Nice little market with better selection and goods than the competition, which I won't mention, but they are close by. Because of the fake virus thing shutting down businesses, we didn't try their tacos and such. We did buy some handmade, dried chorizo and it was delicious. This place needs a revisit to try the prepared foods

I live nearby and think this is a great place to pop over and pick up marinated meats for making tacos, etc. We tried three different meats: al pastor, chicken, and one of the carnes. All were good but I especially like the chicken -- its flavor profile was a clean and bright citrusy flavor. They said they sell masa for tamales, so I'd try that, too. Buying marinated meats is such a great time saver during the week, and the prices are very reasonable! Glad to live nearby.

So delicious! Very authentic and fresh! Come hungry! They have a Mexican market with dried chili's, spices, marinated meats, and sweets. In the back is the restaurant.

As an LA native, moving up here I was skeptical about finding a legit carniceria in Boise, however, thanks to my fellow Yelpers, I stumbled upon this gem. I went in and bought some carne asada to bbq and home, and my Idaho-bred boyfriend was super impressed with my find. The ranchera preperada was a little pricey at $9-ish/pound, but soooo worth it. A great selection of the mexican staples that I've been accustomed to as well.

Old school good food at terrific prices. Great place for homemade style lunch. Today had a delicious pastore quesadilla with my must have Fanta Orange drink. Also don't forget the meat counter for taking some goodies home!

Stumbled across this place on our way to Salt Lake City. They were kind enough to make us a breakfast burrito with fresh chorizo, eggs, frijoles, arroz, queso y crema. The burrito was delicious and we devoured it in the car. The service was friendly and the place was clean. Lots of fresh ingredients to add to your food and the salsas were spicy and delicious. We tipped the cook because she was delightful and the service was fast. We will be stopping again our next time through Boise, and bringing a cooler so that we can buy groceries, too.

The Idaho Statesman ran a story today on this hidden gem near Shopko. I haven't been to that Shopko store since the mid-1980s, so I guess that's why I never spotted La Ranchera Mexican Market as I frequently drove past on Fairview Avenue. After reading the story, I ditched my lunch plans and headed there instead. Like Carniceria Coalcoman, another one of my favorites, La Ranchera features a Mexican market, meat counter and a lunch area. I ordered a gordita with carne asada and two tacos, one with chicken and the other with asada. The tacos were flavorful and came Mexican-style, with two tortillas for each. The gordita was good, but the thick masa had more of an appearance of an extra thick taco than the flattop fried version I'm used to. There was a large lunch crowd after I arrived about 12:30 p.m. and there were a number of customers buying meat and other groceries. I'm really glad to have found this hidden gem and I'm sure the newspaper publicity will lead many others there.

Here's the deal, one would think that there would be Mexican Market in Meridian, but that is simply not true. So for us, we have to take a drive. Believe me, we're not complaining about the drive as we can get to Nampa within 30mins, Caldwell in about 40 mins, Ontario in about an hour. On the other way, we can get to Campos Market on Orchard within 30 minutes. When we saw that La Ranchera was taking over the corner location in the same strip mall location as City Buffet and Shopko, we were pretty excited as it meant we shaved about 10 -15 minutes off of our drive. I like La Ranchera market because its clean, well stocked, and the employees are very friendly. Please note that this review is not for the take-out taco / burrito eats in the back of the store and I will discuss why later. The limited produce is to the right but be on the lookout for the Banana leaves. Yes, that's right, Banana Leaves. Banana Leaves are great for slow cooking, tamales, and Cochinita Pibil which is a traditional dish from the Yucatan. Just past the produce section, don't forget to look inside the refrigerated case because if you do, you'll be missing out on creams and cheeses. I know I know. Mexican cheese, how good is it right? I was not a fan of Mexican cheeses not more than about 5 years ago, but with the constant loving nudge of my wife, I began to try each one and now I am a raving fan of all of them. My favorite has to be Panela, followed by Queso Oaxaca. Not all cheeses are to be melted or grilled so keep that in mind. Panella is great grilled or melted, Queso Oaxaca is like a Mozzarella, Cotija, and Queso Fresco are more like crumbling cheeses for tacos, sopes, salads, and likes. There is also Requeson, which is like cheese curds. Next to the fridge case is and lining the back of the store is the meat case. We typically have a simple rule about meat purchasing at these stores, and here are the tips. (1) Check the color of the meat, if it looks fresh and the price is right, get it. (2) If the color looks faded or old, ask the butcher for fresh cuts. (3) For specialty items, call ahead or make an order. i.e. Goat, or Pig's feet Everyone knows about Carne Asada, the meat that you would want to purchase is Arrachera or even Ranchera is Skirt Steak. The prices are pretty volatile, the Summer prices will be higher than Winter months. If you don't want to pay for Arrachera, you can order Diezmillo. Diezmillo is chuck steak. It is usually a fraction of the cost, but if marinaded and grilled correctly, most people can tell the difference, but you'll be saving $$$ for beers and margaritas so they won't mind. Palomilla is cut butterfly steak, and Tasajo is thin sliced meat that can be grilled. This cut is good for shredding. You may see meats that are pre-marinated. While its not something we purchase, if you marinating skills are not fully developed or if you are in a pinch due to time, buying pre-marinated may work for you. Here's a tip. Don't go from the fridge to the grill. Let the meat marinated or not sit outside for about 45 to 1 hour. Towards the back of La Ranchera is a place where one can order tacos, meats, and such. I can't give a review on this section since we have not dined here. We have only purchased groceries. The rest of the grocery store has the typical fare from candies to sauces. One can find some assorted Mexican kitchen equipment from a fryer disc to tortilla maker. Overall we are happy that La Ranchera is closer to us and hope to try out there little eatery in the back.