Alta Baja Market

Amazing hostess. A very friendly and warm welcome from the moment we walked in. We came to Alta Baja Market to have a brunch with our besties so the ratings may be benefiting from the company we shared. This is a market so you will find beans, spices, and a fabulous selection of Mexican wines (yes Mexico has wine regions ). The food is what I call a craft. I think the cook wants you to taste the subtle flavors and freshness. Not quite farm-to-table, but very close. She did mention flying to Mexico to pick up 300 lbs of Chiles. The chilaquiles are served in a bowl with tortillas so that you can taste the corn, the beans need a bit more salt. That seemed to be a common piece of feedback among the group. The French toast ordered by wifey was very tasty, the bread seemed to be a light egg brioche type. The corn pancakes are well-covered with oats and bananas. Overall we had a very satisfying meal.

We tried the breakfast burritos, French toast, quesadillas, pinche miraz , and lentil chili with corn bread. Everything was delicious. Cute shop with lots of eclectic items for sale including spices and organic chocolate. Definitely worth coming to if you’re visiting downtown Santa Ana.

A group of 7 of us met for lunch at Alta Baja. E had such a good time. The food was great, ambiance nice (you can eat, shop for amazing Rancho Gordo beans, peruse books). The owner visited with us. She was delightful and so helpful. She recommended some beans and when I asked how to cook them, she returned with a recipe. Can’t wait to try them. A really nice place to meet friends for food and fun.

Been visiting this place multiple times and that day was the first day I ever ate at this place. The store is always clean stocked up and had that aesthetic where you are at a tienda. We got the blue corn cakes, the la llorona, cafesito iced of course and their Jamaica Palmer. Food was really good. The jalapeño sauce with the sandwich was really good it basically shredded chicken reminded me of a bit of chicken tinga with the salad on the side of course. The blue corn cakes is really crispy and savory. Reminds me of a latke. It comes with a side of salsa and crema. The service is great. Your instantly greeted when you arrive and the staff is super friendly really nice folks. They also check up on you to make sure your enjoying your time and of course your food. For dessert, ordered the French pudding it’s like a French toast but better. Very buttery but melts into your palettes. It’s not too sweet but with the right amount if you get what I’m saying. If you are in the area do check them out they have plenty of seats and next time will come try out the rest of their menu

The place is a slice of heaven! The Micheladas are fantastic. I had The Chismosa Micheladas and my wife had The Nopalito. Both were tasty and refreshing. Food was fantastic. I had chilaquilez and they were amazing. A perfect combination of spice, flavor, and seasoning. My wife had the Lady Green Chile Eggchilada. The Eggchilada was delicious, a perfect combination of cheese, spices, and flavor. The best part about the place is the service and people. Delilah and Gustavo are fantastic individuals and a pleasure to meet and chat about nothing and everything. Update: I returned after a year away and by God the place is still as good. Support local business.

I had a pleasure of stumbling across this treasure today from organic real spices, beautiful, smelling food, authentic ingredients, as well as people, and very excited to have found this gem and to dig into this delicious bottle of wine

Didn’t think I’d find legit chilaquiles inside a market, but here we are. Red sauce had some real depth, not just heat. Staff was cool, gave me recs without being pushy. It’s part café, part shop, part hangout spot — kinda weird setup, but it works. Chill energy all around.

Awesome community institution with gourmet southwest food and alcohol. Also has an affordable restaurant that uses fresh ingredients. And hosts awesome events. You should support this place!

Very cool cultural shop/restaurant can get food to eat in or to go Warning: it is spicy but a flavorful spice

Always tasty & fresh ingredients! I really like the chilaquiles & esquite salad. The ladies are very friendly :) Very cute and relaxing ambiance

We came here for brunch this morning and looooved it! Everyone is so nice and the food is great :) We ordered the Mija, french toast, and avocado toast and liked them all. I can't wait to come back for Pozole on Sundays

The micheladas are great and very reasonably priced. The guava is my favorite. I can't believe they close so early (4PM). I wish they'd stay open at least until 6 for pre-dinner drinks.

First time visiting today. Had an excellent quick and healthy lunch, and will definitely come back to try out the michelada options. The shop is super cute, too!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Alta Baja! The menu is beautifully curated, as is the store. When I'm looking for something healthy, but also savory or flavorful, this is my go to place. They also have an incredible selection of gourmet Items (I scored some amazing smoked salt for example) that make perfect gifts. Great vibe, great people!

First thing I want to mention this place is very cute and has great vibes. The owner and the employees were amazing. Very friendly and attentive. We had my brother's & Sister in laws bby Shower here. Don't get me started on the food delicious very authentic on point. I highly recommend you guys to check out this place if your craving some good Mexican food.

Great place. Free parking 8AM to 6PM so it's not to hard to find parking to walk at round and have breakfast or lunch.

What a fun event!! Encuentro exceeded our expectations!! Each course was delicious; each chef interesting to hear and the wine somm nailed the pairings!! Kudos to Delilah and her fabulous crew!! They served all of us with great cheer!! And the music was awesome! The performer had an amazing repertoire and voice range! Added great ambience!

"I loved the place! Their pozole was delicious, and the blue corn bread was really good. We also got their Chiquita michelada

This is a quaint, and modern take on all things Latino! A mix between SoCal, South West & Mexi flavors all rolled into a yummy menu with vegan options! Best posole in town... offered on the last Sunday of the month!! A must eat venue!

A gem on 4th Street! Great michis, cheese boards, and service. Usually, I don't care to comment on service because I'm there for the food and drinks. However, the service here is IMMACULATE. Every server/cashier is so kind and checked up on us quite often. They all went above and beyond to make sure we had a good experience. I was not expecting this since it was a seat yourself, casual place. Onto the food and drinks that I tried: 1. La Bossana (4/5): Guava, one of my fav fruits! Don't get me wrong, it was delish, but I couldn't taste the difference between the one with beer and the one without. My friend got the non-alch version and it tasted the same. The michi mix in itself was so good though! 2. La Chiquita (5/5): This was one of my favorites. The passionfruit flavor stood out. The spice was subtle, but it complimented the passionfruit well. 3. La Malandrina (3.5/5): This was an interesting drink! I wasn't sure about it at first, but I thought it was pretty tasty. I wouldn't order it for myself. 4. La Mera Mera (5/5): A fan favorite at our table! It was super savory and delicious. I think this is one of my favorite classic michis that I've ever had. I would say top 3! Try this one!! 5. Cheese Board (5/5): The cheese board was so beautiful with the fresh fruits and veggies. The cheese provided were all good, but the Swiss had to be my favorite cheese on the plate. It was a nice snack for the 6 of us! The cheese board for 4 was more than enough for all of us. Overall, I can't wait to come back. I've been dreaming of the La Mera Mera ever since my first visit.

FRESH! High quality ingredients and some amazing recipes. We have come here for brunch a few times, but last time we came through I had the pozole (only certain days of the month) and they just knocked it out of the park with that one, so had to stop and write them a review. Their prices are very affordable for the specialty food you are getting and it tastes like they are only using the best ingredients. Each plate comes to the table looking like a work of art and all their veggies and fruit are bursting with freshness and flavor. They put a lot of love into their food. Portions are HUGE! Always taking leftovers home with us. Things we have ordered and loved: Breakfast quesadillas, Puro Pinche Parri salad, Tuna Salad, Vegan Pozole and the Chilaquiles. And of course washed it all down with some aguas frescas. Fun and friendly staff, fresh food. Alta Baja is a great spot.

Love love love this place! Breakfast or lunch it's the best! Plus they have lots of things for cooking and more! The staff is so friendly and with every place seemingly to raise prices over and over this place seems to do the opposite! Very affordable for the whole family. I highly recommend!

This place is a foodies lovers paradise in every sense of the word. They have groceries and they serve food. The kicker is that t everything is REASONABLY PRICED. My friend and I were shocked at the price point. Prices could have been 50% more and I wouldn't have batted an eye. My best guess is is the rents are somewhat afforded in the area and they also want to make it affordable for the neighborhood. The bluepancakes could have been eaten twice over. My friend said it was the most amazing thing she has ever eaten and would live to come again. My breakfast casserole was something I can only dream of eating again. It was absolutely delicious and that salsa was fire. It felt like eating mom's food with a twist. I appreciated that they asked everyone to wear masks inside the store as we do travel with someone who is immunocompromised. The patio was a beautiful little oasis in the city and we loved to people watch there. The store was sto ked to the walls with the most amazing groceries. There was flour, spices, wine and even seeds! They had cold wine and cheeses as well and the owner, Delilah (sp?) was an absolute gem. I dropped $150 on the groceries without batting an eye. She also didn't judge when I asked for a cheap bottle of wine (it was also epic!). Parking was free and convenient in the garage. Just be aware that the elevators don't work (despite the sign that says call for access). If you have someone who needs DP access make sure they bring their placard or drop them off at the bottom floor. The city who own the garage should be ashamed and I wouldn't be shocked if they get sued for making hard for DP hders to access such awesome businesses.

An expertly curated market and delicious cafe! I cannot get enough of the blue cornbread and my husband loves the selection of micheladas. Great for gift shopping, too!

Great selection of curated items, delicious micheladas and food, and a great atmosphere. Will return!

Good food for a decent price! Got the ABM house salad with the creamy jalapeno dressing and was pretty impressed. The salad I think is iceberg which is ok haha but the toppings were SO good. Cotija cheese, melon, avocado and radish were all super fresh. The dressing was really good, it had a light kick which I liked :) great salad for the price!

Still our favorite breakfast spot two years later! Love all the staff, the owner and the food is always on point, and great value! We usually order to go but love the outside seating if we eat there.

Perfection. From the way it looks and feels to what they offer on the shelves to the delicious menu of prepared items in the shop. A perfect spot to visit in Santa Ana.

Second time here and we still loved it! I got the Puro pinche parri salad with creamy jalapeño dressing + vegan adovada (jackfruit) and a canned mango chili tepache. The salad was BOMB - the dressing made it spicy and the chips gave a good crunch. The tepache was not really spicy but still pretty tasty. My partner got the breakfast torta with bacon and 2 micheladas. It's not a traditional torta because it's not made with a telera or a bolillo, but it is still pretty good. Adding the bacon gave it an extra kick. The two micheladas - La Mera Mera was closest to a traditional miche and was good, but La Chiquita is passion fruit flavored and super bomb! If you like passion fruit, definitely get that one!

I remember trying the vegan blue corn banana pancakes a few years ago and really enjoying them. I went back this weekend to get them again. They come topped with granola and with sides of coconut whip and jam-- Make sure to specify vegan so they don't give you honey butter! While they were tasty, this time, they came out fairly dry so I didn't end up eating everything. I had to pick them apart and not eat the most dry areas. I still want to come back here again and try their other vegan options. I'm so thankful they have so many plant-based menu items! They also have several other market items around the space including seasonings, frozen entrées, kombucha, alcoholic kombucha, beer, dips, etc.

This past weekend I enjoyed another incredible meal at Alta Baja. I've been here a few times before and each time I come the food always exceeds my expectations. I had La Bruja for my drink, the bread pudding with apricot jam and the green enchilada casserole. Each bite was so innovative and dynamic you will want to taste it for yourself! Delilah is so creative and kind.

We had an amazing experience! Saturday morning Brunch was wonderful. We each had four different entrees. Absolute Deliciousness. The owner wad here and personally greeted us. The custom made drinks were amazing. They are also dog friendly. We will be back! Highly recommended!!

The quality and specialness (is that a word?) of the items in this shop is astounding! Calling it a "boutique" suggests snootiness or snobbery, but there's none of that in ABM! Instead, it's carefully curated cool things, along with delicious brunch. Love the drinks too, and the entire staff is so warm and authentic. Five bright stars

We happened upon this gem today, and were so impressed with the food and hospitality. Delilah and her husband are the owners/operators and they have created an interesting menu packed full of fresh ingredients and wonderful flavors. You must try the blue cornbread. No doubt this will become a regular and favorite eating place. * There are lots of packaged beans, spices, jarred specialty foods and gifts available for purchase. And the tables are well-spaced so that's a bonus during Covid.

Everything we tasted at Alta Baja Market was absolutely delicious. The corn bread was awesome. The homemade jam was scrumptious. I had a BLT and my boss had the carne adobada and we both enjoyed our meals. My salad was so fresh. But the drinks were out of this world. I had a pina with coconut and my boss had a michelada, all non-alcoholic thanks to Topo-Chico. Didn't even miss the alcohol. This business lunch was one of the best and most delicious, ever. And what a great ambiance around the restaurant/market. Sure there's some parking issues due to OCTA's construction of their streetcar, but there's free parking at the parking structures nearby. Well worth the very short walk.

Alta Baja is my new favorite brunch spot. The ingredients are so fresh that I always feel really good after eating here. Surprinsingly, my favorite item on the menu has got to be their tuna sandwich. I've tried to order it a couple of times, and they are usually out, but if you tell them you can wait for them to make a new batch - it usually doesn't take too long. On top of all the delicious things that alta baja market offers, they also have wine and beer tastings on certain days of the month. The market is also a great placed for curated spices and local products.

I went to a downtown Santa Ana tasting event and had a delicious vegan dish they were serving that day. It was a few years ago so I don't remember the name of he dish. I recently went back and was able to look around the shop. It is a long fairly large area with products, drinks and food. They have picnic type tables to sit at which can seat a large group. Their market selection looked good and they have a variety of items. The employees are super nice, friendly and helpful.

The breakfast quesadilla is my go to here. It is delicious. I would also recommend the tuna melt. You must try the Jamaica Palmer it is so refreshing and perfectly tart. The service is always amazing everyone is so friendly and kind. This is a great place to meet up with especially if you have friends with dietary restrictions/food sensitivities. The market items are unique and it's cool to be able to shop while you wait for your food.

Delicious food, wonderful staff, and a great time. This little gem is a market and resteraunt. If you want some of the best micheladas then come here!! Huge variety (offered virgin too), to pair with their delicious food. Will be coming back! Gluten free and vegetarian friendly

For many reasons ALTA BAJA has become a local landmark, and the owner, Delilah Snell, has become a person of well-deserved local celebrity stature! She helped reinforce the reinvention of Santa Ana into an urban socioeconomic centerpiece in a county whose character had often been better known for suburban characteristics and shopping centers. ALTA BAJA and The 4th Street Market, with residential opportunities soon available on a level above, provides gourmet-and specialty items from the very special Electric City butcher! to organic produce, craft beers, and many other had welcome culinary choices! I recently had a BLT on artisan bread! It became an instant favorite!! This, with many new culinary options to recommend, such as "Coffee Muse"across 4th Street, and artists from the OC School of the Arts, and the OC Center for Contemporary Art is making this area one to not miss!

I love love Delialah the Owner and her beautiful personality as well her delicious healthy food and her michelada's are to die for. All the way around you have to try everything. Thank you Lots of love

Dropped in since the other coffee shops couldn't break my $100 bill. Had their "desayuno bowl" breakfast bowl which came with a bed of quinoa topped with poached eggs, chorizo, and avocados. Great little find while I'm running errands in Santa Ana and definitely will be coming back

What a great little market for random Latin tchotchkes! Apparently they have a bar I was not aware of and the drinks are spectacular! They average about $8 and there's a happy hour M-F from 3-6:30 pm. Try the prickly pear margarita! It's to die for! The drinks are cheaper than the bar inside the 4th street market, which this is conveniently attached to.

I went because it was the meeting place for a history walk and I was thrilled with the amazing breakfast they provided. Fresh squeezed orange juice, a beautiful place of heirloom tomatoes, sliced avocado both caught my eyes along with buttery, flakey croissants and fresh fruit as well as farm-fresh (literally) eggs. All this was served with delicious cafe de olla. After the walk we met again at Alta Baja Market for snacks, a generous cheese plate & jamica agua fresca. I'm definitely returning to try more. The service was friendly and the food amazing. Just wish I had taken photos...next time! Parking was easy, parking structure was around the corner, even though there is street construction for the trolley.

I was craving a good torta all weekend and as I was browsing on 4th street I noticed Alta Baja is also a cafe. Since the torta I got at la vegana mexicana didn't exactly hit the spot I decided to try this one the next day.. The description sounds like you're in for a great vegan torta.. except it doesn't come on a torta bread or toasted bread roll. Just regular toasted or burned sliced bread, I got both.. toasted on top and burned on the bottom. The beans inside were pretty plain and I'm not sure if they added the vegan chipotle mayo. If they did, it was very little. Fruit salad wasn't exactly a salad either, just green melon or honeydew maybe.

Airy, plenty of seating, friendly service, and delicious micheladas. Relaxing spot to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Cute casual Mexican breakfast/lunch spot (both served all day), which is also a market and located inside 4th street market. The menu items use fresh ingredients, the meats and cheeses are from Electric City butcher's next door. There are also traditional American options available on the menu as well as many vegetarian/vegan options. They also boast a nice michelada menu! The seating is long bench style, but you can also take your food out and eat at the 4th st market seating. They have games and coloring books you can play at the tables in the restaurant. You order at the register, and your food is brought out to you. I was very impressed with the service, they refilled my water and even replaced a michelada that my friend was not happy with for another one that she loved. I ate the La llorano sandwich which had carne adovada (shredded pork with hatch chile) + cotija cheese and was a bit on the spicy side, but amazing none the less. The bread was toasted and went really well with the meat, never got soggy. Came with a little side salad. The pineapple coconut michelada wasn't super fruity and sweet, tasted more like a cinnamon tamarindo or something. I liked it. Prickly pear michelada was refreshing and sweet.

My wife and I love to get late breakfast there on the weekends. The food is wonderful and the service is always friendly.

The staff and food at Alta Baja Market are too good to pass up, even in the middle of all the construction downtown! Their customer service is IMPECCABLE

What a beautiful find on my drives between la and San Diego! My husband and I were making this drive we often make and looking for good Mexican food we hadn't had before. All the taco guides to the oc online looked dubious to me, singling out things I knew not to be good. Then I saw a recent piece by journalist Gustavo Arellano, and he mentioned his wife's place which sounded interesting. Now I am a huge fan. I had an amazing green chile egg creation that was a daily special and my husband had a wonderful avocado toast with their own pepper citrus blend on top. I fell in love with the wonderful small market with an extensive selection of great Mexican wines, Rancho Gordo beans, posole makings, lots of spices and much much more. If I lived here I would be coming in at least twice a week. Great place!

Right next to my new favorite personal butchers Electric City Butchers (actually connected to the butchers by a common glass door is Alta Baja manned by two of the coolest women (see what I did there?!)... I've met in a long time. Friendly, helpful and in control of some of the most interesting, flavorful and different offerings this side of Paris and Tokyo. First, it's not a Mexican restaurant which many might surmise by the Spanish Mexican name, but more Southwest/TexMex cuisine meets NW Portland/Seattle. I digress... Upon my exit from Electric City Butchers I was feeling a bit peckish after looking at the wonderful meat selections with the whitest fat marbling you have ever seen (which indicates not only freshness but quality of the meat... their's is off the charts compared to what you get in most butchers and never seen in grocery chains even ones carrying USDA Prime and Certified Angus Beef) Upon entering the seemingly normal cafe/bistro/food products store Alta Baja, I was warmly greeted by one of the ladies whom upon my perusal of the chalkboard menu recommended several items. Then I saw a beverage with Passion Fruit!... One of my favorite fruits I AM quite passionate about! (Sorry had to! Don't hate!) It's name "La Chiquita" which I came find out contained a fair amount of alcohol (Modelo cerveza...so not too much alcohol... which I didn't realize at the time of ordering, but they had me at 'Fresh Passion Fruit"! Along with my La Chiquita I ordered a La Llorona sandwich of carne adovada (a slow cooked shredded pork with hatch chile) + cotija. Which was served on two very fresh slices of champagne bread (also known as country bread from the region of Champagne... sorry no Champagne wine, which near my family in Italy is known as como bread. Since it was first made by a baker in nearby Verona named Francesco Favaron) The bread is a type of ciabatta bread with a harder outer crust and soft moist porous inside similar to your dough. This particular bread had the nice hard thick crust but tender enough to chew easily. A perfect pair for the Pork filling. Together the Passion Fruit La Chiquita and La Llorona perfectly quenched the flames of hunger. But one thing I must add was the Infinity Sauce 'Ghost Monk' and 'Chipotle' condiments offered which too the La Llorona to the next level. I am not much of a Chipotle guy, but that Ghost Monk was amazingly perfect for the sandwich. I rarely drive away from a new place with the fondness I did at Alta Baja or Electric City Butchers, but I found myself thinking of when can I get back to see these two lovely ladies for my next food adventure. By the way, Alta Baja uses Electric City Butchers as their meat supplier. Which is just one of many reasons pointing to the ingredient Alta Baja and it's people use key to the making of each their items at Alta Baja also being the most forgotten and needed ingredient in the world... LOVE! Until then, go and try them yourself and share your experience with me...and the world. While I never write about molecular gastronomy or fusion, only about ethnic authenticity of the world's cuisines I found myself in a dilemma until I realized that each item in my meal was inline with my creed as my motto goes... "Always be True to the Cuisine™" - Chef Dom

Great small market and eatery. Locally owned, with great food ideas and a cool location in DT Santa Ana. Located next to a few other eateries, and a real butcher. Mexican food at its best.

Alta Baja is like no other market out there which is why it's worth stopping in to either eat, drink or pick-up a unique gift for friends, family etc. I've gotten cool birthday cards, I've eaten the veagan pozole drank the specialty michelladas and recently I saw someone eating an egg dish that looked amazing and they told me they got it from here so I went. I would stop by here if I was going to a picnic with friends at Hollywood Bowl and needed food, drinks, wine, sauces, a blanket etc. Alta Baja carries unique items that are easy to pull from the fridge or you can order something to go from their kitchen that would work just as well. The space is large and spacey so you could also enjoy your meal or items there. The owner is super friendly as is the rest of the staff. I can't really explain what it is, but I can tell you probably will find something here that you can't find at many other markets.

Love this place since they opened. The food is top notch and all the merchandise inside is hand selected by the owner, to insure you only get quality goods. The pozole is amazing. Even though my wife and I moved out of Santa Ana a year ago, which put a stop to our near weekly visits here, we still come as often as we can.

This place may have great food and be in a really great location, but food isn't everything. Customer Service should be. The owner or manager not sure was EXTREMELY rude, I had a few questions on the food she slams the menu down and told me "I'm very busy" there was literally no one in line. I was baffled and confused. Definitely won't be coming back here. Truly sad because it does have good reviews.

This place has a wide selection of different foods, drinks, sauces, cookware, and even cleaning supplies. We only got micheladas and no food (we already ate), but they were amazing. We got La Mera Mera and La Chiquita and were so impressed. The woman working the counter was nice and very helpful We will be coming back for sure to try La Ultima and some food

Everything I have had here is delicious!! I dream of their cheese plate and La Bossona michelada. No cheese plate compares to this! The guava michelada tastes just like guava, it is so refreshing.