El-Sombrero Grocery Store

You really have to take a ride to this store to believe it.... There's a restaurant that they own next door. But if you're in a rush and looking for a quick bite to go, this store is the place to stop... They have a freshly cooked carnitas buffet thats set up for takeout.... I'm talkin melt in your mouth pork... But what they make that is absolutely amazing, is their tamales... Reeaally great tamales.. They make them onsite and sell them not only in their grocery store and restaurant, but the freeze and pack them for their wholesale business...
Inside the store you can find more authentic Mexican treats, ranging from candy, to cheeses, to chips, to pasteries, to soda's....
Did I mention that they have a cut to order butcher shop inside also...
Every business should be as accomodating as this one...

I've been going to this place for over 10 years now. It used to be just a takeout counter with a chalkboard sign in Spanish. Now it is a bright, airy full-service restaurant. The food is just as good and just as cheap as ever.

Skip the platters and just get the tacos, burritos, etc. The burrito is only $3 and it is all meat. The gordita is fantastic and the tacos first rate. There is a salsa bar with tasty salsas, napolitos sald, crema, radishes, limes, cilantro, etc.

No matter which dish you get, you choose from several different meats, each shown with a photo in their helpful new laminated menus.
For a burrito, I  particularly like the fajita-style beef, which is more of a slow cooked shredded stew with peppers and onions. This is the only place I'll get tongue, which is best on a taco ($1!). The chorizo is very rich, so best on a gordita or tostada. All the other meats are delicious.

My advice is to skip the excellent tamales to save room in your belly and bring home a dozen of them from the freezer case (with some takeout salsa).

The Mexican grocery store/ butcher shop next door (El Ranchero) has a lot of the food available for takeout and lots of other good stuff.

Great outdoor seating (not sure if there is table service outside or not)

I wish I could get to El Sombrero more often.

okay, its a little out of my zone, but I went to White Clay Creek Preserve over this way. Let me tell ya, what a great suprise, especially being a Cali boy without good mexican. Granted I have yet to try some of the ones in Italian market area, but this was a blessing from the heavens. They say they are the home of the many salsas and that is true. Their salsas are super tasty and quite varied, from the mild roasted tomato salsa, to avocado green salsa, to spicy super liquid hell sauce. Its all right by me. But had a lot of food for a little dinero, a carnitas burrito, it was a little dry but tasty.(Im picky when it comes to carnitas). A quesadilla for the daughter, simple and good.  A chicharron taco that was yummstown. My wife had a really good sopa and i think a chalupa. We got the cantaloupe agua frescas and we were in heaven. If you are in Mushroom town, check it out - they got the salsa dance down around EL Sombrero!