Santee Court Gourmet Market

Really great market and open late! I picked up some snacks for dinner here and they had a pretty good selection. Definitely a nice neighborhood market.

This market is awesome, the owners are really nice, they have a decent variety of beer (and even craft/​high-​end beers). It’s very convenient for anybody who lives in Santee Court. They even do tacos/​burritos on the weekends that are pretty good. There’s just one problem, a lot of items are overpriced.
For example, 12pk of Modelo Especial, your very average Mexican lager, goes for $ 18 at this market. Most drug/​convenience/​liquor stores sell this for $ 15 or less, I would even consider $ 15 to be high but I’m being fair. This is just one example, but I’ve noticed the markup on some of their other items is also high.
I realize there are economic forces in play. I’m paying for convenience of not having to walk a few blocks to the CVS or liquor store, and maybe their rent is pushing their prices up. Maybe they just don’t get enough business to compete with other stores on price (it is tucked away in an alley and rely heavily on Santee Court residents and patrons). Maybe having «Gourmet» in their name is pushing their prices up, at least it’s accurate.
It’s a good place to shop in a quick pinch for the occasional soda or snack, but unless your feeling lazy or in a hurry, you’d better off buying most things elsewhere.

Buyer beware! I can’t even count how many times I have bought rotten groceries here. I just bought an almond joy bar and it is completely decomposed inside the wrapper. Last year I bought two boxes of cereal, two different brands that were on the same shelf, and both boxes were full of little black things. Another tenant in the building, who was pregnant, bought a jar of spoiled mayonnaise. Your chance of getting wine that tastes like it was sitting on a stove is really good too. They have no quality control because they go to other markets to stock their shelves so the crap just sits there until someone buys it. And it’s overpriced.

Convenient friendly staff but ridiculously over priced. I only go here when it’s an emergency, as the prices are ridiculous not sure If they just have to pay a lot in rent or they just over price their stuff either way i would shop here more often if it wasn’t so over priced, I also wish they opened earlier on Sundays sometimes I need last minute stuff for breakfast and they are closed. Overall the selection is decent and again the staff is very friendly. They sell tacos and quesadillas on the weekend which realistically aren’t the best but convenient and a good value

Great Market place for when you can’t make it out the grocery store. They have a little bit of everything and on Fridays and Saturdays they sale Tacos, Buritos, Tostadas.

Super friendly staff. :-) great beer and wine selection for a small downtown market. Not a ton of snacks, but they have a little bit of everything you need from eggs to sunscreen.

Love love love this market!
I really love how there is a nice variety of items such as: coconut oil (wish it was extra virgin though), gluten free breads (food for life & eziekiel), locally cold pressed juices, cage free eggs & applegate farm goodies.
They are open late too! (if I can remember right, I think they close at 11)
In love with their $ 1 tacos on Friday & Saturday nights for the residents. Only complaint is that I wish they provided a gluten free option, but nonetheless still very tasty.

Best shrimp quesadilla ever

Hidden Gem! Organic veggie and fruit juices by Yessika are delicious and nutritious. This place carries a few wines from Bell Cellars– my favorite Napa vineyard!

I finally got to try the burritos! They set up on Friday and Saturdays around 6pm. $ 4.99 for a chicken/​Asada Burrito, $ 5.99 for a shrimp burrito. It was a rainy night so they had a cover for the food and enough space for two stools. There was a line for food too. I was skeptical about the burrito at first since one side was slightly burnt, but when I ate it all my worries were gone. It was the best best shrimp burrito ever! My bf had the chicken asada burrito and he didn’t let me have a bite of his because he liked it so much. This is a great place to check out on Friday/​Sat night when you don’t feel like cooking.
There is seating outside on the Santee Alley. Usually people take their food to go.

Weekday hours Mon — Thurs open till 10pm
Fri/​Sat open till 12am

The store is changing! They are getting a lot more prepared foods, the ice cream selection is out of this world and you can tell they are paying a lot more attention to getting more appropriate stuff in the store. Thank you guys!

For the love of god, PLEASE lower your prices.
I live in the apartments around this market and it was honestly one of the big reasons I decided to move there. I thought «Oh how convenient, a market is right downstairs so I wont always have to go to Ralph’s or Trader Joe’s!». Unfortunately this place is VERY expensive. $ 4.50 for a loaf of white bread?! Really?! I needed a few basic items at 11pm and decided I would rather drive to Ralph’s than pay those exorbitant prices. I love supporting local businesses and I don’t mind spending a little extra money, but the prices there are often downright insane.
3 stars because the people who work there are really, really nice, and the tacos/​quesadillas/​etc on weekend nights are both convenient and delicious.
Overall I feel like the convenience of this place was the best part, but it is a lot less convenient when the prices are 5x what they are everywhere else.

I’ve been coming to this market for some time, but weary about trying the food. After being the last of all my co-​workers to eat Yessica’s food– I feel like a dummy for wasting so much money else where.
The food is delicious and rediculously cheap. It’s so good. I love the setting and as Laura R. mentioned, the courtyard does make a nice tucked away oasis to enjoy your grub. The owner has always been a sweetheart and great business woman, but now I’ve learned that she’s an incredible cook as well!
There is a 5 $ minimum on cards though, so if you’re just stopping by for a quesadilla or ceviche tostada, make sure you have some cash.

My favorite market in the area. The owner is a mercantile genius and a great example of a female entrepreneur. The ceviche is too cheap and too delicious. Great beer and wine selection. I love this place.

For my local convenience store this place is great. Jessica is the owner and she is lovely. She is adding more and more gourmet and organic items everyday which i love organic eggs, nice cheeses, she makes homemade Fresh shrimp ceviche tostada for $ 2.50 available everyday. Outdoor seating in the courtyard of Santee court which is a bit of an oasis in downtown area. the best nights to come are fri sat Sunday nights when they have one dollar tacos. u can eat and even have a drink right there in the courtyard with other locals. the store has a hip urban social feel to it.