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If your social feeds have been full of live crab tanks, ube shakes and long lines lately, there’s a good reason: Seafood City, North America’s largest Filipino supermarket chain, has officially opened its very first Arizona store. The massive market and food hall debuted on Thursday, July 30, at Chandler Fashion Center, and Valley shoppers wasted no time showing up, with some camping out in tents the night before just to be first through the doors.
What It Is (and Why People Are So Excited)
Seafood City started in 1989 as a single store in National City, California, and has since grown into a nearly 40-location chain across the U.S. and Canada, earning a reputation as the go-to cultural hub for Filipino communities. This is the brand’s very first Arizona location, and it’s a big one.
Matt Go, president of Seafood City, said in a news release that the company’s goal has always been to bring people together through food and create a place where everyone feels welcome, and that whether shoppers are searching for familiar favorites or discovering something completely new, their journey to experiencing Asian flavors starts at Seafood City.
Where to Find It
The new store took over the former Sears space on the upper level of Chandler Fashion Center, right near the Harkins Theatre and Round1 Arcade, putting it firmly in the East Valley, about 90 minutes south of Prescott.
Address: 3111 W. Chandler Blvd., Suite 04A, Chandler, AZ 85226
Phone: 480-812-8488
Hours: 8 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday–Thursday; 8 a.m.–midnight Friday–Saturday; 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Sunday
Inside the Store
At nearly 66,000 square feet, this isn’t your average grocery run. Shoppers will find:
A live seafood market with tanks of lobster, crab, and fish, plus tables piled with fresh catch on ice designed to mimic a Philippine wet market, or palengke. Staff will clean, gut and even fry your seafood for you to eat on the spot.
Groceries from across Asia, including the Philippines, Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, Vietnam and beyond, alongside aisles devoted entirely to instant noodles, frozen lumpia and dumplings, and a whole freezer just for longganisa sausage.
A produce section with tropical fruits and Asian vegetables, plus a fresh-cut fruit counter where staff will help you tackle tricky produce.
The Food Hall: Arizona’s Largest Filipino-Asian Food Hall
Spanning nearly 11,000 square feet with seating for more than 300 guests, the food hall is the biggest one in the entire Seafood City chain. Seven in-house counters opened on day one, each with its own personality:
Counter
What to Try
Grill City
Filipino barbecue skewers, baked salmon, crispy pork belly
Slurp Alley
Personal hot pots, tableside noodle soups, dim sum
Sizzle
Sizzling cast-iron plates, including bone marrow, ribeye, sisig with java rice
Crispy Town
Whole-pig lechon (pick your own meat-to-skin ratio), plus chicken and crablets
Bakers Avenue
Fresh pandesal, ube pastries, brioche and cakes
Yelo Yelo
Ube and mango shakes, soft serve, halo-halo
Kakanin Korner
Bibingka, puto and layered sapin-sapin rice cakes
An eighth counter focused on crab is set to open in the seafood section within the next couple of months, according to Go.
There’s also a rentable Social Hall for private events and karaoke nights, perfect for anyone in Prescott or Prescott Valley looking for a fun day trip destination or a unique spot to host a celebration in the Valley.
More Than Just Groceries
Beyond feeding shoppers, Seafood City has been feeding the local economy too, hiring more than 100 employees for the Chandler location across food service, seafood prep, and its Bakers Avenue bakery team. Go says the team isn’t slowing down now that the doors are open, and the plan is to keep refining the product selection, training staff, and staying involved with the community.
Seafood City Supermarket is located at 3111 W. Chandler Blvd., Suite 04A, Chandler, AZ 85226. Learn more at seafoodcity.com.
Read more stories from the Phoenix Area on SignalsAZ.com.
Dining and Cooking