When visiting another city, one of my favorite things to do is explore the local markets. There is…read morealways so much to see in the hustle and bustle of a busy market, and Mesón Estrella is no exception. This farmers market encompasses a few blocks and includes all types of vendors selling everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to homemade tortillas and and home goods. I came on an Airbnb experience as a part of a food/cooking experience, so I was able to get more insight into the everyday workings of the market, but I came back for another visit on my own to explore at my own pace. While there, I sampled a delicous fruit called Mamey, and bought cabuche cactus flowers and pumpkins flowers to cook with. Mounds of beautiful dried chamomile flowers, tables stacked high with nopales and containers filled with dry chilis beckon to be photographed. This place is perfect for tickling your senses and getting a feel for everyday life in Monterrey!

I love this market! I have soo many childhood memories of visiting this place and over the years it…read morehas not lost its charm. As i mentioned in some of my previous reviews I was born and raised in Monterrey and to this day I still have a lot of family members here. This is technically a multipurpose building with lots of individual booths. In here you can find a variety of goods and services such as traditional Mexican Folklorico clothing and shoes, natural herbs and homemade remedies, fortune tellers, traditional Mexican candy, Cd and electronics, flower arrangements, fresh baked goods and many more. My favorite is the home-style Mexican food for sale here! There is a little of everything in terms of food, there is a buffet on the 3rd floor I believe, a hamburger place on the first floor right next to a taco place. On the first floor, there is a seafood place that my family has been going to for YEARS and it is just as delicious as I remember when I was little. It is hard to find a good seafood place here in the city since we are landlocked and seafood has to travel far to reach us in the mountains. Other businesses here include electronics, lotto ticket seller, boots and leather crafts, kitchen cutlery (you can buy individual or in mass bulk), spices and herbs sold by the pound, souvenirs, pinatas, and other things. My favorite time to visit the market is during Christmas when they have nativity sets on display along with the other typical things associated with the Mexican nativity display. We (Mexican's) like to display nativity sets along with many accessories to make our posadas amazing. Christmas trees and Christmas decorations are also sold and honestly, it makes me so warm and happy on the inside when i see all these decorations out and about. Up past the 3r floor, there is not much to see, just empty kiosks and a view of all the rooftops nearby. The heart of the market is really the first floor followed by the second. If you are in the area stop by and just walk around the isles, its always free to window shop and if you get hungry there is plenty of food choices.

Interesting market, not like any others I've been to. The main thing to buy was herb mixes for…read morehealth ailments, which actually came in handy for my lingering bronchial infection. There were flowers, dining areas, but Not any food stalls that sell fruits, veggies, legumes, etc. nor any souvenir type things.

On my 2nd day of Monterrey food tour, I decided to try this seafood taco place in San Pedro area…read morethat came with high recommendation from my colleagues. Monterrey is far from the ocean & Black Market brings their seafood from Baja California, it's as fresh as it gets after a long trip from the pacific coast. We went for dinner on a Tue night at around 8:30 pm so it wasn't busy at all. Nicely decorated interior with friendly staff. My colleague from Monterrey translated the menu for me. Since their specialty is seafood taco, I decided to stick with the tacos. Of course, I could not resist ordering fresh raw oysters that I saw on Yelp, which was not on the menu. It's hard to find good and fresh raw oysters and it's a risky business to try it because if it's not of high quality, you may end up with food poisoning. These were fresh and yummy. Good starter before going down the taco lane. Started with two tacos: 'Legendario Taco Baja' with Camaron (Shrimp) originated from Baja California where seafood is abundant. Camaron was battered and deep fried, topped with ensalada (pico de gallo with mayo dressing) mix. I would have liked the shrimps not battered better but enjoyed the flavor regardless. 'Taco Cinco Chiles' with Tiburon (shark meat) flavored with 5 types of chilies and topped with ensalada mix, this is a first for me. Never before I have tried Tiburon, it tasted like white fish, but the bigger joy was to eat and not be eaten. It's not as spicy as it sounds with 5 chilies. Next order: 'Taco Corrupto' with Camaron has an interesting connotation. The description says "El Gober se presente con sinceridad" that means "The Governor is presenting (the taco) honestly (sincerely)", which is oxymoron because politicians are known to be not sincere and corrupted, therefore the name Taco Corrupto. It comes with refried beans, bacon bits and ensalada mix. I must say this time the Gober did deliver as promised. I enjoyed it thoroughly. 'Taco "CLI"' with Pulpo, time for some octopus. If you know about octopus, you are aware that if it's not cooked well, you will be chewing it like a gum. This taco came with small bits of octopus, and was well prepared. I would say the flavor was good, it was enhanced further with some hot sauce. Last but not the least: 'Taco Al Pastor' with Tiburon is a seafood version of traditional Al Pastor taco that comes with meat. This one also had cilantro and pineapple. I didn't feel pineapple added much flavor to it, but I enjoyed the tiburon once again. A great taco experience in Monterrey both in Black Market and in Taco Orinoco. You may ask what do I think about Taco Bell after trying these authentic tacos? The answer is "I don't wanna taco about it." #repeatrestaurant #Airwolf

We sat outside one afternoon on the terrace and had a few beers and tacos. Service was pretty good…read moreand so was the food. We tried 5 or 6 different tacos and they were all decent but nothing memorable. I liked the salsa selection. Next time I'll try a fillet or something more substantial.