Mercado Pasadena — Restaurant in Pasadena

Come for the tacos, leave with covid? If you don't mind eating inside less than 24 inches from others not from your household or party, this is the place for you.

We had been sat at a table for about 10 minutes when the hostess brought a couple to sit next to us, the couple took it upon themselves to move to another table in order to keep proper social distance. The couple thought it was odd that they would be asked to sit right next to us (nothing personal) when an open table was available nearby.

Within five minutes she brings another couple to now sit between our table and the other couple. When this couple viewed the situation, they politely asked for another table and were granted a new place to sit. The next time the hostess came by, we mentioned that if the table between us needs to be used, we would like to be moved to a safer spot or if they were too busy, that we can just leave. She told us she would take care of it and asked us not to leave.

So we stayed, placed an order for dinner, and went about our evening chatting and relaxing. 10 minutes later, our food arrives. About 2 bites in, here comes our hostess and..you guessed it, yet another couple. When she said she would "take care of it" I am not sure what that was supposed to mean, but it obviously had nothing to do with safety or even finding another table.

We politely mentioned to the other couple that we would be leaving, as we didn't want them to take it person that we would leave 2 plates of food behind the minute they sat down next to us, and again, by next to us (my side shared a common booth) we are talking 18-24 inches maximum.

As we make our way toward the exit we thought we should mention why we had to leave and are then met with, "yeah, we don't have to follow the guidelines anymore." We notice the sign from the City of Pasadena on their door which states 6 foot distance, masks, etc, yet it is ok to ignore the guidelines, odd.

A minute later their version of a manager pops up and we explain why we are leaving and ask why they have signs about social distancing yet no adherence to anything listed on the postings. He then said, "all you had to do was ask for another table and we would have moved you" We respond that we did just that. He then starts talking in circles about "how bad the Delta variant is" and how he "understands" yet he shows no knowledge or understanding. We mention that he is contradicting himself and he says "I understand" and goes on about their corporate policy makers and management.

Apparently everything outside the little world of Mercado is of no consequence, and those customers who do enter are of absolute zero importance or value when it comes to safety or...

Food: 4.5 out of 5 (easily) Service: 5 strong out of 5 Atmosphere: 3.5/4.0 (benefit of the doubt)

My Cousin recommended this location. We were finally able to give Mercado Pasadena a shot.

Reservations are a MUST

Sat. Evening dinner, only waited 4 mins, with our reservation.

We were seated in a nice booth between the kitchen line and the front entrance. The view was nice, if you like to watch the food exit the window from the kitchen to the front.

Our server advised us of the drinks of the day, and we ordered the 1st 2 he suggested (one non-alcoholic for me). We both enjoyed them.

We ordered 3 appetizers~ (2) scallop & 1 guacamole & chips. The scallops were very nice, with the spicy puree, fresh sautéed carrots & zucchini, and caramelized potato puree!! Very flavorful, nice presentation, an overall well above average appetizer.

Guac.: The onions were too large and chunky for a bowl of guacamole. Maybe a bit too many onions took away from the star (avocado) of the appetizer to shine. I love onions, but this was overwhelming. [My humble opinion]

He suggested 2 specials of the day and we took him up on the offer and ordered them both.

My wife had the Sea Bass and I had the 16 oz. ribeye. Both came with their own flavorful sauce and side of veggies. My steak was cooked to temp (med-rare) and her sea bass arrived with a beautiful crispy skin that totally complimented the flakey, white fish.

We would recommend both. The steak was well seasoned and the flavor matched the perfect grill marks. All in all, order the Sea Bass if you are in the mood for flavorful fish, cooked properly.

Dessert: Okay, this is the tricky part. The reason we even came in to try the Mercado Pasadena, was for their flan. I joked with my wife and asked her, 'Wouldn't it be funny if the flan wasn't that good?' I know, my bad, I spoke entirely out off line.

It came with a nice liqueur sauce, fresh berries, cream, and a sprig of mint. The edges were the perfect consistency, but the further you dug into the flan, the softer/runny center was exposed. So, if you like your flan firm all the way through, good luck. Maybe it was a 2nd rate batch that was under baked. If this is the way it is supposed to be served, then I give it a 2. We at all the edges, all the way around and left the soft, runny center. It was a solid 20% good. There that's my opinion.

Because our server provided such a professional and pleasant service, it made our overall dinner experience a very SOLID 4.5 out of 5 🌟

We shall return. Thank you for the pleasant experience.

$$$** Our check for the...

I went to Mercado with my friend on a Thursday evening with reservations made online for 5:15pm. I had been there before and had enjoyed my time there. Today was completely different experience.

Our server was TONY. Just to make sure I have the right person he had green eyes, gray hair with gray bread medium built. Our table was #31.

We checked in on time at 5:15pm and were seated immediately. Our server greeted us immediately which from the receipt his name is Tony.

We ordered drinks and he suggested if we wanted chips and guacamole and we said yes. Our drinks and appetizers arrived and we had just started eating he came back to tell us the special for the day and asked if we are ready to order our entree. In return I told him we just started on our appetizers and haven’t looked at menu yet. He came back 5mins later while we weren’t even half way done with our appetizer and asks if we have decided what we want to order. I told him again we are still working on our appetizer and still haven’t looked at the menu. It’s been 10 mins since we have been seated and still working on our guacamole and chips. He then says “ come on I need to take your orders because I have reservations for another big group” I really thought for a second he was kidding. Then I realized he WAS NOT joking! I responded to say we also made reservations and were still working on our appetizer and we shouldn’t be rushed. We asked for at least 15 mins before ordering our entrees. He then responded with an attitude and said okay.

Anyway our evening was ruined. We ordered our entree but the entire experience was ruined. Just to make sure to let you know of the time we got there and left. We checked in at 5:15pm and we already paid our bill by 6:16pm. I checked the receipt to make sure. How terrible is that. We weren’t planning to stay there for hours but didn’t appreciate being rushed while we just got our appetizer. Anyway we wouldn’t return and would never recommend this restaurant. Awful awful experience. I have never had a waiter treat a...