Smile Politely

You need to visit El Progreso’s brand new location in Urbana

Last Friday, El Progreso opened up a brand new location on Cunningham Avenue, moving half a mile from their old Urbana location in the Commerce Centre plaza at Five Points.

The sign on the new space says “Coming Soon,” but it’s actually open now. The Urbana specialty store moved Thursday night and has been open since Friday, March 26th.

A sunny exterior of El Progreso's new Urbana location. Photo by Alyssa Buckley.Photo by Alyssa Buckley.

There are many parking spaces available in front of the store which is more convenient than the former Urbana lot.

At the entrance of El Progreso, there is an open set of automatic doors and then another set that is closed. Photo by Alyssa Buckley.Photo by Alyssa Buckley.

The new location has two sets of automatic doors in addition to carts and rolling baskets for customers. I grabbed a cart and explored the store.

Shelves in El Progreso are full of brightly colored fruity drinks. Photo by Alyssa Buckley.Photo by Alyssa Buckley.

I saw many options of fruit juices, soda, chia drinks, and also Diet Coke on the shelves.

In the baking aisle, boxes of pancake mix and churro sit on a shelf beside Crisco. Photo by Alyssa Buckley.Photo by Alyssa Buckley.

In the baking aisle, I found this awesome churro mix beside a pancake mix and some Crisco.

Inside El Progreso, there are end caps full of ramen noodles and a wall of packaged spices. Photo by Alyssa Buckley.Photo by Alyssa Buckley.

You can find loads of selection for ramen noodles, spices, and seeds plus shelves full of beans, salsa, sauces, and rice at very affordable prices.

A cold cooler holds meats in a glass case with brown cardboard boxes of tortillas and plantains in front. Photo by Alyssa Buckley.Photo by Alyssa Buckley.

There is a meat case full of protein options like chicken, pork, steak, and prepared meats.

A bright blue pinata sits in a large container with other brightly colored pinatas for sale at El Progreso. Photo by Alyssa Buckley.Photo by Alyssa Buckley.

And piñatas!

At the checkout area of El Progreso, there is an empty checkout lane, a meat counter with lots of flags from around the world, and many bright fluorescent lights above in the white ceiling. Photo by Alyssa Buckley.Photo by Alyssa Buckley.

The space is brightly lit, super clean, and full of delicious things to buy.

The checkout area of the new El Progreso Urbana location is empty, and the bright open windows show the automatic doors by the entrance. Photo by Alyssa Buckley.Photo by Alyssa Buckley.

The checkout area has two registers, and the masked cashier was really friendly. If you’re looking for inspiration in the kitchen, this store is a must visit.

El Progreso
1302 N Cunningham Ave
Urbana
8 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily

Top image by Alyssa Buckley.

Food + Drink Editor

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