Vallarta Supermarkets opens a new store
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The Southern Californian chain Vallarta Supermarkets opened its newest store in Duarte on Wednesday, marking the 66th location for the popular Latin American grocer.
Its the latest in a series of expansions for Vallarta, which opened a store in Rancho Cucamonga in April and opened its first location outside of California in Arizona in January.
The grocer specializes in Mexican and Latino foods, including prepared meals, fresh meats from a butcher’s counter, aguas frescas and a variety of produce.
It got its start when Enrique Gonzalez and his family opened a meat market in Van Nuys in 1985.
The Santa Clarita-based grocery chain, which has been expanding its footprint across California recently, now has 63 stores.
It’s known forhouse-made corn tortillas, pan dulce and ceviches.
The new store in Duarte has a SushiOro, an in-store sushi market featuring rolls and signature sauces developed by Vallarta’s chefs.
“We’re excited to open our doors in Duarte and become part of this community,” said Allie Garcia, vice president of marketing at Vallarta Supermarkets. “With every new store, our goal is to create a welcoming destination.”
Headquartered in Santa Clarita, Vallarta Supermarkets has locations in Los Angeles, Carson, Canoga Park, Indio and other other communities across Southern California.
It also has stores farther north, in places including Salinas and Modesto. In 2025, it opened stores in Modesto, Colton, Park Mesa Heights and Hemet.
Company spokesperson Lizette Gomez said earlier this year that the chain has a goal of opening about five new locations a year and is planning expansions in more states.
Once a local mecca for Chinese culinary delights, 99 Ranch has become a national pan-Asian behemoth under Jonson and Alice Chen.
As conventional grocery stores such as Ralphs and Albertsons pare back locations, Vallarta and other specialty markets are filling the gap, sometimes moving into communities that had lost their go-to supermarkets.
Other specialty markets, including the Asian grocery chains 99 Ranch Market and T&T Supermarket, are also expanding in Southern California. 99 Ranch is anchoring the redevelopment of a shopping center in San Gabriel. T&T Supermarkets, based in Canada, opened its fourth store in California in Chino Hills last year.
Duarte’s new Vallarta takes the place of a former Best Buy at 1470 Mountain Ave.
The store has close to 46,000 square feet of space and will bring 200 new jobs to the area, a news release said.
