Northgate Gonzalez Markets

I hate going here! There’s so many people everywhere and it’s small in the isles but whatever it’s a grocery store so it’s typical in a city. Today what really drove me to give them a horrible review aside from the normal hassle of going in the first place my husband wanted a dang quesadilla, alright I was in a ok mood… Baby gets what he wants so I got in line at their taqueria area and waited ok not so bad but then I ordered and there was a miscommunication because I’m not fluent and I just must sound awful. Never mind that it’s annoying to have to repeat yourself but I’ll take fault on that because I should have learned Spanish at some point in life. Ok so I got my order across and proceed to wait. This women takes FOREVER to melt some cheese between a tortilla and throw sound other junk in there, fine ok whatever I can chill for a second, so she finishes and gets handsy with my food cuts in half wraps in in foil and puts it in the smallest take out box they have to offer, im annoyed but whatever it’s just a box so I pay and then rush home to feed my dude only to discover that the bottom of his quesadilla was hella burned!!! Like you serious?! After handling my food in such a stupid way you didn’t noticed its charred bottom??? Na not buying it she let me walk a way with a burnt ass quesadilla don’t waste your time, money, or tastes buds on that garbage. I’d give them no stars if I could

This is a cool place to get whatever you need for your Mexican fix, be it a fast meal or vegetables or the weekend party this place should have it.

So much parking! A lot of fresh and cheap produce. 2 avocados for a dollar and .59 cent for a pound of banana. They have a wonderful selection of breads, meat and pre-​made food area.
I can’t get everything I want here like the thing I would find at Sprouts e.g. almond milk, coconut yogurt, organic produce but they do have all the essential for me to make a wonderful guacamole!

Based on the shrimp cocktail alone, I have to give 1 star. Not one shrimp was cleaned. All the poop is there in every shrimp in all its glory, ready to be eaten. The carnitas was also completely unseasoned. My hubby said it tasted like boiled meat. We’re not heavy salt people, but there were no other flavors going on. I’d like to see a little more effort go into their food to go.

The deli section is amazing. I can’t think what it’s missing. I love this store. Lots of peppers and breads available. Give it a shot and be sure to have lunch.

This place is great when your looking to make Mexican food, or when you looking for fresh produce. The only negative side to this place is when ordering meat, it took me about 20 – 25 ‘min to to be attended. Seems like they attend they’re «regulars» without having to get their number but me not being a regular took so long to just get 2lbs. Of meat! wack

Northgate is annoyingly located smack dab in the center of a no-​freeway zone. If you’re not from the neighborhood it takes forever to get there. But if you’re local, it’s definitely worth coming by.
The best parts of this store are the prepared foods. They have a bakery with lots of cheap, attractive pastries, a hot food bar where you can buy dinner for one or food for a party, a huge variety of ceviches for $ 8 a pound, and a tortillaria for all your fresh tortilla needs. The last has so many variations and even sells plain tortillas in packs as small as a dozen. The last is a big selling point for me because I just don’t go through enough tortillas to handle the 100 packs that many other stores have. But don’t worry; you can still get your 100 packs here too.
Sadly, the rest of the store is not as amazing. The Gonzalez store brand is fairly reasonably priced, but lots of basics like milk and eggs cost more than I would pay elsewhere. To be fair, prices are probably in line with the big chains like Ralphs and Vons, but they’re higher than I would expect from a local market and certainly more than I’m usually willing to pay.
I wouldn’t recommend this as your one-​stop grocery store, but if you’re in the area or in need of lots of prepared Mexican food, this place is definitely for you.

Waste of time trying to go for a late night grocery run, I guess the employees make their own store hours and close at 10:30 not 11. I’ve made two attempts to get to this location with decent time before it closes and I never made it in time or an employee tells me they’re closed.
They usually have decent customer service and their cafeteria is great for a quick lunch or last minute pot luck. Overall this store is a better choice than El Super due to their produce quality and reasonable prices. I guess I’ll take my business to Trader Joes or Whole Foods.

They have good fresh tortillas, the pre made stuff in the front is not as fresh or made with fake ingredients. I had the agua chilles in a cup and you can tell they used the fake lime juice, nasty expecially for the price !

Best birthday BBQ ever!
We got pollo & carne seasoned and some jalapeños & while the grill master outside threw it on for us, we shopped & got fresh hot tortillas, salsa, guacamole, rice & beans. I bought Modelo & Clamato & made homemade Micheladas! Omg it was the yummiest!

This is my go-​to spot for groceries, food, and at times, pastries.
They have a little bit of everything including fresh produce, meat, bakery section where you can order a special cake or get something already made, fresh hot food. May I suggest a cup or horchata… Fruit bowls that are made on the spot, tax assistance from h&r block. And much more!!!
Depending on the time you go, it can get a bit crowded so best thing to do is to go on week day around 10−11am to avoid all the traffic!
Also, staff are really friendly and are happy to assist :-)

The best place to come especially if you like authentic Mexican food. Fresh produce, fresh meats, high quality good food. On weekend they even have a grill where they would grill your fresh meats. Friendly staff, very clean, you can dine in here as well. Love this place highly recommend it.

I’m a ceviche freak, and Northgate is where I go to get freaky. Where your other run-​of-​the-​mill big chain supermarkets offer well-​stocked delis serving up over-mayo’d potato salad and ten pound bags of fried chicken, Northgate offers up no less than five different ceviches at any given time at their counter.
Shrimp, fish, pulpo, mild, spicy, reds and greens, the ceviche is in excess and I’m not complaining… nobody is! Can’t decide? Sample away, hombre. They are more than happy to let you try them all and pick your poison from there. On my last visit we asked if they could mix the spicy green shrimp with a more traditional variety and they were more than happy to oblige — it was a winner.
If you have a soft stomach you may want to bypass the meat counter as you’re sure to see something you don’t recognize but certainly comes from somewhere deep inside something with four legs. On the other hand, I also picked up a well butchered t-​bone that turned out delicious hot off the grill.
Do yourself a favor and take it all in when you’re at Northgate. The sights, the smells, they’re all awesome. If you’ve done Mexican markets before, this is nothing new to you but if you’ve always defaulted to a big box chain over a place like this, prepare your mind to be blown.

I am definitely excited to have found out about this place last year. When we are in the area we always stop here. I don’t get all our groceries here, but the things I do get are great finds at a great value.
We love the fresh baked rolls in the bakery, with the price of 4/​$ 1 you can’t beat that! They also have a great meat counter. My best find here is their beef bones which we freeze and give to our pup as a nice little treat! Their tortillas are also great and produce is the best deal around. I often grab things like cucumbers and kale for juicing which can add up quickly other places.
I absolutely love Mexico and I feel like I am there for just a few minutes when I stop by Northgate!

If you’re hispanic, you probably know this familiar and warm environment going way back to when you were a kid. If you’ve never been exposed to this kind of environment, you’re going to think it is crowded and noisy, and likely miss the opportunity to embrace the unique and singular items these markets offer.
Go in, inhale the goodness of freshly baked bread, the smell of fresh cooked foods from the deli, and then dive head first into the aisles of shopping available for stuff you may not find around town unless you’re south of the border.
Life is a fluid timeline of opportunities to learn, experience and hopefully grow. Sometimes the lessons are painful, but most are glorious. Go experience something new and dig on this market. You will either love it or hate it, but at least you can say you know first hand
See, you’ve learned something new already. ;)

Went here for lunch as they have a restaurant inside and serve Mexican dishes like chicken, tortas, Carne asada, tamales, ceviche, rice and beans, flan and Mexican Sodas with real cane sugar, not corn syrup. Food was just okay with lots of choices. Not what I would call the best food, but okay in a pinch

Conveniently located at 54^th & University the Market is best enjoyed when it’s not busy, that is not late in the day or on the weekend.
I don’t like writing a negative review, but several experiences there have dampened my excitement, and it is my hope that’s it’s only this Northgate Gonzalez Market that is affected.
There are some serious quality control issues with the meat. We bought carne asada that was on the edge of spoiling. Also the cooked food, specifically chicken tamales, sopes, rice and refried beans were not fresh. I’ve also bought shrimp & squid ceviche that was not fresh. The butterflied BBQ’d chicken could also be fresher. With the chicken and carne asada I almost got the feeling that they pulled it from the regular coolers and then added spices to mask the condition of the food. These experiences make us reluctant to buy meats or prepared foods there.
The reason I don’t give this review one star is that the produce and tortillas are good and that almost all of the employees are friendly and helpful to us. The reason may be that we speak Spanish and it troubles me that some reviewers have had experiences with racist behavior. They also carry Siete Leguas Tequila!

Esta tienda esta muy chikita acomparacion a la de la 43 en san diego. No tienen mucha variendad de carnes. La tienta esta sucia. Los empleados masculinos te acosan con la mirada que t ase sentir incomoda, las cajeras ni el hola te dan. Si siempre les falta empleados. Esta tienda me keda a una cuadra de mi casa so decidi intentarlo otra cez, pero onestamneente prefiero mejor ir de ahora en adelande a la que esta en la 43.

American Coconut Problems. Brown on the outside. White on the inside.
Going to a national supermarket chain store is fine. Places like Target and Mal-​Mart are putting in grocery sections for shopping convenience to compete with Albertsons, Fresh&Easy (not Sleazy), Kiels, Krogers, Stater Bros, Vons, etc., and their affiliates. I get that, but it’s just not the same cruising the aisles and a single Ethnic row combines both Mexican and Asian products. Carrying a wider variety of hot sauces or Murican brands like Mission or Old El Paso doesn’t really count. If you shop for Taco Bell at the grocery, then we shouldn’t be friends.
Around the greater mid-​city area I think the larger grocery spots are Northgate and Pancho Villas. Both are standalone anchor stores that offer the widest selection of grocery items, fresh produce, and specialized items from their bakery, tortilleria, deli, and prepared foods kitchen, all geared towards Mexican cuisine. Your favorite food truck, taco shop, or mariscos joint might source some of their ingredients from here.
The specialty departments can be a madhouse. If you’re in a rush, just find your way through the crowd and grab a number. Employees usually shout both in English and Spanish and try to keep the digital counter moving to the next number. I’ve picked up some carnitas, ceviche, and pan dulces. Service was friendly, helpful, and the food was delicious. I’ll be back to check out more items.
My Spanglish is rusty, so mumbling and pointing at the item like a toddler, then nodding with a big smile has worked for me. Even at the checkout, the cute cashier lady will greet me ever so nicely in Spanish, then follow suit after I reply in English. I should work on my Español more often.
Be sure to nod at the armed security guards, who are keeping your authentic Mexican grocery shopping experience at Gonzales Northgate Market a safe one.

My brother who lives around the neighborhood took us here for breakfast burritos. Surprisingly, it was all really tasty. I had their burrito with rice, jamon y huevos, and this delicious potato that was mixed with some sort of meat. The lady was pretty nice over the counter — fast and efficient. This place reminded me of Ranch 99’s deli except the Mexican version.
The food tasted pretty good and it was about $ 3.99 per burrito. That is stinking cheap! The one thing that made me gag a little was the fact that there were multiple flies flying around the food. Some of the food is covered with plastic cellophane but there were parts that weren’t covered. I didn’t get sick after eating it so I figured it is probably okay. Their health inspection rating is an A so I guess it is probably okay… Anyways, eat with caution. Aside from that minor detail, everything was great!

North Gate is a great grocery store to get all your basics, including lunch or dinner. Their tacos & salsas are unexpectedly good, & their ceviche is delicious. They also have a deli section in the back of the market with fresh produce as well as pre-​packaged.
They have a variety of items that cater to the Hispanic and Latino community such as their (bakery section) filled with well known Mexican breads, pastries and cakes. You can also have custom orders made such as birthday cakes. Their baked goods are yummy. Hint* next to this section is the alcohol section, beer & wine. I think they did this on purpose to tease consumers.
Oh! and a big plus, you can pick up fresh made tortillas right by deli. if you pick the right one they will still be warm.
Usually they are pretty busy and it can get overwhelming at times but good spot to do a bit of grocery shopping & grab a bite as well.