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    Mercado El Rey

    3.6 (28 reviews)
    InexpensiveGrocery
    Closed 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Mercado El Rey Photos

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    Pollo marinado. Green and smelled awful
    Elizabeth H.

    BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU BUY YOUR CHICKEN. I went to buy chicken and when I was going to cook it it smelled awful !!& Also it was green. I called them and told the manager and he demanded me to take it to the store with my receipt so I can get full credit back.

    Christina J.

    Great find! So much good stuff here: Ice cream: La Michoacán Guacamole Pick de gallo Chips: Sophia's

    Nijole T.

    Great local grocery store! They have a White variety of fruits and vegetables, fresh meat and cheeses as well as other items. Service is friendly and the prices are fair. I love that they care local items that you can't find elsewhere. Plenty of easy parking and get ours. Highly recommend shopping local!

    The goods!
    Rachel Macie H.

    This is a great little local market they had a decent size produce section many different Mexican spices and bimbo products as well as a full cooler of Mexican sodas my favorite! The staff was nice and quick at getting me out the door I only bought a soda it was $1.12 great value for a Mexican soda! If I'm in the area ill definitely come back I might come back just to buy some of their produce as a lot of it looked wayy better then some of the stuff I see @ Albertsons!

    Lori F.

    This was a fact finding exposition with my friend Marilyn. She said it is her favorite go to Mercado. The fresh veggie selection was impressive as was the meat department.

    Fresh Salsa and Guacamole

    Clean store. Friendly workers. They are patient with me practicing my Spanish with them. It seems intimidating at first to for a non Spanish speaker, but don't be intimidated. Everyone is very nice. The food and salsas are great. I will never buy packaged salsa or guacamole again. The carne asada and al pastor are also great. They have delicious fresh Pan Dulce by the checkout line.

    Apples!

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    4 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Best Carneceria in the area, hands down! Food was amazing and everyone was super friendly!

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    12 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Brought fajita chicken home to cook and it was AMAZING! Popular spot for a reason. Awesome local gem.

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    10 years ago

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    12 years ago

    I love this place! Where could you get pollo asana for 2.50 a pound?! Love the hard working family atmosphere.

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    Ask the Community - Mercado El Rey

    Review Highlights - Mercado El Rey

    I ran into a local San Juan gentlemen named Luis, while in line at another Mexican restaurant for to take some food home.

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    El Nopal Mercado

    El Nopal Mercado

    3.9
    (9 reviews)
    0.8 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.
    Fermentation Farm

    Fermentation Farm

    4.2
    (115 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    Amazing customer service! My daughter age six went in here with her older cousin not knowing what…read moreto expect. She ordered a soda thinking it was going to be "sweet" but instead, it was "spicy" lol I went back in and asked if there was anything sweeter for a small child and the gentleman helped me out and was so patient with me. This place was wonderful!

    Cool little store in the shopping plaza with a wide array of fermented products: kimchi,…read moresauerkraut, pickled eggs, sourdough starter...you name it, they probably have it. They have a whole wall of kombuchas available for sampling or you can get a slushie for a modest $6. I found the kombucha to be tasty and I appreciated how many flavors they had on tap. They were also sampling a "raw" cake when I was there in two different flavors - I loved the cookies and cream. I opted for a gut booster shot (they have a few options for health shots each at $2.50) in the Curtido flavor and found it to be slightly gross but tasted exactly as you would expect. Prices across the board were pretty reasonable. They do have a full menu as well although we didn't try anything, nor do they really have any seating inside so it's not particularly an appetizing environment. There is some bench-type seating outside. Overall worth a stop in if you're into fermented or pickled products, otherwise it's skippable.

    Photos
    Retail Shop
    Retail Shop
    Seasonal Pumpkin Muffin
    Seasonal Pumpkin Muffin
    Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

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    Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
    The Market By The Meat Cellar

    The Market By The Meat Cellar

    3.8
    (168 reviews)
    0.4 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!

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    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
    (109 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    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.

    I live in Irvine, and I stopped by the Trader Joe's in San Clemente while visiting the outlets. The…read moreservice I experienced there was completely unacceptable. The staff came across as dismissive, unfriendly, and openly irritated toward customers. In particular, the male employee at the first display was extremely rude and spoke to customers in a very unpleasant, condescending tone. His attitude alone completely ruined what had been a good day for me. As an Asian customer, I couldn't help but feel like I was being treated differently, which is deeply concerning. This kind of behavior is not only unprofessional but also raises serious questions about how customers are being treated. The contrast with the Irvine locations is striking--the staff there are consistently friendly, respectful, and hardworking. The San Clemente store clearly falls far below that standard. Management seriously needs to address this and provide proper staff training.

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

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    Mercado El Rey - grocery - Updated July 2026

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