Mercado Latino Las Palmas Restaurant

This place was clean and the service was friendly! I ordered two vegetarian tacos with no cheese and they were on point! Really tasty with no fuss and they even added some nice radishes to top then off. I finished with one the fridge drinks and the owner was gracious enough to open up a big package of these cookies I wanted so she could sell me an individual package. Not the tops on décor or style, but a straightforward family spot that didn’t serve beer.

Ok so I just moved to Chattanooga recently having lived most of my life in NY/​DC and Baltimore. Mexican and El Salvadoran food are two of my faves so the first thing I did in town was try all of the highest rated taco joints. Some were decent, mostly trendy, cute and frequented by young locals. Honestly…,.the food here is better. It might not be the place where I’d like to meet my friends for a night out but the tacos de lengua and tacos al pastor were really fantastic.
I gave it four stars rather than five only for lack of atmosphere and inaccessibility to young trendy diners.

I pass by this market/​eatery quite often and I keep saying to myself, «You’ve got to go try this place.» Well today was the day. Walked in not knowing what to expect. It’s a typical latin food market, lots aisles and full of items most would not be familiar with. Go all the way to the back and there is a very roomy dining area.
Now let me tell you that this place has to be the cleanest and neatest place I’ve seen here in Chattanooga. The grocery aisles were neat and orderly, floor immaculate.
Sat down and looked over the menu. I decided upon my usual tacos al pastor and carne asada with some rice and beans. My BF ordered his usual of beef fajitas.
The orders came out pretty quickly though not at the same time. Don’t expect that type of «restaurant» service. This is like family dining, you’ll get it when it’s ready. LOL.
The al pastor was some of the best I’ve had; very flavorful and super tender. The tacos were filled to overflowing with meat, onions and cilantro and the two most perfect little corn tortillas. Real «street» taco style. The rice was really good, and they don’t use any of those veggie fillers, just some good spanish rice. The beans were nice and thick with great homemade flavor. Not soupy, just real stick to your ribs refried beans.
There were two other gentleman there and they ordered menudo, so if you’re looking for a place that serves it, there you go. I noticed they also had Caldo de Res so I’ll definitely be back to try that.
The drinks, looks like they have soda you can order or you can get anything from the drink coolers, lots of latin sodas and Mexican coke. You pay up at the register in the front of the market.
The staff are very friendly and the food is seriously good. Some of the best Mexican food I’ve had here. Do yourself a favor and don’t overlook this place. It’s really great.