Mercado González La Habra: What's Coming to Whittier Boulevard

"For decades, our La Habra store has proudly served generations of families," Oscar González, co-president of Northgate González Market, said in the written release announcing that the store at 1305 W. Whittier Blvd. will become a Mercado González. According to the Orange County Register, he added that the family-owned company wants the new version to be a gathering place as much as a place to shop.

That second goal is the real story. Today the La Habra Northgate is a grocery store open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The plans filed with the city, the stalls Northgate has named and the churrería that just opened a few doors down all point the same way. This corner of Whittier Boulevard is being set up for people who come to stay a while in the evening, and part of that has already happened.

The paperwork came before the announcement

Five months before Northgate went public, the city posted a notice. On March 9, 2026, the La Habra Planning Commission held a hearing on a change to Northgate's existing conditional use permit at 1305 West Whittier Boulevard. The request was to switch the store's alcohol license from a Type 48, which the notice describes as "On-Sale General-Public Premises," to a Type 47, described as "On-Sale General-Eating Place."

The labels explain the change. A license tied to an "eating place" fits a site where drinks are served with food, and that matches the plan Northgate announced in August. The same notice says the project was ruled categorically exempt from CEQA review under the "Existing Facilities" class.

The notice sets the hearing date. It does not record what the commission decided, and nothing found so far shows the result. It's best read as an early sign of where the project was heading, with the outcome still unconfirmed.

How the plan went public

The timeline is short, and most of it happened in the last two months:

1. March 9, 2026: The Planning Commission hearing on the alcohol license change at 1305 W. Whittier Blvd.
2. August 17, 2026: Northgate announces the La Habra store will become a Mercado González.
3. September 3, 2026: The Register updates its report. There's still no opening date, and Northgate says grand opening details will come "in the months ahead."
4. September 10, 2026: The La Habra Area Chamber schedules a ribbon cutting for El Moro Churrería at 1327 W. Whittier Blvd.

What the Costa Mesa version shows about the scale

The format is already up and running about 20 miles south. The Register describes the Costa Mesa Mercado González as roughly 70,000 square feet. It's modeled on the maze-like mercados found across Mexico, and after opening nearly three years ago it became one of Orange County's busiest food halls and gathering spaces. It has more than 20 puestos serving dishes like birria, lengua verde and Sinaloa-style sushi, with a full Northgate grocery store inside the same building.

The Register summed up the experience this way: going in for a bag of limes and leaving with carnitas, sheets of chicharrón and mezcal cocktails "is entirely likely." That's the model coming to La Habra. A quick grocery run can turn into dinner.

Who is slated for La Habra

Many of the food offerings from Costa Mesa will show up in La Habra too, according to the Register. Here are the names Northgate has released so far:

• Taquería Los Mesquites
• Carnitas Don Miguel
• Las Cazuelas Guisados
• Rosticería Los 13 Pollos
• El Pariente, focused on seafood
• A tamalería, paletería, pastelería, tortillería and an aguas frescas stand

Then there are the parts that make it a place to spend an evening. Entre Nos, the indoor cocktail bar at the Costa Mesa location, will get a La Habra sibling serving Mexican beers, cocktails, mezcal and tequila. A new outdoor patio and stage will host live music and other programming. The remodel also adds murals, Mexican-inspired architectural details and an artesanías and dulcería area for crafts, gifts and sweets.

The grocery stays. The Register reports that the remodeled store will keep selling produce, meats, pantry goods and other staples alongside the new prepared food. The Register's photo captions from August 17 also mention a sit-down restaurant as part of the plan.

The corner already stays open later

The Mercado has no opening date yet, but the corner's hours have already changed. El Moro Churrería now lists its La Habra shop at 1327 W. Whittier Blvd., open Monday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Northgate's store at 1305 is listed as closing at 10 p.m. So for now, the last hour of the night on this stretch belongs to the churrería.

El Moro has a long history. It was founded in Mexico in 1935, and the Register notes that it isn't affiliated with Mercado González, even though it sits "a stone's throw" from the coming market. The Register's September roundup of upcoming Orange County restaurants put its La Habra opening on September 10, near Northgate. The Fullerton Observer placed the new shop in La Habra Towne Center. The Chamber planned its ribbon cutting for the same day.

Before the opening, the Fullerton Observer listed what to expect: made-to-order churros, roscas, moritos, a range of dipping sauces, consuelos, several kinds of chocolate and other drinks. That's a preview of the menu, not a review of the La Habra shop. Checking the counter in person is the most reliable way to see what's served day to day.

The Register's description of the Costa Mesa Mercado mentions "a noted churros spot" among its features. In La Habra, a churrería with a long history opened next door before construction on the Mercado had even been announced.

What hasn't been announced

Some of the most practical questions don't have public answers yet, so it's worth being clear about them.

Opening date. As of the Register's September 3 update, Northgate hadn't announced one and said more details would come in the months ahead. No later update has turned up, and Northgate's online newsroom currently shows no posted results.

Construction schedule. No construction timeline or building permit for the remodel has been published that we could find.

Whether the store stays open during the remodel. Northgate's locations page still lists the La Habra store with regular 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. hours. That page doesn't say how the store will operate once work begins. Northgate's plan to keep the grocery in the finished Mercado says nothing about the months in between.

The license outcome. The city's March notice records the hearing date but not the decision. The notice invited written comments on that item at [email protected], and the hearing materials were set to be posted on the city's website. The City of La Habra is the place to check for that record.

For now, the confirmed parts are the grocery hours at 1305, the churrería hours at 1327 and the list of named vendors. Everything else depends on announcements Northgate hasn't made yet. For more about this part of town, our La Habra neighborhood page and our earlier guide to everyday living in La Habra neighborhoods cover the streets around Whittier Boulevard. We also wrote about a new Northgate opening in La Mirada this summer.

A new anchor at the end of the street changes how the blocks around it get used, and it often changes what people ask when a nearby home comes on the market. If you live near Whittier Boulevard and want to talk through what this project could mean for your own plans, Lisa Ancich knows these blocks well and is happy to walk through it with you. Let's Connect.