Soto’s Marketplace

Absolutely the best sandwiches in town! The guys behind the deli counter are great. The sandwiches are made to order and sprinkled with love. the owner, Bob, is a great cook and you never know what delicious meal will be in the case. I am a big fan of the filet with mashed potatoes. I always stop in when I am in town. Much easier to pick up a great dinner and not waste the weekend cooking. The deli meats are delicious. Special homemade desserts are by the register. I love the crumbles.

I have been coming here for sandwiches and the like for 60 years. I have a place in my heart for this place. I remember the homemade linguica and dry cured hams of bygone days. The smell lingers in my memory. The present day offerings don’t compare but, they are the equal to anywhere else. The service is just as friendly as it was. I hope this place stays around. It is 100% adequate for today’s requirements in tastes and requirements.

We were visiting family near Cambria, and decided to venture into the city. We went in to get a banana and were yelled at by the manager for charging a banana to a credit card because it cost her 29 cents for the credit card machine. We explained to her we were from out of town and we did not have any cash on us. She was extremely rude and downright nasty that we used a credit card instead of cash. The cashier was extremely nice and friendly, but unfortunately the manager ruined our experience.

Not bad for a «grocery store» in the middle of Cambria.
I put that in quotes because — if you go into a grocery store and their produce section has 5 of everything in neatly arranges, obviously decorative arrangements — I’m immediately assuming they aren’t serious about being a «grocery store».
Beyond that though, their premade dinner stuff is pretty good. I sampled a tamale and a Godfather sandwich. Both were pretty good.

We picked up some deli sandwiches which were fresh and tasty — a little pricey for what you get but would go again. Got the turkey club and big beef sandos.

Prices are too high.
We ordered two sandwhiches with nothing that cost extra (they have a list) thinking the price was about $ 5 – 6 each. There was nothing special about the sandwhich and the tuna and turkey were relatively small portions. They do not list a price for their sandwhich and we made a mistake by not asking. The bill was $ 16. The next day we were in Paso Robles and stopped by Albertsons to get sandwhiches to take to a winery. They included many of the extras (that would have increased the Soto’s price to over $ 20) and lots of meat and a much bigger sandwhich for $ 9.98 for 2.
I realize that Cambria prices tend to be high for everything, but we will never make the mistake of visiting Soto’s Marketplace again.

The guys behind the counter are awesomely friendly, but it took them forever and a day to make two sandwiches.
I ordered the beef sandwich, which came with roast beef, onions, tomato, lettuce, horseradish, etc. on ciabatta.
First off, just toasting the bread would make a huge difference. My bread was dry and cold, and it didn’t have any of the lovely nuances that I associate with ciabatta. Overall, the sandwich was terribly mediocre and unexciting. My boyfriend made me a ham sandwich once, out of store-​bought ingredients in his fridge, that blew this particular concoction straight out of the water. Twice.
The worst part of all is that there were four pieces of roast beef that were inedible. They were cuts of what seemed to be cartilage. I literally could not bite through them. I couldn’t cut them with my teeth nor my nails. I had to throw them to my dog, who happily swallowed them down, however. Essentially, half my sandwich filling was inedible, but that wasn’t a huge loss since the thing wasn’t that good to begin with.

My husband and I stopped in Cambria on our anniversary road trip. I was so excited, because during October, they have the Scarecrow Festival in Cambria. We stopped in town, and walked to the first business we saw. It was Soto’s Marketplace. The market is so cute inside, but we were there to ask information about the Scarecrows. The lady was so nice, she gave us a map of Cambria, and explained about the Scarecrows. Such nice people. We walked around town for a couple hours, then came back to Soto’s to order our lunch. Their Deli is AMAZING!!! We had tri-​tip sandwiches, and they were to die for. Thanks Soto’s for being such an amazing little market, and Thanks for being so nice to us tourists!!! Beautiful town, not to be missed. Stop by Soto’s next time you are in Cambria!!!

Everytime I visit Cambria, I stop by Soto’s to purchase necessary groceries, drinks and snacks, primarily because they’re within walking distance of the motel where I stay.
On my most recent visit, I came in looking for materials to make a salad with. You know — lettuce, dressing, etc… Pretty standard stuff for a «grocery» store — right? I asked the store clerk and the first thing he did was sternly try to hassle me about my service animal, saying he had to leave. I replied: «No — He’s not leaving». Then I asked where his salad items were kept, and he had this deer in the headlights, bewildered look like I was speaking Slovakian. I repeated myself, you know — things to make a salad with? He responded that he didn’t have that. I looked around and rhetorically asked: «Is this a grocery store?». He said: «Last time I checked».
I then left and went to the Cookie Crock, which is a true grocery store where; «yes», they sell lettuce, dressing and other stuff to make a salad with. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful also, unlike Soto’s.
To the owner’s of Soto’s — Try a little patience, understanding and customer service in the future. Stop being rude to your customers or you won’t have any…

One of my favorite spots in town. Meat counter has a good selection of fresh local fish and grass fed meats. Deli meats are all cooked onsite in their rotisserie so the sandwiches taste delicious. They sell whole rotisserie chickens that are much tastier (and look a lot better) then the ones at Cookie Crock. Fresh made salads and homemade desserts top off your lunch or even a take home dinner (to rental or weekend getaway). They also have fresh donuts on Saturday mornings!
I asked the owner why they don’t have tables in the back of the store for guests to sit and enjoy their sandwiches and they mentioned that requires a different business license and regulations as a «restaurant», so makes sense that their sandwiches are to-​go.
Always friendly service and local fruits and produce too.

Cute little tourist market. Not much there, but all you need for your deli and quick pickups. One or two of everything a traveler might need. But don’t go looking for variety of brands or kinds.

The stock is usually pretty low, which means they run out of essentials more often that one might wish. HOWEVER, this also means that when you buy from Soto’s you know it will be fresh – because otherwise, they would have run out.
I love patronizing this small business because of their quality and attitude toward customers. This is truly how grocery shopping should be all the time.

Dear Soto’s Owner’s,
You own a little market/​deli that has so much potential, but it is kept from realizing what it once was and more by your business model. The deli is meager (and expensive for what you get), the once super meat dept is less then appealing, and why bother with the shelf items. You need to reference deli’s/markets like Healdsburg Deli, Yountville Market, Jim Town Store… make it a destination spot… especially since Cambria is such a tourist town and so close to the Paso Robles/​SLO wineries. Bring in some wine! Look at the deli in Sebastian’s General Store in San Simeon!!! I’d love to help you!

Very small grocery store with huge heart. My GFF and I were wondering why there is only one marginally sized grocery store in town. It is not Soto’s. Soto’s does offer an assortment of farm fresh produce items, dairy, meats and even a sand which shop in the back. We purchased an assortment of cheeses for $ 10.39 which we checked out up the street that sold there for about a dollar less. We also purchased organic eggs, organic milk, fresh salsa, avocados that were a little too ripe, crackers, yummy green olives and great tasting organic coffee beans… All for under $ 50 bucks. We did not find the shampoo and conditioner we wanted… Their personal beauty items were very limited.
A convenient little market that’s about the size of a 7 – 11 store but without the hot dog wienies and day old chicken wings rolling in the food warmer.
If you want to shop local and support your small business owner and pick up a quick this and that, try Soto’s.
Find Soto’s on the top of the Downtown Cambria shopping district.

Hard to imagine a deli that does not have turkey, chicken, or other normal lunch meats. It is a quaint little store, with some good cuts of beef for bbq’ing though.

If you want to learn about meat, seek Mike out in the meat counter. Interesting, well versed in preparation and he really cares that you get a meal that you are going to love. The Hearst meat is spectacular and their own dry aged meat is better than quality. The unique cuts of meat, with Mikes help, allow you try a chefs design of quality 5 star meals and call it your own. I bring my cooler when I come to town each month and hope Mike is at the counter to guide me. Meat like this is hard to come by but knowledge and care like Mike’s is a one of a kind. An old time butcher in todays world. 5 stars for Mike and the meat market and 4 for Soto’s market itself cause it needs a little more inventory
7÷14÷13 note: New owners and my favorite two butchers are gone! Very sparse on the meat choices now. They still have Hearst meat but not near the selection. The new owner seems to like frozen meat and has lots on displayed freezer cases. Odd. I like fresh. The extreme knowledge at the meat counter previously found with the two brother butchers who really knew meat and its preparation, is now gone. Sad. They will still grind your hamburger fresh while you wait and its amazing so I will continue to patronize this little market.

It’s a small market. A great place to pick up picnic type food items. Nice deli sandwiches are served in the back.

I can’t really write a review, not yet anyway. You see, my husband and I were in the process of signing on the bottom line last September to purchase this little gem but in the end, did not go through with the deal. We have a business that we need to sell before embarking on our next journey but this was it.
I can see by the photos that they are on the right track and look forward to visiting in the near future. I’ve added some of my own from «back when» :-)
BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!!!

I like Soto’s over Cookie Crock for my grocery needs whenever I am visiting Cambria… which is at least 4 times a year. I don’t come here for my wine selection I try to stock up on wine BEFORE I head into Cambria due to the recent (within like 5 – 6 years) boom in the Central Valley Wine popular status (due in part to the movies «Sideways») a bottle of wine will cost you a pretty penny in these parts so my best suggestion is to stock up on wine BEFORE coming into the area. Do your research.
For a wider variety of cheeses, quality meats, gourmet jams, butters etc this would be the most likely place you will find it in. The produce and vegetables always looks fresh.
Respectfully Reviewed

If you need to stock up on stuff for your room don’t go to the overpriced and pathetic grocery store «Cookie Crock» up on the hill, come here which is on Main street. They make custom gourmet sandwiches that are killer and worth the price. Last year we bought a couple sandwiches, bag of chips, drinks, and drove to Paso Robles to eat a picnic lunch at Castoro Cellar’s vineyard. It’s a tiny market, but the prices are good and the selection is mainly local products.
Another great thing about this place is it’s literally the only store I’ve found «California’s Original Hot Pepper Sauce» by The Pepper Plant. It’s not spicy at all, juts a wonderful flavor that goes well on anything. I cannot find this anywhere in Orange County or LA. They sell it on amazon but for 4x the price. I stocked up and bought 4 bottles of the stuff last night. Soooo good.

I think the worker last night was drunk because she was stumbling, wobbly, and had slurred speech. Awkward!