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Palo Alto cooks plenty of Mexican and Central American food at home, but the city has no Latin grocery store of its own in our directory. Its supermarkets stock tortillas, salsa and canned chiles. For fresh masa, a full carnicería, a wall of dried chiles or pan dulce by the tray, shoppers cross US 101 to East Palo Alto or drive up Middlefield Road to North Fair Oaks. Both trips take 15 minutes or less from most of the city.
Because there is nothing to list inside city limits, this page widens to those nearby neighborhoods and says where each store is. We checked each chain on its own website or store page in late October and early November 2026. Where a store finder needed a browser to show hours, we say so and point you to it rather than guess. For restaurants, see our Mexican and Latin American food guide.
Latin markets at a glance
| Store | Where | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Cardenas Markets | 1731 E. Bayshore Rd., East Palo Alto | Big weekly shop, carnitas, tortillas |
| Chavez Supermarket | 46 Fifth Ave., North Fair Oaks | Meat counter, bakery, taqueria |
| Chavez Market | 3282A Middlefield Rd., North Fair Oaks | A second Chavez stop on Middlefield |
| Middlefield Road shops | North Fair Oaks | Panaderías, produce stands, small carnicerías |
| Cardenas Markets | 235 E. Julian St., San Jose | Another Cardenas if you are south |
Cardenas Markets, East Palo Alto
The closest Hispanic supermarket to Palo Alto is Cardenas Markets at 1731 East Bayshore Road, in the Ravenswood 101 center just across US 101 from Palo Alto, off the University Avenue exit. The building opened in 2009 as East Palo Alto's Mi Pueblo Food Center. Mi Pueblo later merged with Cardenas and the store took the Cardenas name. Our Ravenswood 101 guide covers parking and the other stores in the center.
The store page lists hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. It describes a produce department, full-service meat and seafood departments and a Mexican cocina known for the chain's signature carnitas and daily meal deals. The site's department list also includes a tortilleria, a bakery, a pastry case, dairy and deli and RIA money transfer services. Cardenas also sells through delivery apps and Instacart if you would rather not make the trip.
For a Palo Alto shopper, Cardenas is the easiest place to fill a cart in one stop: tomatillos and chiles, thin-cut carne asada, crema and queso fresco, a stack of warm tortillas and a pound of carnitas for dinner. Since Target in the same center closed in September 2024, it is also the main full-service grocery store on that side of the freeway, so weekend afternoons get busy.
Chavez Supermarket, North Fair Oaks
Chavez Supermarket is a family-owned and family-operated Hispanic supermarket chain in the Bay Area. Its website says it was established in 1984. The chain lists departments for fresh meats and seafood, produce, grocery, a bakery, a tortilleria, a taqueria, catering and financial services. It also takes grocery delivery orders and taqueria orders online.
The store list names stores in Redwood City, Menlo Park, San Mateo, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Hayward and Newark. The two closest to Palo Alto are on the Middlefield Road corridor in unincorporated North Fair Oaks. San Mateo County's North Fair Oaks business directory lists Chavez Supermarket at 46 Fifth Avenue, with a Redwood City mailing address. It lists Chavez Market at 3282A Middlefield Road, with a Menlo Park mailing address. The chain also lists a store on Arguello Street in Redwood City. Its store finder needs a full browser to show hours, so check it before you go.
Chavez says in-store purchases can be paid with cash, credit, debit or EBT cash. Gift cards are sold at any register and work at every Chavez store.
Middlefield Road in North Fair Oaks
Drive north on Middlefield Road past Atherton and the street changes character. North Fair Oaks, an unincorporated neighborhood between Redwood City and Menlo Park, is lined with taquerías, panaderías, fruit stands, butcher shops and small markets, many with signs in Spanish. It is the closest place to Palo Alto for regional Mexican and Central American ingredients outside a supermarket. Our North Fair Oaks guide covers the history of the neighborhood, parking and where to eat.
Small shops on Middlefield change hands more often than chains do. Many have no website, so we have not listed them by name. Bring cash as a backup, park once and walk a few blocks. San Mateo County launched a project in 2021 to rebuild this stretch of Middlefield with new sidewalks and safety changes, which makes it easier to walk.
What you can find in Palo Alto
- Supermarkets. The larger grocers in town carry tortillas, canned chipotles, dried beans, rice and salsas. Fresh masa, Mexican cheeses beyond the basics and dried chiles in bulk are harder to find.
- Farmers markets. Summer brings tomatoes, peppers and squash blossoms to the Saturday downtown and Sunday California Avenue markets. Our farmers markets guide lists vendors and hours.
- Spanish, not Latin American. El Merkat at Town & Country Village sells imported goods from Spain, such as olive oils, Manchego, ibérico ham and paella kits. It is the place for Spanish ingredients, not Mexican ones.
A Mexican pantry shopping list
A first trip to a Latin market goes faster with a list. These staples keep well and cover a lot of home cooking:
| Item | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Dried ancho, guajillo and pasilla chiles | Red sauces, pozole, enchiladas and adobo |
| Chiles de árbol | Hot table salsas |
| Masa harina | Tortillas, sopes and tamales when fresh masa is not handy |
| Mexican oregano and canela | Stews and beans; Mexican cinnamon for coffee and desserts |
| Piloncillo | Unrefined cane sugar for café de olla and sweets |
| Queso fresco, cotija and Oaxaca cheese | Crumbling, finishing and melting |
| Crema | Tacos, enchiladas and soups |
| Tomatillos and fresh chiles | Salsa verde |
Buy dried chiles that are still soft and flexible. Brittle ones are old. Store them in a sealed jar away from light and they will keep for months.
Holiday shopping through the year
Latin markets follow the calendar, so plan around the busy weeks:
- Día de los Muertos, November 1 and 2. Bakeries sell pan de muerto and markets stock marigolds and candles for altars. See our Día de los Muertos guide for local events.
- December. Tamale season peaks before Christmas Eve. Order masa or ready-made tamales early and expect lines on the weekend before.
- January 6. Bakeries sell rosca de reyes for Three Kings Day.
- Lent. Seafood and capirotada, a bread pudding, appear in the weeks before Easter.
- September. Central American independence days on September 15 and Mexican Independence Day on September 16 bring party supplies and food specials.
Good to know
- Cardenas opens at 7 a.m. every day, the easiest time to shop before the weekend crowd.
- Prepared food counters at both chains make a cheap, quick lunch. Hot food is taxed; most groceries are not.
- For meat cut to order outside these chains, see our butchers and seafood guide.
- Bring your own bags. California grocery stores no longer hand out plastic carryout bags and they charge for paper ones.
Tips for a market run
- Go early on weekends. Tortillas, bread and carnitas are freshest in the morning.
- Ask at the counter. Butchers will cut carne asada thin, grind meat for chorizo or point you to the right cut for birria.
- Combine stops. Cardenas and the Chavez stores are about 10 to 15 minutes apart by car via University Avenue and Middlefield Road.
- Taste first. If you are new to the cuisine, eat at a taquería on Middlefield before you shop. Visitors who want a guided start can browse San Francisco food tours.
For the story of Latino families on the Peninsula, from the ranchos to today, read our Latino history of Palo Alto.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Mexican grocery store in Palo Alto?
Not inside city limits, as far as our directory shows. The closest Hispanic supermarket is Cardenas Markets at 1731 East Bayshore Road in East Palo Alto, just across US 101. Chavez Supermarket has stores a few miles north in North Fair Oaks, on the Redwood City and Menlo Park border.
What are Cardenas Markets' hours in East Palo Alto?
The store page for 1731 East Bayshore Road lists 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. The store has full-service meat and seafood departments, a tortilleria, a bakery and a cocina with prepared food, including the chain's signature carnitas. Check the page for holiday hours.
Where can I buy fresh tortillas near Palo Alto?
Both Hispanic chains near Palo Alto list a tortilleria. Cardenas has one at its East Palo Alto store and Chavez Supermarket lists a tortilleria among its departments. Weekend mornings are the best time to find tortillas still warm.
Where is Chavez Supermarket near Palo Alto?
Chavez Supermarket's store list includes stores on Fifth Avenue and in Menlo Park. San Mateo County's North Fair Oaks business directory gives the addresses as 46 Fifth Avenue (Redwood City mailing address) and 3282A Middlefield Road (Menlo Park mailing address). Check the chain's store finder for hours before you go.
Where can I buy masa for tamales near Palo Alto?
Start with the tortillerias at Cardenas and Chavez, which grind corn for their own tortillas. Ask at the counter whether they sell fresh masa or masa preparada for tamales. In December, order a few days ahead, since demand peaks before Christmas Eve.