Mercado's

Mercado's
2214 Loop 323 W
Tyler, TX 75703
http://www.posados.com/




What can I say? If you live in Tyler, you definitely know about Mercado's. It is located on the loop, just west of Old Jacksonville Highway. I have been a couple of times, once with my wife and once with my family who came up from Houston. The service has been adequate and the food is solid. This is one of the Posado's restaurants and probably their best.

The spread: I have tried the fajitas, deep fried tacos, queso, cheese enchiladas, beef enchiladas, tamales, regular tacos, tostadas. They offer the usual Tex-mex fare as well as a few unique choices.

The verdict: This is good modern Tex-mex. The portions are huge and the price is right. I especially like the queso (and it was a huge hit with the kids). The deep fried taco was everything it promised - a heaping, delicious mess. Everything I have tried has been high quality Tex-mex. The only item that wasn't great were the tamales. I have high standards for tamales and the masa they use wasn't to my liking. They tasted almost pre-made. The place is beautifully decorated with a lot of interesting Mexican 'pieces'. Overall, Mercado's serves good food with decent service, and has the most 'family friendly' atmosphere I have seen in Tyler.

UPDATE: My wife and I have been to Mercado's mutliple times since this original post, and I have to downgrade them a little. Their menu is a little limited and there isn't a whole lot of unique choices as well as a few times where the food was either cold or poorly prepared.

Edible Tyler Roses: 3 out of 5, very family-friendly.