Red Mesa Mercado - West St. Pete — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

So disappointing. Could be our fault but had not realized this beautifully located restaurant was basically fast food, cafeteria style Mexican. We were a group of four and ordered the 3 dip appetizer which arrived on a tray that took up most of the table. No room for our drinks (flimsy plastic glasses) We were enjoying the dips and chips, Guacamole, salsa & queso ( more plastic) for around 6 minutes when our entree’s arrived. We had to forget the appetizer and put that tray on an empty table in order to eat. Some dishes were lukewarm to actually cold and all were not very tasty. I could tell from the texture of my pork dish that it had been frozen but was the best tasting of everything we ordered. Other diners were also complaining of cold food. Again it was served on napkins or cardboard bowls. Refried beans in a plastic cup. Frankly it’s one step up from Taco Bell. This is such a missed opportunity as the location and pretty garden patio dining lends itself to something more upmarket. The Mercado on Central closer to downtown is obviously a walk up window, fast food venue but the food is generally tasty and fresh, whereas this newest location has nice dining areas both inside and out so your expectations are higher. Will not be going back and as fans of Red Mesa very...

I’m very familiar with all the Red Mesas around town and frequent all of them. This one was not a positive experience! Quesabirria flavor profile was salty smoke. One caveat to that was, I ordered the jalapeños on the side and when I added them it did elevate the flavor profile slightly. The main problem is they are so messy you can’t pick them up to eat and if you cut them, you’re eating wet paper because they don’t have actual plates. Another huge oversight is they only give you ONE napkin so I had to ask for more. There was a Big Guy that I presume was the manager who just stood around the entire time making sure he didn’t make eye contact with anybody. The prices are incongruent with their casual, no plates only paper cups no extra napkins on the table business model. My subpar meal was $16. I was gonna order a NA drink but...

Mercado West is a wonderful addition to west St. Pete. I truly wanted to give 5 stars — the landscaping is beautiful, the design is lovely, the staff is kind, and my bean burrito was tasty.

The one missing star is about the rigid menu. It’s not a big menu to begin with, and as a vegetarian, Mexican restaurants are usually great about simple swaps — like “hold the meat, add beans.” I hoped to try their house-made flour tortilla tacos with beans or rice instead of chicken or beef. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option, and the response felt like others had asked before.

They just opened, so hopefully they’ll add more flexibility over time. Even a small change would make a big difference for...