Mesa Mercado — Restaurant in California

Found this place by accident a few days ago... We had an event to go to at the event center in the Milagro Center, and the restaurant attached to the event center was closed, so we decided to try Mesa Mercado... OMG 😳

The restaurant inside is in part, like an open air market because of the way the building itself is, which was kinda cool... Walking in the door, on the left side is a hutch style display with beautiful statues... a día de los muertes style... Not sure if they were for sale... Sadly, I forgot to ask 😭 ... Tables and chairs were comfortable, and there are lots of colorful umbrellas hanging from the ceiling that a couple of our group said had them wondering about large cocktails to add them too😂... They're really cute, but kept distracting them.

There seemed to be one gentleman working the floor and the bar, but he was stellar..... We were seated within 3 minutes of arriving, with menus and some fresh cut mango chunks topped with a little Tajin quickly following..... We started with their "deconstructed" guacamole 😲 I've never had/seen guac served this way, and we loved it! Came in a large bowl with fresh chips on the side... And the ingredients were not mixed or mashed... This gave everyone the opportunity to "create" their own personal guac flavored the way they like it best 🤗 And I swear it took us 30 minutes to order because we simply could not make up our minds, but our host kept checking back with us about every 10 minutes. We arrived about 3:00pm, so they weren't very busy, which kinda gave us that luxury. We definitely appreciate his patience!

I ended up with the Mole Negro that is vegetarian... This is an amazing mole sauce over plantains, with various nuts and raisins ❤️ And might I add that reheated the next day was equally fabulous! I seriously loved the balance of the sweet from the plantain and the mild spices of the mole. Next time I'll be ordering the Nopales y Papas.

Another in our group ordered the cerviché tostadas, of which I sampled, and found very tasty, while the others in our party ordered the Chile en Nogada and the Nopales con Carne de Puerco... Both of which I also sampled and were equally fabulous and tasty.

The only draw back that we found was they do not have brunch, but we've decided Mesa Mercado goes on our keep list... There is simply too much to try on this menu for it to be a one...

This was our first time back to Mesa Mercado since Covid struck. There was a light crowd on Saturday at 5 PM. The hostess/bartender greeted us nicely. We chose to sit at a table and have a drink while waiting for our meal to be prepared to take home. My daughter chose the house margarita which was tasty and refreshing. I went with one of their several beers on tap and chose the Golden Road Mango Cart, a very flavorful mango wheat beer. I have been a fan of wheat beers since first introduced to them in Germany back in the day. The atmosphere in the restaurant is very festive and inviting. We enjoyed our wait. As for our menu selections that evening, I will remember the next time that not everybody makes the same item the same way. That said, my carnitas were good, but not what I expected. I could have done without the rice. The beans were delicious, but the serving was the size of a small salsa container, not enough! We did not receive a single tortilla with our meal, which surprised me. Who does not eat tortillas with such meals? We would have gladly paid extra, if we had been told. That said, my wife grilled up some delicious corn tortillas when we got home! My wife had wanted a chili verde burrito, but it was not on the menu, so we just got her a serving of chili verde. We did not receive the side salad we were told she would get. My daughter went with the carne asada and enchilada plate which was delicious! A nice portion of meat grilled nicely. We shared the deconstructed guacamole which was delicious as it always was, but not big enough a serving for three as were told. It would be okay for one, maybe two. The chips and salsa were very tasty. There were plenty of chips for the three of us. The salsa servings are smaller. I would recommend you choose your favorite and buy extra! The service was great! The food was of the highest quality and very tasty! The next time, we will do a better job ordering the right menu items and if we take it to go, make sure we check our order before we leave. We...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at your restaurant for lunch, and I must commend the exceptional quality of the food and the attentive service provided by your staff. It’s clear that great care and skill go into crafting the dining experience, and that deserves recognition.

However, I feel compelled to address two aspects of the experience that detracted from an otherwise enjoyable visit. First, the inclusion of an automatic “Thank You for the Kitchen Staff” charge on the bill struck me as inappropriate. Gratitude is a deeply personal sentiment, and while I wholeheartedly appreciate the hard work of your kitchen team, I believe such thanks should be left to the discretion of the customer. Seeing this charge added without prior notice made the experience feel less like genuine appreciation and more like a mandatory obligation, which I found surprising and unnecessary.

Second, the tipping process felt unnecessarily pressuring. When paying in front of the server, I was forced to choose between a 20% tip or no tip at all. This limited choice, combined with the presence of the server, created a sense of discomfort and made the interaction feel transactional rather than respectful. Tipping is, and should always be, a matter of choice—a way for customers to express their gratitude freely, not under duress.

I want to emphasize that I am not opposed to tipping generously or acknowledging the hard work of restaurant staff. However, forcing gratitude through additional charges or high-pressure tipping options undermines the goodwill that customers might otherwise feel.

I hope this feedback is taken constructively, as I truly enjoyed the food and service, and I believe small adjustments could make the overall experience even better. Thank you for your time...