SUGAR LAND, Texas — Seafood City, North America's largest supermarket chain that focuses on Filipino and Asian foods, has set up shop in Sugar Land.
The brick shopping center sits off Highway 59 and Williams Trace Boulevard. Inside are 50,000 square feet of groceries, offering "Filipino Goodness," as the store motto says. The groceries range from raw ingredients to ready-to-eat foods. There's even a hot-food section where some meats are grilled, including kebabs of chicken and pork, whole squid, salmon filets and more. The hot food section also offers simple classic dishes, like braised pork called Adobo.
Sugar Land is the home to the only Seafood City' in the South, making it a destination for out-of-towners who don't have similar options nearby.
“I'm from Oklahoma," said Angelique Alog who was visiting the store with her family. "We're all from the Philippines. Born and raised."
Seafood City got its start by selling seafood favored by Filipinos, like Parrot Fish. It grew to include all kinds of groceries in 34 cities, but the original name stuck.
For those unfamiliar with Filipino cuisine, it's a treat to explore canned goods and specialty snacks, spices, fruit and produce tough to find elsewhere. You will also find Spanish influences in Filipino cuisine, including a Filipino version of chicharrónes or fried pork skins.
Store manager Meg Austria said the Philippines were colonized for almost 333 years by Spain, so that's why a lot of the food is influenced by Spain.
Seafood City chose the Houston area because of its diversity and relatively large Filipino population. Austria said Filipino nurses often grab food at the store after their shifts.
For those who are not Filipino, Seafood City can be an opportunity to try something new.