Your friendly Mexican neighborhood 99 Ranch has grown up and gotten a glow-up. This ambitious food-market, foodie-hall in Cerritos has immaculately stacked shelves stocked full of staples, interspersed with stalls selling everything from sushi to stew.
No less than twenty stalls range from practical to downright whimsical, serving hungry shoppers here for the food as well as bored browsers looking for an adorable artisan candle. Indeed this market is as wonderful as it is overwhelming, especially if you aim to sample every stall.
We didn't make it all the way around, but I'd say it was a pretty good effort.
Starting with Aguas Frescas Las Delicias, we grab our giant sugar-water fruit drinks to sip while we browse. One something watermelon, the other a refreshing combo of cucumber and something with some tang. All very delicious, all VERY sweet.
Mariscos El Pariente sells several spectacular ceviches, among them the shrimp with mango. The shrimp is unbelievably fresh and you can see the spots where gray turns to pink as it cooks.
Better still are the Aguachiles, including the dark and smoky rojo which features both scallops and shrimp. There aren't that many scallops so ask for at least a pound.
Even better is the Aguachile Verde which is bright and pepper-punchy.
A hot and limey Elote from Asados Los Mesquites covered in chili and smeared with mayo and cheese serves as a pre-meal snack.
Guisados Las Cazuelas serves soft stews with sides, like the Costillas con Nopales, which are green and light with a tempting tang. The side of calabacitas con queso is an excellent accompaniment, perfectly cooked, flavorful veggies, not just an afterthought.
Their best dish is the Chicharron en Salsa Roja, full of rich and savory chunks of fall-apart, skin-on pork. Enjoy nopales guisados on the side - it's refreshing like a salad.
The lighting is bad, but the pound of Goat Birria to go is delightful. La Tapatia Birrieria sells this stuff by the pound, and it's fall-apart tender in a way that only time can make. Stop by the tortilleria to pick up fresh flour tortillas and dinner is done.
Pasteleria La Gonzalez is probably my least favorite stop in the market. No regrets on the Flan, but the breads go stale too fast.
Everything looks so pretty: A Concha with custard, a pineapple pastry, a fried dough crusted with sugar, and a very sweet, hard cookie, sticky through all the layers of powdered sugar. They probably taste much better first thing in the morning but they were already stale in the afternoon.
Churros are the only thing that depreciate faster than a new car after you drive it off the lot so if you're ordering from Churreria El Moro, stick around to immediately eat. They're best when they're hot and crunchy, dunked in some caramel or not at all.
It's quite the eating extravaganza for a single visit, but I've barely covered half the stalls. The market has some pretty great take-home items as well, including a don't-leave-without-it Pan de Elote and containers of ready-made mole.
What an amazing place. The setup of a food hall with the quality of a restaurant and the prices of a grocery store. I might have to move to Cerritos just to continue shopping here.
