Was definitely sho' am good ! I just had a Postmate delivery of menudo from Vallarta's in Pasadena . What a tasty surprise ! The menudo and condiments arrived within an hour and came in a plastic container with tights lids and a generous portion of warm corn tortillas wrapped in aluminum foil . The whole order arrived in a large sealed plastic bag ,, and I like that ! What really stood out for me was the really flavorful menudo broth. It was very rich and spicy and had a great tang to it even without the usual menudo condiments; chopped cebolla, oregano, chili ,lime ,lemon juice). And once I did add the condiments talk about an explosion of flavor! It was a symphony of flavors and texture. Lots of tripa and even some pata' was included. Vallarta market delivered a Sho' am Good culinary adventure ! read more

I've always wondered why the salsa from Vons or Ralphs never quite hit the mark. They are always too sour or acidic compared to those giant squeezable bottles of salsa from taco trucks. Did a Google search for the best salsa and the top results were: Herdez Salsa Hmm.. has an ethnic ring to it... could be promising... Ugh, still too sour! Newman's Own Brah... I'm embarrassed to admit but it took me way too long to crack this salsa mystery. In a large part because Google failed me and yes, I did add "reddit" at the end of the search queries! But fortunately I found the taste profile I was looking for at Vallartas. Their salsa is the kind I can drizzle on tacos and tamales, savoring each bite without the overpowering tang of acidity. The issue here is when the average American think salsa they immediately think tomatoes but actually the real star is the humble tomatillo! Ok my new salsa crush is the salsa molcajete verde. Most Americans probably haven't heard of it because it is so hard to pronounce. (I can't help but wonder, would Giannis Antetokounmpo have reached even greater stardom if he had a more commonplace last name like Anderson?) Honestly, I wouldn't bother writing a review if Vallartas only made salsa. Nope they go above and beyond with their in-house tortillas, guacamoles, tamales, ceviches and aqua frescas! When it comes to the grand pantheon of Hispanic markets in SoCal, Vallartas Pasadena ranks as the second fanciest, falling just behind the new Mercado Gonzalez in Costa Mesa. While many have compared Pasadena's Vallartas to a Whole Foods, it lacks that pretentious air often found in Whole Foods or Erewhon. Stepping into a Whole Foods, one can't help but feel a palpable force... a force field of self-absorption that permeates the atmosphere. Customers navigate the aisles with a determined stoicism. I noticed even kids rarely smile at Whole Foods. My heart couldn't help but ache witnessing a child clutching a box of chickenless nuggets. Boy! is little Liam in for a surprise! I guess it's better to learn early that life is unfair and reading is Fundamental. To wrap this up, Vallartas Pasadena has that exceptional quality that I've found in the finest Hispanic-owned businesses, like Portos they are fancy without pretentiousness, offer quality fresh products at low prices, and extend a warm welcome to all. read more

Pigs wouldnt even eat that swimming in that grease, yet there you are. Management is negligent and careless. No sort of hygene. read more

Vallarta Supermarkets - Pigs wouldnt even eat that swimming in that grease.. yet there you are - Grocery Near Me - Pasadena, California

I knew that Vallarta's bakery goods are bland, dry, and uninspired. I figured that the bakers have no skill or decent recipes. Now they are passing off bad food. The photos show the box of eclairs I bought last night. I served two up the same day, and I gagged. When I lifted the lid to check why they tasted so foul, I saw the green spot which had been hidden under the label. read more

Vallarta Supermarkets - Eclairs I bought yesterday. After I served 2, I discovered that they were rotten. - Grocery Near Me - Pasadena, California

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We love Vallarta market, they have a wide variety of fresh vegetables that are a lot less than if you bought them at Ralph's. The market is clean, orderly and the aisles are wide and the service is excellent. Also the meat is excellent and they have a butcher counter with a wide variety of meats. They are very friendly and we are able to buy a lot more groceries for the price we pay. Also they have great guacamole that is made fresh daily and you can purchase pints, or quart size containers of mild or spicy guacamole. In addition they sell tamales and Menudo on Saturday and Sundays. And lots of Mexican delicacies that you would not find in a regular market. There are some things we couldn't find, dog food choices are limited and other items we could not find. However, overall we rate this market a 5 Star rating very for the quality and variety of food. read more

Due to Covid-19, everyone is required to wear masks before entering and the security guard will make sure you wear one. From the moment you walked into this market, your taste buds will wake up with all them fresh fried chicken, rotisserie chicken, carne asada, hot soups, fresh chips, tortillas/tacos, burritos, fried fish, chicharons, (fried pig skins), cakes and baked goods! This market has been my go to breakfast, lunch and dinner! Been coming here because it's close to my office and convenient. To top it off, it is always kept clean with friendly staff! All I. An say is that the fresh chips with fresh guacamole and salsa are da bomb. There's even freshly made sushi for unique clientele. As for the baked goods, it's an okay option for me. Their soups are yummy comes with rice and fresh tortillas. Agua Fresca is freshly made and to cool ya! TIP: come hungry and you will end up buying more than your stomach. Hahahha read more

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EVERYTHING in the Pasadena Vallarta is amazing. From food to employees. I have never seen a cleaner market with such great employees. I'm SO impressed I'm planning on writing the home office to tell them. Thank you Vallarta. read more

The store sold me moldy cake. My stomach has been hurting very badly. This is intolerable and I'm very upset. Be careful when buying staff from Vallarta Pasadena location. I left my name and my phone number but no one bothers to call me back. I will report this to USDA. read more

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Vast selection, fresh produce, good prepared foods. Best store salsas for sure, I've tried them all at this point. My favorite grocery store near Altadena. I do wish there was more organic selection, and I wish the parking lot was easier. Checkers are really polite, at least when I've gone. read more

First time to shop there, a friend suggested cuz i like a better carne asada, but i found out that it offers more than a regular market, i shout out for Carlos Moreno of the meat section, very nice guys, very informative, helps me to choose what i needed . Will be coming bk here, the service is good and also a well organized sections. read more

I went to buy a burrito today. While waiting and watching the food being prepared alongside other customers, I noticed something very concerning. The server was talking while standing directly over the food, and it was clear that her saliva was landing on it as she spoke. After finishing one order, she picked up a rag to wipe the stovetop. Once she was done wiping, she immediately began preparing the next order -- still wearing the same gloves she had used to handle the rag. Unfortunately, she continued using those same gloves while preparing my food, and again, she was talking directly over the ingredients. At that point, it felt like her spit was going straight onto my burrito. I ended up taking the food but couldn't bring myself to eat it. The food at this place usually tastes good, but after seeing how poorly hygiene was handled during preparation, I no longer feel confident it's safe to eat. I strongly suggest that staff wear clear mouth and nose masks when speaking near food, and that gloves be changed regularly -- especially after handling cleaning supplies -- to ensure better food safety. read more

Came to this Vallarta as recommended by my brother who lives in the neighborhood and was not disappointed! The store itself is immaculate- clean and so well organized! Not to mention the design is everything I never knew I wanted from a grocery store, it's beautiful inside! I picked up items from the prepared food section, butcher counter and cheese counter and everything was stocked in abundance and the employees were very helpful. We came home and grilled up some marinated flap meat and paired it with fresh salsas from the store and rice and beans- it was a hit! So flavorful/authentic and great quality. I'm going to do my weekly shopping here for the first time and can't wait to see how the prices and quality compares to my regular market run. Can't wait to go back! read more

Vallarta Supermarkets - So fresh and delicious! - Grocery Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I went to get some sweet bread today and they had flys on the sweet bread and when I told an employee they were like yeah some times that happens and I just left disgusted!!!! read more

The shopping experience is very nice here with it's spacious aisles and well marked signage. I was looking for beans and tortillas and the prices were higher compared to other markets I shop at. The deli section had some delicious looking food items which I didn't buy but probably would've if I was hungry. read more

Vallarta Supermarkets - Pricey market 2021 - Grocery Near Me - Pasadena, California

Thrifty ice cream and the best store made ceviche and guacamole I've ever had. That's it. That's the review.

We love this store, everything about it is amazing - my husband found stuff that he's been looking for and so now we keep going back. The bread is delicious the meat is also very delicious!!!!!! The workers are amazing and friendly. All I can say is keep up the great work read more

Since this supermarket is out of my way, I have to make a special trip to come and shop. To avoid long lines and crowds, I came early in the morning. Their weekly ad shows detailed sale items in almost every department. During my previous trip, I bought a bucket of fried chicken with two sides and an eggnog bundt cake which was a treat! After doing my homework, this week I came for the beef tri-tip roast and bolillo, with no disappointment! Bolillo was on sale for 3 for a dollar or 6 for a 2 dollar bag! They had ample packages of beef tri-tip roast in the meat counter. I highly recommend this store because of its cleanliness, friendly security guard, helpful staff, and well-stocked inventories. A lady directed me to do the self checkout. She patiently showed me how to type in the name and scan each item. read more

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They have a lot of everything. I'll be back with more cash money to spend . Lots of items in there takes me back when I was a youngster and being in my abuelitas kitchen. read more

Love this place. Staff is always helpful, the supermarket itself is always clean (thanks to the staff of course). Aguas frescas are so fresh (as stated in the name) lol read more

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Terrible customer service at the food court. I could not get anyone to take my order. Once I placed my order and paid my bill, I could not get anyone to bag my order. Trust me, this was not an oversight. This was objectively disrespect. I never experienced anything like this before. Furthermore, when I got home and opened my food, there was a long hair in my soup! So sad to give such an honest review. read more

I don't know why it took me, a Latina, so long to get to a Vallarta store. It is amazing! I love their tamales, chicharrón, tortillas, all the cheese, especially the Cotija!! The plantains, assortment of peppers, and produce is impressive!! Give it a try! read more

I dont know how I missed this or what but with this awful weather fresh guac was needed and rice, beans, salsa and oaxacan cheese and tortillas were necessary. I got to sample guac and added a smidge more tomatoes....heavenly. Thank you read more

Vallarta Supermarkets - Fresh guac soo good and spice it as you like - Grocery Near Me - Pasadena, California

This supermarket surprised me. I ate very well. The Mexican food is simply a blessing but there are very few restaurants (by name!) that make it so special. I am very critical and rightly so, as many restaurants like Mijares and others that charge a lot of money and offer CRAP make this cuisine an inauthentic trade. Thank you Supermerdo Vallertta in Pasadena, Ca on Fair Oaks Ave. Today I ate well. Thank you to all workers in the kitchen. You are to be congratulated! Today is 12/04/22 read more

My review is for their catering service of Fiesta Deal Birria Large Tray and medium tray of rice and beans. I was disappointed to see how much fat was left on the meat, I received approximately 8lbs of meat and 2lbs of fat. It's advertised as 10lbs (not true). I paid close to $180 and highly disappointed. Additionally, I waited about 35minutes on the phone to place an order. I think you can do better than that Vallarta. Fiesta Deal came with sauces (consomé), cut up cilantro, onion and limes. No tortillas. read more

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This Vallarta Supermarket is a breath of fresh air, the fenix that rose where a very "lived-in" Vons once stood. The floors, counters, and showcases are so well cleaned and maintained, they have the staples I need, with the benefit of a range of delicious comida Mexicana y latina that make grocery shopping less boring and more adventurous... And THE PALETA COUNTER!!! Absolutely amazing presentation and selection of icy treats made by paleteros de Vallarta . When I shopped there during their grand opening, I seriously was blown away by how much detail they put into that island, and how the selection sparkled like rectangular slabs of gemstone hahaha! And when I've interacted with employees, they are always helpful and pleasant. I hope people support this great addition to this part of Pasadena! read more

Wow, Vallarta, you have been hiding in plain site. Run, don't walk, to check out the hot and prepared food items -- it's like Whole Foods with a Mexican flair. Hold on to your hats and glasses in the bakery department. Pan dulce x10. The giant cookies (three for $2, what?!?). You may start in the bakery aisle and never get out of there. I have not had a bad item from that aisle. In these social distancing times, the gleaming, self-serve steam tables are off. But lunchtime is still a success --the prepared hot foods (warm tortillas and everything to go on, in or with them) are pre-packaged and ready to eat when you get back at work, six feet or more from your co-workers. I don't cook, so I can't say much for the rest of the market (which was an old Vons). But the aisles are bright and wide, people are everywhere cleaning and straightening, and they have a great plant selection. Be on the lookout for a plant from me with a Vallarta tag. read more

There's a lot of hype about this store. The concept is good but customer service is lacking. Why not train your staff to be polite and courteous? Is customer service not important to Vallarta? Why be rude to your customers? I've heard employees bad mouthing customers. I think they spoke freely thinking I wouldn't understand. Sorry, I may not "Look" Mexican, but you can't always just assume. This store is always trying to promote inclusivity and being a big part of our community. I don't see it. Many of the reviews on here are specific to certain rude employees, yet Vallarta does nothing? As a long time Pasadena resident, business owner and an active community member, the way Vallarta treats it's customers is disappointing. Especially after they treated my Mother so badly. I think a complaint to Corporate might be helpful. read more

My wife bought some fresh hot tamales from Vallarta recently and unfortunately we had a very unplesant disapointing experience. When opening the tamale before even eating it we noticed that the corn husk used for the tamale had a very noticable mold stain.It Made me so upset that someone would have put the tamale together and not realized of the severe food hazzard. we feel disgusted and would like to bring awarenes to anyone buying tamales at vallarta. Last one im ever having from there. read more

Vallarta Supermarkets - Hot Tamale From Vallarta hot food section. - Grocery Near Me - Pasadena, California

OMG!! I wish this store were located a lot closer to me. I love their fresh foods, especially the fresh and ridiculously inexpensive bolillo rolls. Seriously, they are 3 for $1!! Anyway, I have tried some of their salads, their caldo de res, a tamale, their juices, popsicle, freshly made guac and probably a few things that have just skipped my mind at the moment. I drove into this plaza to get a donut from my favorite shop, just a few doors down from the market. I saw so many people coming out of the grocery store. I was curious. And OMG I am so glad that I decided to stop in. Their market is gorgeous! The floral arrangements are so bright and colorful, not to mention making this store even more welcoming. The aisles were clear of debris and the floor was so shiny and clean looking. The employees are all super friendly and helpful. I hope that it stays this way. I have absolutely no complaint about this store! I had lunch here the other day with my family. I brought my mother and daughter. They both loved it. We shared some soup, bought some fresh bread, had a freshly made tamale, had some watermelon juice and perused the store a bit. We ended up taking some break home along with some ripe avocados, mangos and a bit more produce. The prices are more than affordable. The presentation of everything in the produce area is just stunning. The lines near the butcher and tortilleria are fast moving but also seem pretty consistently busy. They have so many things that I've never seen before. I want to try it all. I haven't seen fresh guava paste before. That was one thing that I remembered seeing. They also have huge sheets of chicharron. That was pretty cool too. My daughter like to watch the ladies as they make the tortillas. She also likes the ladies who made her the fresh guacamole. We'll definitely be back. I really do hope that this store stays as amazing as it is right now. I can't wait to try more of the already prepared food items. There's so much to try and it all looks amazing. read more

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Great market for fresh, made to order guacamole or fresh squeezed juice. I went here for tamale supplies and was not disappointed. They have everything here and am very impressed with their service. Everyone is happy and friendly. Love this place! read more

I wanted to like this place, but RUDE STAFFS! From cashier, to the hot food, to the security guards! RUDE! They all need inservice for good customer service! read more

Always have mixed feelings about this place. I love the variety of groceries, the newness and cleanliness but the couple of times I've gone to the taqueria to get food, the cashier always gives off the vibe that he doesn't want to be there and is annoyed that he has to help. Maybe he missed his gym day or he's running low on hair gel but whatever, hopefully I'll get someone else next time. Oh I really do love the food here including their carnitas and carne asada. read more

I have so much fun everytime that I shop at Vallarta. Maybe it's because I never buy any boring staple foods here like flour, garlic, or broccoli and only wander around for snacks and desserts. This new Vallarta is brand spanking new and thus incredibly clean. Around the store are the coolest food counters. The hot food counter is brimming with cooked rice, beans, meats like carne asada, fried chicken, chicharron, and albondigas soup. There is a jugos and agua frescas counter, next to a paletas counter. I have purchased delicious cups of pina with spinaca agua fresca and nearly 30 of their paletas at $2.50 each. Then, a whole area with tamales. Grab a bag and fill with nearly a dozen varieties ranging from pork, chicken, chili and cheese and sweet. There are something like five varieties of the cheese and chili!!! If making tamales is appealing, you can buy masa and fresh made tortillas too at the tortilleria. There are tons of pan dulce, which are not my thing but I did sample their flan and tres leches cake both of which are great. On my last visit, they added a guacamole bar where you can custom make your fav guac. It's kind of expensive but still so cool. Do you see what I mean? I just love wandering this store. read more

Vallarta Supermarkets - Paletas - Grocery Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Our first time here & we absolutely loved it. The market, hot food, meat counter, ceviche, tortilla counter omg CLEANEST MARKET and employees were exceptionally helpful & so nice. This place will definitely be a regular place to shop at. read more

good salsa verde, tortillas fresh, carnitas delicious! they got everything you need for a taco night!

Vallarta Supermarket is my go to store for all my tamale needs. They have ground masa for tamales and fine ground masa for tortillas. I prefer to use the fine ground tortilla masa for my tamales. The dried bagged chilies are not expensive and I buy their lard near where they have the tamale masa. They also have some really great chicken chorizo that they make in house. Almost always sold out every time I come but if I see it in stock I have to buy it. So good. The market it self is always clean, well organized and the employees are friendly and helpful. read more

Although this isn't my regular spot for groceries, I do drop in during the holidays or when I'm craving tamales. They have a nice organized set up where you can help yourself different type . I've only tried the cheese and poblano Chile and chile rojo and pork they are decent. Today I tried their menudo from the hot food section, do not recommend! It had the biggest pieces of tripe and no flavor, big waste throwing out. Kinda bummed that was my Christmas Eve breakfast. read more

I got the advertisement flyer in the mail and was so excited to try this market. Maybe it was the initial hype but it was a nightmare to find parking. Then upon entry all the aisles were jam packed and filled with carts. The main issue was that despite the crowd..I honestly felt the deals weren't that great comparatively to other markets. The interior is nice and they have fresh tortillas and chips, paletas, lard, agua frescas, Beans and rice, and even sushi. That's all nice and modern, but it seemed over-priced for the quality. I would rather just go to a cheap restaurant for food or the popsicles in the freezer aisle. I ended up only buying a few pieces of ginger which were on sale. I doubt I'll be back. read more

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Love this market - the hot deli area serving some of the best over the counter Mexican food in the area plus their hot & cold bars are great. Large selection of self serve pastries and pan dulce. Great butcher area with great prices. Nice staff and produce selection. Fresh made tortillas has its own area to buy by the multi dozens. Great mixture of customers of all races and creeds make this a great local market. Plus the Agua Fresca counter is the best for the price in town! read more

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I really like this store. It's always VERY clean and spacious and well-lit. (4.5 stars) I regularly buy their freshly made corn and flour (Sonoran style) tortillas. I've had better, but they are consistently very good here, way better than a grocery store. I also like the shrimp cocktails and their salsas. The cocktails are a good deal for the price. The cocktails and salsas have always been fresh. I sometimes buy produce here when it looks good. Most of it is about the same quality as Ralph's or Von's, and better than Food4Less. I have gotten some really good, fresh kale and bok choy at Vallarta. Their meat counter and hot food bar look good, but I haven't bought anything from there yet. I did pick up one of their french breads last week and it was really good. Honestly, I was happily surprised about how good it was. Overall, this is a way better grocery store for Mexican/Latin products than regular grocers like Von's/Ralphs and most Mexican/Latin grocers. I like having a reliable source for good, fresh tortillas and salsa. If you haven't visited check it out. They have some good stuff. read more