La Hacienda Market

Hillside Boulevard runs below Sign Hill, the slope whose white letters spell out South San Francisco, and at number 249 it passes La Hacienda Market. The store's own website gives this address, the 650-583-8850 phone number and hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. It is the newer of two La Hacienda Markets; the other stands on North Amphlett Boulevard in San Mateo.

Departments inside

The market organises itself around a few counters. A carniceria cuts meat to order. A panaderia sells bread and sweet pastries. Produce, dry groceries and household staples fill the aisles, and a check-cashing window handles paychecks for customers who prefer not to wait on a bank.

For a neighbourhood grocer like this one, the meat counter is often the reason people make a special trip, so it pays to ask what the butchers can prepare ahead for a party, a quinceañera or a weekend barbecue.

Shopping tips

Call ahead for large meat orders, especially before holidays and graduation weekends, and ask how much notice the carniceria needs for several pounds of a single cut. Before bringing a check to the cashing window, ask what identification is required and what fee applies. If you rely on a specialty item, a dried chile, a particular cheese or a brand from home, ask whether the store can order it in. Weekday mornings tend to be quieter than weekend afternoons at most small markets, and the early 7 a.m. opening suits anyone buying fresh bread before work. The Grand Avenue shops downtown are a few blocks away, so the market fits into a longer errand run.

Who shops here

The store serves South San Francisco's older downtown neighbourhoods and shoppers from San Bruno, Daly City, Brisbane, Colma, Pacifica, Millbrae and Burlingame, the northern end of San Mateo County.

For stock questions or a party order, call 650-583-8850. Luis Valencia is listed as manager in the chamber's records.