Ol' Rodeo's Market — Local services in El Cajon

I can’t believe Ol’ Rodeo only got 4.8 stars. My wife and I made the 5 mile trip from La Mesa to El Cajon to try this place on the advice of a local Facebook group. I live in La Mesa and work in Barrio Logan so I don’t usually travel more than a couple blocks for some of the best Mexican food in San Diego. We made the trek out there and we’re immediately greeted by the owners and they were genuinely the nicest people you could ask for. We came for the Carne Asada but when I heard they had Menudo I decided on that. Normally the burritos come with rice and beans but we really just wanted to know how the Carne Asada tasted so my wife ordered a burrito with only Carne Asada and guacamole. Both of these were amazing, probably the best Carne Asada I’ve ever had outside of Mexico and the Menudo was to die for, no kidding, I felt a tear well up in my eyes. The Carne Asada is so tender and didn’t have any fat or connective tissues, you never had one of those chewy pieces of meat that you get at most taco shops. The flavor was excellent and the guacamole and tortilla were exceptional. I thought the Menudo was probably the best I’ve ever had. The tripe wasn’t chewy at all just like the Carne Asada it was very tender and kind of melted in your mouth. The hominy was good and they didn’t overuse it as some places do because it is cheaper then tripe. The broth was simply delicious, my wife isn’t a fan of tripe so she only tried the broth and hominy and she loved it too. It was served in the traditional manner with oregano, onions, cilantro and lime along with four corn tortillas. The Menudo also had part of a Cafe‘s foot or pig trotter, a luscious piece of Gelatinous goodness covered with a piece of skin and a couple of small bones. I wrapped it up in a corn tortilla so my wife wouldn’t see me eating it, it was so delicious and melted in my mouth like nothing else. I’m not sure where they got these tortillas but again they were the best we’ve ever had. My wife isn’t a fan of corn tortillas but I always make her try them and she loved these. We also grabbed a Clamato out of one of the coolers which was perfect to wash down our food. We decided the true test of good Carne Asada was to buy some from their butcher counter and cook it at home to see if it was just as great. We usually buy our raw Carne Asada at Valley Farms market, preferring the imperial Valley Carne Asada over their wet rub. This is an excellent Carne Asada which they marinate in a vacuum, which draws the flavors into the meat. Their Carne Asada is thicker cut than Ol’ Rodeo so I was skeptical when I bought 2 pounds of it. We also got some queso fresco. We cooked the Carne Asada over lump charcoal and took a cleaver to it on the board. Heated up some tortillas and all of the usual condiments. This carne Asada was as good as the burrito they made my wife. I gave some of the meat and tortillas to my neighbor who loved it as well. They also have beef birria and lamb birria, we brought some of the lamb birria home and it was delicious, next time I will have it at the store so I can enjoy the corn tortillas with it. We struck up a conversation with Miguel, the owner, who introduced us to his wife and mother who were the nice ladies that first greeted us. walking around the small grocery store made us very happy, not just because of the warm, homey feel but because of the genuine hospitality that everyone exhibited. These are just nice people trying to make you happy. The butcher counter had just about everything you could wish for, lots of beef and pork, chicken and cheese. Different tortillas including some that I think they make in house. Lots of spices and sauces and ingredients you would find in any traditional Mexican household. They have aqua Fresca and homemade salsa and guacamole. Normally I would close with, if you were in the area, stop by, but I’m gonna break with tradition and tell you to go out of your way to find this incredible shop filled with...

Really good meat market with a great selection of meats. Many marinated favorites ready to go. Everything I saw there was top notch and everything I got came out amazing off the grill. I was in and out in under 4 min which is very convenient as usually it takes at leaks 30-45 min grabbing only a few items at a big store. It looks family owned and you can see that great pride was taken with every aspect of this place. This is now my...

Awesome Carne Asada

Was next door for some yogurt and realized I forgot my coupon. Heard that sometimes the market had coupon books too, so I figured I’d see if they had one (and they did). When I walked inside, they welcomed me in and the smell was AMAZING. I got a few pounds of carne asada, and I’m glad I did!

The carne was awesome, paper thin and super flavorful. I’ll definitely be...