Northgate Gonzalez Markets

I love their huge selection of ceviche and shrimp coctel! Their deli is to die for too. Fresh tortillas are made everyday and I love eating them when they’re still warm. I go visit my uncle at the cemetery behind their building so I always pick up his flowers there. Their florals nice and very affordable.

I’m writing about the prepared foods café here. The rest of the store is pretty awesome in terms of cleanliness and assortment but their «service deli» is pretty cool. My favorite spot is the ceviche counter/​great variety of freshly made ceviches and Agua chiles as well as freshly made salsas. They also have a cafeteria line where you can get a huge doblado taco for cheap or burrito, or guiso, etc. also have roasted chickens in the hot case as well as carnitas and the usual Tripitas, fried chicken, fried potatoes which I have not tried yet. The also have a great selection of Aguas frescas made there. You can put together a great authentic Mexican meal for pretty cheap. For a pinche gabacho like myself, it’s really good.

I agree with Louie B’s comments. This market uses their «number tickets» when it suits them. The employees are not at all helpful to non-​spanish speaking customers. I was at the salsa bar waiting to be served. About five people pushed their way in front of me (not one with a number) finally after everyone else had been waited on I gave my order to the guy behind the counter. A women with a number pushed her way in front of me, she and salsa-​bar guy had an exchange of words in spanish. All of a sudden, we’re going to use the numbers and I «again» I did not get waited on.
I simply went to the cashier to check-​out with the pastries my out of town guest had asked me to go to that particular market for. But I’m done with this low class market. To many other, more pleasant places to shop.
I hope Northgate goes belly-​up in North Long Beach.

Since this place has opened it has by far been my favorite market. Literally everything you need is here. And the hot food bar omg the chicharrones are bomb! One time I got sucked in to buy a corn bread after they gave me a sample and I couldn’t resist. Avocados always seem to be way cheaper than other places and Oh! There’s one employee that always stands out when I go for my Agua Fresca fix. Her customer service is spot on. I think her name is Clea or something like that. She is so happy and helpful every time! No idea how other markets nearby are still open. This place is heaven!

Me gusta todo bien limpio y servicio muy bueno fruta fresca todo el tiempo conosco otras tiendas de north gate y la verdad nada que ver con esta tienda vivo en torrance y allí hay una cerca y es todo sucio y tengo otra cerca de mi trabajo y también es sucia y desagradable el ambiente de está es excelente

Ceviche heaven! Every type of ceviche you can think of! Shrimp and avocado is my favorite! Very fresh and flavorful, just the right amount of spice and lime. Also try the camarones agua chile, they have 3 different types. This is like ceviche but a little more lime flavor, as the shrimp is left to cook in lime juice. All fresh ingredients, they will let you sample anything and everything and as many times as you want.
Their agua Fresca is also very good and refreshing, there’s a ton of flavors to chose from, from strawberry to watermelon and my favorite spinach and pineapple, and for the chilly days there is champurrado. Take it from a Mexican it’s really good.
Salsa bar is cool, something for everyone, red, green, habanero, tomatillo and all very tasty. Just like grandmas, don’t tell my grandma I said that.

I don’t why I avoided to this market for a while. I used to always pass by the location and never went inside to see what goodies they had. I did come to this location a while back when it used to be a Buy Low and was not impressed.
Well, color me stupid, because this place is great!
When you first walk into the store you are welcome with the delicious smell of bread and sometimes they have a person handing out samples.
The market itself has everything.
The food at the deli is tasty and cheap.
But the agua frescas alone will have me coming back to this location.

I usually have no complaints with this store but tonight one of the managers was REALLY rude. I went to cash out lotto scratchers and I got a sarcastic response and hella attitude for it. It’s SO unprofessional. You’re a manager, you should be treating your customers with respect. I believe her name was Ivon. Complete bs, oh and on top of that I witnessed her being rude to her employees as well. Really unbelievable, Northgate needs to employ people who aren’t so hateful to everyone.

As far as Northgate grocery stores go… this is the best one I’ve stepped into. Just moved to Bixby Knolls, and I can walk to this market. I went tonight on a hunt for guanabana juice (since a few reviews mentioned it), unfortunately they didn’t have any :(I went with the spinach pineapple juice… delicious! BEST DEAL: 89 cent sweet young coconuts… LOVE! Meats look good, Latino foods galore, and great prices! Place is clean and organized. The restaurant food inside looks tasty… will try soon. The only con is the parking is a bit limited and narrow.

Favorite market ever! They have everything you need! I used their prepared masa for my tamales this Xmas and they were super good. Great selection of aguas Frescas and warm yummy champurrado. The employees are always super nice too. The lady with short blonde hair is my favorite!

I was blown away by this location. The organization and the layout are well thought out. The bakery, produce, butcher display, aisles, restaurant, and beverage departments look like well-​oiled machines. Certain traditional Latin delicacies are easily accessible here at Northgate. I even found Guanabana’s which I could not locate anywhere else. It’s like $ 14.99 a pound but it’s worth it. The freshness of the herbs like mint and basil was superb. Eat protein source was displayed in it’s own case away from the rest. So seafood, poultry, meat, and pork had their own employee at their own display case. Each selection looked very tasty. The tamale samples were warm and delicious. It’s a store with a lot of pride and it shines.

I’ve been to Northgate market about eight times over the last three years. I like to come to the meat counter because they have good deals on meat.
Today I shopped around for a few things and I went to the meat counter like I’ve done many out there times. This time the guy behind the counter was an older gentleman and he was just speaking Spanish with some customers. Then he moved on to some other customers.
There is a ticket system but it did not look like anybody was using it. Finally after about five minutes I asked the guy at the counter what was going on with the ticket system. The guy was on the other side of the counter bending into the cabinet and he was ignoring me.
Then I raise my voice a bit to get his attention and I think he said he «Speakee Poquito English». I think this means that he doesn’t speak English very well but I am not going to make assumptions about what he is saying because the way in which you get served back here is confusing me.
Then I saw the other guy again and he did speak English. He asked me what my number was and I said I don’t have a number because it doesn’t look like they’re being used.
Meanwhile during the five minutes I was standing there two more people grab tickets and got numbers that were lower than mine.
This dude totally knew I was frustrated with all the non-​English-​speaking but he chose to go ahead and help the people at the lower numbers.
Dear management: I know you primarily speak Spanish at this market and I get that. Every now and then somebody is going to come along like myself that clearly doesn’t understand the system not for a lack of speaking English.
They like me will stand out like a sore thumb maybe you can try to help them a little next time vs letting them walk away frustrated.

I love this store! So clean and organized, every time. Also, the staff are so nice! Juan Trujillo is the best because he is always working hard and is always helpful when you can’t find something or you need help selecting fruit snacks/​veggies.

I come here for their great variety of pan dulce, jaiva, ceviche, fruit yogurt, fresh tortilla, and tamales. Otherwise, I don’t come here for my regular produce. I also like to come here for a late notice birthday cake! Parking is somewhat tight with space but is in abundance.

They forgot to put the item that I purchased in my bag which I found out later when I got my home and also It is pain to get a simple drink which took me 15 minutes to get the single horchata that didn’t taste authentic.
They seriously need to hire or educate their employee to do their job right.

*** Pit stop review (Long Beach) ***
Upon entering the store I can only say «wow!» This store looks like it is newly built or very well maintained. The entire store is very well organized with bright inviting colors everywhere. There is a lot of natural overhead lighting that brightens up the store well. The perimeter of the store has all kinds of pre-​cooked food to choose from. There are also many options for marinated meats. Too bad I don’t live around here, otherwise I’d frequent this market more often. It’s just a place that I happen to pass buy to take a break and pick up some snacks for the road.
Shopping area = very clean
Service = friendy
Restroom = very clean

Okay, I LOVE this market. LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Super clean, super organized, and super affordable. Could there be better combination that that?
My husband and I try to make a pit stop whenever we’re in the area so we can grab some fresh salsa (salsa rancheras is my favorite!), fresh tortillas/​chips, and something from the deli (ummm…freshly fried chicharones? I shouldn’t…but ok!).
Great produce and great protein.
I’m sold!

Recently I’ve read some negative reviews about this place from other Unilocalers. I don’t understand I’ve never had a bad experience. Maybe the times I’ve gone I’ve been lucky. One suggestion to the store deli manager — make improvements on your tamales.

I dont know what it is but every time I want help at the hot food case, there is never anyone to help me even through several workers are socalizing in the area. It sucks. At least you can serve your own tamales. Tried to ask the guy at the aguas frescas something and he rolled his eyes, pretend not to hear my question, then dismissively said I dont know ask soneone else. Guess I interrupted his sweet talk with the girl working with him. I actually wanted an agua but since both were in la la land, I said no forget it.
The only one I ever see nice and friendly to the customers is Renee. She makes the fresh guac. as you walk in the store. Customers love her because she is helpful and makes everyone smile.
Love the store as they have all kinds of cool stuff. Wish the customer service was on point. Guess you cant have everything.
A star for Renee and a star for awesome stuff. 3 stars down due to customer service sucks.

As soon as you walk towards the entrance the delicious smell of their meat smacks you in the face. Everytime I’ve been here there has been someone grilling meat outside and apparently if you buy meat here they’ll grill it for you for free. Once you make it past the delicious bbq you enter a clean market stocked with essentials. They also have a good array of cooked food you can purchase. Sometimes they even have deals if you buy a certain item you get something free.
They only real Complaint is how tight the parking spots are.

I love coming here for groceries! Its close to home, its brand new and super clean, and they have so much to offer! My favorites here are the bakery (great tres leches cake for a great price), their well priced veggies, their awesome salsas, their fast food, and AGUAS FRESCAS. So good!
Because it is a new Northgate, the cleanliness of this store is definitely a plus. I really hope they maintain this! The parking lot is nice but very tight, not much room along the aisles! For me, I always park in the back there so I am free to roam around when I arrive and leave.
One last note, they used to serve awesome individual tres leches cake that I used to get a lot (but also contributed to my weight gain). However, they recently changed the milk used for the tres leches… its really thick and too sweet! I don’t like it anymore. I guess that’s a good thing for my diet. but still, I liked the old version!
Aguas Frescas!

This grocery has it all! For the first time im actually pleased with everything in this grocery store! It’s starts with the cleanliness of the entire store and how well lit is. Their meat department is fresh looking and smelling! The staff speaks English and Spanish so I don’t have to be timid about asking for help in English.
Today I picked up some carne asada, fresh guacamole, salsa fresca, macaroni salad and potato salad. The people who work the counters were so kind and helpful! They allow you to sample any salsa or guacamole.
I love their selection of othe food items, beer and liquor.

I went back, and I noticed they sell fresh aguas. They are fresh mexican juices, you get a large for $ 2.99. I got a guanabana and a spinach and pineapple, which the salesgirl said was the most popular. Both were sooooo good! They are made of fresh fruit, water and sugar, so not a super healthy drink, but boy was it delicious and refreshing!

This place is close to my casa and has things that I need… Well most the time. Came here for mussels recently and they didn’t have it, but that’s besides the point. Anyway the main reason for coming to this place is Im in LOVE with their ceviche. They have a variety of ceviche and they’re all pretty good but my favorite ones are the spicy ones of course. Market is pretty big with a flower shop included. Not my first choice in markets but it’s convenient and prices aren’t too bad so I’ll be coming back if I need basic stuff.

Pros:
This is the nicest Latino grocery store I’ve ever been to.
More varieties of salsa than I’ve ever seen.
Fresh produce.
Friendly staff.
Free food samples.
Cons:
The neighborhood to the north is sketchy.

Boyfriend and I went to check it out since it was grand opening weekend, lots of people and lots of cars but not as hectic as we thought it would be. AMP radio stand was right outside by the entrance when we were there and so were the workers who happen to give away free mop after you purchase anything ‘crown’ on aisle 4.
The market was well organized and the customer service was quite nice. There are two entrance, one is to the grocery section and the other side is the food court. If you enter from the grocery section, you’ll find the bakery on your right hand side. In the back is where the meat and seafood is located and the workers were helpful. Make sure to grab your number when it’s busy because you wouldn’t want to wait longer than you are suppose to. By the food court, there’s lots of different kind of Mexican ceviche, snacks and a section of the store’s homemade tortillas for $ 1.99. Yup, you can sure see them make it homemade in person.
Must go there when they have promotions over the weekend. When we went, we bought 10 lb worth of chicken thigh/​legs for only .39 cent lb!!! Yup for only $ 4 something. Too bad it was limited to per person, but it was a deal!
If you live by Long Beach area and want to shop cheap with fresh products, I think you’ll need to check this place out.