El Mercat Bar de Tapas has permanently closed its Arlington, VA location after approximately one year in business, while its original restaurant at The Square in Rockville remains open.
The Spanish tapas restaurant announced the closure of its West Post location Thursday night, citing economic challenges, unexpected construction costs, delays in opening and slower-than-anticipated sales.
“This decision was not an easy one,” the restaurant wrote. “While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have served our community.”
El Mercat thanked customers and employees for supporting the Arlington restaurant and encouraged customers to continue visiting its original location at 101 Gibbs Street in Rockville.
Executive Chef George Rodrigues opened the Rockville restaurant in January 2023, his first solo restaurant. El Mercat focuses on Spanish cuisine with shareable, seasonal and house-made dishes.
The Rockville menu includes a large selection of vegetarian, meat and seafood tapas, along with paellas and entrees. Offerings include patatas bravas, tortilla española, ham croquettes, lamb meatballs, garlic shrimp, fried calamari and several varieties of paella.
“Our journey with this location may be ending, but we would love to see you at our original location in Rockville,” the restaurant wrote. “We invite you to continue being part of our story there.”
