I'll say first that we really enjoyed the half day we spent at El Mercado, including lunch. The kids said it was actually their favorite part of our vacation week in San Antonio. I won't disagree because I enjoy the cultural flavor, and it's actually cool to see something that very closely resembles similar markets we've seen in Mexico proper.... More

El Mercado is nothing more than a tourist trap. The prices were high and the quality poor-average. We walked along all of the shop fronts and the sellers were unfriendly and seemed like they hated what they were doing. They had no originality, everything was mass produced and could be found at almost all of the shops equally. The food... More

We got here fairly early in the morning and found nearby parking in a lot. It was reasonable at $2.50. The shops were bright and colorful and had everything Mexican. A lot of the shops sold San Antonio souvenirs. The prices in my opinion were not bargains. There were lots of signs warning people not to take pictures with any... More

We visited El Mercado on a Sunday morning around 10am. It was clean, brightly decorated, and fun! Vendors were just starting to get out their stuff, shops just opening up, and there weren't many people there yet - it was perfect! We had fun looking around and enjoying the area. Everyone talks about the bargains here, and I didn't think... More

I had thought that this would be a marketplace with local foods and goods. Even the portion called the Farmer's Market was just selling tacky, cheap souvenirs (although I have to say the Farmer's Market portion had better quality souvenirs).

Highly recommend going early in the day as this place gets crowded. We went on a late Sunday afternoon and alot of the shops were closed already. We went back on Tuesday at 11am and was perfect. Don't bother with the big inside market, prices were awful! The shops across from Mi Tierra had the best prices. Sales clerks were... More

The main attraction for me is this giant ?painting that is as long as the building opposite the markets,it's a sight to see,apart from this its 2-3 mexican restaurants,one which has a pastry section which is good and one which is 24 hours but the rest is trinkets if u like that sort of thing

There are plenty of shops here, with some only selling merchandise made in Mexico. A lot of them had the same things for sale. Some of the shops face outside, while some are located in a very large building, which reminded me of a flea market. There was a restaurant and bakery with Mexican cuisine and several other eateries. We... More

We spent a few hours walking through all of the shops. The food vendors were great. There was local entertainment (some decent, some great, but all fun to watch and support). The shops were fun and the prices reasonable for the most part. You do have to really hunt for the unique items though as most of the shops sold... More