AK's Food Truck and Catering — Restaurant in Walla Walla

Okay, so first off, this is not Andrae's Kitchen any longer (the gas station counter slinging out incredible food.) This is AK's Mercado, a two floor full service restaurant with a couple added vendors. I call that out as its hard to discern on Google, etc. since Andrae's Kitchen reviews have populated over to AK's Mercado. I had been very anxious to check out Andrae's Kitchen for quite awhile and went out of my way on a roadtrip to visit Walla Walla for the first time. Not until a few days ahead of my visit did I realize it was now AK's Mercado. Regardless, I was excited!

We arrived to a crowd of people waiting for a table, the outdoor spots obviously the most coveted. Unfortunately, after a short wait, we were ushered upstairs. The restaurant is very pretty, but unfortunately we couldn't focus on that. It was absolutely sweltering upstairs with no A/C and no airflow to speak of. The first hot day of the year, just wait until Summer! We asked for a cup of ice for our warm water several times but it never came. We contemplated leaving or waiting longer for an outside table but finally just gave in and tried to enjoy.

The margaritas were okay, I had a hard time finding the booze, but the chilled sweetness was a welcome reprieve from the indoor heat. Dinner time. We ordered a shrimp poboy and the bread came to the table hard as a rock. Not a slight crunch, a rock hard baguette that could have hammered a nail. We had the waiter tap on the bread to which they were shocked and said that wasn't right. The remade poboy came back on the fly and it was almost as if the kitchen was punking us. They didn't toast the bread, nothing. It was a soggy mess. You picked up the sandwich and it just flopped over. After inspecting the overly battered shrimp, we realized they were either Oregon pink shrimp or small shrimp which were too small for frying. So you ended up with just bites of breading, not shrimp. I have included a picture so you can see the size of the shrimp (after taking off the breading.) This was the worst poboy I've ever had, by a country mile, and New Orleans would be ashamed. They did remove the poboy from the bill (the waiter was the sole highlight of the visit.)

We had the tacos and unfortunately those weren't any better. Wonder why? We had shrimp tacos! No flavor, all breading, just super disappointing. I did have one short rib taco and it didn't have anything to counterbalance the super fatty meat.

The menu says the hope is to make AK's Mercado a sort of New Orleans meets Mexico spot; if that's the case, they have failed. It pains me more than anything to write this as I was so excited about the visit, but people need to know and you can make your own decisions to stop in to AK's...

Delicious food, atrocious service, clean restaurant.

But for our service we would have given the restaurant a 5.

We arrived were asked for our drink order, promptly told that couldn't be filled then attitude ensued about what was available. Not much due to a soda drought in Walla Walla? We ended up on water and got served lukewarm water.

Moved on to ordering our food. Nachos, tacos, side of rice and beans, and a hot dog and fries for our kids. A table was seated next to us probably 15 minutes after we ordered they ordered and they got their nachos first. Then out came my husband's tacos and the kids hot dog and fries. My nachos took another 5 minutes or more and I was told the delay was because he was on the phone. They were seriously over baked or heated and the chips suffered. We never received our rice and beans, but decided to not bring it up since our other food had been delayed. When we got the first delivery of food we asked for more water, ice for the water, and silverware. We indicated while ordering we would just cut up the hot dog for our children to share. Eventually got the water and ice, 2 separate trips, after we inquired another time about the silverware.

He asked if we wanted a box we had most of the kids meal and my Nachos. We were brought two small boxes which we made work. Had to ask for the check even though everything had been packed up and we were sitting there. That took awhile to receive.

Overall felt like we were a huge bother from the outset and that he could care less about providing quality service. It was not very busy and each of the tables in his zone were at different points of their meal.

Our server was John W per our receipt.

Again food tasted good minus the chips being over baked, but I think that was a server not...

I recently dined at AK Mercado's and had mixed feelings about my experience. While the food was undeniably delicious, the service left much to be desired.

One of the most frustrating aspects was the apparent lack of attention from the wait staff. Despite being aware of the restaurant's short staffing, it was disheartening to see servers walking around without making eye contact with customers or taking the time to scan the room for any needs. It made me feel like a hitchhiker desperately waiting for someone's compassion to acknowledge my presence and take my drink orders.

I understand that running a restaurant can be challenging, and unforeseen circumstances can arise. However, it's crucial for the wait staff to prioritize customer service, even in difficult situations. While I empathize with their workload, it's disappointing when basic expectations of attentiveness and responsiveness are not met.

Despite this disappointment, I must commend the kitchen staff for their culinary skills. The food at AK Mercado's was undeniably the highlight of my visit. Each dish was prepared with care, bursting with flavor, and clearly showcased the talent and dedication of the chefs.

To improve the overall dining experience, I would suggest that AK Mercado's addresses the service issues promptly. It may be beneficial to hire more staff or provide additional training to ensure that customers receive the attention they deserve. A pleasant and attentive wait staff can greatly enhance the enjoyment of an otherwise exceptional meal.

In conclusion, while the food at AK Mercado's was outstanding, the lackluster service left a sour taste in my mouth. I hope that the management takes my feedback into consideration and works towards creating a more satisfying dining experience for...