Set in a busy, buzzy basement, Mercado riffs on Spanish themes to produce an excellent menu of tapas-style dishes backed up by succulent spit-roasted meats. The chef produces cheeses and smoked meats on-site, and the generous depth of flavour in their inventive creations is truly impressive. An interesting selection of Spanish wine adds points.

Various banquet menus take the stress out of choosing, allowing you to try several things.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby City Centre & Haymarket attractions

1. Martin Place

0.05 MILES

Studded with imposing edifices, long lean Martin Place was closed to traffic in 1971, forming a terraced pedestrian mall complete with fountains and areas…

2. GPO Sydney

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As iconic in its time as the Opera House, this beautiful colonnaded sandstone Victorian palazzo (built 1874) was once Sydney’s General Post Office. It has…

3. 5 Martin Place

0.08 MILES

Built in 1916 to be the headquarters for the then-state-owned Commonwealth Bank, 12-storey 5 Martin Place was Australia’s first steel-framed ‘skyscraper’…

4. Wynyard Park

0.11 MILES

Above Wynyard train station is this rare wedge of downtown greenery. Surrounded by skyscrapers and spindly plane trees, it has a certain Manhattan vibe to…

5. Australia Square

0.14 MILES

Generally acknowledged as Australia’s first major office tower, Australia Square (1968) was designed by archi-phenomenon Harry Seidler. His 50-storey…

6. State Savings Bank Building

0.16 MILES

The Commonwealth Bank has taken over the old State Savings Bank building: it’s a beautiful example of interwar beaux-arts architecture, featuring green…

7. St Philip’s Church

0.24 MILES

Completed in 1856 by architect Edmund Blacket in High Victorian Gothic style, St Philip’s is the latest incarnation of a line descending from Sydney’s…

8. Sydney Tower Eye

0.26 MILES

The 309m-tall Sydney Tower (still known as Centrepoint by many Sydneysiders) offers unbeatable 360-degree views from the observation level 250m up. The…