La Union Grocery

Best papusas I have ever had in my entire life. When I went to HB I used to go here at least once a week for lunch. I have never been disappointed when I go here and I highly recommend getting the cheese papusas.

I miss this place so much !!! But the part that I miss the most is take care of my customers !!! I will never forget those days !!!

Not impressed with the actual grocery selection. The food they were cooking for takeout smelled good but the groceries were HIGHLY overpriced and the people working in there cold have cared less wether we stayed or left… Won’t go again.

Cute little neighborhood place. Lots of hot sauce here (had to make a morning run for breakfast!) and awesome ice cream/​popsicle treats. Good place to pop into if you’re missing something at home and don’t want to go far to get it (assuming you live in the ‘hood to be able to run/​walk here).

i’ve been coming here for years and eating their bean and cheese pupusas and corn tamales with sour cream. they are delicious! and it’s a friendly, inviting, non-​pretentious place to go.
try a choco-​banana, a sort of delicious but very romantic dessert for the summer.

A little Hispanic grocery shop right up the street from HB. It’s just a normal store, but once you go inside and to the back, you find what could be a food hunter’s hidden treasure. In the back, there is a little deli with two employees. The grocery store portion does not become very crowded, but the deli in the back does. The line can go from three to fifteen people in a matter of seconds. The two employees serving the customers are always very friendly and welcoming, especially to the students that come during lunch time. Sometime, if you’re a student, you might even get a little bit of a discount.
The deli serves many Hispanic dishes, but I have only tried two. I have had the tacos de carne and cheese pupusas. La Union’s dishes are some of the best Hispanic eats in the area. The tacos de carne come with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and salsa. The salsa seems like it is homemade because it just has that fresh homemade taste to it. But the best part has to be the steak in the taco. A mouthful of flavor and juiciness explode in your mouth with every bite, not to mention its ‘just right’ amount of chewiness. The steak is served medium well and has touches of seasoning, salt, and pepper. The pupusas that are made are equivalently just as good as the tacos. The cheese pupusas taste is moist on the outside but nice and cheesy on the inside. They are eaten with the same salsa that comes with the tacos de carne. The cheesiness of the pupusa compliments the soft but ‘hard enough’ coating that it lies in. Overall, I give this dive a four out of five. It’s a great place to go grab some lunch. Rich culture, nice servers, and good eats, what more can you ask for.

I’m a rare-​reviewer — only reviewing the places I frequent and realize that by giving La Union a stellar review, I’m drawing more attention to this Cherrydale Gem.
La Union: reminds me of the food my abuela makes in Panama, the food my mom tried to teach me how to cook. I being the mediocre cook that I am, prefer to stop here for the tamales!
The food is great, the people are fabulous, and I am always looking forward to my next visit.
If you’re in the Cherrydale stop by La Union, there is street parking and a small lot behind the store. Try the delicious authentic food (at an amazing price), you’ll leave satisfied!

Great neighborhood store.
Must like the Islands and Latin America.
Yerba Mattee tea and choco bananas on a stick.

Neighborhood Gem!
I love to cook latin american flavors and this is a great spot for fresh and affordable ingredients. The produce section is tiny but always seems to have what I need for much less cost than Safeway — nice fat avocados, bright fresh cilantro, juicy limes, nice potatoes and carrots, etc. Good selection of salsas, spices, canned beans, etc. The prepared food is fabulous and a good value. I love to pick up a tamale to eat while I’m cooking — they warm it up for you and serve with repollo (like a slaw) and salsa, all for $ 1.75. I recently tried the beef soup with vegetables and it was great. The people who work there are nice and they seem to do a good business so you don’t feel like the items are on the shelf forever, as some small ethnic grocery stores.

Loved the Carne Asada tacos–
Very authentic, I will gladly go back and eat there again.

La Union is a well run corner convenience store. We go here for all our meat and paricularly like their offering of chicken and short ribs. The deli in the back also offers great homemade food. The carne asada meal is great for a quick and hearty dinner. We have yet to be disappointed. The staff is always helpful.

La Union is small. It’s not a chain. It’s ethnic. These are all the ingredients for the «non-​conformists» on Unilocal and in Arlington, in general, to love La Union and give it 5 stars. The problem is, it’s only average. The store itself is small, and seems well-​stocked with a variety of mostly hispanic groceries. But my review will focus on the food counter, which was just ok. The masa tamal was excellent, but everything else was average, including the cheese tamal and arepa. It was clear everything was in the fridge and warmed up (kind of) in the microwave. La Union could be that really cool, local ethinc grocer and carryout, but armed with a microwave and average food, it’s not.

A short walk from my house, so I find myself there whenever I need one last ingredient for a recipe. I am only there at night, consequently, and the atmosphere then leaves much to be desired. It is a pretty standard, crowded corner store, dirtier than I would prefer.
Pricier too.

La Union reminds me of the little mom and pop stores I’ve found in the Caribbean. At the same time, it’s reminiscent of the way stores were run when life in the states was a little more simplistic. There is something comforting about employees offering a genuine smile rather than an obligatory grin. There are several imported items throughout the store that help to make La Union a more exotic version of the mom and pop stores I grew up with in No​.Va. There are several handmade delights in the deli case that have yet to sample but are surely as delicious as they appear. The owner of La Union is one of the most dedicated business owners I’ve ever come in contact with. He is there through the elements, seasons and years. You can see him cleaning and socializing with the community and he always seems upbeat and congenial. I wish I could give this guy a Unilocal award for community excellence.
Why should you visit La Union?
Give back to the community.
Support hard working, small business owners
Check out the imports
Homemade food
Exotic offerings
Friendly staff

The food, service and people here are outstanding!!! OMG! The carne tacos and nachos are my personal fave! Plus, you can buy a wide range of spices for cheap! The food will have you coming back for more and more!!!

Live around the corner… I love real. Good. Authentic food. This is it. I could eat those carne asada tacos everyday! Plus they have guava juice. Hard to find these days.

I first found out about this hidden treasure when I worked at a car dealership and of course all of the hard working mechanics knew where all the good food was and inexpensive food at that. Go into the small hispanic grocery store and head towards the back where they sell the pupusas and sweet corn tamales. They have a wide range of other treats, but those two are my favorite. I have had other pupusas but these take the grand prize… and all due to the cabbage or slaw that goes on top… crunchy, tangy and most awesome… you can get it heated there… i normally heat at home… get the cabbage separate in a bag… hell …I always pay for extra slaw because I love it so much. Pork and cheese are my favorite. Also try the sweet corn tamales with the crema… yummy…ok.I am headed there tomorrow. They also have a restaurant near Ballston area… but I have never been…