Fiesta Market & Deli

Mi Fiesta has the greatest carnitas. No, seriously… I try carnitas up and down the state of California and nothing compares to the carnitas tacos here. I started bringing them home to my family after business trips to the area. Big mistake! Now, I can’t visit the area without bringing 12 carnitas tacos on the plane. Order your food at the register and take your ticket to the back kitchen. My kids put these tacos against the best BBQ places in Kansas City. They are truly exceptional!

Nice people, but meat was chewy and beans were inauthentic. Salsa must have had a bunch of sugar poured in to it. Meh.

Last weekend we stopped in to have a few tacos to go. Wow the carnitas were tender and well seasoned. We ask for the salsa verde and always get a good portion of cilantro and onions. Yeah you have to find a place to park and walk to the back and make sure you get your order paid for in the fron. Great food a real place to come in and savor the food.

Great little place for the locals who forgot that one grocery item that is not worth going to a big market for. But, as many people have mentioned, the take-​away food in the back is incredible. A very un-​assuming looking place with great selection and service. They really pack a lot into that tiny store.

Didn’t care for their tacos. Not as good as I had hoped. Chicken tacos were strangely sweet — wasn’t expecting that. Beef cuts of meat were strange in texture and taste. Kids refused to eat.

I used to work in Carpinteria back in the late 1980 to early ‘90s. Carp is a tourist town and has many neat places to eat. BUT this little local corner market is one of the best kept secrets anywhere. It looks like a run of the mill local Mexican market that you’d go to for milk and bread; from the outside it’s completely uninteresting. Initially when you enter this small market, you see shelves of canned or packaged Mexican foods and refrigerators in the back stocked with the standard sodas and beer.
But in the back left corner is a tiny kitchen that is easily overlooked. They have this big copper pot bubbling hot with oranges floating on top. In the pot: carnitas, old-​school. And not just pork, but chicken, beef, in various forms.
The way it’s setup, is to go to the front of the store where the cashier is. There is a menu of stuff with pricing. I might order the lengua burrito (beef toung), extra spicy with rice and pinto beans, extra cilantro and jalapenos. I pay for the order and take my ticket back to the cook. He makes this GIANT burrito that’s got to be 3 pounds. I’m a guy weighing nearly 200 pounds, but this burrito is so massive that I can only eat half.
The menu is large, almost anything you’d expect is there. If it’s not, just ask; they’ll accommodate you with any special order.
I’ve been in southern California all my life, and this is THE BEST Mexican food I’ve ever had. Order whatever you want — it’s all amazing.

Overlooked Mexican take-​away food and burgers @ N end of Carpinteria. 8 AM — 10 PM daily.
Actually called «Mi Fiesta Market». Small mini-​mart with a few tables out front. Daily specials. Surprising wine selection.
Large portions. Choice of meats in tacos, burritos, etc., also available by ½ lb.
Al pastor, chicharrons, carne asada, lengua, cabeza, chicken, fish.
Also serving birria, chile rellenos, enchiladas, tortas, tostadas, quesadillas, sopes.
Pozole on Saturdays, Menudo on Sundays, ½ & whole chicken.
Freshly made to order in the back. I had a huge delicious carnitas burrito. I watched them bbq out front around lunchtime.
The Google photo shows it as boarded up, but I was there 09−16−09. See my fotos. I hope it’s still in business. This place has been around for a long time. I used to eat here in the late 90’s.