El Mercado Food Court: A Bounty Of Latin American Choices

Though the capital city has been my home for nearly 14 years, I had never been to the La Plaza El Mercado on Park Street, a claim always met with astonishment from other Hartfordites: “A food guy like you has never been to El Mercado?”

Until now, it was true. But if there’s anywhere to experience a Latin American bounty, Hartford is the place, and El Mercado is a great place to start.

El Mercado isn’t a single restaurant, but more like shopping center, grocery market, and cafeteria in one spot. Lining the far wall are the four restaurant vendors, each representing a national cuisine: Mexican, Dominican, Peruvian and Colombian.

There is a distinctly different feeling from the usual suburban malls, but one that I have found common in the food courts and shopping centers of major cities and other countries. The closest comparison would be to the Asian shopping and food centers of Flushing, Queens. It is foreign, yet familiar, and comforting.

We arrived during the height of lunch on a weekday, when people queued up at each counter to order. My friends and I split up to try something from each vendor. The line for Dominican was a little long so I doubled up on Mexican, vowing to return for the delicious looking roast pork, red stews and blood sausage.

I ordered al pastor tacos, while a friend picked up barbacoa. At three tacos for $5 and $6.50 respectively, it was a solid deal. Another companion requested a cup of chocolate de leche (Mexican hot chocolate, $2.50), while a sample of atole de elote enticed me to buy a full cup (also $2.50).

Atole de elote, as explained by the friendly woman behind the counter, is a warming drink from milk, corn, and cinnamon. It was creamy and sweet, good for a cold day.

“I see you taking a lot of photos. Are you a tourist?” a young man asked. “I love the food here,” he said, adding that he came to Hartford from Ecuador two years ago. “I come here all the time to eat.”

My companions and I met at a table in the far corner to share our bounty. From Peru there was an overflowing plate of jalea, the fried seafood dish flanked by marinated onions and yucca ($14). What can be said of the delight of the seas’ bounty, crisped before you? It is comfort for all seasons.

Our Columbian friend opted to share her favorite breakfast, “calentado mixto carne, huevos pericos, y arepa con queso” (grilled steak, scrambled eggs, beans, and corn cake topped with cheese, $9.99), a sizable plate. The combination of delicious beans, scrambled egg and arepa was good enough to make it my last bite of the meal.

We also picked up a few delicious buñuelos, or cheese breads ($1.35). The cheese in these puffed balls was a part of the carbohydrate, creating what was essentially a richer bread. Dipping the bread in either chocolate de leche or atole de elote should replace the coffee dipped donut at American breakfast shops.

As for the tacos, we all agreed barbacoa was OK, but the al pastor was mind blowing. The taste rivaled my favorite taco truck on New Haven’s Long Wharf. Having such a wonderland of good food only a mile away is a game changer.

>>El Mercado, 704 Park St., Hartford, is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. Food vendors are cash only. Information: 860-247-6449.