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    El Campeon

    4.0 (773 reviews)
    Open 6:00 am - 8:30 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    El Campeon Photos

    Business Info

    EL CAMPEON ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Inside
    Michelle C.

    A friend was showing me around San Juan Capistrano and this place is a hidden gem for good tacos. Each taco is about $4-5 unless you get street tacos (smaller) $2-$3. This has existed for about a decade according to my friend TB. She says it was cheaper back then, but inflation and the development of the San Juan Capistrano area has really increased the prices. The two tacos I got today: (1) El pastor - the spicy marinated meat lit a fire in my stomach in the good way (2) Carne asada - the meat was generously provided I was asked whether I wanted cilantro and onions with my tacos and I said a resounding yes! I was incredibly full with just two tacos. It's a filling meal. TB and I came around 10-11 am which is a bit early for lunch hahaha but this place opens at 6 am! We still had to stand in line for 10 min. That's how much of a consistent presence of customers and service is provided. There are a lot of people working to prepare the food for you, so I've been so blessed. You'll be provided a receipt and a number. In a sense, it reminded me of a pastrami sandwich store I visited in NYC except this time it's for tacos in Southern California. Hone in on your Spanish so that you'll be able to recognize your number when they call it out too! There's much to look around and explore just within the restaurant. I was so tempted to order a juice and pastries, but God knew I wouldn't be able to handle everything. I can't wait to come again another day. There are tables outside that you can sit to chat with friends, which is what TB and I did. God bless you all!

    Fruit Salad
    Andrea G.

    Delicious fruit salad I had! The other pastries and food looked incredible! Very busy location, I sense it's a reflection of the great food?

    Fat ass tacos!
    David B.

    The food is ridiculous here. They don't cheap out on the servings. Check these tacos out. I buy a few different ones because my eyes are bigger than my stomach but it end up being two or three meals.

    Enchilada plate
    Sherry T.

    I came after a frustrating experience at El Molino De Oro since they messed up and gave away my order of enchiladas. I found this experience to be far more orderly and customer-centric. The line to order and pickup via announcement by ticket number were much clearer. The workers spoke English. The cashier was friendly and apologized for my enchiladas taking so long to cook (which I was fine with since it takes time to heat those up). I appreciated competent customer service after El Molino. As for the food, I wanted more cheese over the enchilladas. The sauce could be more chile-tasting. The sides of beans and rice are not throwaways here and have a good salty flavor. I got a horchata which was fine, but I would've wanted more grit at the bottom. I will be back for my authentic Mexican fix. The prices are hard to beat!

    Carnitas burrito

    El Campeón was a mixed experience for me. I ordered a carnitas burrito and while it was filling, the carnitas themselves were just okay and a bit dry, maybe it was the time of day. The service is where things really fell short. After placing my order and getting ready to pay, I asked for an agua and the girl at the counter visibly got upset and even rolled her eyes. Maybe I should've asked for an agua de Jamaica earlier, but as a customer it wasn't very clear and ordering here feels a little tricky. In terms of authenticity, it's decent but not anything that stands out. The surrounding area was also kind of dirty, with tables not being cleaned and not many people maintaining the space. Overall, it's okay, but there's definitely room for improvement in both service and cleanliness.

    Breads
    Genezaret C.

    Pretty great prices! I ordered my large fresas con crema for less than $5. My friends ordered líquados and a large fruit platter with tajin. Oh, so good. The service was swift, especially considering how packed it was. Also, lots of pan dulce to choose from and cakes too!

    Said they were open to 8/00 pm can see the screen shot it was 7:30

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    1 month ago

    The tacos are so delicious. The price is not bad, it's affordable. I love their tacos. So yummy.

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    4 months ago

    Great food with fast and friendly service. Small seating area outside makes it a perfect stop for lunch.

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    6 months ago

    Best food ever. I'm hungry just thinking about it! And they have kept prices reasonable. Thank you!

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    8 months ago

    The agua de plátano was like no other! Great with our food. We ordered small caldo de res, burrito and taco de chicharrones.

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    Page 1 of 20

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    El Nopal Mercado

    El Nopal Mercado

    3.9
    (9 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $

    After eating at El Maguey, located just across the parking lot, my friend VH and I decided to check…read moreout El Nopal, a small neighborhood market nearby. It had almost everything you might need for those last-minute "Oops, I forgot this" moments. And when I say small, I mean it's very compact--only single file to get in and out, with the aisles running parallel to the front counter. Since I'm not very familiar with Mexican groceries, half of the items were new to me, but they had coffee, honey, paper goods, some fruits and vegetables, and more. As we were leaving, we noticed a small table with various produce items, including cactus leaves. An older gentleman, who was just finishing up with a customer, was behind the counter. Friend: "Excuse me, what is this?" (Pointing to a small, round green fruit in a box on the table) Me: "That is for juice, for drinking..." Cool. As we left the market, I saw the same gentleman exit through a side door and start ladling a liquid mix into a Styrofoam cup. He waved me over and handed me the cup, which surprised me by being warm. "This is made once a year for her..." he said, pointing to a memorial for a woman that I could partially see on the right side of the store. At first, I thought it was a ceremonial drink in honor of a family member or friend who had passed away. The drink contained the fruit we'd seen on the table and chunks of sugar cane. I wasn't sure what it was called or what else was in it. When I tried to eat the fruit, I was met with a mouthful of tiny seeds (Note to self: don't eat the fruit pieces). The drink itself was mild in flavor and not very sweet. VH took a sip and made a face--she can be quite dramatic, so I didn't take her reaction too seriously. LOL I liked the shop! The people, from the clientele to the older man, were friendly, even though I clearly didn't fit the usual demographic. It felt like a warm, welcoming place. Food: 3 Ambiance: 3 Service: 4 Value: 3

    Great little local grocery store! They have a nice variety of fruits and vegetables and the service…read moreis always friendly. Great hours and easy parking right out front. Always feels good to support a local business.

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    El Nopal Mercado
    El Nopal Mercado
    Specialty fruits from South of the boarder.

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    Specialty fruits from South of the boarder.
    The Market By The Meat Cellar

    The Market By The Meat Cellar

    3.8
    (168 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$$

    Our server Ramon took great care of us, he was extremely friendly, helpful, and attentive. Only…read moregood things to say! Our group came for a nice dinner and definitely got it. For the sides we got cornbread, river street corn elote, asparagus, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, and truffle parm fries. I highly recommend the truffle parm fries, super rich and crispy! For a group of 6, the elote portion was more for 2-3 people to share. I also did 6 fresh kumamoto oysters, which were very good as always expected of the kumamoto. They came with 2 different mignonettes and a cocktail sauce. Highly recommend if you're in the mood for oysters! For our main entrees, we opted for the Wagyu Classic Board and got to try 3 different chef's choice cuts of steak. Which came with picanha, ribeye, and I think filet. Picanha was a huge hit of course. We also got the Prime Tomahawk Steak which was good too, but the picanha and ribeye had my attention. At the end, Ramon overheard that it was mine and a buddy's birthday so he surprised us with the best hot and fresh Apple Cobbler I've ever had in my life. It came with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and be hooked us up with a cup of gelato with a candle to sing HBD too! If you're looking to spend a little, come get the picanha and some oysters.. have yourself a great dining experience here with Ramon!

    Phenomenal!!! We've…read morebeen in a few times and it's always packed. They have a great small bar and cool lounge area to wait for your table and enjoy a drink. Their steaks are delicious! Super flavorful. Incredibly tender. Perfectly cooked. Great crust. Rendered fat. Awesome all the way around. We ate at the bar and service was perfect even though it can get super busy. Hats off to the bartenders who were attentive even though there were a ton of people around. I've been disappointed by a couple newer steakhouses in San Clemente and San Juan but The Market By The Meat Cellar renewed my faith. Thank you!

    Photos
    I love wine
    I love wine
    The Market By The Meat Cellar
    The Market By The Meat Cellar

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    Trader Joe's

    Trader Joe's

    3.9
    (108 reviews)
    2.9 mi
    $$

    The sweetest ever cashier Erin saved my daughter. At checkout, my daughter was sitting in the top…read moreseat of the cart and her cousin was helping unload groceries. While trying to reach the bottom of the cart, her cousin was hanging on the side and the whole cart tipped over and almost landed on her and my daughter would have smacked her head really bad. The (gorgeous might I add) cashier Erin swooped into action and saved the day. She caught the cart mid fall. My chicken Caesar wrap was the only casualty and they promptly sent someone to replace it with a new one. She even remembered to give my kids stickers at the end. I can't say thank you enough. What an amazing employee and the coolest ever grocery store.

    Most Trader Joe's that I've been to are located in the suburbs or in the middle of the city. This…read moreone was outside of downtown San Clemente in a nice neighborhood inside of a strip mall. March is definitely spring season and there were so many fresh flowers at store front. Picking up groceries was mainly the purpose of the day. From snacks to salads to basically anything you might have forgotten in your toiletry bag. Price is always right, service from all clerks and cashiers are very consistent whenever you visit any Trader Joe's in any state. What I didn't expect to see was crowds and crowds of customers at this location, and the store clerks were extra friendly. Also bought a bunch of reusable canvas bags to use on the way home and more to give away as gifts. Trader Joe's is always a must go whenever on the US Mainland.

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    Trader Joe's
    Trader Joe's
    Trader Joe's

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    El Campeon - bakeries - Updated August 2026

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