La Mexicana Meat Market — Local services in Longview

La Mexicana has a long and storied history. It’s a staple for the Mexican community here, & a couple of local Anglo-American chefs I’ve met treat the meat market like their “little secret”. I remember I thought the best restaurant in town used to be the little taqueria set up in the corner of the restaurant that inspired its name, “el rinconcito” under the previous owners.

Under new management in the last few years, La Mexicana has weathered rough economic times gracefully. Staff is fully bilingual, social distancing is in effect, & payments are taken with a modern point of sale system.

Despite no longer making cakes daily as they used to, there are still panes dulces made daily on site, & the bakery is still fully open. I ordered a cake for bae’s birthday from them, and it was delicious, but it cost as much as you might expect for a commission of a custom made quarter sheet cake. Other bakers in town aren’t familiar with pastel mil hojas, that’s the expertise you pay for.

The markups on imported goods are reasonable unless it’s something among the limited pan bimbo/Gamesa/Barcel/mondelez selection you can find at Wlmrt, it’s usually the cheapest in town for authentic Mexican foods. The value for money can be hit and miss, like with any small tienda mexicana that also doubles as a corner store.

They charge too much in my opinion for Mexican foods you can get elsewhere but also many people are paying for convenience (my suegros sent me there for fresh ripe avocados in a pinch and there they were ready to go close by for not too much money).

They are the only plug for Mexican and Central American foods around, like their small selection of Salvadoran and Guatemalan beer.

Please check out their hot case, as it has fresh carnitas, chicharrones, and other meats ready to go at all times, many a night have I gotten carnitas from la mexicana, rice and beans to go from el ranchero next door (it costs $10 but it’s worth it!) and rolled my own burritos at home.

Instead of paying too much for corporate food, spend $12 on some amazing carnitas, $10 on rice n beans next door, grab a fresh avocado or two and some tortillas from la mexicana on your way out, and you got yourself a dinner going. Don’t mess around with rotisserie chickens and family size frozen lasagnas people, do this instead.

Overall La Mexicana is a local institution that I support as much as I can so that it stays around forever. They’re like family for so...

They have a market in the front area, a panaderia (baked goods and pastries) to the right, a carneceria towards the back and a "hot foods vendor" towards the back right corner.

We bought some candy/dulce (pelon, fresas and suckers), a few Conchas (sugared baked items) and some hot foods.

We got a pound of Birria and Carnitas, & a pound of rice and beans each. The Birria was DELICIOUS, the Carnitas was DRY. The Rice was sort of like white rice with tomato paste thrown in it- and was really BLAND and Tasteless. Beans didn't have actual "beans" in it and were really, really, reallyyyyyyyy watery!!!! The above food was close to $60 - which I'm unsure if it was the actual normal cost or the "Gringo/White Person" price. *since I minimally speak Spanish and couldn't hear the vendor when she was speaking to me (as the music was pretty loud and she was speaking VERY low).

I'd come back for the Birria meat - but all the other food was MEHHHHH and a...

This is the most disgusting experience I’ve ever had I bought some Mexican pastries there and after my family and I ate some of them we realized that all the breads had a funky smell and taste to them when i inspected the bread we saw a bunch of maggots and the bread was molding. After going in and taking the bread to them and telling them this they refused to give me my money back instead they insisted for me to purchase more in store credit. Which obviously any sane person who just found there products that way would NEVER want to shop there again. So please if ever purchasing anything from there double check...