Hi friends! If you’ve been around my blog or Instagram for a while, you are probably already well aware of how much I love to frequent The Landing in Downtown Fort Wayne’s recently revitalized Columbia Street (also affectionately known as C Street by many a millennial). My love for the Cali-Mex restaurant, Mercado, is also no secret! Today I want to share why I love Mercado so much, and I why I think you will too.

Mercado opened in the midst of the pandemic, and is almost ready to celebrate one year of being open. I’ve frequented Mercado many times since their opening (if you’re following my Instagram page, you probably already know this!), but recently went with my friend Brittany, who had nothing but wonderful things to say about the co-owner, Johnny Perez. Johnny is no stranger to the Fort Wayne food scene, and is a Fort Wayne native himself. Before opening Mercado, Johnny dabbled in the food truck scene (read more about that here), and even obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management. He’s well experienced in restaurant management as part of Fort Wayne’s Obicai Restaurant Group (see their list of restaurants here). I think it’s pretty obvious why Mercado is such a hit!

What I love most about Mercado is the uniqueness of the menu and the consistency of the cuisine. I often bring my out of town friends, and they are all wowed by their food. My personal favorites are the Cali AF & Carne Asada Tacos, and if you go, you absolutely MUST order the Johnny Boy Brussels. 10/10 every time. Their margaritas are handmade and fresh (yes, pregnant me is still dreaming of a margarita!)

Brittany and I recently went to Mercado for brunch for the first time. The Chicken and Waffles on the menu caught my eye, and it was worth every penny of the $18 I spent. If you want to check out their brunch menu, which I highly encourage, you can do so by clicking here. 

I love that Mercado offers full service brunch and dinner, and a fast casual option for lunch, where you order upon entering and your food is brought to you. I think the versatility of these experiences really caters to folks who want to try to food, but are either looking for the full experience, or are short on time (hello, lunch break!) and want to try it out. Either way, I really think there’s something for everyone here. And if you’ve made it all the way to the end of this post, you absolutely MUST order a side of the Johnny Boy Brussels, which are absolutely divine (pictured below)