Valley Foods

I ended up at this supermarket when I drove out from LA to near San Diego to buy a Korg PA2X Pro off some private seller on Craigslist who wanted to trade for my Korg PA800. Being from Glendale, whose majority population are my beloved Armenians, I had an appreciation for diasporas who establish communities and support each other. This town was similar to the sense of community we preserve in Glendale. They were Christian-​Iraqi people (sorry I don’t remember exactly, I was too excited for my new keyboard at the time lol).
Before I headed back to LA, I asked the guy if he could recommend a good place to eat. He told me the supermarket down the street, said there’s kabob and stuff. I’m thinking, «uh ok?».
As soon as I walked in, I felt like I teleported to the Jons on Glenoaks and Western. Everyone looked Armenian, but at the same time I felt so left out. Like the workers didn’t wanna acknowledge me. But hey, this contributed to the authentic character that this place proudly represented itself with. Anyway, I see almost all customers carrying warm, freshly cooked bread (Very similar to lavash). It was moments before I found myself en route to the bakery section. Waiting in line, I see they had lamajoun’s on their menu too. They were making them fresh right in front of you too (Preparing the dough, Laying the spread, and them cooking the lahmajoun on a hot stone for a few minutes). I’m telling you, this place was legit. I’m used to having normal sized lamajouns, so I ordered about 5, and I got 2 of those lavash kind of breads. Each was like $.99 or something. When I opened the bag of the lamajouns in my car, I had a micro-​infact. It smelled so amazing, or maybe I was hungry since I’d been driving for a while… Either way, it was really really good. So much meat, bread was so soft and fresh, and each one was like 12″ in diameter. In other words, like 2 or 3 normal sized lamajouns.
My buddy came over when I got back from El Cajon. I had 2 lahmajouns left so we just killed it real quick. It was then that I realized these were the greatest lahmaji (plural for Lahmajoun lol) I’d ever had. My friend was also dumbfounded. A few weeks ago we actually wanted to drive out just for those lahmajouns and that lavash kind of bread, but nah. lol. I’ll be back one day though!

The best place, great food and great prices… everyone is so nice. The restaurant is great, awesome food.

Prices are just a tiny bit more expensive than North Park but quality is way better. I’d rather drive the extra miles and shop here. Plus the store is way more open and clean. Their Freshly prepared Cheese Borak is to die for.
Parking is a bit of a problem though.

Haven’t been there, but the phone service is terrible. I called to find out if they have orange blossom water (a common ingredient in Mediterranean dishes) and was told «no, we just have regular oranges». Very odd.

I got a huge stomach ache from their chicken shawarma… Which to be honest wasn’t even that great.
Tiny tiny little parking lot that can only fit about 15 cars.
I probably wouldn’t bother coming back.

Welcome to the neighborhood Valley Foods, as you are one step closer to become my official and certified place to-​go-​to for my arab supply needs and wants. That being said, I honestly am very serious critic when it comes to my own local Heritage and cultural grocery store. Valley foods is an ethnic food supply to its demands (me) when to my favorite things to get on the go, i.e., Matabel (Roasted Eggplant mixed with Taheen, olive oil, and Roasted garlic), Tabouli, and traditional Yoghurts.
In addition, Valley foods also supply your every day grocery shopping times. Yet at times I feel its mediocre to its «hot foods» selection and preparations, it does deliver freshness.
I am always in & out of this place for my quick grabNgo things as its so close to my home and super fast check-​outs. The parking can be at times hectic and over crowded, (Try to park by approached it from the back alley) as its much faster and not so much traffic as its main entrance from Main street.

Very clean and organized. First time being in a middle eastern grocery and was equally amused and impressed by the spice, grains, beans, and meat selection. Got a few stares being the only asian at the store but everyone was friendly and giving me smiles. The man at the deli counter even gave me a free pomegranate drink when i asked what it was. I will definitely be back when i’m in the mood for some mediterranean flavors!

Really disappointed. In the beginning of the week we
ordered food for my son’s birthday party on Sunday. Go to pick it up today and guess what? They have no idea of my order. The worst part, no I’m sorry, or an attempt to rectify the situation, by helping me out and putting something together for 30 people. They just left me standing there. I am shocked. I guess they don’t care about customers. If you order food from there, have Domino’s Pizza’s number on your phone as back up. Order at your own risk. Had to run around and figure something out while guest are waiting.

My husband and I decided to try Valley Foods for lunch yesterday (forgot to take pictures). He had the chicken kabobs and chicken shawarma, which were both delicious and fresh. I ordered the falafel plate…
the falafels are not the best I’ve had; they were dense/​heavy and one-​note. The hummus, however, was great. If I ever return, I will definitely order something else.
The service: First, the gentleman taking orders only took my husband’s order then walked away, though I was right next to him and had started to speak. He ignored my call of «excuse, me, sir…», yet came back when my husband called, but wouldn’t look at me and seemed irritated. I’m not a rude person and always say «please» and «thank you,» but that didn’t seem to pacify him and the young lady who was ringing up another customer stared at me like she, too, was irritated.
I understand how busy food service is, I’ve been there, but I was uncomfortable.
The store: The space is very tight and folks will gladly run you over with their carts. I did my best to stay out of the way, but no one really pays any mind to others there. The produce was also fairly underdeveloped and/​or past prime, which was a big let down, cause I had such high hopes. The sweet breads/​pastries looked lovely. until I noticed all the flies in the case =/​
Perhaps I was just there on a bad day, but I know a few local locations I can rely on for a more positive experience.

I went to the food area on Sunday night to order food for my friends and I. I walked up to the register not really sure what to order but Danny the cashier was super nice and understanding. He told me about different items and also recommended the meal for 3. So I took his recommendation and it was enough food for 5 people. I was really happy with the food we got, it was tasty and delicious. Danny was kind, patient, and made my experience wonderful with his customer service. I will be coming back!

Nice Middle Eastern market. They have different middle eastern food, products, and spices. They also provide other services such as MoneyGrams. Reasonable prices and good customers service. Plenty of parking space.

Delicious beef shawarma and we bought a bag of Sri Lankan tea from their grocery that was just first class. I’ll be back to try everything else on their menu. One star off for the deli clerk charging us for 2 6-​packs instead of 2 cans of soda — not a big deal however– they were more than happy to refund us the overcharged amount. All in all — a clean deli, super quick service, delicious food, and the employees were friendly and accommodating.

I decided to give this place a shot because I had a craving for middle eastern food and it had good Unilocal reviews. The service was super slow and the food was mediocre at best and COLD (ok, maybe luke warm). The other thing is that as I was waiting for my food I observed at least a half dozen food handling/​restaurant violations, it had a funny smell and the place was definitely not the cleanest around. I will give this place the benefit of a doubt and maybe it was close to closing time. I will definitely try other places before I return here.

Wide variety of fresh produce and different kinds of ethnic foods.
The place is big stalled up with produce stands, isles with foods, in house bakery, in house butcher and a deli-​style to go place Their to go meals are seemed to be prepared for large families since they have not 10 dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), but 25 dolma’s in a package. Will be back here though.

I found this place through my Caldean and Persian friends High recommendation. As I was looking for an authentic deli and I have been shopping here in the last 3 years only when I am in the neighborhood.
Atmosphere: clean and organized.
My favorites are the dry bulk of nuts, the bakery where they make fresh cakes. Also, a gem is the Deli section where they prepare fresh made to go foods:
kabobs (chicken and beef),
Fresh cheese pies
Hummus)variety of assortments)
Babbaghanoush
Guacamole
Fresh cheese
Falafel
Pickled vegetables
Assortment of olives
A great place if you are having a large party and need home made appetizers. Fresh and tasty.
Also, there produce is fresh and low price. However, I usualy do not buy produce here as they do not carry organic.
There is also a seating are where you can buy hot foods and prices are low. Their gyros are very tasty.
I would shop here more often if I live nearby. Overall, a friendly place to shop.

I love their food! The beef kabob combo is usually what I get when I come, it’s great! Great customer service! One thing I love about them is before they give you the food they actually open up the combo plate to show you the food.

The food service is good, but I am not going to shop there anymore for groceries. They keep bringing bad or almost expired merchandises. Not to mention the high prices, and everybody buys because it’s really hard to find the type of groceries this store has anywhere else.
Your prices are very high, which is totally fine, since you have no competition (monopoly).
So have at it and enjoy it while it lasts, because this kind of business conduct will do nothing but hurt you on the long run.

I love this place… always clean and sell fresh produce
Very nice service… fresh food… try it :)

I come here like 4 times in a month to shop for arabic food. I always come here because the place is clean and sell fresh produce. The cashiers are lovely and nice. The prices are amazing. The kitchen department is great they cook fresh delicious food. Overall i recommend this place for you, if you want to go shop for arabic food.

Came in again today cause I can’t get enough if their kabob. So delicious. Service is consistently good. Food is always fresh and absolutely delicious. I’m in love with this place. Today I also discovered their fresh pomegranate juice in the corner! For $ 1.50, you get a cup of pure heaven!