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    Mercado Gonzalez

    4.3 (1k reviews)
    Open 6:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Mercado Gonzalez Photos

    MERCADO GONZALEZ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Mercado Gonzalez

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    Churros
    Ben J.

    Want to be transported to somewhere new, fresh, exciting and to embrace Hispanic culture? Mercado Gonzalez is that. It's not just a grocery store, it's not a place to go in and out (you could if you wanted to), it's a place to enjoy not just the produce, but everything it has to offer! Yes, it is a grocery store, but it's also a place with many food stalls with delicious foods that are made fresh throughout the day! The service is fantastic, everyone is so happy and are eager to help! The ambiance is bustling either music constantly playing and some live music on certain days! I've had their horchata, burritos from one of the stalls, a torta, and a muleta. I've also purchased some fresh guacamole and their freshly made agua frescas!, all of which were great! Some say it's ok or sub par from other places, it could be true, but it's definitely the experience that is hard to match. This isn't just a one and done place, I feel like I haven't fully experienced everything yet and plan to come back multiple times to try out all that this place has to offer!

    Ken C.

    Mercado Gonzales by Northgate Market is located on the border of Santa Ana and Costa Mesa and it features many variations of Mexican food. You could get Mexico City's famous churros from El Moro Churreria. You could get mesquite grilled carne asada or steak in a taco. You could get Sinaloan sushi. You could get carnitas or enchiladas. Their agua frescas and paletas are refreshing on a hot day and their fresh baked pan dulce is awesome in the morning. The food at the restaurants isn't exactly cheap, but there's a lot of delicious things to try. While it was annoying to visit when it was viral in Winter 2023, it's presently much easier to access. If you are more cost conscious, I do get some select grocery items here. In particular, I love getting their house made tortillas, their marinated meats, and their queso blanco. I do feel like I can get good deals for some produce. Together, these ingredients make awesome, easy, affordable meal prep with minimal effort. Overall, it's like Willy Wonka created a Mexican food court. This is my type of amusement park and I love it.

    The store
    Rob C.

    Food - where does one start? Lots of it would be a fair statement. Mexican food for sure! Inside is like a Mexican food Disneyland! You have a bunch of choices of raw food stuff, cook food stuff, deserts, breads, a restaurant and even a bar! At times, there is also music! Have that margarita or the bottled coke! This place is a grocery and football, all wrapped in one delicious Mexicali DIisney magic! It's fairly clean, naturally festive and good s election! You can get meats from willing butchers that can help you get that backyard bbq or your taco spread! Service ain't bad either. You godda visit this place at least once or 5 times! Just be patient as parking can be a challenge!

    El Moro Menu
    Amy P.

    Mercado Gonzalez has been on my list for a while and it definitely lives up to its reputation as a one-stop shop. Located inside Northgate, it offers everything from groceries and freshly made tortillas, salsas, and guacamole to desserts and hot food. The space is clean, with plenty of tables and an outdoor patio for dining. I took a lap around to check out all the options before ordering: shrimp ceviche ($12.99), an asada burrito ($11.99), asada plate ($17.99), and churros with cajeta dipping sauce ($11 + $2 for the sauce). Overall, prices felt fair and the food was decent. The highlight for me was the sliced asada - perfectly cooked and served with three corn tortillas and two sides. I was most excited for the churros, but they ended up being the biggest letdown. They were overpriced and pretty underwhelming compared to everything else. One downside is the layout as everything is pretty spread out. While the main hot food items are grouped together, items like ceviche, aguas frescas, churros, and pastries are located in different areas across the market, which makes it a bit inconvenient to grab everything in one go.

    Mark L.

    I've been wanting to check out the Mercado Gonzalez Northgate Market. I'm able to take my family to explore it. Today's weather is fantastic, with a clear sky and perfect conditions. When we arrived, there was a large parking lot, but it was so crowded that we had to wait approximately 30 minutes to find a space. This location features an international market, bakeries, colorful food stalls, and live music. My in-laws are more excited than I am since they purchased a large quantity of bread and other goods. A fantastic place to spend hours eating delicious meals. Definitely worth checking out.

    Bakery
    Christopher K.

    Oh dios mio! What did I just experience, it felt like a SUPER duper SuperMarket. The sheer size of the grocery store was staggering. It really needs its own category because I have never seen a grocery store like this. There were a ton of stalls scattered throughout making fresh items like a salsa/guacamole bar, ceviche bar, augua fresca bar,, 20 bajillion diff kinds of fresh tortillas, carnitas tacos, fresh churros with ice cream, a bakery, sushi bar, regular alcohol bar and more. Everything was incredibly hot and fresh. They had everything needed that I could've lived there in solitude for the rest of my life. Lol.

    Asada Torta
    Cindy O.

    Always a pleasure shopping and eating at this market! Picking up warm tortillas fresh off the press! Fresh chips! Browsing the food court to decide what to eat for lunch! The ceviche bar, so many options! The meat department, large selection! My go to is picking up 3-4 lbs of skirt steak with their amazing Asada marinate! Makes the best Asada (stove top or BBQ). Lots of fresh veggies and fruits. Nice selection of fresh chillies. Great selection of inhouse made salsas and guacamole. It's so hard not to become that kid in the candy store here and buy it out. Eating in the food court first helps, some. After several years of shopping at Mercado, I discovered their meats ate provided by Harris Ranch! Talk about quality meats! After packing up the groceries in the car, I always go back for one last stop. El Moro. Warm and fresh Churrosa. So good! Pairs very well with the largecarrage of hot chocolates or some of their yummy dipping sauces!

    Front entrance
    Michelle G.

    Freshly made corn tortillas! Great staff, lively place and background music as if you're waking streets of Mexico!

    churros
    Angeline N.

    My friend and I came here late at night and we wish we came a bit earlier because a lot of the restaurants closed down already even though Yelp said it was open until 10. We weren't picky though and fortunately there were still options open! There's a bunch of food stalls located in the supermarket, with plenty of tables around to sit. They even had LIVE music and a bar! We went with a tamale meal from one of the stalls, which came with two tamales of your choice, rice, and beans. I got the pork tamales with red salsa and they weren't too dry and had a kick to it. They were sooo good and I was able to save half of it for lunch another day because they were pretty big. We also got churros at a different stall. We were so shocked at how long the churros were and they fry and dip them right in front of you. They were soo good especially when they were warm. I would love to come back a little earlier so I could try some of the other foods!

    Joriene M.

    Quesabirria Taco ($4.99) - Quesabirria is one of my favorite foods and this taco is a perfect reason why. The beef was so tender and juicy and paired so well with the rich, spicy, and flavorful consomé. They didn't skimp on the cheese and the tortilla was very crispy. Highly recommend! Taco Al Pastor ($2.99) - They nailed the spices and flavors of the pork, which paired so well with the pineapple. I need to try their carne asada and suadero next time!

    Karen G.

    Came here to pick up three kinds of salsa for our Super Bowl party... and clearly that plan did not work. I was pleasantly surprised to find several empty parking spots, coming earlier definitely helps. And let's be real, there's no way you can come here just for salsa. I ended up grabbing two kinds of ceviche, some delicious tamales, and then somehow kept discovering more things I "needed." Lol. This place is seriously the Costco of Northgate. They have everything. From prepared foods to fresh items, it's easy to lose track of time because every section pulls you in. On top of that, every staff member I encountered was friendly, helpful, always a great vibe! And don't even get me started on the fresh churros, and their agua fresca section? Come on. If you haven't been to Mercado Gonzalez Northgate, you're seriously missing out. This place is an experience, not just a grocery run!

    Tacos around $3 each + Aguachiles (comes with chips) $14
    Ashley Y.

    I've never been to Northgate Market before but was told this was the best of the best so figured I had to try this location! And wow I was so impressed, I had such a great time. So many different food stalls, lots of samples, live music with a band.. overall just very good vibes! Churros-- AMAZINGGGGG. Crisp outside, fluffy inside, perfectly sweet, sugar not falling everywhere. Need to buy more next time!!! Tacos-- REALLY GOOD! We got lengua, cabeza, asada, al pastor and suadero. I think I paid around $30. All good all around. Perfectly moist and well seasoned, nothing was chewy, nothing was burnt. I feel like my taco standards have been dropping because of disappointing places but wow this one brought be back to reality like HEY good places still exist and every bite can actually be amazing. They also had a salsa bar and the red salsa + habanero salsa (the one in the squeeze bottle) combo is soooo good my goodness I wish I could bottle it and take it home. I was just copying what I saw other people do and yeah!! It's really good! The habanero by itself doesn't have that much flavor, but the spicy kick at the end is nice. It doesn't hit you right away but comes after like an aftertaste. So blend it with the red salsa which has a nice flavor and BAMMM a spicier flavorful red salsa, win win. Tamales-- 6 for $20 mix and match!! I bought this and had it the day after (steamed at home) and all were really good! The savory ones were nice and moist, meat wasn't dry, filling was saucy, and not too bland (or too salty). My personal ranking would be chicken (green sauce), beef (red sauce), then jalapeno cheddar (no filling, wish it had more cheese). The sweet corn one wasn't actually as sweet as I expected like a mild sweet. The strawberry was sweeter than corn and was a nice bite after the savory ones. Aguachiles-- $14 for a small + chips. I actually went to the mariscos stand wanting ceviche but saw they had these and could not resist after a sample!!!! They have lots of ceviche that I'll have to come back next time for, but the aguachiles were soooo flavorful, had a spicy kick, for me a bolder flavor than ceviche which is more lime forward. Definitely getting large next time. I finished the small sooo quickly. Horchata-- $6 for a small. Lots of different flavor options but I just went with my go to horchata. Super smooth, rice and cinnamon flavor... I liked it a lot! No complaints and was a nice dessert after everything else!!

    Geronimo T.

    Decided to go down here after a college basketball game (Vandguard College). Never knew about this place, everything was word of mouth. Supposedly this is a market experience to go to. To eat, drink and dance. We were overwhelmed with all the food that this market place had to offer. Tacos, burritos, seafood, and snacks! Had high energy shopping vibes. Loud latin music and delicious food. There is so many things to buy here in Northgate Costa Mesa!. This is the mother of all Northgate supermarkets. Things you buy in Mexico is all here. Panchos and shoes, you name it!! Overall, reminds me of a big swapmeet. Parking can be tight, pending what time you go. Place gets really busy. They open early but close at 11pm. Costa Mesas secret spot! Awesome place!

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    Page 1 of 26

    Mercado Gonzalez Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Mercado Gonzalez

    Do they allow dogs?

    They do not allow dogs as this is an indoor market inside a grocery store. I would imagine only a service dog would be allowed.

    I was curious if they have dog friendly patio?

    No. I dont see any patio seating and everything is indoor

    Do they have good vegetarian options?

    They do. I go there with a vegetarian co-worker. She loves the chile relleno burrito. She does eat fish and always gets ceviche to go.

    What time are the food places open til today?

    See the website for detail information business hours and vendors

    Do they have mobility scooters for the handicapped?

    Sorry I didn't see any!

    Do they have music on weekdays?

    No they do not just Friday, Saturday and Sunday Saturday night they have the DJ

    How is parking, is it free?

    Yes it's free! Also there's plenty of spaces!

    What time and day of the week is it not crowded? Went on Saturday at 2pm and there was a long line to get into the market!

    Sorry to say it's crowded most of the time! But early after they open and towards closing! Don't go at lunch or dinner time!

    Does the bar serve beer?

    Yes. They have a full bar in the Mercado, and another in the restaurant, Paisano.

    How's the tres leches cake? Which one is best? Original, Cafe de Olla or Nuez?

    I love the original at North gate!

    Does anyone know if the masa preparada is vegan or not (ie made with lard)?

    I am not positive, but I would say no not vegan. I don't have a package to check, but they taste as though they are made with lard. Cool market, you should go check it out and then check the packaging, but my best guess is no.

    Which stand can I find the taquitos?

    When you enter in just north of the restrooms in the far south east area

    Are all the businesses inside fully open now?

    Yes. When we went over the weekend, everything was open. It was super busy. It just opened so that's probably why. Expect a separate line for everything you want (cheese, carnitas, salsa, candy, tortillas, carne asada, ceviche, churros, bakery… Read more

    OMG when is this opening?

    Friday, November 17

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    Palenque Kitchen

    Palenque Kitchen

    4.1
    (772 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$$
    Takes reservations
    Happy hour specials

    Nice little Mexican food spot located where HUB used to be. They don't advertise it on their menu…read morebut they have an unpublished kids menu that includes: grilled chicken with rice and refried beans, chicken strips with French fries or quesadilla (choice of cheese, chicken, or steak) with rice and beans. I really enjoyed the puerto Nuevo enchiladas and my 4 yr old loved them too! He also nearly went face down in the flan with coconut ice cream. My son loves coconut ice cream but now he also loves flan! They have a cool decor in the restaurant and it's very modern. There's a bathroom at the end and they have high chairs if you need them. Service was great and we'd come back again.

    First time at this restaurant and we were so happy with it!…read more The service was great, fast and friendly. I wish I remembered our waiter's name but he was so attentive. The ambiance was super cool too. Perfect for a date night, out with friends or just happy hour. The food was AMAZING. I had their Salmon Al Pastor and it was simply scrumptious! It was so soft and cooked to perfection! It was almost sweet and the skin so flavorful. It was a side of white rice with a sweet tone to it and fresh veggies. I will definitely order this again! My friend had Chicken Fajitas and they were super yummy. I also had a Watermelon Cucumber Margarita and it was simply delicious. I will also order this again!

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    Dining Room
    Dining Room
    Palenque Kitchen
    Palenque Kitchen

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    Caló Kitchen + Tequila

    Caló Kitchen + Tequila

    4.6
    (1.4k reviews)
    2.9 mi
    $$$

    Every thing here is Amazing Food was delicious fresh tasty…read moreService was terrific Sofia was great Kind best suggestions .the place is Beautiful inside and out One off *My Favorite place for sure ..

    Found a nice place to eat when I shop/visit South Coast plaza !…read more Its located on the lower level by the side entrance near the carousel and Verni chocolate & gelato shop. It has beautiful tropical decor with a huge bar area. There are also semi private dining rooms ,booth seating and patio seating . We chose to sit at the bar since we really wanted to get a drink and just relax and enjoy the vibe. The bartender came over to say hello and took our drink requests and also our food order as well. Got an appetizer of chicken taquitos which was really great generously stuffed with meat and drizzled wirh 3 tasty sauces ! We ordered a couple of drinks 1. Strawberry margarita 2. Cucumber cilantro margarita & two entrees. 1. Carnitas plate ( with rice & beans) 2. Spinach enchiladas ( with rice & beans) *Complimentary chips with salsa & BEAN DIP * The bean dip was so delicious that I hardly used the salsa which was good on its own. Although both entrees was good and satisfying and we could only eat half the meal . Great place for a meet up with friends ! I'm betting the bar scene is great in the pm! Only disappointment was that they don't offer Happy hour ( Sad face).

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    Interior views
    Interior views
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    Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina

    Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina

    4.4
    (2.2k reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $$

    LOVE this place for GREAT, FRESH, Coastal, Mexican food!…read moreThis location in Costa Mesa in particular, has been updated (new paint, new chairs, new lighting, etc.) and they have updated their menu with even MORE, Seafood items! They make GREAT Guacamole, customized at table side to your specs and their FRESH Chips, Tortillas and Salsa's are homemade in the restaurant. Husband LOVES their Pomegranate Margherita's and I can't get enough of their Enchilada's (Cheese, Chicken) and their Crunchy Taco's (Shredded Beef is my Fave!). Add in that their FRESH, Side Salads are AMAZING along with their new menu items - including Seafood combo's and there is no where else to go in OC for better Mexican food! Our INCREDIBLE Server, Hector (He IS the Acapulco restaurant - always upbeat and advising us about their new menu items!) and their FANTASTIC Chef Hector and all of the other Servers and Cooks there, make this a casual, yet special date-night restaurant! P.S. We've also tried their EXCEPTIONAL, Sunday Buffet and literally had to almost be wheeled out of there, there were SO MANY DIFFERENT, AUTHENTIC foods to choose from and sample! VERY nice to find this level of a PERFECT MEXICAN restaurant - with HIGH QUALITY FOOD INGREDIENTS, nearby! Can't wait to go back!

    This was my first time at Acapulco as I had a fajita craving that needed to be satisfied. And it…read morewas! My server was very friendly and brought me chips and salsa about 5 minutes after I sat down. The salsa was really good by the way. I was able to place my order right away as I already knew I wanted the steak and chicken fajitas. The steak had a yummy char on it, and the chicken was moist. They provided a good amount of "fixings." I'm partial to fajitas in Texas. but besides that, I really enjoyed this spot and can't wait to come back to try more of their menu!

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    Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina
    Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina
    Make your own omelette. Veggies and chorizo.

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    Make your own omelette. Veggies and chorizo.

    Mercado Gonzalez - mexican - Updated July 2026

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