Arteaga's Food Center

Good fruits n veggies also they have a meat market in this store. Prices are reasonable. They also have a place to order tacos n burritos. I haven't tried it yet because I'm new to the area. But will soon.😋

Excellent grocery with fresh veggies, fruit and meat.

This experience is very close to a perfect five-star rating. As someone who has a lot of experience with food deserts, Arteaga's Food Center positions itself as a blessing appearing in plain clothes. African American communities are famous for "corner stores," but there aren't anything's "storish" about them. The majority of them make money selling alcohol in minority neighborhoods. For the San Jose area, this layout is the blueprint for fighting back against the one-size-fits-all supermarket concept that's failed time-and-time again.

With that said, there were only a few things missing from the experience that precluded it from becoming a five star market. First, they didn't have compostable bags. Plastic waste is a fixable problem in the environment, and revoking plastics from the most basic shopping experiences has proven to be a problem people with money aren't willing to solve, but that's a story for another day.

In addition, the meat shop doesn't use butcher paper, instead it also uses plastic bags, and I've already mentioned why that's a factor in the 4-star rating. Outside of these two fixable factors, the rest of the store performs its primary function wonderfully. That function is selling high quality foods for an affordable price.

The core pillars of a great diet are fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats, with a variety of bread-based products blended throughout the store. The store offers a seasonal selection of demographic specific food that fits the majority of needs customers have in this area. As mentioned, there is a butcher shop as well, which complements the baked goods and authentic pastries.

In summary, Arteaga's succeeds where the "Whole Check Foods" model fails, and is a constant reminder they are the ultimate corner stores. I just wish there were as many of these are their were liquor and convenience stores in our neighborhoods. Even though the store is close to where I live. I still pass two of the less quality "traditional" corners stores on the way to get there.

As a bonus, they accept E.B.T, and also hand out coupons to subsidize fruit and vegetable purchases when customers use their cards there. Almost perfect...