El Campeon Carniceria

I have a thing for ethnic markets. Especially Hispanic ones. All the goodies and yummy food. From meats to cheeses produce and canned goods. I love it all and can wander threw it all loosing my self. It’s like a micro vacation. I just love it and this place was great! They have a mini market and a take out of hot fresh Mexican food. Super authentic. I got birria cactus chicken mole carnitas and frijoles. It all tasted like abuela was in the cocina cooking all day. Yummers!!! The kids loved the instant hortchata with their tacos. I think I found my new go to for Mexican night to get all my fresh ingredients. And it’s only about a 10 drive from my house. Ariba ariba ariba!!!

I like this place when I’m in the mood for good, authentic Mexican food on the cheap!
I’m a fan of the carnitas and carne asada tacos but the chicken is just average. They overstuff the tacos so you only need a few and you’re good! The salsas they give you with your order are tasty but spicy!
Service is pretty good but not always the most attentive. You have to order first, take your ticket to the cashier and then get your food. There’s a $ 10 minimum to use a credit card.
As for the market it seems to have good prices but I wasn’t a fan of the meats I got from the butcher. Minus one star for that but I’ll keep coming back for the tacos.

Cant say enough good things about this place, love the meat selection and this is my «go to» in costa mesa when I am making any type of Mexican food at home, normally when I make sopes I get the ingredients here! Tacos are good and so is the meat, I stay with the asada, but the BEANS are to die for, my son can eat a container of them to himself and he is only 2 lol
Def a place to get good deals on authentic Mexican ingredients :)

Great place ! Great meat to BBQ and very nice people been coming here for years!!! The meat is great marinated and fresh! There hot food tacos are bomb!!! Easy and quick stop!

I had the mini tacos, al pastor, and it was the best marinated pork I have ever had. The crispy tacos were served with guacamole that was also AMAZING. And don’t get me started on the melon jugos… Yum! I highly recommend eating here! My 7 year old son was also very impressed.

I may be being generous by giving this place 2 stars. It’s easy to miss, so keep an eye out for its sign!
My boyfriend’s coworkers insisted that this place had the best tacos in OC and of course, being taco lovers and missing our San Diego Mexican food, my bf and I decided to come here during his lunch break. But boy, was it a disappointment. We ordered two of lengua, al pastor, and carne asada. The lengua was the only meat that wasn’t tough, but the chunks of meat were too big for me. For once, I actually imagined eating actual tongue pieces rather than thinking of it as just another cut of meat. The al pastor and carne asada were both salty, dry, and tough, although they did have flavor. The carne asada was similar to the kind of meat in carne asada fries.
They do speak mostly Spanish, but all you really need to know is uno, dos, tres tacos de _​_​_​_​. Con (with) ceballos (onion) y cilantro. Or sin Ceballos y cilantro (without onion and cilantro).

Wow. This place is clean, and they have great food. It’s legit. Best in the area, that’s for sure. The sauces taste homemade. Guacamole was super fresh and has large chunks of avocado. Cabeza, birria (real goat btw) tacos were awesome. Carne asada taco was ok. They have a wide selection meats and everything looks clean. The super market doesn’t stink like other markets. They also have Ducal canned beans. When you can’t make it yourself, these canned beans are the way to go. I def highly recommend and def will be returning. Soon. What a nice find!

A Mexican waiter at a local restaurant that I frequent told me a while ago that this is always his go-​to spot for carnitas. Some terrific advice Mario! I didn’t want to ruin my dinner later that night, so ordered one carnitas taco. Very tender and flavorful, with a very fresh and clean taste. They really pack the meat in that corn tortilla, and for $ 2.29 it is a steal. I wasn’t stuffed, but definitely killed the hunger pangs for several hours. Two would be more than enough if you are looking to make this stop your meal.
It is counter service with the various choices spread out in front of you in steam tables. The ladies serving up the vittles aren’t the friendliest, and they didn’t even laugh when I said Merry Christmas as that is the sign on their tip jar. Not even a TY when I dropped some money in. At least the young fella at the register made up for their standoffishness. A funny amigo!
It is a full service market with a butcher and a produce section, and beer/​wine. Alcohol is prohibited for on site consumption however. All areas are very well kempt, and the produce looked really fresh.
I have been going to the very well regarded El Toro Bravo a few miles away for years, and don’t want to get into the comparing game. BUT, this place is definitely cleaner, especially the stainless steel tables out front, with chairs even. El Toro Bravo has a couple of high tops, standing only, and they are always a mess. These tables were spotless.
Always great to find another authentic Mexican spot nearby serving up all the usual suspects. I will definitely be back.

Everything they make is pretty good and you can get amazing chips and gauc to take for parties if you don’t want to just grab lunch. Minus 1 star because of the prices at the meat counter, some meats are a little high.

I love the guacamole and chips! We also ordered some burritos and a quesadilla, both of which were yummy! This place is also a small grocery store with a little bit of parking out front.

Moved from Santa Ana to Costa Mesa and found this unassuming little place. Well, glad I did. Because I found the Best.Street.Tacos.In.Town. I come here at least once a week. Carne Asada Tacos El Special 4 for $ 5 are ahmazing! They always comes with green and red sauces, limes and a smile.

WHERE ARE THE RADISHES? ¿DÓNDE ESTÁN LOS RÁBANOS? The tacos were very good I was very happy to have their quarter pound of taco meat since I don’t eat tortillas. however I was very disappointed that they did not give radishes with my meal. I have never been to a Mexican taco stand and not gotten radishes this is the first time in my life that I have order tacos at a small taco shop and no radishes were offered or provided. When I asked for radishes I was told I had to go into the little store and buy radishes. Again this is the first time I have been to a taco stand in the world and not been offered radishes where are the radishes?

The food that they prepare here is REAL MEXICAN FOOD. It’s taste like my abuela made it. I love to order tacos DE tripas also caldo de res. The green enchiladas with Carne asada instead of chicken are also scrumptious. The aguas naturales are different depending on the today of the week I’m not sure the order but I love pineapple water or cantaloupe water. They also have a little market for buying meat veggies ext. Check them out for yourselves. You won’t be let down.

Best Mexican food place in Costa Mesa. It a neighborhood mercado that sell everything. They got produces, can goods, cleaning products, booze, and a butcher.
They start serving food around 11:30 am, the ladies behind the counter doesn’t speak much English, but you can definitely order en Ingles. They got chicharones, tripas, buche, and a bunch of other stuffs that you don’t normally see at other Mexican food joint. They also serve aqua fresca. You got to tell them what you want, they write your order down and give you a ticket, you pay at the cashier and then come back to pick up your food.

good tacos

This place is lights out good and dirt cheap. The carne is amazing and they will weigh it, and then marinate it for you. They also have made to order food. The quesadilla is the best I’ve ever had (I know… How can someone botch a quesadilla… But seriously… Try it… Amazing!) and the burritos are enormous, excellent, and and dirt cheap. You’re an idiot if you go across the street to chipotle.
Most of the workers speak some English in case it has been a while since you have brushed up on your Spanish.
I eat here regularly and highly recommend it!

This is for the deli section which has a great assortment. We ordered the pig skins and intestines to make some tacos and go along with the chicken tostadas we made. These were flavored just right, not too salty as many places tend to be. Comes with salsa, cilantro and onions, and limes… and plenty of them. We also bought some fresh chorizo to make breakfast burritos, which also was not overly salty. They have breakfast fare there but we wanted to go home and enjoy brunch and of course shower after our long run that morning.
We ended up buying some groceries as well. Their market is not large and the opinions are limited but for what we needed it worked. The cashier was friendly as well and didn’t mind waiting when my husband ran to the car to get some change to pay our bill. Good thing it’s a small shop with parking right in front.
It’s a small store behind the shell gas station right off harbor. Looks a little run down on the outside, but definitely worth the stop if you’re wanting some Mexican food. Will be back to try other stuff. I’m guessing it’s worth trying again because my husband has already been back to purchase more chorizo and other items without me. so not fair.

Across the street from Taco Bell, located inside a market, limited seating outside, cash or credit over $ 10. «Hole in the wall» type of place.
The bf has been on a journey to find a good taco spot in the area. He’s accustomed to Pomona and LA tacos, so apparently OC tacos just don’t compare. His coworkers recommended this spot, so off we went. The workers speak limited English here, but the other friendly customers gladly helped us order and get extra sauces.
The tacos are slightly pricier here, but they HOOK YOU UP. The amount of meat they give you is ridiculous. You can build another taco with that meat. His favorite was a «combo» taco (stomach, carnitas, skin). Honestly idk what’s in it, but it’s fatty and tasty. The asada was dry and lacked flavor (his coworkers prefer it. So go figure). We need to come back and try that blackish dish we saw everyone else eat.

Very clean little market located on Wilson St. and Harbor Blvd.
I haven’t been to this Market in over 10 years but it’s still in the same spot so they must be doing something right.
The reason I went here was to pick up Carne Asada and Polla Asada for the Father’s Day bbq we were about to have. I remember years ago going to this market and buying the Carne Asade and remembering it was great.
I picked up 3 lbs of the Chicken which is about $ 8.40 and 4 lbs of the steak and it was $ 18. I was amazed the huge difference in price. I would have to say after cooking everything on the bbq the chicken was the best. It was outstanding. I am going to starting coming to this little market more often. The also have Al Pastor but they have to cook it for you. I am going to get that next time. Al Pastor = Spicy Pork which is another one of my favorites. Great for Tacos.
Overall Great little Mexican market.

So far so good.
When I read the reviews, they said that they don’t speak English when you order.
Like most places around here, they speak mostly Spanish but will entertain English.
I figured this place was the same, but when I ordered «3 asada tacos» she shot back with «tres tacos asada?» I immediately returned with «si» the. She asked if I wanted onions and cilantro (I think, it was in Spanish). So that’s how it goes.
I was the only white guy in there.
You get your ticket and pay at the register like you are buying groceries.
They have lots of hot food.
Sitting outside it smells like what I remember eating in Mexico smells like.
Got my 3 tacos.
Huge.
You need 2.
They are some photos of 3 tacos in a tray, but that’s too many.
Get 2. You’ll be happy.
Get a coke too.
Sit out front.
Eat them.
If say best taco in the area. Not necessarily all of Costa Mesa, but within walking distance of my place (which is behind Home Depot).
But go here. It’s fun.
You’ll like it and be happy you did.