It's that time of year again! The family tradition of making the tamales we all know & love. Everyone has their favourite place for materials & ingredients, but for now, my new favourite is "Mercado," by Gonzalez Northgate. One of the cool things about living in Southern California is the wonderful variety of cuisines & grocery stores from all over the world. Seriously, if it exists, you can probably find it here. I visited "Mercado" Costa Mesa during Grand Opening Week in 2023, & have enjoyed shopping here whenever the need arises ever since. Although parking can be a nightmare at times, & it would be nice if their telephone system & phone customer service were improved in the various areas of the store, vendors, etc., Mercado is still an awesome place to visit & shop. Unlike other Northgate markets, "Mercado" is truly a destination. Modeled after the open-air markets in Mexico, this part-grocery-store-part-food-hall really is truly a feast for the senses. In addition to an awesome produce department where they have a 5-Day Fresh Guarantee, their meat, dairy, & liquor departments are impressive as well. You can also visit their onsite bar, view art exhibits & sculptures available for purchase, & more. As you listen to the live music, here are some of the other wonderful & items & puestos at Mercado: * Tortilleria - Fresh tortillas & masa daily. You can literally see them making everything from start-to-finish. The tortillas hot off the assembly line are amazing, & the masa is some of the freshest I've had which helps make our at-home homemade tamales extra fluffy & delicious! * Chiles y Especias Spices - Visit this area & you will literally feel transported to another place. They feature an amazing variety of chiles for making your own homemade salsa, sauces for tamales, enchilada, mole, etc., dried beans, fresh cinnamon, & more. Also available are decorative hanging chile & garlic for both display & culinary use. * Florería Nayel Floral Department - Fresh flowers & beautiful arrangements. * La Tamalería - Not feeling like making your own tamales? They offer chicken, beef, pork, cheese, corn, pineapple, strawberry, & seasonal tamales, along with champurrado & atole served hot & fresh daily. The line can get long, but it's totally worth it! * Dulceria - Mexican candies you may not find at a lot of places. Cool piñatas too! * Chorizería - Freshly made pork chorizo, langozina, & even chicken chorizo for those of us who do not eat pork. * Various food stands like street tacos, birria (both beef & goat), fire-grilled meats, menudo, & more. Long lines, but pretty good. * El Moro Churrería - Churros & champurrado freshly made to order with both cinnammon/sugar & plain sugar options. Dipping sauces extra. Although I'm not a fan of their churros, it's a pretty popular spot, so check it out for yourself. * Pastelería de Gonzalez Bakery - This is one of my favourite places in the entire store (of course). They offer a wide variety of fresh pan dulce, pan de queso, & more. The refrigerated cakes & gelatin desserts are amazing! Again, long lines, but worth the wait. Looking for a unique experience where you can get your shopping done, grab a bite to eat, listen to live music, & more? Definitely check out Mercado!

I came by after going to the OC winter fest before Christmas. I am very glad that I did not eat earlier. This market has a huge food court. We ate birria tacos and seafood shrimp cocktail. Food was leading more on the spice side, However, they tasted pretty good! It was pretty crowded probably due to Christmas shopping. The groceries look very fresh! There was a huge spice section and they decorated like store in Mexico. I was having so much fun walking around the grocery store. Prices of the product was recent able.

This Mercado was referred to us by a friend. I now see the hype. This has something for everyone. Plus it has its own restaurant if that's what you choose, but definitely not needed. Love the vide and the outside patio. Very clean and the staff is very helpful. I enjoyed the many sample opportunities. The churros are a hit. Definitely return to try something different. My only very small complaint was the Cadillac Margarita could have been better but it made up for it with the generous amount of tequila Also, their rajas con queso tamales would be to my liking if made with roasted pasilla chiles instead of jalapeños.... Overall, great experience and loved how it was so clean.

Absolutely love walking around and exploring all the different vendors and products at this large market! So much to taste, see, and smell! The ambiance is super fun, vibrant, and casual, and service from the tamale shop and churro shop were both friendly and helpful. We tried the pork tamale and beef tamale and both were sooo good! They were flavorful and spicy, so it was hard to pick a favorite. I would recommend trying both unless you clearly favor one protein over the other. Didn't get a chance to try the agua fresca stand, but love that there's such a wide variety of options as well as a large selection of Mexican soda too. The churros are a must here! Currently there is a seasonal gingerbread one but we opted for the classic cinnamon with chocolate dipping sauce and it definitely hit the spot. On our way out, we also picked up some incredibly soft feeling tortillas that smell amazing. Can't wait to try making tacos at home! Next time, we want to try purchasing from the meats/butcher section. There are so many options at this cool market, whether you're looking to grocery shop, enjoy some specialty items or hunting for a neat gift, need a fun hangout spot to meet up with folks, or looking to grab a bite to eat or drink! The cocktail bar also looked amazing... Will have to come back soon!

After having dinner at a restaurant nearby, we decided to check out this market to see what all the buzz is all about. We were so full from dinner so we didn't try their foods out. Most items in the market are overpriced. We walked around, bought some pastries, and left. Not sure if I would be back.

This place is super cool! It definitely isn't what I expected looking at the outside. When I walked it, I was overwhelmed with all the options. There is a market area with groceries, a liquor store, an area you can buy pan dulces, and a churro shop!! There are like 4 or so places to choose from in the food court with tacos, tortas, birria quesadillas, chile rellenos, and a bunch of other foods. There's a station you see them making fresh tortillas, salsa, and guac... like what?!? Anyways, can you tell I thought this was cool? Lol. My bf and I bought food and a drink from the bar inside (not my fave drinks) and then sat outside on the patio. They have plenty of seating both inside and outside. Outside has booth seating and tables along with TVs around the patio, which would make for a fun Sunday funday spot to watch the games!

What does your dream food hall look like? Is it colorful? Is it full of music? Is it specialty food? Mercado Gonzalez is all of these things....and its my dream food hall! In fact...I think I may move in here! Because of the size of the outside shopping center, there is substantial parking. How far you have to walk to the Mercado will depend on time of day and if you are going on a weekend. Upon entering you are thrust into a celebration full of Mexican puestos. It feels like you are on a guided tour vacation! I recommend taking a quick lap through before choosing...there is only so much space in your tummy! Coming here with a bunch of friends is recommended. It will allow you to try as much as you can, without committing too much stomach space. And you will need the space. Every food stall has beautiful offerings...mostly made to order. I was able try... Ceviche Spicy Mango ceviche Avocado ceviche Aguachile verde Aquachile negro Guacamole with jalapeños Regular homemade chips Fried tostadas for ceviche Blue corn tortillas Carnitas torta ahogada Elote mexican street corn Grilled chayote Grilled cauliflower Tacos de lengua Tacos de al pastor Aguas Frescas Tepache Rompope Horchata con Cafe Champurrado Tamales con pollo Rib Tamales Cheese enchiladas Spicy lobster sinaloan sushi Paleta de arroz con leche Churros w dipping sauces All this food was not one trip...it was food from two visits...but all the food was delicious and amazing. If I had to choose the highlights...the standouts were... Churros -very different from the churros I normally have -light airy and delicious with the sauces Aguachile Negro -deep rich flavor with hearty ingredients -addictive Agua fresca -Rompope was rich and delicious -Horchata con Cafe was something I could easily drink everyday -Tepache was the drink I never knew I needed in my life Enchilada -believe it or not, the cheese enchilada was done perfectly. So savory and delicious. The combination of spices really made this enjoyable, bite after bite. I will definitely be back because this is my new home!

I was 'wowed' the second I stepped into Mercado! So much to see and take in! The colors are vibrant, the variety is plentiful, and vibes are fantástico! I especially loved the churros from El Moro. Wow, so delicious! They are made fresh, and you can taste the quality! These really are a 10 and make Disneyland churros a 5 because those are frozen and taste highly processed and just not as good. I got the combo and chose the Mexican hot chocolate, but that was way too thick and rich for me. We couldn't finish it, so I won't get that again. We also tried the torta, burrito, and cheese quesadilla from Tacos Los Güichos which were fine. I like the salsa bar complete with sliced radishes, limes, onions, and three kinds of salsas. They had a bakery section that smelled divine. They had fruit tarts, chocoflans, conchas, chips, salsas, fresh-made tortillas, produce, regular groceries, a food court, frescas, etc. I could spend a long time in there, lots to look at. There is also a patio section with more tables. Everyone was friendly, and there was live music from a traditional band on Sunday night. They even had fresh ice cream bars that I want to try next time, with my churros, of course! Next door, there is a 5 Below and TJMaxx Homegoods along with several other eateries and shops in the same plaza.

Overall, a really incredible experience. Walking in, we all felt like we were transported to the markets in Mexico City, and the smells of the bakery, spices, and delicious foods were a taste sensation. We went to get micheladas at the bar, and the bartender made us an awesome flight, featuring purées he and his team made for different fruits. Highly recommend a passionfruit michelada! The sushi was also really good, and I wish I had more room to try the small shops. Well maintained and beautiful!

This is a food court in Costa Mesa run by Northgate Markets. It's my favorite type of food court. It's filled with tons of authentic Mexican food and it's full of great flavors. Walking through here, I feel like I'm in an amusement park. I love coming here to meet with my wife after work on a weeknight. I think that crowds are craziest during weekday lunch and weekends. There are so many things to appreciate here including: Tacos and corn grilled over mesquite charcoal at Los Mesquites Asados Sinaloan-style sushi Amazing sonora-style tortillas that are still warm in package Delicious salsas and ceviches Tons of agua frescas and fruit paletas Hot churros at El Moro Churreria Marinated meats and tons of difficult-to-find cuts at their meat counter Fresh queso blanco at their cheese counter Prices for hot food at the food stalls aren't cheap, but I'm willing to pay them. You can find some nice deals for food/meat/groceries and baked goods if you shop through the market here. Some of the hype has died down since it first opened, but I think it's a really fun place to eat/visit/shop.