Mercede's Grill
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
34 Reviews for Mercede's Grill
i just moved here from philly. went to this place the last 2 nights. 1st time for dinner and drinks. 2nd time just drinks. the 1st time, i had no complaints. food was good. we had the tuna tartar. i had the gorgonzola salad. he had a spinach and goat cheese salad. split an amazing chocolate almond cake like thing. service was good. but it wasnt busy. last night, one the other hand, is why i took a star off. i was with 5 other people who are "regulars" of this place. waited for a table. no big deal sat night in the summer. understandable. but we had non existant service after we were seated. no drinks, no menus, waited 15 minutes for a wine list. finally one of the people with us, had to get up and track one down for the table. we had planned on drinking for a while. but never being checked on. too much time going by with empty glasses. lost the desire to hang and throw mad loot. i'll def go back. cause i can walk there.
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I first went here a few years ago on a date and had an OK experience. I've since been a couple of times this year and have been surprised by the scene.
First, it's a pretty good restaurant -- I've always had a nice experience with my meals. Yesterday, I ate the "2%" orange roughy and really enjoyed it. However, I just got on the scale this morning and somehow gained a pound and a half over the last few days. The waiter told me this was their best fish option for dieting but I guess I can't blame my gain on them. But still...
Oh, and at the bar, they also serve sushi from the restaurant next door.
Anyway, what has surprised me is that there's a bit of a scene at their tiny bar. In fact, that's where I sat and ate yesterday. I met a girl friend around 5:00 (it was a Sunday) and there were already several people hanging at the bar even though the restaurant was fairly quiet. There's also outdoor seating which was more crowded during the two hours I was there. But the indoor bar continued to get busier during that time.
All in all, a nice vibe but very eclectic (everything from hottie beach chicks to tourists to middle aged folks to a weird gray haired old woman with an accent who wore a captain's hat). And a good option to have along this strip of beach shacks, dives & frat houses.
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It's a nice casual place to get some breakfast/brunch, but they recently revoked their dog friendly patio policy. I was told that some woman brought 5 dogs and the health department received a complaint from a patron and followed it up. Now you have to keep your dogs on the other side of the fencing. Boo! Lack of parking makes this a predominantly local spot. Based on my experience I wouldn't necessarily recommend unless you're already there and have tried most of the other places around. And now they're not dog friendly, I'm rounding down to 2 stars.
Came here on a Monday afternoon to meet up with a couple friends for lunch. My friend who lives close recommended the Omelet Platanos which is no longer on the menu and has bananas in the omelet. A little weird, but I thought it was pretty good if you like plantains. My other friend had the banana pancakes and said they were really sweet, very fluffy, and would recommend them. I think next time though, I'll try something else. They had friendly attentive servers and it was a nice atmosphere to just sit outside and enjoy the passersby.
The menu isn't that extensive and I didn't see
anything that really screamed out to me. Most times i hate places like that because I consider myself someone that can always find something appealing. But maybe it was the company I was with, cause I didn't mind this time. Parking is a real problem as there are only meters along that small section of Washington to choose from and that cul de sac like location is hectic when you add all the tourists walking around with the traffic. Cups of coffee are small, although they do refill semi-regularly, but I had to get refills much more frequently than most other places.
Price: About $14 per person with tax and tip for brunch/lunch
Food: OK
Service: Good
Ambiance: Good
Location: Good (but you should pray to the parking gods before coming)
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After three mind-blowing hours of sleep I decided to stroll on down to Venice Beach, then to this little place for breakfast.
From what I could tell this place does mostly outdoor seating (or outdoor exposed seating), but I never ventured inside so don't rely on my judgment (and again, 3 hours of sleep). It was a mixed crowd that morning, a few families of 3 or 4, a few couples (I think), and maybe one other "single" person. The host was friendly and the waitstaff were responsive -- the host made it seem like I'd have to wait for a table but then turned around, looked back at me, and then seated me. Not sure what that was about.
I ordered an omelet, the name of which escapes me (something that screams "revolution"...or at least that's how I remember it), and it had sausage, goat cheese, spinach, mushrooms, and some other items inside -- it was a rather basic omelet that could be made at home if you cared to try your hand at it... but it had good flavor and now acts as my first goat cheese omelet. A side of fruit (I requested more pineapple, less melon) accompanied it...nothing special.
I think you'd go here more for the scene/location than for the food (right next to the beach basically), but I'll have to try it again before I really stick to that judgment.
I thought about giving this place 4 stars solely for the parking that I have to endure. There is never any parking available when I go, and if I want to park at the beach, it's 10 dollars on the weekends. Parking SUCKS here, but it's Venice, so you deal with it. And it isn't their fault, so 5 stars it is.
The MOJITOS here are the GREATEST thing on earth. I have never had a better mojito made and this place has exceeded my expectations on that. They also have flavored mojitos, but I like my minty classic mojito. I went with 4 other people but everyone felt the same way about these mojitos.
The food is good too. We shared the coconut shrimp with plantains and mango pieces. We all thought it was great and liked it very much. We also loved the spinach salad with goat cheese, walnuts, and tofu. I got the fish tacos with french fries (you can get it with rice and beans too).
The service here was amazing as well. We had a birthday surprise/celebration but some people arrived early and some arrived late. They let us have the table near the back but by the bar, which was great since it was a bit more private. The waiters were wonderful and always kept our mojitos full. They also prepared the surprise cake and were attentive through the whole 4 hours that we were there.
This is a staple place for those mojito cravings.
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I'd give this restaurant five stars but I've never had dinner there. I have had breakfast, lunch and brunch there, however, and the food and service were sublime.
The menu offers a selection of Cuban, Caribbean and Latin cuisine with my faves being the Huevos Rancheros and the Political Refugee omelettes.
Call it what you will, but I've never had a bad experience at this restaurant and during my visits I even got to know some of the wait staff, who were very friendly and gracious. Of all the restaurants on Washington, this is my very favorite.
Overall, I really really like this place! They say their food is of Cuban and Caribbean cuisine, but I think of it as more Californian with Caribbean influence. The ambiance is beachy, big windows in the front of the place are typically wide open and the roof can even retract open when weather permits. Great place to take a date or catch up with old friends- it's not overly loud, crowded, or pretentious. Service is a little hit or miss- a little more miss than hit... But hey, you're hanging by the beach taking in a good meal- relax!
As far as food, I have yet to be disappointed with their dinner. Their seafood dishes are great, and they have a very tasty, good old American go at traditional Cuban Pork with rice, beans and plantains. I just discovered their happy hour (4 - 7pm), with daily drink specials such as $3 sangria Thursdays, and absolutely TASTY quesadillas and tacos! I actually had to order several.
Lunch however, had left something to be desired. Was there once for lunch with my mom and have not been back during the day since. Maybe it was a bad day, I don' t know.
One of my fave places to eat in the Marina. But sad because they were the last place to allow dogs and now they no longer allow them. Boooo!
Bleh, nothing to write home about. The garlic lemon chicken is just a tough ol' flattened out chicken breast grilled with some marinade, and served dry - emphasis on dry. I was hoping for something that could compare to the version at Versailles (falling off the bone, drowning in delicious sauce ooh la la). Plantains were also dry, which is odd - how often do you get fried plantains that are dry now? The service is quite confused, although the manager was courteous enough and tried to compensate for his restaurant's inadequacies. The type of meal that leaves me feeling quite unsatisfied and thinking "that was so not worth the calories." Mercede's Grill fits in well with all the other crappy restaurants by the Venice pier, as a 2-star establishment.
Absolutely the best place for a good meal relatively cheap! Also, great first date place. I had never had cuban food before this place, and it is awesome! The traditional garlic chicken is darn tasty, as well as the mango creme-brulee. If you want a fruity mild drink, get the naked sushi martini, but for a great tasting kick, the peach martini is the way to go all the way!!! The service is generally good, but you can encounter a mean, snobby wannabe sometimes...tip accordingly is all I can say!
Great atmosphere, great food!!!
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Even though the food was pretty good, i'm still giving this place 1 star. The service was TERRIBLE. Probably one of the worst experiences I've had. We got there and got seated right away, sitting outside (it's nice, at the end of Washington where a lot of bars and restaurants are). Once we sat down, we weren't approached by our waitress for at least 30 minutes. All we had were the menus. It doesn't take us 30 minutes to decide what to eat. At least let us order our drinks/water. Finally after getting tired of waiting, I had to get up and ask for a waiter - and they said they'll be right over. Which was probably another 5-10 minutes. Finally when we were done with dinner, it took us a while to get the check too. And then when we got the check and were ready to pay, they took another 15 minutes before they took the credit card. We were seriously considering to dine and ditch at this place because the service was so bad (yes, i know I'm an asshole). Seriously, worst service ever.
On to the food - The food was actually pretty good. I had the spinach and shrimp enchiladas. This place also has the best plantains I've ever had - but they only give you like 4, which sucked.
If you want great Cuban/Caribean food and don't mind staying for 3 hours, where 2 of the hours are waiting for your waiter/waitress, then come here.
Whenever I have friends or family in town who want to see Venice beach we usually end up eating here. The food is great for the price (their Cuban pork is pretty stellar), and the atmosphere is always laid back.
Great mojitos, too, but I'd stick to the original version. It's at the end of Washington, so parking usually blows. But, after all the frustration of trying to find that one open parking spot somewhere between Pacific and Lincoln, those mojitos taste even better!
Mercede's Grill is a local spot I hit frequently for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I've never been disappointed, except that often it is too crowded and there is a wait.
The mojitos are fantastic, and they are half-priced on weekdays during Happy Hour until 7p.m.
I've enjoyed the fish tacos, goat cheese and spinach enchiladas, and their ahi tuna. I appreciate sitting outside, because I can bring my dog.
If you can't find street parking (it can be rough -- I usually ride my bike), you can pay $3 (after 6p.m.) to park in the beach lot at the end of Washington Street.
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I go here for brunch. They serve mimosas and really it doesn't get much better than that. Order a mimosa and the hangover omelet. It's just the cure on Sunday after partying Saturday. It can get crowded with the Venice locals.
Very good. Creative, well done Caribbean food. Nothing quite tastes like the real thing, rather a lighter, Californian twist of the same. The bar is good, breakfast is the best meal of the day, and outside service tends to be better than inside. Like most beach neighborhoods the Marina has it's share of eccentric wierdos -- and they are no strangers to this spot. If you're on the beach, it's one of the better eats. However, I wouldn't recommend going to the beach just to eat here.
I find this restaurant suspect. Though I really wanted to like the place, and everything is good otherwise, I just don't like the food.
Great place.
Parking is a challenge in the area if you don't valet.
The mojitos are great, so great. I've been there a lot so there menu isn't to varied, but there are vegetarian options and the food is very flavorful and filling.
Great date place!
Mercedes Grill is the one place on this restaurant strip on Washington Blvd other than C&O's I would actually go out of my way for to eat at. And I'm reeeeeeeaalllly lazy, so that's saying a lot.
In response to others' complaints regarding service.... yeah. They have 1 or 2 tables appropriate for more than 4 people so if you are with a large party, make a reservation or plan on waiting a long time. Despite the fact we waited it out and the host was very kind to us, giving us up-to-the-minute updates on our table, the waiter was a bit surly.
Mercede's Grill's cuisine is Caribbean-Cuban, and they added a Sushi bar next door, so there are a couple of random Asian dishes on the menu, too. Despite this cultural confusion, the food is good, so I'm not going to pull the "it's not real Cuban food" card this time.
I had the mango halibut, which was good, not fantastic, and sides of rice & beans and plaintains. Both sides were very good, although only 3 plaintains? My cuban genes beg for so much more! My friend got the halibut special with pineapple which was better. Family members got mushroom soup which was excellent, so maybe you should get recommendations from the waiter on the dishes before you order - could be a bit hit or miss.
We sat inside and it was very pleasant, although it was very cold outside so we were mostly happy to just be inside where it was warm!
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A favorite breakfast spot!
Breakfast is served all day, so you can cruise in at 3pm if that's when you finally rolled out of bed.
Perfect bloody mary's and two kinds of homemade Sangria (red & white). The best black beans I've ever had. The house special "Bartolito" is very tasty, as is the "Cuban Hash."
Mellow atmosphere and easy going staff, neighborhood-y beach end of Washington. I always show up there very casual but I have seen some more cleaned up faces.
Sit outside in the front and watch cute beachgoers, or inside under the retractable roof.
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Delicioso mimosa! My favorite way to start a Sunday.
My venetian home-boy suggested this place for brunch today, and I almost made him go elsewhere because usually the word "Grill" in a restaurant name is synonymous with "Jenn gets to nibble side salads and potatoes".
I'm glad he convinced me to give it a try.
I hate over-crowded restaurants where I have to shout across the table just to maintain conversation. Especially when you hit that point of surrender during the meal where you sit there in awkward silence because your throats feels like you've just left a Metallica concert.
Mercedes' Grill is the perfect mix of crowded, but not too loud. And the crowd had a great, fun vibe to boot.
I was pleasantly surprised to find several vegan options on the menu, and even more choices that could be converted with the omission of an ingredient or two. They even offered to substitute tofu for me in any of the egg dishes. High five!
I started with a great mimosa, and my waiter even told me if I could drink two, he'd give me the third one free. Good thing I'm always up for a challenge. I ordered the Coconut Fried Rice with Tofu. Pretty damn good. It came with friend plantains, which were GREAT, and black beans. I never like beans...something about the texture...but I'm sure they would have been tasty. My friend ordered one of the omelets. He loved it, but complained to the server that the potatoes were way too overcooked. They brought him a new batch, which were indeed ten times better.
And the price was only $35 for drinks and two full meals, which I didn't find bad for MDR.
Great Sunday morning brunch option for the west side.
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We ate breakfast here and had outdoor seating. The food was very good and the service was also quite good. It is a short walk to the beach as well. It was one of the few recommended eateries that was good as of lately.
I don't know what everyone thinks is so good about this place.
They gave me the wrong side... My food was cold. It wasn't flavorful either. The service was really slow even after we were seated. The waiter was absent.
I guess I didn't order the right thing? I had the Spinach Goat Cheese enchiladas... They were cold.
The mojitos were good, I'm told. Maybe I wouldn't have cared if I'd had a few of those.
My friends and I happened to come across this place at 11 pm on a Friday night - the place supposedly closes at 11:30, but being that 7 out of the 8 of us were some smooth-talking boys, and the waitress seemed like she was cool, we got a huge table outside, all to ourselves and didn't even get asked to leave till about 12:45! Very, very cool place - dark enough for an intimate date and the food is excellent! Try any of the seafood - you can't go wrong. Oh, and I had the vegetarian goat cheese & Spinach enchiladas and they were to die for! The bread is also very yummy! I had beer but the boys had mojitos and margaritas - they weren't too fond of the margaritas, but they literally fell in love with the mojitos (beware, however, of the vanilla mojito - I heard the original was the best). And if you go, make sure to ask for "Amy" as your waitress - she was really helpful, sweet & nice!
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Next to that continental cuisine mainstay 12 Washington, Mercedes Grill is probably the only other safe place to eat in this end of Washington - a bummer b/c it's a short walk.
I usually end up here for biz breakfasts - and the food is totally fine, a big plate of whatever you order. I rarely sit inside - it always smells a little like stale beer soaked into wood.
As far as the Cuban dishes - they're kind of like a Carribean version of the ubiquitous (and goopy) Cal-Mexi food found in every restaurant around town. I just can't get excited about this.
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Another great Carribean spot! Love their trademark salad...the Mercedes Salad! Romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, feta cheese, kalamata olives, walnuts and tomatoes topped with grilled zucchini and mushrooms in a nice vinaigrette dressing. YUM!!! I also love the grilled fish tacos and the Ropa Vieja (shredded beef). Entrees come with rice, beans and plantains. They also serve great omelettes (the Greek is my fave) and breakfast all day. I think it's a bit pricey for lunch...but, the food is good. The service can be on the slow side...so, don't go there for lunch if you are on a time clock.
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I have had breakfast, lunch and dinner here and all have been absolutely excellent. You can't beat the atmosphere either, especially on a warm summer day. The outside patio is great for a mojito or the inside is great when the roof is retracted.
Downfalls, the bar is too small and parking is awful
came here for happy hour (weekdays from 4-7pm) and enjoyed all the dishes we ordered: spicy tuna roll, quesadillas, steak tacos (2) and a pinot noir for all $5 each. cheap good food! we sat outdoors with the heating lamp on. it was nice.
I had one memorable mini-meal here about a year ago: a very good bowl of organic tomato soup. But the best part was the bread that came with it - the absolute best sourdough I have ever eaten. I am not a big bread-eater, but I polished off the entire loaf. This beachside restaurant serves breakfast, lunch & dinner and I think I need to go back.
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service was a little slow, but we went at a decent lunch time. the food was amazing. i think this place is supposed to be cuban. i'm not quite sure. it may be a hodge podge of different latin american eats. in any case, we had the cuban garlic chicken and the pork enchiliada suiza. both dishes were served with rice, black beans, and plantains. so delicous. the meat especially. the rice and beans were okay, just average. but the meat on both dishes were so moist and flavorful. i would go back there again, but just not when it's busy.
Excellent Cuban food. It wasn't as spicy as I wanted it to be but everything from the bread to the rice and black beans were delicious. It was hot in the back and we had a snob for a waiter but I will definitely back.
Inexpensive too...four of us, three big dudes and my wife ate dinner for like $74 after tip. I spent that a few nites earlier on just my wife and me at Bite and wasn't half as good.
I'd like to think that we just caught them on an off night, but according to my friend who lives around the corner, our experience Saturday was pretty much par for the course.
We arrived at about 8pm - a party of 7 w/o reservations. C&O across the street was PACKED (as usual) but Mercede's didn't seemed slower so we chose there. The hostess was great and managed to get us a table in about 20 min, which was no big deal on a busy Saturday night.
Our waiter came to the table, brought some bread, shared the specials (everything sounded delicious!) and took our drink orders - three glasses of wine and two martinis. Then we SAT for THIRTY minutes with no drinks and no dinner order taken. The waiter returned twice to tell us "our drinks would be right over," but by the second visit with the same update we gave up. Still with no drinks, we were terrified to think how long dinner might take. So we left STARVING.
What a disappointment! We were celebrating a friend's birthday and everything on the menu sounded great. Too bad we didn't get to try anything. None of us were in a rush and a leisurely dinner would have been fine, but thirty minutes without drinks or taking an order is unacceptable. I won't be back.
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Looking for a place to enjoy a nice mint mojito? Look no further. The food was absolutely fantastic the first time I was there, but somehow it didn't live up to my expectations the next few times around (not sure why!). Give it a try though because the Cuban food is delicious! Make reservations since they have fairly limited seating.
Great little restaurant to kick back and drink Mojitos and MArgaritas and just watch the beach goers walk by. Awesome food and waitstaff. Very attentive and pleasant. I definately will be coming back for their GREAT FOOD! Highly recommned! Dogs OK on patio is a plus++!
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