As far as I know, this is the closest thing to a proper Mexican supermarket in the Midland-Odessa area. Notice that I use the word "proper"--those supermarkets have certain characteristics that distinguish themselves from your typical meat market or corner store.
To wit: the market's many departments. It has a deli, wherein you'll find your taqueria-fare (burritos, tacos, combination plates, etc.). It has a Mexican bakery in-store, with an extensive pan dulce case that greets you at its entrance. It has a tortilleria, a crucial aspect to a proper Mexican supermarket. Most of the tortillas are still warm in its packaging. It has a juice/dessert counter, with a variety of aguas frescas, yogurts, atoles, and what not. It has a massive meat counter that has both prepared (seasoned) and unprepared meats. It has a separate seafood counter with live fish, different types of ceviche, and shrimp cocktail that you can buy in bulk. In sum, it's fantastic.
But all of this shouldn't come without a couple of warnings. First, the prices here are a bit expensive. I suppose one can assume a "Midland-Odessa Price Shift" at every place of business; this place proves to be no exception to that rule. As a corollary to the first warning, play the market (and any Mexican supermarket, for that matter) in this way: stick to the border. Your best buys will always be in the aforementioned departments, all of which line the outer section of the supermarket. Don't buy dry foodstuffs from a Mexican supermarket, ever. The aisles are rip-off alleyways; no one should pay $3.59 for a bottle of Ragu spaghetti sauce. Venture into the aisles if, and only if, you need to pick up a specialty item. Pick up your regular groceries from Wal-Mart/H-E-B.
As far as the in-house taqueria is concerned, it seems legit (no ground beef/Velveeta queso here, thank God). I had the al pastor burrito, and it was adequate. It had the lettuce/tomato/cream/queso fresco on the side; I don't know what Mexican food in Texas has against vegetables, writ large. They taste good, they taste even better fresh, and they go well with your food. Even so, the al pastor had a decent flavor and approximated authentic Mexican food. A caveat: a regular burrito goes for $5.99 here. As a point of comparison, a burrito from El Farolito in San Francisco, CA goes for $5.50. Yeah, the burrito here is more expensive than one of the best burritos in SF. Because of this price-gouging, the deli gets three stars. At best.
Even so, this is another good ethnic food offering in Odessa. It compares well to the Mi Pueblo Supermarkets found in the SF Bay Area (albeit much smaller than the MP markets, and much more expensive, and the quality isn't as good...well, scratch that comparison). But you can't go wrong with a decently-made horchata and some homemade tortilla chips. I salute that effort. read more