No opening date has been announced. As of the publishing of this page, Carniceria Sonora appears on the Town of Queen Creek Economic Development office’s Coming Soon list with a location but no date. We update this page when that changes.
Where it is going
The southeast corner of Signal Butte and Queen Creek roads, inside the Madera development.
Is it a chain or a local shop?
This is the question locals ask first, and the honest answer is that it sits in between. Carniceria Sonora is a family business, not a national chain, and it has been in Arizona a long time.
The family traces the shop back to the founder’s grandfather, known as Tata, who ran a carnicería in Sonora, México. The first Arizona store opened in Tempe in 1994. Today the family runs four locations across the Valley:
- Tempe
- Phoenix
- Peoria
- Maricopa
Queen Creek would be the fifth. So it is a regional family operation on its fifth store, not a corporate rollout.
What they actually sell
A carnicería is a Mexican butcher shop and grocery. Expect a full meat counter, prepared foods, and daily staples rather than a supermarket layout. Carniceria Sonora advertises 100% Certified Angus Beef, tortillas made by hand daily, and recipes carried over from Sonora. Their motto is Pura Calidad, pure quality.
Since 2016 the family has also expanded past the counter into restaurants, catering, cooking classes, and food festivals.
Why this one matters locally
Queen Creek has grown fast, and the grocery options have grown with it, but mostly in the national-chain direction. A family-run carnicería on its fifth store is a different kind of addition. If you have been driving to Mesa or Chandler for a real meat counter, this is the one to watch.
We wrote about why the national chains tend to land first in a new development, and why that actually gives places like this a better shot: why chains open first in Queen Creek.