Mercado

Mercado - Los Angeles
7910 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048
mercadorestaurant.com ($$$)

Drink, then Eat: Come for the margaritas, stay for the food.

Mercado Los Angeles - on 3rd Street at Fairfax

Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles can live or die by the margarita!  From the traditional standbyes of El Cholo and El Coyote (which have fed LA diners for nearly 100 years) to the new wave of hip Mexican fusion restaurants that work from a farm fresh or even vegan menu, if the margarita isn't primo there is no point coming back.  

Aside from having amazingly tasty and high quality food, Mercado has nailed the modern margarita!   While you can't go wrong with the traditional house margarita, all 3 locations (Mid City, Hollywood, and Santa Monica) feature a rotating menu of fruity and spicy margaritas that will make your taste buds pop.   On my last visit, the menu featured "la pina" a pineapple based drink with just the right hint of jalapeno and the "cucumber jalapeno" margarita.   You sense a trend.   The blood orange margarita is also a favorite but not always on the menu.  

While I sometimes think of myself as a traditionalist - especially when it comes to something like a margarita - a ton of thought went in to perfecting these drinks.   So grab some friends, order some guacamole, and enjoy!