Mercado El Rey

A bit run down and in need of an upgrade, the produce and meats were not the freshest either.
Prices are a bit high, service can be slow and not the best and it can get really full and hot in here.
Plenty of easy parking, just not really any better than a regular grocery store.

I hate writing reviews but I’m pretty mad at the lady at this store it was 15 min before closing time and the lady behind the snack/​food bar, denied our service because we were ordering to many orders!!? What wow i guess they are so well off that they don’t need new business. Definitely needs new employees! (Maybe someone who actually wants to work!)

Carne and pollo asada was such a hit for our big group on our annual camping trip. Everyone (including me!) loved it. Super flavorful! Chicken was really fresh tasting; Not. Dry. At. All. The store is nice and clean and a friendly staff. Will keep coming back to try new things, too!

This place is amazing to say the least. Your one stop shop for everything of course but my favorite things here are as follows;
Tacos…hint of spices and you can tell the lady to make them well done. Not many places do that
Ice cream… its home made and you can really fast the difference between regular ice cream and this kind. Vanilla and coconut are the best there.
Lastly, Ceviche… OMG… Got a kick but with lemon and hot sauce it’s just an addiction they don’t short you on the shrimp either lol

El Rey has cheap produce, but it’s not always the best. It has a great selection of dried chilis for making enchilada sauce, mole, or posole rojo, and all the condiment you would need. They even consistently carry epazote, which not all of the local Mexican markets carry and things like yucca, cactus, and banana leaves.
In the middle of the market they have a snack bar of sorts for frozen concoctions and condiments over bags of chips. I don’t know what it is all called, but it’s really popular.
The meat counter is long, and they always have specials on something. The carne asada is pretty good, as is the marinated boneless chicken. Very tasty. There cheese selection is decent for Mexican cheeses, and they even have prepared food to go.
The right wing has several types of corn chips not of the frito lay variety, and lots and lots of canned Mexican goods. They used to carry pickled serranos, which I love, but dont

If you a looking to buy carne asada, marinated chicken and other proteins for a party, come here. The meat is very affordable and they taste great. The guacamole has some jalepenos in it and it’s so good.
The store is small, but man they pack everything in there.

This place is a hidden gem. The best kept Mexican deli secret in Lake Forest. The two ladies that cook the food are amazing. The most authentic tasting Mexican food in town and so reasonable. You’ll find the deli tucked away on the far side of the meat counter located in this grocery store. Food can be ordered for take-​out. I recommend the carnitas tacos and menudo. Delicious!

I was looking for a new, go-​to carniceria in the area, and I have definitely found it.
Carne Asada? Yes friends this place has it in spades. Marinated but not soaking in liquid perfect to take home and BBQ. Great flavor and dirt cheap.
Salsa and Fresh Guac? Why yes, also in abundant supply. The house salsa (salsa roja) is just the right amount of spice and perfect for tacos.
Pork (Al Pastor)? Typically not a fan… but this one was pretty good. Not too spicy, not too sweet, and cut in the right size chunks to maximize flavor.
Apparently they have an amazing juice bar here; but frankly my quest for raw meat would not be diverted this day.
The star of the show for me was (surprisingly) the chicken legs. The yellow marinated ones that look questionable and surprisingly cheap. Sear these on the grill fat side down, lower heat and cook through and get ready to impress fellow guests. The fat renders nicely giving it a crunch on the outside and the citrus flavor will make you wonder why you went to El Pollo Loco, ever.
Add the above with cheap fresh veggies and fruit and I fed a party of 8 for less than $ 40.
Do it…

I feel compelled to grant another star to my go-​to Mex grocery. The last few weeks I’ve gone there I’ve sampled, excessively I might add, their guacamole. The salt lick they used to peddle is gone. Hello decent guac. At five bucks a pint it’s definitely worth it. Also, they’ve redone their crazy dessert island well. Love this place.
Be warned, really, really warned: Their green salsa is hot. Really hot. I have no problem eating a few chips with this salsa, but my I’ve served this with traumatic results; most people do not expect the level of heat, and it really sneaks up and gives a lasting burn.

This store is alright they have a great selection of produce, piñatas, meats, and other delicious Mexican products. This store is really small and it was packed when we were here yesterday. I’m guessing this is a small chain store as its very similar to the one in San Juan Capistrano but with one minor detail the have delicious frozen Mexican novelties right inside a lot of these you would have to go to TJ or Santa Ana to find! All in all this store is pretty cool but I prefer the one in San Juan as its a little bigger easier to get around and it just seemed like it was better ran and the produce looked much nicer! I’m sure ill be visiting this location or the other one sometime soon as they have things here that are hard to find else where!

They have a great selection of meats, and I enjoyed what I bought. However, two of the items I purchased were marked as .99 cents and rang up to $ 1.40ea. The manager would not honor the mistake, and was disrespectful. No Bueno y No Mas!

Very limited selection of fresh veggies and fruits, but very cheap. if you just a need a few items and want to save some bucks, this is the place to go. As for their meat, I don’t think it looks fresh at all. When I looked at the chicken, the skin has already turned allow and gross (if you do grocery shopping a lot, you know what I mean). Will probably not come back here again.

Pretty cool little market with a good selection of meats and produce. Definitely the place to go if you’re looking for a bargain. I also buy flan here and that stuff can be really addictive. Prices here beats places like Fresh and Easy, Ralph’s, and Wal-​Mart.
This place accepts EBT too!!!

I do love this place, but maybe for different reasons than others. This is a small Mexican market. If you are cooking up Mexican food, it is great for buying chilis, squash, tomatillos, cilantro, nopales, ect. And when I say «great» I mean cheap and fresh. But, you have to check over the stuff. MER does not have the same quality control as a standard supermarket, so you can ocassionally see rotted or overly-​bruised produce. I also like the tropical fruit. The price on mangos, when in season, is usually the best in town. The butcher has cheap meat, fish, crema and cotija. The butchers are very friendly even to a white girl who totally stands out in the place. But, the quality is not as good as Stater Bros and cannot compare to El Toro Meats in the same shopping center. I am not a fan of the pre-​cooked food, but I think it is a matter of taste. Tortilla chips and tortillas are fresh and cheap too. More «American» staples, like butter, cheese and milk are more expensive. If you buy more than $ 25 you can ask for free eggs or soda. This store is better than their place in SJC.

This place kills.
The Carne Asada here is delicious. If you don’t feel like grilling it, they will cook it for you.
The produce is top notch and the tortillas are always fresh.
The salsas are delicious too.

The carne asada here is amazing. The meat is fresh and the prices are great. Definitely a good place to hit up if you are looking to have a bbq.

Pros: Hot take out food, delicous and good price. Cheap cheap cheap carne asada marinade. Cheap produce, almost to the point of excessively cheap.
Cons: No place to sit down with food.
2 liter bottle was $ 1.80 + tax so that wasn’t smashing but could live with that.

Get all your produce here! Mercado El Rey is a GREAT place for produce — super cheap and the quality is good too. I mean seriously you wont believe the prices. Today I bought a bell pepper, an avocado, an onion, two tomatoes, three jalapenos, limes and a cucumber for $ 3.63!!! How is that even possible? Go see for yourself and you won’t want to get your produce anywhere else!!!
PS — They make their own guacamole in the deli, looks great but haven’t tried it

This is a new mexican market that opened up behind Asia Buffet in Lake Forest. I have visited about 4 times and have always left happy. The staff is super nice and store is real clean. Prices on fruits and veggies are great, and so are the prices on the meats, seafoods and cheeses. They have a small take out area with tacos, burritos, tortas, tamales and a couple of soups. Prices are reasonable and food is good.

This brand new market is fully stocked… super clean. meat market.veggies.can goods. and much… much more.
always have great sales… HOT READY TO GO FOOD!