El Mercado Latino
Grocery store in Seattle, Washington, U.S.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
El Mercado Latino is a grocery and specialty store at Seattle's Pike Place Market, in the U.S. state of Washington.
| El Mercado Latino | |
|---|---|
The shop in 2022 | |
![]() Interactive map of El Mercado Latino | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Location | 1514 Pike Place, Unit 6, Seattle, King, Washington, 98101, United States |
| Coordinates | 47.6091°N 122.3410°W |
Description

El Mercado Latino is a female-owned[1] grocery and specialty store on Post Alley[2] in Pike Place Market's Sanitary Market building,[3] in Seattle's Central Waterfront district. Seattle Best Places (1996) says, "The front of this diminutive store ... boasts a green grocery stocked with vegetables and fruits used in Caribbean, South American, Spanish Creole, and Thai cuisines."[4]
The business sells Latin American foods[5][6] and related products such as chili peppers,[7] corn flour, dulce de leche, hot sauces,[8] guava and passion fruit concentrates, Kaffir lime leaves,[9] Lizano sauce, Mexican candies, Spanish saffron,[10] and other spices.[11] El Mercado Latino has also stocked canned goods, habaneros, Inca Kola,[12] masa, tortillas, and other Mexican products.[13] The shop serves empanadas on-site.[14]
History
Established in 1988, El Mercado Latino has been described as "one of Seattle's oldest Mexican grocery stores".[15]
Reception
In 2006, Neal Schindler of Seattle Weekly called El Mercado Latino a "hot-climate haven".[16] The business topped Clive Irving's list of favorite Seattle shops for Condé Nast Traveler in 2011.[11] In 2014, Thrillist's Chona Kasinger said the store "slings some of the city's best empanadas".[8] Steven Hsieh included the business in The Stranger's 2017 "guide to Seattle for international students".[17]
