They say Brazilians do it better. And after dinner at Mercado I’d have to wholeheartedly agree. This churrascaria, Brazilian steak house, tucked away in the warren like streets of Apgujeong serves up cuts of beef so rare and fine that you’ll be licking your plate if not your fingers clean.
Brazilian steaks houses are not new on the Seoul dining scene. There’s Brazillia with three locations, La Plancha, Sao Paolo in the Hyewa area, and Ipanema around City Hall. The last on my list remains La Plancha, but as for the others I have to say that Mercado comes out ahead as my favorite. They serve five cuts of beef; the baby beef sirloin steak, beef wrapped in bacon, the top sirloin picanha, alcatra rump steak, and a garlic sauced steak.
My absolute favorite was the bacon wrapped beef followed by the garlic sauced steak and the top sirloin. Tender and juicy don’t begin to describe how well the meat is cooked. No worries if you feel the beef may be too much because they also serve chicken and chicken hearts which while tasting perfectly fine were a bit too chewy for me. Side dishes are also included. The standouts were the garlic rice and potato salad. There are also homemade pickles and a salad that’s decent. They also do their very own spicy sauce that’s a must. Forgo the A1 and use that sauce instead.
Mercado is perfect for a get together with friends and family or a date. Just be sure to bring your appetite.
Prices:
My meal came to 30,000 including VAT.
Hours:
4:30 to 11:30
Phone:
02-515-3288
Address:
2F Youngjin B/D 95-16 Nonhyun-dong, Gangnam-gu,
Website:
http://www.mercado.co.kr/default/index.php
Directions:
Exit 10 Hakdong Station. Walk straight to the main street. Turn Left. Go straight passing the Seafood surprise restaurant on your left. You’ll see the Doosan building on your right. Keep going until you see the Hana Bank across the street. Now cross and make a right at Hana Bank. Platoon Kunsthalle will be on your left. Keep going two blocks. Make a left at the Paris Baguette.
Mercado will be on your right on the second floor.
we love Mercados… so much so the military taxi drivers know Mercados by name without having to look up its location on their GPS. mercados is a favorite of American soldiers stationed in Seoul because all you can eat steak for W30K is very reasonable. We even host farewell parties there. The bacon wrapped beef is by far our favorite, 2nd the garlic and 3rd the chicken hearts… (my 10 yr old loves chicken hearts)
I'm totally with you on the bacon wrapped beef! It was beyond delicious. I can't believe it took me so long to finally go. Now I want to go every month! It certainly looked like a popular spot for foreigners. When we were there at least a third of the tables happened to be foreigners. Bravo for the little one cause I just couldn't get into those chicken hearts! I did try though.