This Northgate Market cantina is bustling. AMBIANCE The indoor dining area looks well maintained and has neat wall art. Outdoor dining benches are tent covered. SERVICE The staff behind the food counter were super helpful. For help take a ticket and wait there until your number is called. FOOD Tacos (comes with onions, cilantro, salsa and can't be beat for the price): 5/5 Buche (cheek): bussin - gelatinous, meaty - never had this before 4.5/5 carne asada smoky 4/5 lengua (tongue): could be more tender 4/5 carnitas: could be juicier read more

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It's been awhile since we've been to this location. We normally go for the hot foods. But this time, we did some grocery and produce shopping. What caught my eyes were the large selection of flowers. Fresh beautiful flowers with many options and sizes. Now I know I can come here instead of the farmers market. read more

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First time going to this market and I will be going back on a regular!! Everything was fresh and nicely organized. The employees were kind and helpful. Even had samples! Wish I had found this place sooner!! read more

My students told me that this was the place to get popsicles. We needed them for a food fair. I had never been here before. It is really large and when I drove up, I remembered it used to be the old K Mart. There is a lot going on in the market. Prices seem to be good too which is great in this weird economy. The bake shop looked inviting! But I was just here for popsicles. Good price too! I also like the diverse customers in here and the different languages that can be heard. Definitely worth checking out. read more

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After having dim sum with family, my dad and I stopped by to grab some groceries. We liked the nice selection of fresh produce. All of the fruits and vegetables were fresh and affordable in price. This was our first time visiting the market since we don't come to this part of town often, but I would definitely come back next time we have dim sum in this area. The store was very clean. Everything was very well stocked, and the employees were all very friendly. read more

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Compré 2 libras de costilla preparada para asar hoy alrededor de las 3:35 pm y la verdad no me gustó nada. Muy salada y con demasiado gordo y sebo . Muy poca carne comparado con toda la grasa que traía. read more

Northgate Market - Grocery Near Me - San Diego, California

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This Northgate Market was my first time visiting there yesterday on Monday, August 4, 2025 at 7:43 PM. This Northgate Market will also be my LAST VISIT to this location. I bought 3 Pastries. I bought 2 Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pastries and one large Flaky Croissant The price was 3 for $5.00. I also bought one medium size container of Spanish Rice and one medium size container of Refried Beans. The prices were $3.79 each. My total bill was $11.90. I tasted the 3 Pastries were good. The rest of the food I bought was located in the garage . When I walked into the front door. Everyone of Northgate Market Employees are all Hispanic People . This security guard I had a really bad experience from heir security guard Jose Jose was a very really RUDE and MEAN towards me last night. I asked Jose , can I use an outlet from the wall to charge my IPhone XR? Jose told me NO because he thinks I am blocking the traffic from their people walking into their market . Then I told Jose to stop giving bing mr his bad attitude. Then I said this is the last time he will see me shopping in their store. Jose said fine because I am only one person. read more

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Plenty of parking. Whats inside? Or what's not inside! Grocery store, bakery, lunch spot, fresh made tamales, champurrado, unique fruits/veggies. They have it all! Very big and plenty of options in any department. read more

Northgate Market - Oooh need to try this next time. Is this new or always been there? - Grocery Near Me - San Diego, California

Día de los Muertos is celebrated November 1 and 2.  Family and friends gather to remember those who have died.  Pan de Muerto is eaten on Día de los Muertos, at the gravesite or alternatively, at a domestic altar called an ofrenda. In some regions, it is eaten for months before the official celebration of Dia de Muertos. The holiday is widely observed in Mexico.  I spend the days before it looking for Pan de Muerto.  This year I visited Northgate Market. I remember working here out of college as an Assistant Apparel Manger when this was a K-Mart.  The lawn and garden center was where Northgate Market now stands.  I showed up just as the bakery lady was putting out Pan de Muerto.  It was fresh from the oven and she was putting it in the special box.  I liked the display of marigolds they had at the front of the store. I tried the Pan de Muerto when I got home.  It was fluffy and had a fresh baked aroma.  I enjoyed the fresh egg based bread with a sweet flavor from the sugar crystals on top.  Very tasty. read more

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*Patricia, the woman working behind the hot food station at 8pm 07/01/25* Absolutely discrimination. As an African-American person I have lived in this neighborhood for years. And for years, I have attempted to look the other way at the treatment and lack of service that I get when I walk into a Northgate market. But today, I cannot ignore it. I was skipped over in line time and time again, I was told items were out of stock when they were clearly being made in front of my face. I will add photos of the two women who I got the discrimination from. They laughed in my face and spoken Spanish as they looked over me and serviced other customers that came after me. I was told there was no more flour tortillas left as they were being made on the grill for customers that came after me. And continue to get made after I walked away. I sincerely hope that the manager reviews the footage, or at least addresses this situation. It breaks my heart because I have patron in this place nearly every day. But I'm done. until this matter is resolved by some officials, I will never spend another penny at Northgate market, and I will discourage anyone from going here in the future because the ambience is horrible. read more

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I passed by this market several times since I've been in town and finally when I was talking to a friend and she recommended it I decided to stop by the next time I was in the area. They have a wide variety of products and even a deli with fresh food you can take home to eat. I think I remember them having some little tables you could sit and eat at also. I got myself an Agua Fresca and three tacos to try, all different. Everything was delicious. I've been back maybe three times since that first visit. I'm totally addicted to the pork rinds. Today they had three different kinds so I got a half pound of each. The first time I tried them I was being a wimp and just ask for three pieces. As soon as they were gone I craved more. So my staples when I come here are the pork rinds, the Agua Fresca and Fresas con Crema. I pretty much buy those things every time. I've also bought spices and deli food and they have a great produce department. Prices are very competitive. Today I was headed for a restaurant that turned out to be closed so I decided to come here instead since I was out of the pork rinds again. I got the Monday special at the deli, a quesadilla with meat of choice. I asked for lengua but they were out as they were last time also so I got carnitas and it was delicious. Not to mention huge for the price. Included an Agua Fresca drink so I got Fresa con Crema Agua Fresca and it was delicious. I'd get melon if they had it but they didn't. I tried the chocolate drink once but didn't care for it. I love Mexican hot chocolate but this one had some kind of corn meal in it or something and it just wasn't my cup of tea, er, champurrado. read more

I do realize that I just reviewed the grocery department of Northgate but after a recent trip to their "hot deli" if that is what it's called, I need to show some love for the items that they're kicking out, right in front of your face. First: - They have daily specials during the week. On Monday they have a quesadilla with any meat and a drink for $10.99, which is a steal as I saw them making some cheesy monstrosities. While I did go on a Monday I didn't take advantage of the Monday special, I went for the burrito and two tamales. The two tamales clocked in at $3.00 each and the burrito was $10.99, which for the size, not a great deal as it's small but I didn't want something massive - this was perfect. I urge you to try this the next time you're thinking about a taco shop lunch or dinner and I hope that you're impressed! read more

The staff behind the hot food station is extremely rude. We went on a Friday night and there was a guy behind the station on a tablet. He made eye contact with my husband and I several times. After minutes of waiting I asked if there was someone that could help us. He pointed over to another lady whom had also made eye contact with us and did not assist us. I asked if he could get her to help us and he called her over. When she got to us she looked pissed off and asked what we wanted in a rude tone. To top it off she was cleaning a station and didn't change her gloves to serve our food. Also, the checkout line was extremely long and some of the staff were cursing out loud. Very unprofessional read more

I got the Wednesday special (burrito with a free agua fresca). I even asked "Is the drink free" to get assurance that it was. The first guy said yes. Then a second guy made the burrito and asked me "What size drink do you want?" I didn't think enough about it and I replied "large". So I get to the cash register to pay and the lady charged me $5 for a drink. I told her that the drink was free because it comes with the special. She informed me that only the small size is free. Nowhere on the sign did it say "small size only". Nor did the guy who poured the large drink mention "only small is free" knowing damn well that I am getting the Wednesday special because it is a burrito, drink, and it's Wednesday. Also the guy who assured me it was free never said, "Only size small is free". So the cashier didn't do anything to fix the situation. I offered to pay the difference for the upgrade to large - DENIED. Didn't offer to give me the drink as a one-time fix - NOPE. She just charge me regular price for the large. With service this lousy and no focus on customer retention, I will likely not eat here again or at other locations. It's not a matter of the money. Its more that this company doesn't train it's workers to give a damn or hires people who just don't care. Would it honestly hurt to charge me the difference or just give me a bigger size and eat the cost? Yes, I should have realized that I wouldn't get a free large size if I thought about it. But I did not think ahead about it and just instinctively said "large" out of habit. I didn't intend to pull a trick over on the workers or the store. But also, they could make the signage more specific to avoid this misunderstanding in the future. read more

Northgate Market - Charged for a drink when nobody mentioned only the small size is free. No remedy offered. PAY UP CHUMP! - Grocery Near Me - San Diego, California

The store itself has a pretty nice selection. The food court had some good food for pretty good prices. It was pretty busy on the day we went but they managed to get through the people semi quickly. The tacos I had were great. read more

Northgate Market - Al Pastor & Carne Asada tacos - Grocery Near Me - San Diego, California

So once again, I went on an adventure throughout San Diego, and I came across an interesting Supermarket. Northgate market, now this market was very interesting because it's Latino inspired so you found a lot of different foods you wouldn't see in your local Albertsons. Chicharon, plaintains, tamales to go. Ceviches, freshly made cornbread (elote bread!) I was blown away how many all the colors popped when you walked in the store, fruits and vegetables, counters full of meats, seafood there was so much to choose from. In today's world, you would be hard pressed to go to a butcher, and spend the time picking out the meats as opposed to just walking through Albertsons and grabbing whatever is in the meat aisle. The seafood looked wonderful, fresh and enticing. You wanted to buy everything, however, for today's shopping list, I only had empanadas, plantains and some chicken. However, I was tempted to buy the tamales that are grab and go. I had a hatch chili tamales before and it's wonderful, try one. Northgate is a very entertaining and fun place to go shopping. The people are very nice and are willing to help you in different languages , So if you are in the mood for spicing up your shopping experience look no further than Northgate Supermarket! It's located in 54th St. in San Diego off of University can't miss it! read more

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I highly recommend this place! The food and groceries sold here is delicious and are great quality food!

Rude as hell! Toxic Tia bully vibes! Felt super out of place. I'll have to go down to shell town for now because this north gate has issues from the customer service to their expired guacamole read more

Came in the store and did a pre order the day before. Came to pick it up the next evening and nobody knew nothing about an order. Had to wait for it to be made . Nobody was apologetic or even wanted to take accountability for this order not getting done. I will take my business elsewhere for my next event. read more

NEVER SEEN SO MANY PIECES OF ROTTEN PRODUCE IN ONE PLACE! I went here on the recommendation of a friend, I will not be going back. Bin after bin of unattractive vegetables and fruits: still green tomatoes, cucumbers with rotted ends, bundles of greens that look like the ones you throw out- it's all here. I thought this trip was a waste of time since there are so many more reliable sources in this neighborhood read more

Their meats and tortillas are top-notch, and the atmosphere is lively. Can get a bit crowded on weekends, but overall a great spot to stock up on essentials read more

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The hot foods station needs improvement. It's unorganized so the wait ends up being longer. I was also given the wrong price sticker for a completely different item than I had ordered. To get the price corrected I had to wait again. I spent my entire lunch here and had to leave with nothing because I would have been late for work waiting on their correction. read more

There is an abundance of options available to you. Overall, Northgate is a solid go-to for groceries, especially if you're looking for quality, variety, and a bit of local flavor. read more

The amount of tomatoes in my ceviche is ridiculous They give you more tomatoes than shrimps. This is Northgate market on university read more

Northgate Market - The amount of tomato pieces in this ceviche from Northgate is an excessive amount. We got more tomatoes than shrimps .Ridiculous - Grocery Near Me - San Diego, California

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I LOVE this market! It is pretty big. They have Mexican bread, delicious! We came for hot and ready tamales!!! Oh my goodness, my family loved the tamales! We bought them in bulk for Christmas-they have pork, chicken, beef. All are delicious! There is plenty of parking, staff is very friendly. We will be loyal customers here. read more

Northgate Market - Grocery Near Me - San Diego, California

*Food- fresh, immense variety, well maintained *Service- had exceptional help (with Panela Cheese) lady, behind counter- *Ambiance--extremely clean/tidy aisles-transposts you to Mexico Wish I knew the kind lady's name to share w/Yelpers & Latin Food Appreciators. read more

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I don't really shop here much but I came because I wanted ceviche. Their hot ready to buy food when you enter the store and to the right all looks really good. So far I've only tried their octopus shrimp ceviche and I also got some tamales! Both were really good. Looking forward to trying some of the other options they offer! read more

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I only come to this location to grab their fried tilapia for my Lao fish wraps. But they have everything here from in-house sushi, fresh salsas, fresh drinks, fresh hot foods, and anything a grocery store entails. When I went they only had 2 fish left and I needed 5. They happily fried more for me which only took 10 minutes. read more

Northgate Market - Fried tilapia - Grocery Near Me - San Diego, California

I absolutely love this place. We started going here cuz our original store we went to, Pancho Villa is closing. Man have we been missing out!!! This place is amazing!!! So much beautiful produce, they don't run out of stuff all the time like our old store, and there's an Atole/Champurrado cart!!!!!!!!!! I love coming here. And there's a whole wall of pan dulce!! Can't beat it! read more

Sometimes isn't that clean and some products are expired. But costumer service is good. They have good variety from Mexican products

Northgate Market is the go to place for a great variety of Mexican food you can't get anywhere else!

Clean, bright, and well organized! Fantastic selection of groceries. Variety at the meat counter. Awesome array of Mexican goods. Food counter with fresh tortilla as well. Plentiful parking. Fair pricing. Service was fine; prompt checkout. read more

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I've been several times so this review is late... since it's Covid times they're taking precautions just like any other place got your basket outside and as soon as you go inside there's a lady or a man standing there with some sanitizing products and hand sanitizing station. The same way you enter is the same way you exit so we can get a little congested with people trying to walk through such a small area and they closed off the other exit. Upon walking in the beautiful floral arrangements are to the right. What are their long stem roses, mother-in-law tongue plant, lots of goodies that make great gifts for yourself or others. Then you smell the food!!! That pre-cook food behind the counter with the Agua Fresca's, ph my it's hard to pass by when you're on a mission. But if you're going to stop and smell the roses you might as well stop and smell and look at all the goodies that they've cooked. If you're interested in the fresh meats, then head to the southside of the store as there's a butcher who will serve you behind the counter and a whole meat section back there that is fresh not frozen. From Carne Asada, Polls Asada, pig feet, marinated EL Pastor, to cut pork steak to make your own El Pastor, fish, shrimp, etc they have it all!!! If getting something from the butcher don't forget to grab a number or you will get passed up. I have to be honest I had the marinated Carne Asada today and cooked it at home and it had too much gristle, so I'm gonna stick to my local spot for that meat . And don't even get me started with the desert section. That whole area from fresh baked goods that you can no longer pick yourself they will get for you, beautifully decorated cakes, Tres Leche cakes, flan, cookies, etc it's my weakness. I got a Tres Leche Cake with that light whip cream and coconut on top and it did not disappoint. I even found some Orzo pasta that I needed for a summer salad dish and had to get the other fixings!!! I don't venture this way a much as I had in the past because I live further but I'll be back soon. read more

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Customer service is always hit or miss. I agree with people that have mentioned being ignored while waiting to be helped at food stands. Most people I encounter are super sweet. Today was not the case. I went to order 3 pounds of meat and asked the guy if I could have pieces from the front, I've never had a problem with that request. He tried to convince me to take the fatty parts in the back. I said no politely and he looked mad. His expression, tone, and demeanor changed. Then, he only pulled 1.5 pounds and I nicely said, I wanted 3 pounds. He gave me the meanest look and was rude the rest of the time. I felt so uncomfortable and embarrassed. Other customers could see how annoyed he was. I didn't mean to upset him. So just be careful with the taller gentleman with hazel eyes. He's not kind. I called the manager, who was very sweet, and he claimed he would talk to him. But who knows. read more

I love Food, and because of that, there has been a very few times that I regret what I have ordered. I ordered a carne asada torta. I enjoy eating things separately, so I asked if I could have the beans on the side, because I feel like some flavors are sometimes so overpowering, beans is one of those flavors and textures. I was told I couldn't have my beans on the side. I wasn't asking for extra, I was just asking for the beans to be placed on the plate, rather than inside the torta. At the moment I didn't think much of it, but then when the lady put the mayonnaise on the bread and placed it on the plancha, she was scrapping off the chard that came off the plancha on my bread. She packs up my torta and off I go to eat. The torta is drenched in grease, like right after my very first bite, I feel like I smeared Vaseline over my lips and my hands, the meat is dry, if you press it between your tongue and the roof of your mouth it breaks apart. Most of the food that was in the serving trays looked dry, like it has just been sitting there underneath the lights for hours. At this point because of the excess grease my stomach has not stopped grumbling. I don't like to judge a place on a one time visit, but todays visit was not pleasant at all. Between the dry top food, the gunk from the plancha, the excessive grease on my torta and the lack of customer service to put my beans on the side, and the uneasiness of my stomach, I am not going back. read more

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I don't come here as often, but the store is easily a short drive from my home. Maybe 15 minutes at most if I hit red lights. Anywho. I came here, noticed they have a Thursday special which includes a drink with the purchase of a torta. Anita at the counter was amazing. We told her it was our first time at the store / first time ordering food from there and she explained everything and told us there's specials M-F on the food. My only complaint is that the cashiers lacked urgency. They took their time and all lines were backed up by a few people. Then when you got to them they didn't acknowledge you or respond to a simple hello. read more

Omg what an amazing find. I felt like I was in Mexico. This is a very large grocery store stocked 90% with fantastic Mexican products. Got some of my families favorites we thought we would have to go down south to enjoy them again! And to too it all, the prices are really reasonable read more

Northgate Market - Grocery Near Me - San Diego, California

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I like Northgate, but I'm probably more of a fan of the other locations. This one feels a bit like shopping in the twilight zone. They don't have nearly enough of the selection of food like the other locations, so it's more of a last resort when I'm too lazy to drive. The produce section is definitely lacking. The last time I came I wanted green beans, which is a pretty basic vegetable and couldn't find any. I've been to much smaller markets and been able to find some, but they do have a good selection of peppers though. I usually skip the general grocery items here, I tend to go to the produce and deli sections and maybe dairy or bakery and I'm done. This is still a good option for tortillas or salsas. I'm not sure I'd use this as a regular grocery store, but it's good for picking up specific items and freshness hasn't been an issue. I could definitely see buying birthday cakes here, they always look so good. I recommend coming here in the daytime so it's easier to avoid all the potholes in the parking lot.. read more

Very clean, huge selection especially on ready to buy food. Great experience and I will definitely recommend

First time at Northgate Market and it was enjoyable shopping with my sister. Large market, clean and lots of parking. We came here to prepare for Cinco De Mayo and found all the necessary ingredients. As you enter into the store you are greeted with flowers on the right side with a variety of selections. Next to the flowers opens up the vegetables and fruit. Against the wall is a tamale section about 5 different flavors from savory to sweet. They have a little factory inside making fresh tortillas. Unfortunately, most of what they had were corn and the selections for fresh handmade flour tortillas was slim. There is a huge deli you can purchase homemade sauces of chili's and ceviche. Everything looked great. Come here early for the freshest items. People here are friendly and helpful. Prices are low. I will return. read more

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