Mercado 925 — Restaurant in Berkeley

Disappointing Experience from Start to Finish.

As a lifelong local, I was genuinely excited to see a trendy new upscale Mexican spot open in town. I wanted to support a new business and invited my parents for dinner. Unfortunately, this place turned out to be all style, no substance. A total letdown in almost every way.

The space itself is beautifully renovated, the decor, lighting, and vibe definitely give off “cool new place” energy. But that’s where the good part ends.

Right away, red flags. We were shown to a table with dirty chairs, peppered with old chip and food crumbs. I had to brush off my mother’s seat while staff members watched and said nothing. My own chair was filthy too. At that point, we should’ve left. But fooled by the ambiance, we stayed. Big mistake.

Our waiter quickly pushed us on guacamole and chips, the guac was the only decent part of the meal, which honestly isn't hard to get right. The chips were heavily greasy; I've been burping them up all night.

Then came the main courses, and it only got worse. The menu promised “rotisserie chicken” --that is a lie--. What they actually served were super dry, leathery chicken thighs that tasted like they'd been sitting in an oven all day (because they had been). The chicken tacos were pathetic: cold tortillas with bland, rubbery meat, and two lonely onion slices. No pico, no cilantro, no effort.

When we mentioned the chicken to the manager, she admitted other customers have complained, and then told us the chicken is made in the morning and sits until dinner service. So... they know it’s bad and they’re still serving it?

We also tried the steak and Baja fish tacos. The steak tasted like leftovers, bland, dry, probably also reheated like the chicken. The fish tacos were seemingly edible, until I bit down on razor sharp chopped up fish bones inside them. I’m genuinely worried I may have one logged deep in my throat as I write this.

This restaurant is clearly not ready to serve food at this price point — or any price point, frankly. It's a glossy Instagram-ready space being run by a kitchen that doesn't know (or care) how to cook. Such a shame.

Save your money. Support literally any other local Mexican restaurant, they are all better than this...

Great atmosphere!! First time coming and surprised it wasn't more busy on a Friday night. We ordered small as it was getting late, so not too many dishes to review but here goes...

Guacamole was so fresh, delicious and cold. They are in the same "no tomatoes and red onion in guac" camp as me, so points there. Fresh house made chips lightly spiced and salted, salty/tart curtido pickles, and the salsas were also very fresh and sabroso. Overall, their food leans spicy, so kiddo wasn't as happy as they said their beans and cheese nachos were "too spicy." Flautas ($14) were met with rave reviews and looked gorgeous on the plate, and the veggie poblano mole tacos were also good - the spiciest dish by far - and super filling for 2 small street tacos at $10. Reposado and plenty of other tequilas on offer, plus a whole back page menu devoted to drinks and cocktails.

Led by a team of handsome young men, the service was very pleasant, if a little inattentive for it not being at all crowded. For example, our waters went unfilled the entire time and we had to ask for our beverages (pina agua fresca, $5 for a pint). It's the little things. Anyway, small inconvenience when the space itself is so welcoming. Warm woods, folk art metal decor lighting, nice cohesiveness with the serveware (upgrade on the forks, please!) and an all around lovely vibe. The din could be tamped down a bit - one guy's voice at the bar reverberated throughout but some of those sound dampening felt wall stickers would easily handle that.

We'll be back to try more, as we noticed they have brunch on Sundays and there just wasn't enough time and room in stomachs for posole ($18). Not usually a brunch person, but maybe this once...

A solid start, all around - just hope they can get more folks...

Appetizers and drinks-- the guacamole was simple, like salt and lemon and avocado simple, which meant there was a lot of avocado in the guacamole. It was perfect and a nice addition to the mole. I had the cactus flower drink which was light and refreshing. My man had the sangria, which they make. It was the proper balance of sweet & fruity and wine, not too dry, as I often find with sangria. Excellent cocktails. The mole poblano was so delicious! Definitely spicy, also rich and flavorful- it gives you a rush. We got the pork. The cilantro rice was a nice balance to the spicy. Nom nom highly recommend. The bajo fish tacos were perfectly battered and the fish was good. I found the pico de gallo an unnecessary edition to the flavor profile which created an unnecessarily messy entree. The slaw could've been a bit sweeter. These are the only critiques I have of a place we found happenstance on Sunday night date night at 8 pm. It was slow and our waitress was very helpful in terms of recommendations, explanations. The decor was classy, not taqueria authentico, which probably appeals to their target demographic . Reasonably priced for expectations set by decor.Really lovely evening out. Will...