The energy here runs loud and festive rather than quiet-date-night, which tracks for a restaurant that's since spun off a second Chicago location in Lincoln Park on the strength of this one's reputation. The real move is the weekday happy hour: $10 flat on cocktails, wine, and beer, 3 to 5:30pm, long enough to actually plan an after-work stop around.
Brunch gets its own following too, crowded enough on weekends that a reservation is worth making rather than assuming you'll walk in. It's not quiet or subtle, and it's not trying to be — Mercadito is a party restaurant that happens to also have genuinely good tacos.
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