Old Town Market

I stopped at a couple areas in Old Town during the Cinco De Mayo festival, and this was one of the bigger, more touristy ones.
Not in a bad way, there was a bunch of cool/​cute stuff in here I would’ve loved to take home, especially if I were from out of town.
They have a bunch of traditional Mexican gift/​souvenirs: Ornaments, toys, clothing. My favorite were the string puppets! I wanted one so bad! haha
They also have Mexican candy and snacks, as well as more normal tourist items like shirts and sweaters. I DID purchase a bracelet. Only $ 5 :)
Overall, it’s a cool area with a nice theme. Tourist or not, I’m sure it’s always fun to stop by!

This is probably the spot in SD to get your souvenirs to convince people you went to Mexico without actually going there. I can see you rocking in that poncho with a turquoise necklace around your neck, a sugar skull in one hand and a carved gourd in another.
If you want something not too ethnic, there are always T-​shirts and souvenirs that blatantly tell by-​passers that you went to San Diego. I also saw key chains with a June beetle captured in it, and a luggage tag with an Asian alien posing with a victory sign. These are just some of the things you’ll see at the Market.
Prices can range from reasonable to «who would buy this sh1t?» I did end up buying some cool things here as a local, so it isn’t too bad.
During rainy season, a lot of shops would close since it’s mostly outdoor, but some tucked away would still remain open during the weekends.
You also have the option to drive an extra 30 minutes or so to actually go to Mexico.

How much fun! This is a treasure of shops, restaurants, performers. Many shops with old crafts. The Indian weavings were my favorites but beautiful tile shops and pottery of all types were plentiful throughout. A few will receive their own complete reviews.
Walked out of church and through the gates of the Old Town Market to first find tourist shops with small trinkets and colorful ware to bring back as gifts. Walked through some of the artisan stores looking at both reasonably priced and mouth wateringly expensive items. I was thrilled with the colorful tiles in tile stores and especially the beautiful, colorful weavings. I bought a few to be used as dresser and book shelve runners.
Several nice restaurants and actin’s are evident and tourists wearing emblems of all of the NFL playoff teams were found through out. I am signing out to go watch my beloved Steelers. If you get a chance to come to San Diego, do not miss the Old Town. Different treasures, but in my opinion much more interesting and historic than the downtown, though both have their separate charm.

Really good variety of Mexican themed collectible arts, jewelry, crafts, clothes, foods etc. The vibe is good at this place too. I love walking around the market just to soak up all the colors and flavors in the area. The food and drinks are on point. I’ve been here about 10 times in my life and looking forward to coming back just as many in the future.

Love this place. Always a must when I visit San Diego. Lots of shops and eateries that are open late despite what is stated on Unilocal.

Gotta just give a quick shout out to a fantastic place to shop in San Diego!
There are 4 shops in the building of the Marketplace and several vendors sprinkled around the outside and everywhere you look there is something wonderful for your eyes to enjoy. Mostly a Mexican theme to the shops but there’s definitely something for everyone. I can spend an hour or two just tinkering around. Perfect place to find gifts for people and especially around the holidays (my fave being Halloweenie).
The Old Town Marketplace captures the spirit of Old San Diego and the beautiful festiveness of our neighbors south of the border. A definite tourist and shoppers delight.
CHEERS!!!

I love old town! Its just a piece of San Diego that I really do enjoy. Sometimes it can get busy, especially during the holidays. None the less I do enjoy it. My favorite tine of year here is Halloween. They decorate everything so amazing for Halloween and through the Day of the dead celebration that is also just amazing. If you never have been you should at least once. The stores and the different food places are always fun to walk though and grab a snack …

Old Town is a really nice place to grab some souvenirs. They have a lot of outdoor markets and museums to check out. I really enjoyed my time here browsing through all the little shops and learning the history of the Old Town. I also heard this place was haunted and you can schedule night tours with them.

This is a really cool little outdoor market in San Diego’s Old Town. I had a great time browsing the shops and artist creations. They have crafts, clothing, jewelry and more. I didn’t buy anything during my last visit, but had a great time browsing.

I manage this «Market» and I love reading our reviews – they make us want to get better!
We pride ourselves on offering unique items from around the world. Admittedly, we have items from various countries of the world that are not always considered «artisan,» but overall, the mix is good – and getting better with more people creating and selling unique, artistic items: clothing, textiles, ponchos, blankets, ceramics and tile, metal work, candy, games, dolls, and coffee roasted here in San Diego.
Keep visiting and keep the reviews coming. We want to be a «5 Star» destination in Old Town and on Unilocal

Whenever I am in San Diego, I always visit Old Town. And when in Old Town, I always walk through the market area. Here you will find Native American inspired and souvenirs from Mexico.
You will find panchos, sweaters and backpacks with a a particular distinct pattern. Purses, toys and other trinkets can all be found here.
This area of Old Town is rather small but still worth looking through. Also it is worth mentioning that the historical area of the Old Town Market just adds to the atmosphere and beauty of Old Town.

A nice shopping center in Old Town with lots of interesting souvenirs. With a few stores, some kiosks selling leather accessories and other goods, and a small stage for a band, this is a fun spot to pick up some unique gifts while shopping in Old Town San Diego.
Although some of the stores are a tad boring (except for La Sienna Silver which is a really nice store here), the music playing and souvenirs sold here provide a good look into the culture of the period. There is nice Native American art and Mexican-​inspired serape ponchos. Unique handmade gourd art and leather handbags are sold by local artists here as well.
Even though I wish there was a bit more to see here, this is still a pretty fun place to browse when shopping in Old Town. We look forward to seeing the Mexican and American art and the beautiful jewelry at La Sienna Silver in the future!

This is a great souvenir store in old town! Also rumored to be EXTREMELY haunted which I love. Most times I head to old town I take a walk through this store and the patio area of shops behind it. They have some odd day of the dead figurines at times but it’s an interesting store none the less!

This area is nice to see while visiting San Diego but not really a must.
This is not really what Mexico looks like, the prices are outrageous and the stores all kind of smell musty.
Like the stuff has been in there for a REALLY long time, we wanted to buy items for the family here but wound up buying them all at Waves, the Beach Store instead for way cheaper. This really is a tourist trap which is kind of a shame. Its a short, shady stroll but I wouldn’t plan on spending more than an hour here.

So attractive when you drive up — lots of pretty colours and it looks like there is something going on.
What is going on is super high prices and store after store of the same stuff. We totally would have bought some stuff if anything was priced even remotely near the value. Our kids had been saving their vacation money to buy a little souvenir and were really disappointed.
We left uninspired.

Another tourist trap in Old Town SD. This store contains all things Mexican (presumably) including trinkets, curios, Lucha Libre masks and capes, little guitars and accordions, dresses for kids, fridge magnets, games, huge paper flowers, ai chihuahua socks, the list is endless!
It was funny though because some puppets were made in China and a couple of games were made in Vietnam. Guess you just can’t escape the asian invasion. :p
Good place to get your SD souveniers although it wouldn’t be the cheapest in town.

Great place to visit but gets boring after an hour or two. Go visit the Ice Cream Parlor and the Coffee Cart! Overall, fun experience.