Mercat a la Planxa: User Reviews

Wow!!
By TheLizmo from Old Town, July 8, 2008

Overall rating:

We asked our server, Adam B., to choose our wine pairings with the tasting menu (which he recommended) and he was spot on. The food was amazing---definitely lived up to and exceeded the hype. I would emphatically urge just about everyone to dine here. Food, service and atmosphere were absolutely delightful. I'll certainly be back!!

Great food and service, excellent value
By ppmm from South Loop, July 6, 2008

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I just went to Mercat for the first time this weekend. It's a terrific addition to the neighborhood, which I'll be returning to frequently. It's hardly a tourist trap: given the quality of the food and the attention to detail in the service, it offers much better value for the money than many Chicago restaurants that affect a higher-end attitude but turn out indifferent food.

We had the "chef's table," which for two people ($55 per person, which is reasonable to low for a fine-dining tasting menu) meant one item each from the charcuterie and cheese sections of the menu, three traditional tapas one rice selection, one pasta selection, a flatbread, an order of grilled seafood, and a generously portioned order of grilled meat, all chosen by the kitchen, although we were able to put in a request for a particular pasta dish that had appealed to us. This was on top of the complimentary tomato bread (think Catalan bruschetta), a very small appetizer of roasted peppers to nibble on while we read the menu, and dessert, for which we barely had room.

The food was excellent to outstanding across the board. Highlights: The jamon de campo had strong, salty flavors but a surprisingly delicate texture and paired beautifully with its accompaniments, especially the peppers. The texture of the potato and spinach tortilla (frittata) made it the best I've ever had. The rice with morels really tasted like morels -- which is rare with this expensive ingredient. The rabbit agnolotti with chestnut puree and cherries were outstanding -- this could have been a dish in which too many rich ingredients just produced a muddy impression, but it had depth and complexity. The octopus was flavorful and tender. The grilled scallops were perfectly done, sweet, and flavorful -- worth the price of admission on their own. And overall the palette of flavors on display here was unusual, a nice change of pace from the rest of the Chicago restaurant scene.

Service was also terrific. The restaurant may have a slightly boisterous, casual feel, but our server was a real pro, who knew her food and wine, was attentive but never intrusive, and wouldn't have seemed out of place at a more formal establishment. Since we know Italian and French wine better than Spanish we described our stylistic preferences to her and let her choose a bottle for us, which fit us to a T.

My only complaint is that the pacing was a little faster than we would have preferred. Bringing out hot tapas in groups of three, for a party of two, makes you feel like you've got to rush to taste everything while it's at its hottest. (But it's not like we thought we were being rushed out the door, and we took our time before choosing dessert.)

Highly, highly recommended.

$12 for a lamb chop and leave hungry!!
By DTDude from Lakeshore East, June 22, 2008

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I was initially enthused about Mercat from the CLTV reviews and from a Philly friend of mine who raved about the founder's other place in his home town. In a nutshell, mixed bag of food, BRUTALLY expensive ($300 for 4 of us) and we had to eat later because we were still hungry.

Atmosphere is open and light once you get upstairs through the very small bar. Service was friendly and attentive once we got past the bar service that knew nothing about the drinks (I guess they're still training). The flatbread short ribs are great, the rice with truffle oil is great. The octopus was not eaten by everyone since it was simply gross in flavor, the cheese plate was small and weird, the dates with almonds were great, the sea bass was 'blah', the drinks were WEAK but had nice fruit juices in them, and last but not least was the lamb chops which were 'OK' and literally $12 per small chop!!

This place is for tourists to get ripped off. I cannot in good conscience recommend this to anyone unless money is simply something to be thrown away, since it's expensive and you'll want to buy a pizza later.

Innovative and Delicious
By jayt9479 from Streeterville, May 23, 2008

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Mercat a la Planxa is a great restaurant for a casual evening with a loved one or with a group of friends. The variety of tapas is similar to what you may have experienced at other tapas restaurants, but with a little upscale touch or twist to them.

Upon arriving I was a little put off by the fact that some of the seats in the small entry-way bar were reserved. To my friends and I it was a little strange that there would actually be reserved seats in such a tiny space. Mercat a la Planxa has an extensive list of specialty cocktails as well as house-made sangria. We all opted for the sangria. It was good and multiples were ordered, but it was not outstanding. Having said that, at the time of our reservation we were escorted upstairs to the dining room which was like a breath of fresh air; two-story, lots of light and fun decor.

At first, the menu can be a little intimidating even for someone who has had tapas many times before. Our waiter explained the menu to us and the layout of it made much more sense. The waitstaff was excellent, very attentive and more than willing to answer any questions that we had. I would describe the food as traditional tapas with a twist. An example would be that traditional bacon-wrapped dates are actually bacon-wrapped figs stuffed with almonds. This was definitely a favorite at our table. My table started off with approximately 4 -5 plates and kept one of our menus so that we could order more as we felt necessary. Our waiters recommended 3-4 plates per person and their recommendation was quite accurate. Please keep in mind that these are small plates. Some of them are much smaller than others. The pasta dishes are quite small.

All of the food was delicious with a couple exceptions. Of course this is all based on individual taste. Presentation was excellent for all of the items we ordered as well as the items we saw arriving at other tables. One item that stood out as something that may need a little work was the walnut sorbet. After tasting it, I thought it tasted like something, but couldn't put my finger on it. My other half had the best description which I thought was incredibly accurate. They described the sorbet as tasting like Play-doh.

My friends and I can't wait to go back to Mercat a la Planxa and try the many other items on the menu. We averaged approximately $60 per person for both food and drinks including tip. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for great tapas and a good time.

Smallest Portions Ever!!
By Smbaj from West Town, May 16, 2008

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Please don't be fooled by the good reviews. The portions were sooooo small that the crab cakes were as big as a silver dollar. When my driend ordered the bacon wrapped dates, she only received 2!! And the drinks couldn't even make up for going to this restaurant. I would never go back.

Finally a Catalan Restaurant!!!!
By mjs22 from Andersonville, April 19, 2008

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Finally, Chicago has a restaurant featuring Catalan cuisine. The food was outstanding, as was the wine list chalk-full of wonderful Spanish wines. I highly recommend trying the 'Mesa de Jose,' a chef's choice menu. The flavor pairings were fascinating and something I would not have necessarily guessed on my own (i.e., pau sheeps milk cheese paired with chocolate-hazlenut spread). The pa amb tamaquet (bread with tomatoe) is just what I remember from Barcelona and the lamb chops were so well prepared that they didn't need the wonderful romesco and aioli sauces that they came with. Don't skip the dessert (some very interesting and well-prepared desserts like an orange-infused crema catalana).

So-So
By liz217 from south loop, April 11, 2008

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Great atmosphere, service and food, but overpriced for such small portions. Sangria was average.

Good, but...
By MKON from South Loop, April 9, 2008

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Mu husband and I were excited to try new tapas in the area. The restaurant is beautifully designed but I have to agree with the other reviewers on portion size. For what you're paying, you would expect a little more food per plate. Our waiter was really cool, the sangria was great, and the food was good. I just wish they would revise some things in these first few trial weeks of being open. We live in the neighborhood and we would come back often with friends if that was the case.

just okay
By jawa37 from joliet, April 8, 2008

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i recently went there on a sunday. the place looked nice and has been getting good reviews so i was excited. the menu looked good so my wife and i ordered a few things. generally things were just lacking, under seasoned and uninspiring. nothing was hot and i have never seen a thinner pork belly anywhere, where did they put the delicious fat. the shortribs and scallops were good but the eggplant and artichoke with parm didn't fit, it was like different dishes. the prices would not be bad if the food was executed well, but it wasn't. oh well.