Food Finds in La Paz

Shopping the Local La Paz Food Markets

By Sue Bell

Living in Mexico, where and how you find the foods you like, and how you come to learn about the new foods that are available to you, can be a fun adventure! The tropical climate here in La Paz provides ex-pats and visitors alike with access to a mind-blowing variety of fresh produce year-round.

While many ex-pats are used to one-stop shopping in big supermarkets to get everything we need, shopping is a very big part of daily life in Mexico, and there are many other alternatives here in La Paz for those who are a bit more adventurous. It can sometimes take a bit of legwork to find all the ingredients, spices and items you need for your special dish, but that is part of the adventure, and once you know where to look, shopping in La Paz can be a bit like a fun treasure hunt.

Following is a list of some of the local alternative markets in La Paz. Don’t see a market listed here that you like to frequent? Leave us a comment with your favorite place to shop!

Major Markets

Mercado Organico y Artesanal: on the corner of Obregon/Malecon and Rosales between Calle Alvaro Obregon and Calle Madero, beside the old “El Arco Hotel”. This open-air farmer’s market is located on the street on Calle Rosales, where local vendors set up their stalls on Tuesday and Saturday mornings from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Here you will find fresh, organic and locally grown produce; local artisanal, ready to eat foods; canned preserves; coffee; local artists with clothing, jewelry, paintings, photographs, beauty products; and much more. One of my favorite stalls sells German and Italian sausages, both cooked and frozen, and home-made sauerkraut. Other stalls offer tamales, tacos, gorditas and pastries, too!  Come early if you want to be sure to get your favorite produce, as some items sell out each week.

Mercado Municipal General Nicolás Bravo: on the corner of Calle Nicolas Bravo and Calle Guiermo Prieto. The focus is on food! Located in the El Centro area of the city, this fresh food market offers a range of vendors offering fresh produce; two or three seafood stalls; two or three red meat stalls, two chicken stalls, a tortillería; a few manufactured goods stalls; and many freshly-made, ready-to-eat, Mexican foods stalls. While there is some free, public parking, it is very limited, but you can usually find parking on one of the nearby streets.

Municipal Market Gral. Agustín Olachea Avilés: on Calle Allende in between Calle Juan Dominguez Cota and Calle Venustiano Carranza in the Colonio la Rinconada. Located in the south end of the city, this fresh food market is open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Here you can find a variety of fresh produce at great prices, including vegetables, citrus, tropical fruits and more.

Municipal Mercado Francisco I Madero: On Calle Revolución de 1910 between O´Campo and Santos Degollado. Also located in El Centro, but a bit further north and east, the Madero Market is a bit more of a mixed bag. There is a food court, fresh fruit and veggie stalls, a number of fish mongers, poultry stalls, and meat and sausage vendors. There are also many shops with clothes, toys, shoes, hats, leather goods, and souvenirs.

Centenario Organic Market: A small farmer’s market with local vendors open on Sundays from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Items for sale include sourdough bread, German sausages, Cajun food, homemade pickles and relishes, ramen, and more.

The “Erías”

There are many shops and stalls in town that focus on selling one particular category of food, such as fruit or meat. These shops and stalls tend to have names that end in “ería”. For example, if you see a store called a frutería, it sells fresh fruits and vegetables. If a shop is called a tortillería, it sells tortillas, and if it is called a pescadería, it sells fish and seafood. The carnicerías sell meat: usually pork, beef, lamb and maybe even goat. Some of these shops are small, open-air stalls that set up every day, while others are permanent storefronts. The products for sale in these shops tend to be very local. Some examples of each include:

Carnicería Tecuan – a brick and mortar butcher store on the corner of Calle Revolución de 1910 and Calle Lic Benito Juárez, this store offers customers a wide variety of beef, pork, lamb and other cuts of meat.

Frutería Los Pinos – an open-air fruit stand on Calle Donoldo Colosio, just south of the Toyota Dealership

Mercadito Frutero – located in El Centenario near the SAPA office, this open-air fruit and vegetable market offers a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. We’ve found brussels sprouts here, butternut squash, asparagus, ginger, russet potatoes, and more.

Pescadería Morales – a fish monger stall in the Bravo Market with a huge selection of locally caught, fresh fish and seafood.

Bonito Domingo – Pescadería del Barrio: locate on the highway in El Centenario, this small brick and mortar fish store offers a variety of fresh and frozen fish, shrimp and other seafood, including flash-frozen ahi tuna.

Tortillerías — there are too many tortillerías in La Paz to count or mention them all, a couple of our favorites include:

• Tortillería La Paz – on the corner of Revolución de 1910 and Calle Sinaloa
• Tortillas de Harina La Victoria – located in El Centenario on the corner of Alfredo V Bonfil and Francisco Villa.

Pandería Pan D´Les – located on Calle Madero 389, this popular bread and sweet shop offers a wide variety of breads and pastries, including some gluten-free options.

Gluten-free Pandería – nut.nunez22@gmail.com – bread, buns, sweet breads, and cinnamon rolls.

Ciruelo Bakery – an on-demand home-based bakery that delivers all kinds of bread and pastries, even bagels. Must order in advance. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089669415527.

Specialty Markets

La Esquina Deli and Market: This brick and mortar market has two locations, one in El Centenario and one in the Esterito community of La Paz (on the corner of Serdan and Morelos y Pavon). This market carries many North American products and specialty items that can be hard to find elsewhere, including gluten-free breads, vegan and American brand items, as well as many hard to find vegetables such as brussels sprouts, arugula and more. They also offer a  variety of American and Canadian style deli meats, and make delicious freshly made sandwiches, salads, coffees, smoothies and desserts.

Dulce Natural Heathy Market: This brick and mortar store, located on Calle Madero between Morelos y Pavon and Hidalgo, provides organic products, healthy snacks and artisanal items. They also carry many other things for your well-being, including Kombucha, kefir, keto breads, and gluten free pizza.

Guadalajara Spice Market (Semillas y Cereal de Guadalajara): This unusual brick and mortar bulk foods store, located on Calle Serdan between O´Campo and Santos Degollado, is a one-stop shop for all your spice needs. Spices and seeds of all sorts are available in bulk. They even sell dried fruits, dog food and bird seed. Tip: Bring your own sealable containers to store them after purchase to keep them fresh until you use them.

Solution Cake: A specialty store on the corner of Ramirez and Allende, this shop provides baking supplies of all sorts, from ingredients such as baking chocolate, high-gluten flour, high-fat cream and icing sugar, to cake/cooking decoration ingredients and tools, and much more.

Toyo Foods – Asian market: This small shop on 16 de Septiembre between Primo Verdad and Marcelo Rubio focuses on difficult to find ingredients, sauces, spices, etc., for Asian cooking.

Send us Your Food Finds

There is so much to discover when it comes to markets in La Paz. No matter what you are planning to cook up, with a sense of adventure and a bit of legwork, you can find just what you’re looking for when it comes to food. Don’t see your favorite market here? Let us know in the comments! I hope we’ve wet your appetite!