Had booked to have dinner here some time ago. The views from the restaurant across the river was beautiful. Wanted to do the tasting menu and did both the veggie and non veg options for me and my husband. Service and wine recommendations from the...manager were excellent. He even left a free glass of wine wrongly served at the table and replaced with the correct one as well. Service strives to be almost perfect. But really felt the lack of depth in the creativity and taste of food. Would recommend the Ala carte menu as i felt  that the tasting menu was not worth the time spent on it. A lovely ambiance for a nice meal of course. Just that I think,  we made the wrong choice.More

Excellent service and delicious food with a wonderful background sound of remixed disco music. We had a fabulous table overlooking the river too. Great cocktails. Prawns, octopus and crab starters all fabulous. Pork belly was delicious.

I tried the Seven course menu priced at USD 50. I can assure you that this package is not worth your time. Alternatively I suggest you try the Ala Carte menu and you will save yourself a lot of time. The restaurant simply does not...have the creativity to pull off a seven course over two hours. The manager and the waiters tried very hard to please us and they were genuinely friendly and served smartly. The tasting menu is not for me at this place.More

Beautiful location. A fine meal of fish and vegetables. The chocolate feast was delicious. Unfortunately, I cannot give this restaurant five stars because the service was slow and they lack certain attentions. They never offered water and they placed a dish of olive oil and...vinegar, but they took ten minutes before they brought for two people two tiny pieces of bread. It was a rather stingy display!More

We had a delicious 7 course dinner at El Mercado! We sat outside under the stars. They even provided me with gluten free options.

Having reviews I was unsure about trying Mercado as some reviewers felt disappointed. I was not. For $40 USD, I was treated to a sumptuous 7-course tasting menu (add $12 for a wine pairing). By North American standards, this a steal and for me, it...was a luxury I could hardly afford back home. It was certainly the highlight of my culinary experience in Ecuador. The service was kind and attentive. The restaurant, however, was not at its best, since they were still remodeling so access to the terrace and the full bar was closed off. That did not detract from my experience and I will certainly return on a subsequent visit to Cuenca. If you’re willing to spend $60 on an outstanding dinner beyond the typical dishes you might order, and sample different fusion cuisines (Latin American blended with international inspiration ), you can hardly go wrong at el Mercado.More

Everything about El Mercado was excellent: the environment, the service, the food. My husband and I chose 3 starters and a salad, sharing everything, all of them absolutely delicious and perfectly prepared. We sat in the upper dining area with the big windows looking out...to Cuenca and the mountains, just beautiful. Will definitely be going back before we depart!More

Very nice ambiance and view. The service was also good. The food was good but not outstanding; more traditional continental than Ecuadorian. This was definitely fine dining with prices to match. We ate here at the end of our 10-day long trip, and duck was...very welcome after all the pork and trout we had throughout the trip. Good people watching too - very upscale clientelle.More

We had such a nice meal on our first night in Cuenca that we returned for a second meal the next night! Though we were initially seated next to an arguing couple, the staff were very considerate and relocated the four of us to another...even nicer table in this beautifully appointed restaurant. On the first night, I had a delicious duck breast dinner and my wife had a grilled fish with risotto that were both wonderful and was finished with a delectable apple tart-creme brulee dessert. The next evening, having seen an amazing looking hamburger, we decided to come back with our friends and share that. It was also excellent!More

Very pricy and small portions. No GF options unless you choose a salad. $15 hamburger and fries plate. Attentive server. So many other options in Cuenca for more reasonable prices.

Table: Bad Booked a table online 2 weeks in advance and then called to request for a window table for the view on recommendation from a family member for a special occasion. Upon arriving at the designated time we were seated at another table (not...by the window) despite 2 tables having just been seated by the window. Upon raising this concern to the waiter I was pointed in the direction of the manager who was defensive and told me that not everyone could be seated by the window with the view. Upon getting angry with him and pointing out that the expectation a customer has when calling 2 weeks in advance and receiving confirmation that the table was available and booked for me, he confirmed that there was no table available by the window and reassured me that they will be taking excellent care of our table. After a while the manager came to our table apologising and gave us a bottle of wine on the house as a gesture of goodwill that was appreciated. Food: Excellent Flawless food with excellent tastes. Our table ordered a mixture of fish and meat dishes that were all delicious. - Grilled Tuna - Seco de chino - Pargo y alcachofas - Breaseado de costillas - Langostinos Asados (only one prawn despite the use of plural on the menu) Desert was also really good, we ordered 2 to share in our table of 4: - Higos con queso - Xocolatl Wine: Good Long wine list with a great variety of wines for any occasion. Big variety in price for wines that are readily available to the point that I would say that some are mispriced, so be aware of what you are ordering. (In another restaurant the same bottle of wine cost $15 less) - Norton - Cabernet Sauvignon - offered by the manager - Emilio Moro - Ribera del duero Service: Average The waiter was quite pushy to order more dishes from the get go despite our pushback. Well served dishes with explanation. Asked for an extra glass to drink water, but had to ask for it again after 10 minutes as the waiter forgot. Asked the waiter to open the second bottle of wine for it to breathe whilst finishing the first bottle but had to request it 3 times in 20 minutes. Finally we were offered a brownie in the Shell of a cocoa bean on bed of what looked like peanuts. I nearly broke a tooth trying to eat the peanut. Upon raising this concern to the waiter he told us in an assertive manner that he had warned us that that part was not edible (which he had not). Overall the service could have been better with more attention to the details and the restaurant should remove non edible parts from the final brownie dish as it is DANGEROUS.More

Before I went to the El Mercado, I already knew what I wanted to have. For appetizer I had the scallops and for the main course braised beef ribs. Four Pan Seared Scallops, Sweet Corn Cream, Bacon, Pimentón, Parsley, just the right amount served with...a lovely bread roll and a glass Chardonnay. I particularly enjoyed the Braised Angus Short Rib, Au Jus, Baked Corn Casserole, Seasonal Vegetables as my past experience in Ecuador with beef has been less than positive. However, the braised ribs were very tender and could be separated with a fork. The beef was served with a strong red wine. Santiago made a special effort to make sure my meal was exactly what I wanted. Since I have been in Ecuador I don’t usually eat deserts so I just payed the bill. On my way out I passed Emily….the goddess of deserts…I’ll probably return tonight for a Creme Caramel and an espresso.More