Copyright Los Angeles Times
The scent of meat being grilled filled the air on a recent morning, as employees stocked shelves and put the finishing touches on Super Irvine International Market, which opened Friday at Parkview Center in Irvine. Super Irvine, known for its Persian goods and Mediterranean produce, has made a long-awaited return to its hometown with an upgraded location at 5311 University Drive. Its original Irvine location on Culver Drive closed in 2022 and the community has felt its absence, as evidenced by perpetual speculation about the store’s return on social media platforms, especially on Irvine’s subreddit. Sisters Mahta and Anahita Ariarad, owners of the store, have been hard at work bringing it back to the city where the business first opened nearly 30 years ago. “We are excited for Super Irvine to be a market for everyone,” Mahta Ariarad said. “Irvine is a melting pot and we want to cater to everyone.” She and Anahita have taken over the legacy started by their father, Ali Ariarad, who in 1983 opened a small butcher shop in Orange. In 1996, the family opened their first Super Irvine location and a second location in Mission Viejo in 2003, the first Persian market for that city. The new market has taken over space formerly occupied by Zion Market, not far from Strawberry Farms Golf Club and Tanaka Farms. The 30,000-square-foot grocery store also boasts an in-store café, bakery and juice and coffee bar, with traditional Turkish coffee. “At the juice bar, we’ll have juice, smoothies, coffee and specialty teas with tables and chairs for people to enjoy their drinks,” Mahta said ahead of Friday’s opening. A large produce area offers organic fruits, vegetables and herbs, some of them sourced from the family’s own farm in Fallbrook. “All of our organic citrus comes from our farm. We have about 500 chickens right now, so our organic eggs come from the farm too,” Mahta said. “And we just installed a greenhouse.” Depending on the season, she said, shoppers will also find items like avocados, pomegranates and more that come directly from the Ariarad family farm. Super Irvine will carry even more specialty food items and hard-to-find ingredients from an array of cultures than it did in its first location, which was smaller. “We are focusing on a global market with specialty items from everywhere; Russia, Turkey, Italy and all over Europe,” Mahta said. Two entire aisles are dedicated to specialty food items that have been carefully curated by the sisters. “It’s all things our customers have requested in our other markets, and we are also talking with our vendors about what their top [selling] items in Irvine are,” said Anahita. “So I think there is going to be a little bit of an adjustment period once we open, just listening to what our customers want.” Bella’s Bakery is serving fresh-baked goods daily and is equipped for catering weddings and special events, while the full-service deli and butcher shop are stocked with halal and kosher options. A selection of prepared foods for grab-and-go meals ranging from sandwiches to sushi are also offered. “Since we are so close to UCI, any UCI students will get 10% off, so we will have a lot of packaged lunches, smoothies and yogurt,” Mahta said. The Ariarad family is also behind Irvine restaurants like Irvine Grill, Caspian Restaurant and the Mex-Med destination, Aria Kitchen. The new store will incorporate their hospitality experience with a sit-down Mediterranean restaurant, Bita, inside Super Irvine. “The menu is almost identical to Irvine Grill in Quail Hill, but it will be a little bit faster,” said Anahita. “We have a rotisserie in there too.” An emerging trend in O.C. markets Super Irvine joins several other international markets to open in Orange County in the last few years that offer more than just groceries. In 2023, when Northgate Market opened its 70,000-square-foot behemoth Mercado González, the Mexican market and food hall on Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa, it was touted as the first of its kind in Orange County. The space was designed to be a place where shoppers could not only shop for food and culturally-specific ingredients, but dine together and enjoy music. H-Mart opened in Westminster late this summer with a Korean food hall boasting more than 10 vendors. Tokyo Central, which stocks Japanese goods and groceries, opened its third O.C. store at Heritage Plaza shopping center in Irvine this year, with its sister brand sushi restaurant, Waka Sakura, next door. In 2026, Orange County will welcome its first T&T Supermarket, Canada’s largest Asian grocery chain, to Irvine. Creating a space that serves multicultural customers, from home cooks to students, while also offering a unique experience, is key to serving the Irvine community as a whole, the Ariarad sisters believe. “We are trying to meet everyone’s needs, and we are excited that the community, in a sense, is coming back together,” Mahta said. “Super Irvine was always a second home for everyone.”
