Baco Mercat

Not sure why others rated lower, this place was great. I had a sweet and sour hibiscus soda, grilled cauliflower, and a original baco sandwich with side salad. I think the thing that stands out here is all fresh ingredients with amazing sauces. The custom sodas pair very well with the flavors as well. The only compliant I would have is they are hard to eat in sandwich form, but I am never the one to shy away from a challenge. Super tasty!

We checked out Bäco Mercat ahead of a show one night. It’s a popular spot serving modern plates of various sizes (big and small!) with some yummy vegetarian options. I started with the “Apples for Algernon” cocktail. I don't typically have rum-based drinks but this seemed particularly delicious with other flavors including Apple, honey and lemon/rosemary in the mix. When they brought it to me I really only tasted the citrus/lemon flavor so I had them remake it, and the second one was pretty much the same. I didn't get any of the rum or apple brandy flavor, or the honey for that matter. It's disappointing when cocktails, which are awfully expensive to begin with, don't live up to their expectations. Fortunately, this was the only disappointing part about the meal, as the food was delicious! My wife and I shared a few items from the starters and vegetables menu (none of the big plates or Meat / Fish plates (obviously) were vegetarian) We started with the Caramelized Cauliflower which was Super tasty with a nice spice to it. We loved this. We also had the Za’atar+Eggplant+Fava Dip which came with house made puffy bread. This dish was the star of the meal. (Seriously… We asked for its autograph…) Every “dip” it came with was phenomenal. The puffy bread with za’atar on it was so perfect. We got the Stone Fruit Salad as well. (In season when we ate there but not currently on the menu as I write this a couple months later. Kudos to any menu that changes with the season!) This was like dessert on a plate. Really good fruit with nuts. We would have liked more of the cheese. The Salted Cucumber & Avocado dish had a sushi like taste without fish or rice and it was also delicious. There are (as of this writing 8 other vegetarian items on the starters and vegetables menus, so it seems like they have plenty to choose from if you have that diet, like we do! (And everything we ordered, except for the bread that came with the Za’atar dish was gluten free which made my wife happy.) We sat on the thin patio in front of the restaurant with a lot of street noise, an occasional fly, and the also occasional smoker walking by so, for the best possible experience, make a reservation for an inside table. We’d come back and try more for sure.

I surprisingly loved this place! My sister had been begging me to go but I was always hessisant because I was never a huge fan of sandwiches. Finally gave in to her request. No regrets! Ambiance is the usual, trendy, LA restaurant. 9/10. As for the food, I enjoyed everything we ordered. The OG was my favorite because of how tender and meaty the pork was. I also loved their bread. They were all chewy and moist. Really good. For the appetizers, we tried both, but the Ricotta Fritters caught our attention the most. The Panna Cotta for dessert was one of the best I've tasted. Must try!

I have been here more than couple of times now and it has been consistently good. The original Baco, The O.G continues to be my favorite. I also had a bit of the Shrimp Baco which my wife ordered which was also good. The cauliflower was nice but the Burrata can be avoided. The cocktails are good and I lived the Coconut Tapioca dessert. Must have!

Great environment, staff was so so. Mimosa was average. But that eggplant za'atar appetizer with the fluffy bread ... Oh Lord!! It is the stuff of my dreams now. Absolutely amazing. Eggplant, fava Bean puree, creme fraich ... Yum!!