Merced’s solves Long Beach’s Mexican food problem

MERCED’S by ROSHEILA ROBLES

Eating at Merced’s is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you’re stoked that you’ve found a Mexican restaurant in the downtown/Belmont/Alamitos area worth telling your friends about. On the other, you’re stunned and appalled that it took you as long as it did to make it there.

Don’t be. It’s not your fault—Long Beach (or at least the hip, urban, Web 2.0 compliant neighborhood I live in) has a reputation for mediocre Mexican food: Hole Mole is wildly inconsistent, Coco Reno’s is bland and overpriced, and Taqueria La Mexicana is good but usually crowded. Somehow, we’ve become convinced that these places are the only games in town. They aren’t.

Merced’s manages to deflect each and every one of those traps. First, and most importantly, the food is consistently good. A carne asada taco is just as delicious on Monday as when you come back on the following Saturday. You can order take-out, or if you eat in, you’ll get waiter service at your table, prompt and polite. The atmosphere is dark, falling somewhere in between the interior of a past-its-prime Acapulco-style restaurant and your stereotypical hole-in-the-wall.

Secondly, the menu is standard variety with excellent prices: tacos run $1.25 and are available with al pastor, asada, pollo, carnitas, chorizo, or lengua. Burritos will set you back $4.25 (with another quarter added if you get the veggie—more on this in a moment). And aside from other standard Mexican fare, Merced’s also offers a wide array of Mariscos and American comfort foods—even a Philly cheese steak sandwich. (Weird, I know.)

But it’s their veggie burrito that truly sets Merced’s apart (and above) every other Mexican restaurant in Long Beach. It’s the best I’ve had here—seriously. When I was a vegetarian (and a strict one at that—no gelatin, no lard, no meat, no horsemeat), there was nothing more disappointing than getting a carelessly-thrown-together beans/cheese/rice/lettuce/tomato brick of bland crap that cost nearly as much as what my friends paid for their mouth-watering carne asada burritos. I was also equally offended by places that would toss in an awkward jumble of “gourmet” vegetables that did more to confuse the palate than entice. (At what point do you just drop the facade of authenticity and admit it’s a wrap?)

It’s very rare (and difficult) for a veggie burrito to escape these two major pitfalls. Yet Merced’s vegetarian burrito does just that. Burrito of the century, perhaps? Starting with a very basic foundation (beans, rice, and cheese), the burrito builds up from there. The vegetables are fresh and aromatic—and above all sensible: just bell pepper, onion, tomato, cilantro, mushroom, and zucchini doused in Merced’s red sauce. (Speaking of which: at the table you’re offered a pretty standard selection of bottled hot sauce—Tapatio, etc.—but if you ask nicely you’ll get a hot sauce that may or not be homemade but acts as the perfect complement to nearly anything on their menu.)

Ultimately, the veggie burrito captures what Merced’s represents to me: the right mixture of new California fusion and authenticity. Merced’s tries to be all things to all people, and it succeeds. As for the other side of the sword, the fact that the restaurant doesn’t seem to get anywhere near the amount of traffic it should is tragic but not written in stone. Merced’s staff is helpful and outgoing, and they’re happy to see you any time. Come for the food, not for charity—you’ll get at least as much out of eating there as they will serving you.

MERCED’S RESTAURANT 1064 E BROADWAY | LONG BEACH 90802 | 562.951.5755 | CALL FOR HOURS | DINNER FOR TWO, $10-20

Tags: Long Beach, merced's, mexican