Lopez Taqueria & Liquor

Stopped in for the second time in two days. I had the three item plate with a carne asada taco, carnitas taco, and a chicken tamale … I also sampled one of my wife’s cheese enchiladas. All of it was made to order, fresh, warm, and extremely tasty. The staff were very friendly and personable. Convenient location with off-​street parking. Great people watching site while sipping on a cold beverage that can be purchased from the liquor store side of the house. Definitely will come back!

Most people wouldn’t walk into a liquor store in a small beach town for tacos or sandwiches.
My friend and I were too lazy to drive a mile to the McDonalds/​Chiptole, so we ended up here.
Don’t make the same mistake as us.

This taqueria is delicious. They have a place to sit and eat with comfy chairs. You can buy beers at the liquor store, and order food to eat there. I got carnitas tacos, the meat didn’t have any nasty pieces in it, my buddys got chicken tacos, all chunky chicken breast, yum. Salsa was also bomb. Perfect for a post dive/​beach day/​kayak trip beer time taco stop. Definitely going back

Great liquor store with a good beer selection, a taqueria for fresh made food, and bait… What more do you need? Didn’t try the food, but it was a great little spot.

A little ghetto/shady.at first I questioned bring my 2y/​o in, but glad I did. Wasn’t fantastic, but was pretty good & just what we needed. Very nice staff too. Ignore he dingy. It’s a taqueria/​hole in the wall combo of a liquor store. Lower your expectations a tad. It’s not all that bad.

It’s a good liquor store (not as great a selection as Bottles and Bins in PG). The taqueria is ok. I ordered lengua tacos, but got carne instead!!! Whatever… not picky… good to see people just chillin and drinking a store bought beer. Would not recommend for the faint of heart, but definitely go here if you crave some good ol Mexican food, a step up from Taco Bell!

I cant eat here. I work next door and tried it several times. Sad to see that I cant even eat at a place next door to my work. Food isnt good.

Down in Monterey for the first city festival. Unable to find the taco stand and unwilling to sell a kidney for booze, I decided to leave the fest and find a liquor store. Little did I know that my taco craving could be cured in the same place. Picked up a Lagunitas Lucky 13 (beer selection was somewhat limited: I couldn’t find a dark beer) and Casamigos tequila while waiting for some of the most satisfying shrimp tacos ever. Green and red bell peppers, delicious marinated shrimp and cilantro along with a truly fabulous (and charitable) tequila and an informative conversation with the clerk while waiting for the food made this the best takeout experience ever. PS they are throwing a tequila tasting in October. If you are interested, the facebook link is below.

On a state-​wide trip to California, we were in Monterey for a couple of hours. We decided on the taqueria because we wanted some Mexican food and wanted to stay close to the wharf area, instead of venturing more inland as we had limited time. When we asked the guy, «what’s good here?», he had us at «my mom makes everything, everything is good». We love eating at hole in the wall type places and this was no exception. The beers were cheap and the food was pretty good, definitely freshly prepared right in front of us. Our tacos were pretty good — we tried shrimp, carne de asada and carnitas. The rice and beans were bland though and the portions could definitely be a bit bigger. For the price and environment, we were expecting more flavor and more food.

Came in here because they sold liquor and beer and were open late. Eclectic for sure. Tacos smelt great but can’t speak to the good. Beer and wine was average prices. Cashier was friendly.

Tacos and carne asada here are WAAAYYYY better than Mi Tierras or any other Mexican food place I’ve been to in Monterey. Do yourself a favor and check this place out.

Mexican food & liquor store all rolled up in one. Wanted to try the food by didn’t have a chance. Friendly staff.

the quality has gone down with the new ownership, but the prices are still the lowest. they have better service and better variety ay their store in pacific grove. thanks. for the tip Todd k

This place sucks!!! Ever since it changed ownership from La Casa Bodega the service has gone down hill bad. I used to get the greatest breakfast sandwiches here any time of the day before 3 pm and now… I can’t even get one at 9:30 am because the kitchen isn’t even open. What is up with the people who run this changed over establishment? Talk about driving a long established, well known spot in to the ground. I’ll take my business elsewhere. Good riddance to this place.

Love this place. Guys there are very friendly and helpful. Not the greatest selection, but it’s easy and fast to buy what they have. Always offering deals and free items once you become a bit if a regular.

Killer sandwich, solid selection of booze, snacks galore, great service… what more can you ask for from a deli & liquor store located on a very convenient corner?

I love this place… they are one of the ONLY places to carry BOARS HEAD lunch meats… this makes all the difference.
The owners and staff are really friendly and know people by name.
The hot food is great and everything is really affordable.
It seems they are a family run business and I am happy to support this local small business.
Everyone from my office goes here for their lunch.

I heard this was owned by the same guys who own Lopez Restaurant, which I love, so I wanted to check it out. From first look you might not think it’s all that special – It seems like it’d just be another convenience store on a big street. But it’s actually wide and open inside with good light, and a couple of plants, and lots of good stuff. The people who work here are just as nice as you would think, given how nice they are at the restaurant. There’s plenty of parking in back, and it’s right on the walking path by the water, so the location is convenient.
In terms of the taqueria part– Both times that I have been I haven’t been hungry for a big meal, but it smells and looks great! There’s a big food area with wooden tables and bar-​height tables by the windows so you can look outside. It’s nice that you can see people making the food in front of you, so you know it’s not just coming out of a freezer or something.
And then you get to the convenience store and liquor store part– The selection of packaged goods is quite good. I was impressed to see that in addition to the usual junk foods, they also sell Dirty brand potato chips, which I love, and Odwalla fruit juices. There are also a whole bunch of energy drinks and vitamin-​water type drinks. I was happy to eat a Starbucks Ice Cream bar, though there were also a few tempting Ben and Jerry’s ice creams. Overall, a good choice of convenience-​store products. I can’t speak much for the liquor part, but it looks like they have a lot.
I am looking forward to going back and eating lunch here someday. But in the meantime I’ll have to recommend it just on the store part.

Review is for the taqueria only. I don’t expect much from a taqueria inside a liquor store. The food was not too different from (but not quite as good as) what you get at their restaurant/​cantina on Cass St. The fish tacos (and shrimp tacos) were made with good; fresh, tasty ingredients. The rice & beans were so so (i.e., bland), IMHO. (Is there a rule that rice in Mexican restaurants has to be bland?) The «salsa» could use a bit of improvement (hot, but not much character), the menu & ordering procedures could be made a bit more obvious, and customers buying lunch shouldn’t have to negotiate to get a cup of tap water. In spite of the small gripes, I’d say that the place is off to a good start.