There’s a World Market Hiding Just off SR-78 |
North Park Produce Vista’s August prices expire Aug. 31—but the sale is only the excuse to look inside. |
Ten pounds of rice.
One hundred tea bags.
Tahini. Tomato paste. Fresh bread.
That is either a grocery list—or dinner getting dangerously ambitious.
At North Park Produce Vista, it is part of an August promotion running out of calendar. The advertised prices end Monday, Aug. 31.
But here is the more interesting part: The sale is temporary.
The international market behind it is not.
First, the Pantry Math
A 10-pound bag of Royal Extra Sella rice is advertised for $12.99.
Alwazah tea costs $4.99 for 110 bags. A 100-count package of Sadaf cardamom or special-blend tea is $10.99. Ahmad cardamom or Earl Grey tea costs $6.99 for 100 bags.
The store also advertises Sera tomato paste for $3.99 and Al Wadi tahini for $7.99. Its accompanying social-media text does not identify the package sizes for those two products.
Then comes the usual grocery-store fine print nobody prints:
Will it still be there?
North Park Produce has not publicly guaranteed availability or announced a rain-check policy. Shoppers making a special trip for one product should call first.
Driving across town for sold-out rice is a long way to go for carbohydrates you cannot eat.
The Store Behind the Flyer
North Park Produce operates at 1952 Hacienda Drive, just off State Route 78 in Vista.
Its official website describes the business as an international market and Mediterranean grill.
Inside are fresh produce, bulk grains and spices, groceries, a full-service deli, a bakery and a meat department offering halal products.
The bakery makes tandoori and sangak bread. The produce department carries familiar choices alongside regional, ethnic and harder-to-find ingredients, according to the store.
That makes this more than another supermarket with sale signs taped to the windows.
Plenty of stores sell tea.
Fewer can turn the tea aisle into a geography lesson.
Dinner Has Entered the Building
Aladdin Mediterranean Grill operates inside the market from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily.
Its menu includes kabob, shawarma, gyros, falafel, lamb shank and family packs. The grill publishes weekly specials separate from the August grocery promotion.
So shoppers can enter for tahini, discover fresh bread and leave carrying dinner.
That is not impulse shopping.
That is consolidating errands with unusually good aromas.
Same Name, Different Websites
A separate website using the North Park Produce name lists locations in San Diego and El Cajon.
The Vista market maintains its own website. Public information does not clearly establish the ownership relationship among those locations, so shoppers should not assume Vista’s prices apply elsewhere.
The Vista market is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Its telephone number is 760-631-8434.
The August prices leave after Aug. 31.
The international pantry beside SR-78 stays put.
Questions You May Have About North Park Produce
Where is North Park Produce Vista?
When do the August specials end?
What are the market’s hours?
Does the market serve prepared food?
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7 Comments
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A little confusing with the different North Park locations. Wish they’d have the same prices everywhere!
Love grabbing produce here, so much fresher than my regular grocery store. Plus, their olives rock.
Lisa ChenRight? Their herbs and greens always last way longer in my fridge. And those big tubs of olives are a must for me too.
Just a heads up, I went for the rice a few months ago and it was out of stock. Call first for sure.
Does anyone know if they usually have the lamb shank at the grill? Been craving a good one for weeks.
Never realized there was a bakery inside, totally trying that sangak bread next time I’m nearby.
Sam R.You’ll love it! The sangak is huge and has that perfect chewy texture. Their flatbreads are awesome fresh out of the oven.