Houston there’s a new H-E-B in town!
Houston residents gathered to celebrate the much anticipated grand opening of H-E-B MacGregor Market. The North MacGregor and Highway 288 location officially opened to the public yesterday at 6 a.m. Houston’s Historical Third Ward community has been in desperate need of a larger, nicer grocery store. Today, the community finally got what they’ve been asking (and waiting) so long for. The 90,000 sqft store has been met with both excitement and apprehension. I visited H-E-B’s newest location yesterday morning and couldn’t have been more pleased. Hopefully after reading this post, you too will be excited with what this major development has the potential to offer Houston’s Third Ward and surrounding communities.
For years the Third Ward community has relied on the H-E-B store located on Scott and Old Spanish Trail. Many witnessed the end of era, as that store officially closed its doors yesterday. Despite the fact that an Aldi silently opened nearby, about a year or so ago, this was the only grocery store in the area. To those of us who do not reside in the area, it was possibly the worst H-E-B in Houston. To the residents of the community who relied on this location as the sole source of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other household needs, it was their flagship grocery store.
The initial conversations surrounding H-E-B MacGregor Market were met with apprehension from some community members. A few concerns that I’d personally heard pertain to gentrification and accessibility. There’s a widespread concern for Houston’s Third Ward residents who don’t have access to reliable transportation. For them, shopping at H-E-B MacGregor Market has the potential to be a bit challenging. My husband often tells me stories about having to utilize public transit to grocery shop with his mother as a child. It did not sound like and adventure. Trust!
My goal with this post is to help ensure that residents and supporters of Houston’s Third Ward Community are informed about what this new store offers, and how to get there via public transit.
H-E-B MacGregor Market| Parking
As an avid H-E-B fan, It’s no surprise that this store exceeded my expectations. Upon arrival I immediately noticed the abundance of parking. There are two large, easily identifiable lots. One out front of the actual store and a second lot behind it. I entered through the back (off of MacGregor) and was able to get a glimpse of the multi-lane prescription, and curbside pick-up areas. Given the massive population serviced by this location, it’s no surprise that this is possibly the largest H-E-B in the city.
H-E-B MacGregor Marketplace | Shopping
H-E-B MacGregor Market offers shoppers a copious amount of fresh produce, fruits, vegetables and breads. There’s an entire section at the main entrance dedicated to ready made grab-n-go soups, salads, sandwiches and other meals. The location of these items is perfect for those of you who don’t have time to walk around an entire store during your lunch break. You can literally stop in, grab lunch and be back to work within an hour.
I encourage you to visit (and sample) freshly sliced deli meats from the deli shop. The Boar’s Head Teriyaki Chicken is my jam. The fish and meat markets provide shoppers the option of selecting fresh, gulf shrimp, fish, crab and sushi. They also offer seafood steaming services. Here you can purchase your shellfish and have it steamed whiled you shop. Take advantage of custom meat butchering, as well as grass fed beef and variety of organic meats.
H-E-B’s Cooking Connection is another great place to visit for in-store chef demos and samples. Cooking coaches prepare a variety of recipes every day. I make it my mission to visit Cooking Connection every time I visit my local store. The provided recipe cards are so helpful and most times the products you need right there in the kitchen. If you have any food allergies the coaches can even assist by providing suggestions and alternatives. Lastly, and probably my favorite section of the new store is the scratch bakery. This entire section is dedicated to cakes, cookies, pies and fresh tortillas.
With the holiday’s right around the corner this is the perfect place to pick up everything you need for your family!
Public Transit | Metro Route from Southeast Transit Center
Third Ward Residents will need to utilize the Southeast Transit Center (Scott St. @ Scottcrest Dr.). I’ve copied and pasted the current route I found using mapquest.
- START – Bus 054 – Downtown TC (Southeast Transit Center Scott St. @ Scottcrest Dr.)
- TRANSFER – Bus 004 Mission Bend TC (via Scott st. @ Alabama St.)
- EXIT – bus at S MacGregor Way @ N MacGregor Way
- I did notice Metro Line 312 runs directly in front of H-E-B MacGregor Market. The unfortunate part about this specific line is that it services the Medical Center, not Third Ward.
In Closing
It brought me great joy to see the predominately black staff and the excitement on the faces of shoppers as they moved eagerly from aisle to aisle. I overheard one little girl enthusiastically rave that this was the “largest grocery story she’d ever seen!”
H-E-B MacGregor Market is beautiful and has the potential to provide a much needed service to the Third Ward Community and surrounding areas. My hope is for the powers that be to unite, and create ways to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to take advantage of Houston’s newest H-E-B. It’s imperative that there be alternate solutions available for those who need transportation assistance, as not everyone has access to instacart, Favor, Uber or a taxi.
The new H-E-B has been noted as bringing life to what was previously a food dessert. I pray that it doesn’t cause more harm than good. I am optimistic and hopeful that this new development will assist in providing healthy options and alternatives to all residents of its community.
MacGregor Market H‑E‑B
6055 South Freeway
Houston, Texas 77004
Corporate #756
Mon – Sun 6:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Store Phone: (713) 285 – 2600
Pharmacy
Pharmacy Phone: (713) 522 – 2100
Mon – Fri 9:00 AM – 09:00 PM
Sat 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sun 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Gallery
Sushi Station
