Responding to customer demand for a second store in another part of town, Pepe’s Hacienda & Restaurant has expanded to Arlington.
On June 13, the establishment opened at 9239 Merrill Road. Its original store and restaurant remain at 3615 Dupont Ave., Suite 900, in San Jose.
Pepe’s Hacienda is a full-size restaurant as well as a grocery store specializing in products from Latin America. The first store and restaurant opened in 2018.
The Lopez family owns and operates the businesses. Gregory Trejo, a son-in-law of the Lopezes, manages the new store. It has about 20 employees. Many of them are relatives.
Trejo declined to provide construction and startup costs for the 7,500-square-foot location.
The city issued a permit June 14, 2024, for Pepe’s Hacienda and Restaurant to build-out at a project cost of $950,000.
“We have a lot of customers who travel to the other location. They always asked us, it would be good to have somebody in the area so we don’t have to travel 25-30 minutes to get groceries and produce,” Trejo said.
The grocery store has full produce and meat departments. It sells Mexican sodas, made with sugar rather than corn syrup. It has snacks and chips that are hard to find in other stores. It has products from throughout Latin America.
Besides food, the business can assist in cash transfers, fax services and local and international phone services.
Staff members speak Spanish and English.
Both businesses are open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tortillas are made in-house, and the menu includes Mexican and American choices.
Nachos Pepe is topped with a selection of meats including chorizo, beef tongue, beef tripe as well as chicken, pork and ground beef.
Tacos, burritos, quesadillas as well as a full dinner menu are served. The establishment has a full bar.