I was looking for frozen guava puree but the store did not have them in stock. Instead, the staff was kind enough to find a frozen guava in lieu of frozen guava puree. read more

Cool little Mexican Market, well... not so little lol. They have just about everything you'll need. From different types of meat, to detergent, to Mexican candies, and fruits. The shop looks clean and well organized. The staff was nice, at least the cashiers were. We came here just to check the place out. It was recommended by a friend of ours. No complaints, it was a cool find here in Lake Forest. Bought a watermelon, and some Mexican candies lol. read more

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Tengan cuidado al pagar a las cajeras , revisen sus recibos que no les vayan a cobrar productos que no compraron , ami me pasó hoy y la verdad desde que miré a la cajera se me hizo medio sospechosa y solo compré 3 cosas read more

Every time I come here the place keeps getting better and Better, you can buy a chicken with its head still on it. We usually get stuff to make tamales. The atmosphere is fun and festive. read more

Mercado El Rey - Buying some of our favorite groceries - International Grocery Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Visited this place for the first time and bought over $100 of different type of meat, I rushed home to cook as I was expecting guests, to my dismay the meat was super smelly, I was hosting and had to make a decision fast so I had to change plans quickly and didn't have time to go back and just threw it away, what a total waste! I can't believe I went all the way there thinking I could find better meat than the local markets, big mistake, really upsetting and disappointing! It's incredible disgusting they sell old meat. Never again. In the other hand the cashier was very friendly. read more

La peor carne que me han cobrado, llena de grasa, ganaron dinero extra vendiendo esta carne marina , diría yo grasa marinada. Pero Definitivamente perdieron un cliente. The worst meat they sell me, full of fat, they earned extra money by selling this marine meat, I would say marinated fat. But They definitely lost a client. read more

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Compré una libra de queso fresco "Los Altos" en esta tienda y cuando llegue a casa y me dispuse a servir el queso me di cuenta que traía gusanos. Llame a la tienda y la persona que contesto mi llamada me dijo que lo regrese y que trajera el recibo para cambiar el producto. Mejor llamo a la oficina de salubridad y lo reporto. Tengo mi recibo y foto del producto y gusanos. No recomiendo este lugar. read more

I've been shopping at this store for over a year. Good produce, good selection, and decent prices. My favorite thing about this store is the carniceria. The variety of meats and the marinated meats is excellent. I've never gotten a bad cut of meat and the cleanliness is impeccable. Prices on their meats is much lower than other places and is of higher quality. Also, any purchase above $40 gets a free two liter soda. read more

I came here and order a fresh squeezed Orange juice and it was good it tasted good I recommended it they even filtered the juice read more

Mercado El Rey - Fresher Squeeze orange juice - International Grocery Near Me - Lake Forest, California

The soup in the back of the store is my fave. The only downside is even though they made the new mask mandate December 15, I still don't wear a mask and I prefer places who have freedom of choice. The store has someone monitoring as you walk in if you were in a mask or not. This is for vaccinated and unvaccinated but it doesn't really make sense because if you're vaccinated why do you wear a mask? It's like they want a mask one for life. read more

So this is my local Mexican market , they recently remodeled it and made it twice the size it was before and it is so much better!! What I typically buy here is their Marinated Carne Asada and their marinated habanero chicken it is delicious!! Their meat always taste flavorful and fresh. They also have the best guacamole and salsas. they have lots of Mexican products and a produce area. I'm giving it 4 stars because their produce could be better. They do have a good selection. I just feel like sometimes it's not as fresh as you would like it to be. They also have a Michoacána style Mexican ice cream shop I personally have never had it, but it seems to be quite popular. Oh, and they also have a section where they sell ready made food to go i've never ordered anything from there but it looks good and they always have a line of people waiting to order. Overall a great little market to get your Mexican goods and while you're over there, stop by next door to the Panadería, where they have delicious tamales and Pan dulce! come check them out ;) read more

I'm really impressed with Mercado El Rey. I stopped by for the first time late last week and found a well stocked market with quality produce at great prices. But the best part was discovering Nelly and the hot food section that serves a variety of incredibly tasty dishes that are hot and ready to take home along with tacos, torta's and tamales. Nelly is super friendly and a extremely talented cook that gave me a taste of at least 6 different items she had made fresh that day which included soups, stews, 2 different kinds of mole. Her food is very unique and absolutely delicious. I really enjoyed her carne asada tacos and a carne asada burrito, but her chicken tamale (wrapped in a banana leaf) and her chili rellano were clearly way above average. Of the thousands of tamales I've had all over the southland over the last 50 years, Nelly's is clearly a standout and very unique. It was HUGE and only $3.50! You wouldn't want to eat more than one of them. I'm going to be a regular at this place forever more. I tried some of the salsas and guacamole that are in the refrigerator near the checkout. All were excellent. This market is definitely one of the best around and when you can drop in and walk out with superior hot ready to go mexican food on those nights that you don't want to cook, it makes Mercado El Rey a clear 5-Star winner. read more

Mercado El Rey - Maybe the best chili relleno ever..... - International Grocery Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I feel compelled to grant another star to my go-to Mex grocery. The last few weeks I've gone there I've sampled, excessively I might add, their guacamole. The salt lick they used to peddle is gone. Hello decent guac. At five bucks a pint it's definitely worth it. Also, they've redone their crazy dessert island well. Love this place. Be warned, really, really warned: Their green salsa is hot. Really hot. I have no problem eating a few chips with this salsa, but my I've served this with traumatic results; most people do not expect the level of heat, and it really sneaks up and gives a lasting burn. read more

Mercado El Rey - International Grocery Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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I've been coming to this market for years now, I like their meat selection and as a Mexican I can find anything I need for a good dinner. However I was there last weekend getting some meat and other essentials for 4th of July carne asada, I asked for couple of ranchera steaks and I paid the price for that and to my surprised when I got home it wasn't anything close to be ranchera meat, it was a thin cut of some other meat that when I bbq'd it was dry and no flavor at all so check your order and make sure you get what you ask for and pay for. Also, their seasoned ribs were cut with who knows what bcuz they have tons of little broken bone parts and when you cooked them you can't even enjoy the meat without having to run into these little bone parts and if you are not careful you can end up with a huge problem if you have crowns or braces, they should definitely use a different saw blade to do these kind of cuts. I would come back, maybe not for the ribs and just need to pay more attention when they are getting my order to ensure they are giving me what I ask for. read more

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Esta no es la primera ves que susede, me cobraron por carne y no pollo que es mas caro.

Small but well stocked for Mexican produce. The vegetable prices are reasonable, not excellent. (El dueño es árabe) raza compre A los negocios con dueños mexicanos para ayudarnos entre nosotros. Así como las otras razas. Si se puede! Los empleados aquí son muy amigables. read more

100% DO NOT RECOMMEND! Ordered some enchiladas from there and got the WORST FOOD POISONING of my life. I will never go back.

Great prices and cute little market to buy those last minute groceries. I just wish it was a bit bigger so that we can walk in store easier

It's a small, cramped, Mexican grocery store in Lake forest. But their salsa here is the BUSINESS. So its worth the drive from Tustin/Irvine area and the cramped store aisles ( I'm fat...so this is a particularly bad problem for me ). I've not tried the prepared food here, but do like the relatively good variety of Mexican cookies found in the area near the right side of the store. read more

I came here for the first time the other day and I am definitely going to be coming here regularly from now on! The veggies and herbs were EXTREMELY fresh, I was very impressed. I don't think I can buy vegetables anywhere else now. I picked up a variety of veggies and herbs and the finished product after grilling was stellar. I have yet to purchase from the deli, but once I do I will update my review. From the looks of the deli and the log line associated with it, everything seemed amazing. Next time I will come prepared knowing that the deli line may be long. read more

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Clean store and always busy. Helpful meat counter attendants. Love the diced yellow chicken for tacos. Very tasty and well priced.

This store is alright they have a great selection of produce, piñatas, meats, and other delicious Mexican products. This store is really small and it was packed when we were here yesterday. I'm guessing this is a small chain store as its very similar to the one in San Juan Capistrano but with one minor detail the have delicious frozen Mexican novelties right inside a lot of these you would have to go to TJ or Santa Ana to find! All in all this store is pretty cool but I prefer the one in San Juan as its a little bigger easier to get around and it just seemed like it was better ran and the produce looked much nicer! I'm sure ill be visiting this location or the other one sometime soon as they have things here that are hard to find else where! read more

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Delicious aroz con leche esquite n fresh cut fruit !! Nelly's tacos and tamales delicious huge!!!! Love this place !!!

A bit run down and in need of an upgrade, the produce and meats were not the freshest either. Prices are a bit high, service can be slow and not the best and it can get really full and hot in here. Plenty of easy parking, just not really any better than a regular grocery store. read more

This place is amazing to say the least. Your one stop shop for everything of course but my favorite things here are as follows; Tacos......hint of spices and you can tell the lady to make them well done. Not many places do that Ice cream.....its home made and you can really fast the difference between regular ice cream and this kind. Vanilla and coconut are the best there. Lastly, Ceviche........OMG.... Got a kick but with lemon and hot sauce it's just an addiction they don't short you on the shrimp either lol read more

Mercado El Rey - This ice cream is Ahh Mazing.......homemade of course best I've tried yet - International Grocery Near Me - Lake Forest, California

If you a looking to buy carne asada, marinated chicken and other proteins for a party, come here. The meat is very affordable and they taste great. The guacamole has some jalepenos in it and it's so good. The store is small, but man they pack everything in there. read more

This place kills. The Carne Asada here is delicious. If you don't feel like grilling it, they will cook it for you. The produce is top notch and the tortillas are always fresh. The salsas are delicious too. read more

You can find products from every Latin American continent in here! I love this lil market!

bad quality bad taste bad costumer service so dirty i do not recommend this place at all read more

I stopped there for Nelly's tacos hidden in back. It was good. The selection of groceries was pretty good. Many types of Mole. The price for beef shank was good. I'll be back when I want to make stew. read more

Pros: Hot take out food, delicous and good price. Cheap cheap cheap carne asada marinade. Cheap produce, almost to the point of excessively cheap. Cons: No place to sit down with food. 2 liter bottle was $1.80 + tax so that wasn't smashing but could live with that. read more

Pretty cool little market with a good selection of meats and produce. Definitely the place to go if you're looking for a bargain. I also buy flan here and that stuff can be really addictive. Prices here beats places like Fresh and Easy, Ralph's, and Wal-Mart. This place accepts EBT too!!! read more

Very limited selection of fresh veggies and fruits, but very cheap. if you just a need a few items and want to save some bucks, this is the place to go. As for their meat, I don't think it looks fresh at all. When I looked at the chicken, the skin has already turned allow and gross (if you do grocery shopping a lot, you know what I mean). Will probably not come back here again. read more

We've been patrons of both the Lake Forest and San Juan Capistrano stores for YEARS. Ive always understood that sometimes there's only so much to expect from a smaller business in the way of freshness/quality/value/appearance....sometimes 2 or 3 out if the 4 ain't bad, and we accept that. But I have become increasingly disappointed with a handful of smallish issues that seem to add up to my possibly looking for a smaller business to patron elsewhere This came to a head yesterday. We went on the 4th and bought quite a large amount of meat. Different kinds. Usually about 4-5 pounds per kind. Usually we immediately freeze our meat. But we had planned to cook two types for the 4th. So we placed them in the fridge at the back, where we never leave produce cause it freezes stuff, it's really cold. We only ended up making the one kind and decided to make the next bag the next day. So I pulled out the bag, which was pretty massive so I wasn't surprised it hadn't frozen through, and put the meat out and grabbed a pan and cut it open and threw in the meat. And thought to myself, "Hmm someone must've run over an unfortunate skunk outside. Oof that's pungent. Gross." And did my kitchen thing prepping veggies and went back to stir the meat and noticed as soon as I stirred the meat the smell hit me SUPER hard. Holy crap the meat smells like skunk. So I call in my roommate and kids and he grabs the bag from the trash and imediately shuts off the stove and tells me it's absolutely the chicken. Now we had bought the marinated stuff and I didn't stick my nose in it because we had immediately shoved that sucker into the fridge. There was no way you could call this "kinda turned" this was ROTTEN. This was beyond ANY smell I've EVER, EVER, E.V.E.R. smelled on meat that's turned. This was seasoned *rotten* meat that was sold. I promise you. There was no way to miss the smell. Really. So we head back to the market for new meat and to let the manager know. Some guy there lies and says he's the manager and says without a receipt he can't help us. When pressed he admits he's not the manager and one would be in the next day. No we are a little more miffed cause this is the second trip in less than 24 hours and as customers we've never asked for a refund. But it was a big ole bag of meat, plus I needed something not frozen solid for dinner now. So we come home, load the rotten meat into the shopping bag, dig the receipt out of the trash and send my husband back to come back with a refund just because - THE PRINCIPLE. So he goes in with the skunk scented, gag inducing mix and imediately he takes the rotten crap back and brings back meat, a refund and a drink. And I suppose it's better than nothing....ya know, for the third trip back to prove we aren't lying for a return we've never asked for before, ever. So then I go into my gelatina supply and grabbed one of the few I have, and notice it's milky and sour and doesn't smell right. So I'm like," hmmmm, maybe it's my fridge? Maybe it's us." And I got through the other food and jellos....nope. This gelatin hadn't been damaged and was a good couple weeks from expiration. ....... Here's my assumption.... This place really needs to evaluate it's food handling practices. We are done with going to either if their markets. Donezo. Yuck. read more

I was looking for a new, go-to carniceria in the area, and I have definitely found it. Carne Asada? Yes friends this place has it in spades. Marinated but not soaking in liquid perfect to take home and BBQ. Great flavor and dirt cheap. Salsa and Fresh Guac? Why yes, also in abundant supply. The house salsa (salsa roja) is just the right amount of spice and perfect for tacos. Pork (Al Pastor)? Typically not a fan...but this one was pretty good. Not too spicy, not too sweet, and cut in the right size chunks to maximize flavor. Apparently they have an amazing juice bar here; but frankly my quest for raw meat would not be diverted this day. The star of the show for me was (surprisingly) the chicken legs. The yellow marinated ones that look questionable and surprisingly cheap. Sear these on the grill fat side down, lower heat and cook through and get ready to impress fellow guests. The fat renders nicely giving it a crunch on the outside and the citrus flavor will make you wonder why you went to El Pollo Loco, ever. Add the above with cheap fresh veggies and fruit and I fed a party of 8 for less than $40. Do it.... read more

El Rey has cheap produce, but it's not always the best. It has a great selection of dried chilis for making enchilada sauce, mole, or posole rojo, and all the condiment you would need. They even consistently carry epazote, which not all of the local Mexican markets carry and things like yucca, cactus, and banana leaves. In the middle of the market they have a snack bar of sorts for frozen concoctions and condiments over bags of chips. I don't know what it is all called, but it's really popular. The meat counter is long, and they always have specials on something. The carne asada is pretty good, as is the marinated boneless chicken. Very tasty. There cheese selection is decent for Mexican cheeses, and they even have prepared food to go. The right wing has several types of corn chips not of the frito lay variety, and lots and lots of canned Mexican goods. They used to carry pickled serranos, which I love, but dont read more

Ladies at the food counter are super mean. They don't know what they're selling. THEY BURNED MY CREPE. AND SHE DIDNT KNOW WHAT NUTELLA WAS. They always seem like they don't want to be there and get annoyed if you have a pretty big order. I mean i get it but it's your job. My friend has been there 3-4 times to ask for the esquites with hot Cheetos like it says on the menu and they never seem to have any. They always say they run out but she has gone early and they still don't have any. read more

I just moved to Lake Forest from LA where I am spoiled with amazing mexican marts like El Super, El Superior & North Gate. I found this place on Yelp/Google and the reviews were good. But my experience was horrible. The service was pretty horrible, and the guy are the carnicera purposely ignored me (although I was thier first with no one else around) as soon as a hispanic gentleman walked up. It was unfortunate. The workers even talked trash about me in spanish and I am 85% fluent in spanish. It was almost like a caucasian female never stepped foot in that market before. The prices were okay, nothing comparable to the markets I am used too. I wouldnt go again, their service was unlike anything I have ever experience in a Mexican Mart before. Truly sad. read more

This brand new market is fully stocked...super clean..meat market..veggies..can goods..and much...much more. always have great sales...HOT READY TO GO FOOD! read more

In addition to the fresh produce and friendly customer service, there is a gem hidden inside called Nelly's Tacos. Now, there aren't many places con un sazón Acapulcqueño (Acapulco, Guerrero flavor) in Orange County or even Los Angeles for that matter. But you'll find a taste of Acapulco here. Everything on the menu is mouthwatering. I particularly love the Mole con Arroz y tortillas a Mano. I usually get my tortillas frescas next door at the panadería. However, you might be able to buy them here, too. Everything about Mercado el Rey goes above and beyond. Ps. If you are digging the Guerrero sazón, I also recommend Anepalco's in the city of Orange. It's the only other location I am aware of that has this sazón de Guerrero, Mexico. read more