Mercadito Midtown, the taco restaurant that served custom margaritas, has closed. Locations in Chicago and New York remain open.
The website, which still boasts taco Tuesday and happy-hour specials, also succinctly states:
We are temporarily closed, we apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you.
See also: Mercadito's Custom Margaritas: Are You Fruity or Spicy? (We're a Little of Both)
The restaurant, which opened in spring 2010, quickly became a go-to spot for tacos, made-to-order margaritas, and Mexican-inspired brunch. Mercadito was especially popular during Miami Spice, when the restaurant offered a deal that includes cocktails and guacamole.
The restaurant's menu, overseen by chef Patricio Sandoval, served solid food, but the real winner was the drinks. With a bar program crafted by the Tippling Bros. (Chicago's version of the Bar Lab boys), the drinks were complex and smoky or light and fruity. Bartenders could even custom-craft a personal margarita by asking a few questions. For that reason, New Times named its margaritas best in 2012.
See also: Best Margarita Miami 2012
Short Order has left several messages with Mercadito Hospitality inquiring whether the restaurant will reopen -- possibly in a different location. We'll update this post when we receive word.
UPDATED: On March 10, Mercadito Miami LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Florida Southern Bankruptcy Court under case number 1:14-bk-15466. The filing notes an 11-page list of 292 potential creditors, which include Publix, Open Table Network, Southern Wine & Spirits, the Internal Revenue Service, and charity Share Our Strength. A meeting of creditors is scheduled for April 9, 2014.
On March 13, Mercadito Hospitality's marketing department sent Short Order the following message:
We had some stuff to repair, but we are not closing for good, we will be opening our doors again in the next week.
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