an unfriendly and unhelpful attitude from the (male) waiter/manager. Answers like "it is all good, if it was not good it would not be on the menu" or enumerating "we have pasta, we have pizza, we have meat or fish, it is what you want" are not only not helpful, but also haughty and smart. I needed help with some recommendation instead I got talked down and my mood/appetite was spoiled. For the rest of the week I am eating at other places. To be fair, the female waitresses are very friendly and helpful. And I can not say anything about the food since I ate only one dish so far. Hotel personnel is also very friendly and welcoming...