I have been to Cardenas here in lake Elsinore so many times I figured I would finally write a review. This market has absolutely everything you need to throw an amazing party or pick up something for lunch or dinner. They have a full bakery with amazing fresh Pan Dulce and fresh cakes. They also have a fruit case that you can get a fruit plate/cup or fresh juice. My favorite is their Agua frescas! The have a meat department filled with fresh cheeses, creams and seafood. My favorite is their hot deli, this is where you can get hot Mexican food! Anything from burritos, rotisserie chicken, tacos, menudo, tamales and so much more. Today I had a carnita burrito with their homemade chips, salsa and a large agua frescas in guava! This place is sure to have what your looking for! read more

Cardenas Markets - Meat Shops Near Me - Lake Elsinore, California

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Stopped in today (5/4/26 at 11:17 a.m.) to buy a tres leches cake. Be aware that when you request a specific cake, they may try to box up an older one they already have instead. The employee, Adriana M, became visibly upset when I asked for the cake I had originally pointed out after seeing her boxing up an old one. At one point, she said in a very angry tone, "all the cakes are the same." I mentioned that the one she was boxing up looked older, with unappealing strawberries on top, and politely asked for the fresher one I had ORIGINALLY selected. The interaction felt unnecessarily tense, and it may be worth reinforcing customer service standards. Entré hoy (5/4/26 a las 11:17 a. m.) para comprar un pastel de tres leches. Tengan en cuenta que cuando solicitan un pastel específico, pueden intentar empacarles uno más viejo que ya tienen. La empleada, Adriana M, se molestó visiblemente cuando pedí el pastel que había señalado originalmente. Incluso me dijo "todos son iguales" en un tono bastante desagradable. Le comenté que el que estaba empacando se veía más viejo, con fresas poco atractivas encima, y le pedí amablemente que me diera el más fresco que yo había elegido desde el prinsipio. La interacción fue muy desagradable, y sería conveniente reforzar el servicio al cliente. read more

Bakery was a complete let down. Ordered a tres leches cake and conchas (Mexican bread) for my daughter's graduation party. The conchas didn't seem fresh and were already dry inside. The cake was a complete let down. It was supposed to have fruit all along the top border. One side was supposed to say "congratulations" and leave room on other side so we could put a cake topper. They ended up putting the fruit on the inside of cake and wrote the Congrats on the front side of cake (I blurred out the name). It didn't even fit in a box appropriately and ended up shifting and rubbing against box and smudged the writing. Bakery staff was useless. Waste of money. We ended up going to Staters Brothers and ordering a tres leches cake there. Never will do business with Cardenas bakery again. read more

Cardenas Markets - Meat Shops Near Me - Lake Elsinore, California

I came here to cash my check at the check cashing/bill paying kiosk they have right there to the left when you first walk in.. and WOW, ROSALBA M. the employee who works in there is soooo rude! Everyone else who works here is so sweet and nice, she is just rude for no reason!! And it's Mother's Day and I have my old abuelita with me and she was unnecessarily rude to us both. Wow get some manners before you deal with the public ROSALBAAAA smh wow, I'll drive to the next city next time rather than deal with her rudeness smfh read more

Cardenas as a market is pretty much a well rounded market that sells a variety of of Mexican items including having a kitchen where they serve delicious Mexican food. I mainly order the menudo on Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays. The menudo they make is very good and flavorful. They do give plenty of tripe and a good amount of hominy. There some inconsistent wheee the broth is super spicy and at times feels watered down and feels like it's been reheated. Customer service is always great. The ladies and one gentlemen kinda know me now as the amount of times I get menudo. The ambiance is ok, they have a small eating area off to the side of the kitchen area. read more

I moved to Perris and must say this is my favorite Cardenas so far. It has better selection and bigger store compared to Perris. Unfortunately customer service is gone everywhere the girls are sour and not friendly. To me that is important guess i was raised in a different era. New kids feel so entitled. Any how the product and selection is better here. read more

If I could do zero I would. Service is awful in the food court. No English speaking staff. My husband tried to let the woman behind the counter know what he needed and she does not speak English. He called me to help him translate as I am Spanish speaking. He got so aggravated I told him to leave. This is the second time this!! Don't expect that everyone that comes in the store is Spanish speaking!!! You should have bilingual staff period!!!! Staff should be trained to ask for help if they don't know English and quickly get someone over that does!!!! Will not be going back ever again to this location. Poor customer service. read more

Went there May 12,2024 to do my grocery and I was short changed 5.00 . I gave. 50 $ bill, spent 31.12 and when I got home my change was only 13.88 instead of 18.88. I called as soon as I realized it but they refuse to return my change. They said I have to come back within an hour. Unfortunately I don't live there, just visiting a relative. I wish they are a bit more accommodating to customers. These are hard earned money. read more

Cardenas Markets - Receipt and change received. - Meat Shops Near Me - Lake Elsinore, California

Good Service!!! Super Friendly!!! #BLM FRESH HOT BREAD HOT HOT HOT YUMMY. My tummy feels happy just like the people there!

This is the 4th fuc^#g time I go to this store at 8:20pm and the carnicería is packed like crazy. There's only 2 workers working the line. Both are slower than snails. 1 older guy is helping the public takes 15 mins per person while the other guy doesn't even make eye contact with the line to avoid helping. I've already complained 3 freaking times with the manager about this and they seem to not GAF. Why are you cleaning and starting your closing duties at 8:20pm??!? You close at 10pm! The last time this happened I simply wanted 2pds of sliced ham for my kids and the lady kept saying she was not going to dispatch me because the slicer was already cleaned. It was 8:10pm. And she said instead of complaining, to go get packaged ham... the store managers and butcher managers need to get their head out of their @$$ and actually manage. I've worked in many restaurants before. YOU NEVER EVER START CLEANING AND CLOSING DUTIES 2HOURS BEFORE CLOSING. Once again I have waited for 20mins in line while one guy is dispatching as a snail and the other doesn't even acknowledge the line of people waiting. Once again I left due to the long wait time without getting the meats needed for home. A phhxknn shame! read more

The store is old and needs updating to today's standards. The prices are not as competitive for this type of market. Due to the only Latin market in the area you have very little competition. read more

2 stars because most of the employees are super nice and the atmosphere is great. 0 stars for the girl working in the meat department. Specifically Yaritza. So rude to the people ordering meat. I'm sorry i'm asking you to do your job?! I also work a customer service job and if I treated her the way she treats customers I would get separated from the company. I need someone to follow up on this girl... read more

Great experience, all the employees were very helpful. Great customer service no hesitation on helping anyone. Thank you

I usually buy my asada from this store, but after eating these tamales or at least opening these tamales, I definitely will be thinking twice about shopping here altogether. The sweet corn tamales on the left of the picture are definitely brown and taste gross the one on the right is chicken with green chili also brownish a little concerned on how they're storing their food or if it's even good at all. Both taste disgusting. I will be throwing away for sure, a waste of $12 on the four tamales I bought read more

Cardenas Markets - Corn tamale on the left green chili tamale on the right just bought 15 minutes ago - Meat Shops Near Me - Lake Elsinore, California

Good Groceries , nice veggies , quick service!!!!!! Love their Carnitas.................

Their quality in grapes is greatly lacking. They are constantly too squishy and not crunchy enough. Needs improvement

I purchased a cake on 6/25 and was the three milks cake. We got home had dinner and wanted to enjoy a slice of cake and it was rotten milk. I did a report with health department and also advised manger and supervisor. One of the employees from the cash registers when returning the cake said that the cake looks perfectly fine and she was told by me to try it for herself. Do not purchase your cakes here especially if it's for your little ones. read more

They are taking advantage of you. Corn husks to make tamales 11.99 they are about 6 dollars everywhere else. Masa 39 dollars for 15 lbs. I found it at Stater Bros for 18 dollars less for the same amount. I will never go back again. They are crooks. If I could give negative stars I would. read more

It's a wonderful store to walk into. Just had a light everything I need. Don't have to go anywhere else has great prices.

Found this in the Pastor Meat from the packaged 3 meats they sell. I was chewing and this was in the meat. Can I get my money back? read more

Cardenas Markets - Found this in the packaging for the Asada, Pastor and Chicken package. It was in the pastor, this is crazy - Meat Shops Near Me - Lake Elsinore, California

Really bad customer service. Some employees have an attitude. When helping you out with service

If I could leave ZERO stars I would! I used to love this Cardenas but a week ago, I went around closing time and all the workers were rude! They would watch me like hawks while I was doing my shopping and when I went to self check out, they were practically breathing down my neck! It made me feel like a criminal because instead of having the decency to ask if I needed help, they did the complete opposite. Very rude and will NOT be returning. I would rather drive to Murrieta where I was treated better than go to this Cardenas! read more

This review is solely on their Carnitas Just terrible. Looked good till u taste them. Staff and place is clean but their Carnitas No Bueno read more

I went in today to get some shrimp and as I was waiting for my number to be called I was noticing that we would get better service in the meat department if the guys working behind the counter would stop talking to each other and pay attention to the customers and just do their jobs!!! read more

Extremely poor customer service. Could not find my xmas tsmsles order and staff snswer the phone without ssying a word, they leave the phone off yhe hook, never took the call and when I called again to complai, I asked for the manager, they would not get him. El dia 27 de Noviembre, paque con mi tarjeta debito una orden de 3 docenas de tamales y chzmpurrado a recojer hoy. Tengo el registro de la transaccion de $96.74 y quisiera me regresen el dinero. El recibo de la cocina se nos extravio y el personal no es cordisl dan respuestas tontas y evasivas... read more

There hot Mexican food beats all the local taco shops locally there tamales are by far to me!! 1-5 a 4.5 and chicharones!! I went to all the local street vendors and honestly are garbage. They are all owned by the same person and they monopolize the area. If your looking to make business come in down to this area and you can definitely become successful in the street vendor market. On the other hand there beer selection is very limited in there ipa and rarely find a good price go to the local Ritiaid for beer Cardenas charge 17 for a 12pack vs 11.99 bud light.. fruit and vegetables are ok and meats are decent. Over all!! It's the only place you will get your local Hispanic needs in and out quickly. Until another competitor comes in to this location this is the spot.. great spot !!! read more

Unfortunately as years have gone by, the market has gone down in quality and customer service. Seems like you can never find fresh Mexican bread. When you have a question, no one seems to be eager to help. The butchers are not well trained in the cuts of meat. Overall cleanliness of the market is not great. Would highly recommend the Cardenas Market in Murietta, but not the one in Lake Elsinore. read more

Bought 2 burritos and lady was really rude to I'm black and learning Spanish and spoke Spanish to her and she treated me horribly and made food really skimpy and the person before me bought same thing and she made he's 2 times better than mine. I always shop there and this first time felt discriminated on read more

The worst tamales ever. Not to mention biting into black hair. Seriously disgusting! read more

Cardenas Markets - Hair in tamale!!! - Meat Shops Near Me - Lake Elsinore, California

Customer service is is always AWFUL! I bought some meat from the butcher and when I went to cook it the next day it was slimy and had a foul smell. NeverAgain!!!! read more

Self check out Customer service: young girl with lighter skin at self check out is super rude!! We just wanted to remove a vitamin water from the cart and had issues with the apple wallet. She went looking for a manager but came back with an attitude and said "its declining its your card" I then replied it happens ill go in regular line. She replied its going to do the same thing with an attitude and made a comment consisting of " do you have the money and also said can you even afford it?!? Like who says that loud qs an employee to a customer. I wasn't being rude and or blaming her for the issue on the machine. We had to wait for a manager but the manager she spoke to walked passed us 2 times in the 6 minutes we waiting trying not to make eye contact. Asi tratan a la raza? We went to stater bro's instead . Mamones read more

Needed fruit for a party - called to ask questions and confirm if I needed to order ahead or ok to order day of. Initially person I first reached didn't speak English however: they quickly connected me to someone that did and was able to answer my questions. Store is very clean, fruit and vegetables very fresh as was fruit. read more

I'm at Cardenas eating food in the morning just about every day and I see your assistant manager, his name is Luis I ask him for help and he's there answering questions smiling always helping customers always working, helping all departments as I sit down to eat my food I observed you you need to promote Luis to manager he has good work ethics. read more

Great place to shop for your warm bolillos, tamales, flan, cakes, and all that good stuff. If you are craving horchata, this is your spot! I usually come here for their bread because it is so warm and delicious. So yes, the bakery area is my favorite spot. They usually bake these goods daily. read more

Things I picked up: 99 cent red grapes, pre-needled nopales, jalepenos, salsa, guac, shrimp cocktail, carne asada, pollo asada, & decent tamales. The only part I found odd was the tamales are marked $1.49 each but when you pay for them at the register it is rung up at 99 cents a pound. In retrospect its actually better for the cashier as you won't have to use the honor system to figure out how many are in the bag. Just a note: check your receipt before you leave. The Casero chips were marked on the display for $3 and change but they charged me $6 on the receipt...which I realized the day after when I found the receipt in my purse. I had another produce item marked incorrectly as well but in my favor. Perhaps their system is not updated quick enough or their signs are not. Shrug; just keep an eye out! read more

Cardenas Markets - Morada y nopal tortillas!! - Meat Shops Near Me - Lake Elsinore, California

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Las nuevas panaderas se pasaron de sal con las conchas me va a dar un Stroke con tanta sal. También las asen más chicas.

El servicio del bakery es muy malo, no atienden bien, los pasteles están buenos, pero el servicio horrible, su manager tampoco presta buen servicio. Ésta Cardenas no la recomiendo read more

Went this morning to buy some bolillo bread and queso fresco. I seen that they had the bolillo bread filled with cream cheese and jalapenos so I bought a few. Since I hadn't been home in years (due to military service) I was looking forward to this. I get home and I split it in two and take a bite. I realized that it tastes a little sour so I opened up the bread to examine it a little better and seen a few blue/green spots. Never again! read more

Cardenas Markets - Ruined my appetite... jalapeno and cream cheese bonillo - Meat Shops Near Me - Lake Elsinore, California

It's horrible to come to your local store and not very greeted! Every time we go to Cardenas the checkers never say hello or good bye! They should be trained to be more welcoming! Many of my friends say the same thing' read more

Horrible service don't waste your time Came to get some licuados at 7:18 and they closed early most of the people here is rude