Mercadito Taqueria Opens in Midtown Miami

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Taco Baja: Not on the taqueria menu, but still pretty enough to look at.

​Before "fast food" meant a tasteless disc of pulverized cow between two pieces of soft cardboard there was the taco. Cheap, nourishing, able to accommodate just about any fillings and, yes, fast, the taco and its traditional purveyor, the taqueria, are some of the best friends a hungry stomach could have.

Good enough reason, then, to check out Mercadito Midtown, the sleek, upscale Mexican eatery that just debuted its very own taqueria. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Mercadito Taqueria will fill your hungry stomach without emptying your starving wallet, with the priciest item on the short but sweet menu a fat burrito at $9.50.

A torta and trio of tacos are only $9, with sides ranging from salsa and chips at $2.50 to Mexican salad with choice of chicken, steak or shrimp for $8.50. And here's the really good part: They're all DIY. Stuff your taco-torta-burrito-face with fillings from the "Los Autenticos" menu (chicken, steak, carnitas and tilapia with onions and cilantro) or from the "Los Originales" selection (adobo chicken with corn pico de gallo, chipotle BBQ pork with crispy onions).

You can do your stuffing there, to go or have it delivered, whatever best suits your hungry stomach.