El Chico Produce

Sometimes they have cheap avocados. Tonight they had some for $1. If you go inside, they have bigger ones for $1.30 or $2. It is convenient for me because I pick up some pastries across the street or eat at Chef Hunan. Usually there is no line at around 7:30pm.

OMG!! This place is GREAT!! I am here visiting from Texas and was introduced to this Produce Market. Everything is fresh, reasonable prices, great Meat. The queso fresco here is super yum, and I can say one of the best I have had so far anywhere, besides queso fresco CHILA from Progresso (Mx border town, abroad A Texas border). The cashiers are super friendly and just overall this place is a 10 in my book!

This place double charges you on items. Bad cashiers trying to rob you of your money! Tell me how are you going to charge 3 items for $19? The only reason you got away with it is because we were in a hurry. If you’re shopping around the area, I highly recommend staying away and go to Casa Lucaz or any other latin grocery/supermarket around the Excelsior. I’ve supported this business many times, but will no longer come here since there’s many alternatives after this unfortunate experience. Good luck with your renovations…selling nearly expired products and overcharging people will be the reason you go out of business.

Excellent local Latin market. Lots of variety. Good prices for the area. Nice people in the store to help you. Excellent meat counter. I will be back to El Chico in the future.

Decent prices though selection is small and limited mostly to Hispanic-oriented goods (so, for example, don't expect to find Portobello mushrooms, artichokes or lacinato kale here). Lots of Central and South American products. Cleanliness is OK but not spotless. It's convenient for the neighborhood, but there are better local grocers.

This place been here for more than 3 decades at least

I was in line the Spanish cashier was so friendly to the guy she was helping . She said hello before ringing him up and took while to complete his transaction and he only purchased a few things. When it was my turn ,no Hello or no reaction. I handed her my credit card in her hand and she was done using it she just placed it down the counter. I asked her where's my card? I told her I handed my card to your hand ,u need to hand it back to me. She just kept quiet. Don't know if she understood me. If you're not Spanish customers they are not friendly at all.

This grocery store is well stocked with Mexican and Central american products. I like the cleanliness of this place and their prices are competitive to their competition. Cash out service flows fast.

Sometimes they have cheap avocados. Tonight they had some for $1. If you go inside, they have bigger ones for $1.30 or $2. It is convenient for me because I pick up some pastries across the street or eat at Chef Hunan. Usually there is no line at around 7:30pm.

Excellent local Latin market. Lots of variety. Good prices for the area. Nice people in the store to help you. Excellent meat counter. I will be back to El Chico in the future.

Great local market with an abundance of fresh fruits, produce, meats and specialty products.

As of late I've had a craving for avocados in my salads. So I usually find myself buying the bags of avocados at places like Costco & Safeway. I've noticed their prices per piece are sort of high (even when they are on sale!) Enter El Chico... this place is on my way to Safeway and I have stopped here a few times now. The selection and quality they have are pretty legit. Variety of different sizes of avocados & mangoes (those are the two I tend to buy a lot of). Of course there is also ton plethora of other produce, a deli, and butcher shop. I'm just there for the produce though. Once I venture into other foods, you'll be the first to know. ANYHOW... So far so good. They have tiny, medium, and huge avocados (for California standards) The prices are very reasonable with the size and quality of the produce. Their Mango selection is pretty good. Only once did I walk in there and they tried to sell me a mango for $6.99 because it was "really big". (Hence 4 stars) I looked at the clerk, whom I know isn't responsible for price gouging big mangoes, but I told her there is no way on earth I'll pay that much for a single mango. She was cordial and sorta laughed it off without acknowledging because she knew I was right. A couple of days later those mangos had gone down significantly in price. Something interesting to note... For a while there were these mangoes from Ecuador and they had the name "Tommy" on the price sticker. I don't know why but they were awful, and all the stores had the same mangoes. I've would say, don't buy mangoes with "Tommy" on them. I speak from experience. Aside from that, it has a whole lot of variety and fair prices 95% of the time. the folks that work there are very nice and always respectful! It's a HUGE space with LOTS of fruits, veggies, Central and South American foods and condiments, and a huge selection of different Queso! IYKYK. Oh and the prices for their LIMES... dearlawd... Safeway .59 PER lime El Chico: 4 for $1 Just the "quick" tip... GO there. If you want high quality produce and to support a local business, it's very much worth it. Great variety, fair prices, and friendly staff. Parking is another story, but we already know that.

Once you spot this grocery store on the corner of the street, you'll immediately notice their large selection of colorful fruits. Walk inside the store and you'll find even more choice in fruits and vegetables. Though all the veggies looked great, most of the fruits looked decent, while some of them were overly ripe (bananas, mangoes). I picked up a lot of fruits and veggies, though I've got to point out the guava because they smelled amazing! The store has lots of other stuff, too, like beans, chips, meats, canned fruit juices, and queso fresco. You can purchase a lot of produce here at a lower price than at a regular grocery store. Go support this local market - the pricing and wide selection of fruit and veggies can't be beaten.

Wasted $4.50 on three green mangoes that turned out to be rotten from the inside and wholly unfit to eat.

Excellent produce selection. Everything looked fresh and the staff was friendly. Picked up a few things but plan to make this a regular stop as my alternative to big box grocery stores

I went to this place on Amy A's recommendation. She's not lying. This place is great!! They have the best produce selection of any of the markets in the neighborhood and they are SUPER CHEAP! The produce is usually very good. As with most outdoor / indoor markets, you gotta be a little picky with the outside stuff that's been in the sun (hint, most of the items outside are also stocked inside). The meat counter is expansive and the meat is very fresh. There seems to be alot of turn-over here, and I never notice any funky smells by the meat. They also have a cheese counter and a bakery aisle along with a few aisles of dried grocery goods. I tried the Chuletas Preparados like Amy A told me to and they were delicious. They are cut thin they are perfect for grilling or pan searing (what I did). They were actually cheaper than I expected ($2.39 a lb) so I got some chicken (prepared) as well for the same price. The butchers here are nice, they know their stuff and they will put your meat order in the refrigerator case for you while you shop or stand in line (NICE!) to sum up, I bought: 1 lb of prepared chicken 1 lb of prepared pork 4 valencia oranges 4 asian pears 2 large white zucchini 2 bunches of asparagus 1 bunch of bananas 1 2L of Diet Coke under $15 dollars Wtf is Safeway?

I love El Chico. This is the place to go for fresh produce and meats. Everything is so much less expensive than Safeway and the selection is better, too. I highly recommend that you try the Chuletas Preparados, pork chops marinated in fresh veggies and seasoning, raw for $2.99/lb. We brought home a pound today and threw it on the BBQ Grill. It was MOUTH WATERING and a pound was enough to feed four. The also have marinated chicken and steak. And the rest of the meat counter is just as impressive! The produce is fantastic too. Red Leaf Lettuce is $0.75/head and big fresh limes are 8/$1.00. El Chico beats the hell out of Safeway!

yah, you'll think its a bit dirty and unorganized as you are wandering thru the labrinth of metal shelves and looking dubiously at the fruit stacked in cardboard boxes, but then you see the hand-written prices and you fill your basket to the brim. CHEAP-O. I mean 69 cent avocados and the like. all the food is F.O.T.T. (fresh out the truck) from mexico and completely unorganic, but ignore strawberries, tomatoes etc. and all will be fine. they have great mangoes, avocados, bananas, papayas, citrus and peaches (when they are in season). you can stock up on mexican hot chocolate (yum), tapatio hot sauce and portuguese sweet rolls (makes great french toast). oh and the frozen tamales are great! details: parking can sometimes be difficult on mission, turn down ocean for more options. also, be sure to watch where you step when you are perusing the produce outside, theres always a roll away underfoot. notice how the cashiers wet there fingers with lemon to separate the plastic bags. very natural and nice :)

Awful customer service. Stopped in there today since it was convenient I was on Muni I got off at the bus stop and what a mistake I do not need to be yelled at when I ask a question a simple question to be answered very nicely not yelling at me last time I will ever going to your supermarket

Not a good market, poor produce, unclean, and got bad directions from the checker. Would not reccomend or come back. Uncleanliness is never ok when there's produce and food being served...

Have you ever been to a store with three shelves of Peruvian hot sauce? I have! El Chico has plenty of standard Mexican fare, but they also carry things I've never seen anywhere else, including some strange unlabeled fruit thing from the deli counter that's kept for the last year. El Chico also carries fresh nuts much cheaper than you'll find elsewhere, although watch out for the bagged mixed nuts -- everything's shelled except the pistachios (ow, potentially). This store has a rhythm -- if you shop around noon or 5, you'll have to elbow your way through the store and stand in a long line snaking past the deli counter, but in the afternoon and around the dinner hour of 6 or 7, you'll have better luck. El Chico has, as everyone else's review says, a large supply of fresh Latin American produce. I prefer going to the farmer's market, but when I do buy at a neighborhood store, I go El Chico.

I come here about 3 time/week, every week since 2009 Walk away with two gigantic heavy bags of fruits & veggies for like $15 They have the best prices on produce for a grocery store I've seen in the entire bay area. And their produce is really good, safeway and luckys etc don't even compare with the quality of their fruits. Speechless, its just so good. Go to El Chico Produce # 2 $10 min for credit cards.

My favorite grocer in the area. Produce is always good and occasionally I find things I thought only my grandmother has access to. Really low prices, especially compared to safeway. Also live all of the treats you can find here, and when I'm feeling home sick or want to celebrate a little something I just head over and grab something nice :) I definitely recommend this place, and bring cash for purchases less than $10

YES! This place is amazing. Buying produce anywhere else in the neighborhood is a poor life decision. They have an incredible selection of fresh, beautiful fruits and vegetables at prices so low I walk out feeling like I just robbed the place. Also, the people who work the register rock. They crank the line along at an astounding pace, and if they don't know how much something costs they'll just punch in some ridiculously low price. I got a huge bag of tortillas one time for 75 cents. They also have a good meat counter, which is definitely a lot cleaner and nicer than most of the meat markets in the neighborhood, some of which freak me out a little bit. Others freak me out quite a lot actually, like the one on geneva where a lot of stuff is self-service and just sitting out in the open and people who don't even work there sticking their bare hands into containers of chicken and fish. Anyway, none of that sketchy shit at El Chico. Another thing I love is the huge selection of spices from Mama, the cafe and coffee/spice importer located a couple blocks down the road at Mission & Onondaga. The spices are always good and are super cheap. Even stuff that is usually pricey like saffron! Anyway, stop yelping and go fill up a gigantic sack of produce. I guarantee it won't cost more than 20 bucks. Yelp, you need to implement a half dollar sign for this place, "inexpensive" is just not doing them justice.

Still amazing. A few updates-- * Be sure to look at the shelves below the waist-level -- there are so many things you might miss (i.e. corn tortillias, trail mix, Vietnamese breads, better Jumex flavors) * Don't ignore the Queso Fresco by the cash registers (order by the pound -- 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, ... it's less than $4/lb) * Coconut water here is awesome and less than $1 each! * Dry pasta here is great here (small-ish packets are $0.39 each -- they even have tiny stars and alphabets for the kids in us) * Button mushrooms and red/green lettuces are a steal here :D Sunday is my new grocery day here. LOVE. p.s. don't forget to BYOB (bring your own bags) ;)

Cool place. It's dirt cheap, and no, not because there is dirt on the produce sometimes. They carry everything you're looking for to prepare a fresh meal, and sell it cheaper than any other store in the neighborhood. I hate that they let rotting fruit sit on the stands and even try to sell it at lower prices though. It attracts flies and is kind of disgusting when it gets on your hands. But I do have to admit I've purchased some of those bad fruit.... it was like stealing! And it had only just gone bad. The shoppers here can be kind of rude, but just be patient or ignore them. A lot of the produce is really insect/pest/herb-icide heavy, but I don't worry about it as long I wash thoroughly and cook to the right temps. It's dirty and crowded from the sidewalk into the store, but preparing a nice meal at home with the fresh produce you brought at El Chico beats ordering out again.

On top of what everyone else already said, they will cut your meat any way you want it! Today, i'm going in to pick up 30 pounds of pork for our family tamales and they are cutting it for me just the way i want it. And to think about all the years we bought it at Costco and spent hours cutting it ourselves. They also have the BEST queso fresco in town. Order it at the counter freshly cut from the big round block.

Everything the local produce market should be--wide selection, ripe, well-maintained, clean, and most of all CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. Why anyone would pay twice the price for groceries at Safeway is beyond me. Plus, they have an amazing butcher with everything from marinated carne to pigs feet to fried pork skin to my white-boy favorite..boneless, skinless chicken and all for below grocery store prices. They also have authentic Mexican candies, basic canned food, and fresh baked pastries. Great selection of fruit and veg. A cheap chef's dream!

So basically most of the produce markets one mission street are super reasonably priced. I come here since they are close to my house and I can probably buy ridiculous amounts of produce for less than $10.00!! I know it's crowded and isn't as clean as safeway, but fresh produce is still fresh produce! Parking really sucks, but give it a try.. I'm like a little kid in a candy store.. except i'm really an adult in a grocery store =)

Interesting place to go because of the high ceiling and cables that span across the room. It's like a miniature outdoor market, indoors. I like wandering around here occasionally; helpful staff and lots of selection. Fun way to spend 20 minutes or so on south Mission, good prices on produce and latin-american products.

you can't go wrong with these local market, way fresher then safeway and lucky...

A great place to buy vegetables and fruit.

By far my favorite market in San Francisco. I love to travel and I am transported to Central America upon entering this once-bank building, now-latin market. Among my favorite products are the Salvadoran chorizo, the suspiciously large watermelons, the juicy oranges, the Mexican hot chocolate mix, and Mamá brand peanuts! The owners really care about the well-being of their staff and many of the current employees have worked there for years contributing to a informed team of people on hand to help customers.

Great service , people is so friendly and really clean i shop here for 10 years and i could say this is the store to shop

loves it. it's so cheap here compared to all the other places that are actually in the city. i can finally eat good tonight! for the first time in 20 years...uwu

I live by Mission and Geneva and have a bunch of these types of places around me but I go a bit further to El Chico Produce because of their selection, quality and prices. Parking can be tough but it's well worth it.

Great selection of fruits, vegetables and meats at a great price. Chorizo, arrachera etc. lots of fruits they even had mamey once. Mostly CA and MX stuff and sometimes from central/South America. Nice cashiers and butchers.

My mom loves this place cus they have gallina and most of the meats. Just today she when to go buy ribs she order 3 when she got home and open the plastic this guy gave her 6??? I mean more meat lol but next time please pay attention what people order . I notice the meat section is more cleaner and the taste of the meats is better than the produce Guzman.