BajaNomad

Grocery Shopping in Mexicali

Timbercrete - 5-21-2007 at 03:56 PM

Greetings All

Next month I am thinking of heading to San Felipe in my RV. As I can't bring across some fruit and other items, can anyome tell me if there are any super mercados along the main route through Mexicali.

Thank you
Will

comitan - 5-21-2007 at 04:11 PM

A couple of super Walmarts.:lol::lol::lol:

[Edited on 5-21-2007 by comitan]

DianaT - 5-21-2007 at 04:12 PM

Shop in El Centro or Calexico at the Food for Less and don't worry about it. We have only been asked about fruits and vegies at the border between Baja and Baja Sur.

There used to be a Vons in Calexico, but it did not survive the last strike. Take what you want, and don't worry.

Have fun
Diane

[Edited on 5-22-2007 by jdtrotter]

bajalou - 5-21-2007 at 05:52 PM

There is a market is San Felipe, Hipon, with a good supply of fresh fruits & veg with prices on some items that beat Mega prices in Mexicali.

Shopping in San Felipe

MrBillM - 5-21-2007 at 06:12 PM

Mercado Baja, Mercado Sembrador and D.J.'s Market all usually have quality Fresh Fruit and Vegetables. Mercado Sembrador seems to be the most consistent.

Timbercrete - 5-21-2007 at 06:12 PM

Thank you all. As I have never been to S.F., I'm not sure what to expect.

Bajalou--- Do you know anyhting about thwe RV parks in that area?

larry - 5-21-2007 at 07:09 PM

You will do far better grocery shopping in Mexicali than in San Felipe. All the major supermarket chains have huge stores along the main route (Lopez Mateos) toward San Felipe from the main Calexico crossing. There are a lot of them approximately one to three miles south of the border including Ley, Gigante, I think Walmart.

You will get better meat at these than at the markets in San Felipe Also pan dulce and they make fresh tortillas in the stores.

I always like to load up on groceries south of the border---just another slightly different experience than shopping in a supermarket back home.

bajalou - 5-21-2007 at 10:05 PM

Not many RV parks left in San Felipe - Rubens and a couple just south on Mar De Cortez are about all I know of. Of course I live here so don't need RV parks.

The new market Hipon that opened recently is my wife's favorite - likes it better than Sambrador as she feels the fruits and vegs are consistently fresher. An she uses a lot of both.

Living here, we never bring this kind of stuff from El Centro or Calexico - so much less bother to get it locally.

[Edited on 5-22-2007 by bajalou]

Bajajorge - 5-22-2007 at 09:07 AM

I don't even worry what I bring into Mexico, it's what I bring back to the US that US Customs gets excited about. (Don't get jacked up, I'm talking legal stuff). The Wal Mart in Mexicali leaves alot to be desired. COSTCO and Mega are good. The Wal Mart at the corner of Rt 111 and Cole Rd in the US is great. Just 135 miles from San Felipe.

Bajajorge - 5-22-2007 at 09:11 AM

The Mercado Hipon has some real good prices. You're really going native when you shop there. The trick is finding the place. The trip in there can get quite interesting at times.

Bajafun777 - 5-22-2007 at 10:17 AM

Ok, Timbercrete your coming into the Mexicali Port on Hwy. 111, so on your way there take a quick detour into town of Heber, just about 3 miles off of Hwy. 111 to the west. Stop at Kenedys Market to get what you want to BBQ. They have very good carne asada and chicken asada you can not go wrong with their meat and at a good price. They always have specials going on and all the locals shop here for the BBQ meat it's their biggest seller. This store has been in Heber so long I can not remember it not being their. You can also get some ready made burritos for your trek down to San Felipe and know ahead of time what good eating you will be doing once you cook yours. You can also pick up anything else you need and they also make good hot sauce. I know that there are lots of places in Mexicali also and some in San Felipe but if time is sometime you are trying to save do it here first. I have never been bothered taking anything down to San Felipe when crossing into Mexicali, the only times they really get into your stuff big time is during X-Mas time as everybody wants a cut then. Later----------------------------bajafun777

DianaT - 5-22-2007 at 01:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajafun777
Ok, Timbercrete your coming into the Mexicali Port on Hwy. 111, so on your way there take a quick detour into town of Heber, just about 3 miles off of Hwy. 111 to the west. Stop at Kenedys Market to get what you want to BBQ. They have very good carne asada and chicken asada you can not go wrong with their meat and at a good price. They always have specials going on and all the locals shop here for the BBQ meat it's their biggest seller. This store has been in Heber so long I can not remember it not being their. You can also get some ready made burritos for your trek down to San Felipe and know ahead of time what good eating you will be doing once you cook yours. You can also pick up anything else you need and they also make good hot sauce. I know that there are lots of places in Mexicali also and some in San Felipe but if time is sometime you are trying to save do it here first. I have never been bothered taking anything down to San Felipe when crossing into Mexicali, the only times they really get into your stuff big time is during X-Mas time as everybody wants a cut then. Later----------------------------bajafun777


We had heard so much about Kennedy's Market in Heber in the past. But when we moved to Calexico, we visited that market on several occasions and never bought anything. The meat counter smelled really rotten.

Diane

Kennedy's

MrBillM - 5-22-2007 at 06:01 PM

It even looks trashy from the outside.

I stop across the street on every trip South and North to pick up mail at the Post Office and I've NEVER been tempted to go inside. I guess I'm missing something.

Bajafun777 - 5-22-2007 at 06:29 PM

Ok, looks can fool you and if you watch outside of the store you will see the farmers trucks, labor buses, women and men driving up in everything from a dodge colt to a Lincoln. The smell inside is what you experience in any store that sells the type of meats that is used in a lot of mexican dishes. The kidneys, cow intestines, etc. etc. etc. but still the carne asade and chicken asade is very good and every year in Imperial County all the stores compete for the King of the Carne Asada and Kennedys has won most of them. Now if you want the very best and don't mind paying more then try Ramey's Meats in Brawley on Hwy 111 leaving Brawley for Calipatria. Go down main street in Brawley until you get to the Fire Department and turn left (on main street you are heading east) and go down past one stop light and on the curve you will see Ramey's Meats on the right hand side. It is very clean and they air vaccum the meat in packages for you so it is easy to ice it down for the trip. They send their meat all over the U.S. and even to the islands. They have a large map on their wall that shows where they have shipped their meats, they have been in business since the early 40's and they won every contest until they quit going on the King of Carne Asada have beef and chicken enjoy.

DianaT - 5-22-2007 at 06:51 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajafun777
Ok, looks can fool you and if you watch outside of the store you will see the farmers trucks, labor buses, women and men driving up in everything from a dodge colt to a Lincoln. The smell inside is what you experience in any store that sells the type of meats that is used in a lot of mexican dishes. The kidneys, cow intestines, etc. etc. etc. but still the carne asade and chicken asade is very good and every year in Imperial County all the stores compete for the King of the Carne Asada and Kennedys has won most of them. Now if you want the very best and don't mind paying more then try Ramey's Meats in Brawley on Hwy 111 leaving Brawley for Calipatria. Go down main street in Brawley until you get to the Fire Department and turn left (on main street you are heading east) and go down past one stop light and on the curve you will see Ramey's Meats on the right hand side. It is very clean and they air vaccum the meat in packages for you so it is easy to ice it down for the trip. They send their meat all over the U.S. and even to the islands. They have a large map on their wall that shows where they have shipped their meats, they have been in business since the early 40's and they won every contest until they quit going on the King of Carne Asada have beef and chicken enjoy.


We lived in the back waters of Honduras---shopped in the open meat markets, and then lived in Guatemala---same thing. Having traveled all over Mexico, we have frequented the open markets, where the meat was delivered like the attached picture. Yes, looks can fool a person, but the smell of rotten meat is the same anywhere. Our students in Calexico even joked about Kennedys.



Sorry, but we never saw the crowds at Kennedy's and things do change. The Calexico locals laugh at Kennedy's.

But then again, one may want to still try it and see what they think.

Diane and John

Bajafun777 - 5-22-2007 at 07:38 PM

Ok, jdtrotter if you were from the area then what was your take on Ramey's Meats, as I will still say it beats all the rest. I never in 40 years had anyone tell me that they had rotten meat at Kennedys nor have I ever gotten any rotten meat from Kennedys. As some people know if your in the rural area local cattlemen have steers that break their legs and they butcher them out but need a place to cool the meat down. I know Kennedy use to do that in the past for such cattlemen that brought them in just as Ramey's did so if that is what you have pictured in your pictures I think you are misleading people. Second, all the stores in Imperial County are inspected by the Health Department and believe me they go after those that do not keep their places clean when cutting meat. I know I worked around in meat shop while going to college down here. You can not, repeat can not sell the meat from these cattlemen that they bring in as broken leg kills. They normally give the meat out to the workers once the store cools it down and cuts it up for them and them only. The store would loose it license to operate if caught selling this type of meat and the cattlemen would be fined. The store even has to mark each packet as uninspected meat not for sale, if caught not marking meat as such they are fined again. So, your picture is not how they receive the meat they sell at the store. This is cattle yard kill as I discribed above and it is not the way that Kennedy's gets it meat to sell nor is this how they get the meat for carne asada and chicken asada. They get these in cases of meat that they have to trim off the fat and then season and then sell. They get their meats from the same delivery wholesellers that other stores use in the valley or from the local meat plant in Brawley that sells inspected meats. They could not keep enough in their glass case trying to get the carne asada meat they need from the steer pictured above. This picture of a forequarter and hind quarter of a beef, and then a pig that has also been killed and ready to be cooled down in the cooler. Pictures and statements can be misleading and let's not get into what people in Calexico say about people in Heber and vice versa because gossip is just not becoming of any of us. I grew up around farming and cattle yards so I would like to just have you rethink what you have thought as true but I tell you it is not. Everybody has their favorite meat stores and Kennedy's is not my favorite as Ramey's is but it is in the top 3. I would not refer someone to some place to get them sick or some place that sells junk. If you don't like that Kennedy's old market then go to the one in El Centro on Adams Avenue just off of Imperial Avenue which Hwy 86 turns into as it goes through El Centro to get to I-8. All it sells is meat and no it does not smell as the old one due to not selling all of the same kinds of meat, however its carne asada and chicken asada would be my number 2 place to get it after Ramey's in Brawley.