What’s the Best Gourmet Grocery Store in the U.S.?
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For some, food is just fuel you consume to keep going. But, for others, food is meant to create a transformative experience that can take you on a culinary trip around the world and expand your mind. If you fall into the latter category, then you don’t want to shop at just any chain grocery store. You want to find the finest gourmet grocery markets, carrying those curated, high-end and rare products not found elsewhere.
If you’re ready to take your shopping basket for a national tour, here are 30 of the best gourmet grocery stores in the U.S.
30. The Spice House
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Locations: Illinois and Wisconsin
Opened in: 1957
Visit:The Spice House
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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If you want to take a culinary tour of the world via spices, visit The Spice House. It offers seasoning blends from every culture and region of the world, all beautifully packaged.
Choose from dozens of different types of peppers you didn’t know existed, to just as many varieties of spice blends from Jamaican cuisine to Korean BBQ and beyond.
29. Stonewall Kitchen
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Locations: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine
Opened in: 1991
Visit: Stonewall Kitchen
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Stonewall Kitchen is where you get all the things that add flavor to your main ingredients, like jams, salsas, salad dressings, condiments and herb-infused oils.
In fact, Stonewall products are so popular that many other stores carry them as well.
28. Mitsuwa Marketplace
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Locations: California, Texas, New Jersey and Illinois
Opened in: 1998
Visit: Mitsuwa Marketplace
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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If you are looking for authentic ingredients for a variety of Asian cuisines that will impress your friends who have lived abroad, visit Mitsuwa Marketplace. It is a near-perfect replica of a grocery store you would find in major Asian cities.
However, where this store really shines is its onsite food court that offers fresh and vibrant dishes from a variety of vendors.
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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As its name promises, Vital Choice is known for its seafood. It's specifically known for wild-caught and sustainable fish that originates from ethical sources.
Alaskan salmon was the company’s original signature item, but it's since expanded to haddock, halibut, shellfish and other fresh as well as canned fish.
26. Kalustyan’s
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Location: New York, New York
Opened in: 1944
Visit: Kalustyan’s
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Kalustyan’s started as a shop offering foods and spices, mostly from the Middle East.
It has since become the go-to spot for rare and hyper-specific pantry-stable goods from around the world, including dried herbs, all sorts of grains, and potent oils and vinegars.
25. Epicurus Gourmet
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Location: Los Angeles, California
Opened in: 2016
Visit: Epicurus Gourmet
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Epicurus Gourmet is a wholesaler that sells its products to businesses as well as the public. It carries high-end products from Europe and other parts of the world.
Entrepreneurs and businesses — think food trucks and caterers needing bulk options of gourmet goods like pate or truffles — love shopping at Epicurus Gourmet.
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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In a place like Berkeley where "shop local" ideals reign supreme, you better believe the city is home to a delicious gourmet grocer or two. And Berkeley Bowl is perhaps the one with the biggest cult following.
Opened in the 1970s, this store offers a farmers-market-like experience, with delicious produce and bulk foods for surprisingly affordable prices, considering how high-end the products are.
23. Formaggio Kitchen
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Locations: Massachusetts and New York
Opened in: 1978
Visit: Formaggio Kitchen
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Formaggio Kitchen carries everything you need to make a beautiful charcuterie board or put together a gift basket for the foodie in your life, like jams, chocolate, honey and more. However, it's especially known for its international selection of cheeses.
Some of the locations also have fully operational kitchens, where you'll find delicious sandwiches and salads.
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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AJ’s offers a boutique-like setting to explore unique, small-batch foods that will delight true foodies.
Each store features chef-prepared, ready-to-eat entrees as well as a high-end wine selection, a stunning cake collection and beautifully laid-out produce sections.
21. Dia’s Market
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Location: Austin, Texas
Opened in: 2007
Visit: Dia’s Market
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Dia’s Market carries fresh produce, dairy and pantry staples, like any grocery store.
However, it focuses on carrying local products from small companies and has an excellent selection of beer and artisan cheeses as well as dried fruits and nuts.
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Providore Fine Foods offers a curated selection of international items including imported pantry-stable groceries, charcuterie makings, artisan cheeses and locally sourced wines.
There's also a rotisserie on site, and the store sells its own pasta.
19. Cured & Whey
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Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Opened in: 2016
Visit: Cured & Whey
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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In the unlikely location of the City of Sin sits this purveyor of fine cheeses. Owned by a former chef, Cured & Whey is a spacious and pristine shop offering the most high-end charcuterie makings as well as fully prepared boards.
It also offers catering and charcuterie-making classes.
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Marczyk Fine Foods is a full-service grocer with fresh produce, a deli, and a butcher and seafood section.
However, locals know it best for its home-baked breads and made-from-scratch ice creams as well as chef-made comfort foods like lasagna and pot pies.
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Central Market is a grocery store where you can grab organic produce, perfectly made baked goods, high-end coffee, excellent wine and more.
But it’s also a café, an event space and live music venue — so why would you ever leave?
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Citarella offers a variety of fine goods, including seasonal produce, high-end wine and wholesale ingredients for chefs and restaurants.
However, it's most known for its excellent selection of fresh fish as well as chef-prepared entrees made with seasonal ingredients.
15. Di Bruno Bros
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Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Opened in: 1939
Visit: Di Bruno Bros
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Di Bruno Bros carries a variety of special products but is best known for its Italian goods. Anthony Bourdain was a known fan of the shop, and he raved about its cheese and deli meats.
It’s also the perfect place to get authentic items for an antipasti dish.
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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The Denver Central Market is a unique market in that it features 11 gourmet vendors under one roof. Some of the vendors included are a baker, pizza-maker and coffee brewer. But you can also find regular grocery items like dairy products, seafood and fresh meat.
Every vendor’s products are laid out beautifully, and many things are chopped, cut, ground or generally made to order.
13. Marky’s Gourmet
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Location: Miami, Florida
Opened in: 1983
Visit: Marky’s Gourmet
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Marky’s Gourmet carries a nicely curated selection of gourmet specialty items, including truffles, foie gras and cheese.
It is especially known for its extensive selection of fine caviar but also carries rarities like escargot and quail eggs.
12. Balducci’s Market
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Locations: Connecticut, Maryland, New York and Virginia
Opened in: 1980
Visit: Balducci’s Market
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Balducci’s is known for its comprehensive selection of high-end vendors, including a butcher, fishmonger and delicatessen, all serving up the finest of its particular niche.
It serves its own in-house pasta and sauces and makes high-end, chef-prepared foods ranging from entrees to sides to snack packs.
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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The idea behind Kitchen & Market is a simple European-style grocery store with small batches of fresh, local items.
It's known for having high-end prepared meal kits with quality ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes.
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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This gourmet meat and fish market offers fresh seafood and prime cuts of meat. It's also known for its high-end selection of prepared foods, including housemade sushi.
Plus, it has a popular bagel bakery.
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Carmine’s Gourmet is known for its brilliantly curated selection of fine prepared foods, including dozens of fresh pastas made daily and a hot food bar.
It has a focus on Italian products and sells its own pasta sauce.
8. Nino Salvaggio
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Location: Michigan
Opened in: 1978
Visit: Nino Salvaggio
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Nino Salvaggio carries fine foods from around the world and is known as an international market. It's specifically known for carrying hard-to-find international staples, such as those for halal recipes and kosher meals.
You can also find beautifully curated gift baskets with meats, cheese and wine.
7. The Epicurean Trader
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Location: San Francisco, California
Opened in: 2015
Visit: The Epicurean Trader
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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This Bay Area favorite is known for an incredible selection of small-batch, artisanal products. It's mostly known for its selection of wines and spirits as well as the fine sandwiches prepared at its in-house deli.
Foodies looking for unique products also love this shop because they can find things like infused nut butters and truffle honeycomb.
6. Baron’s Market
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Location: Southern California
Opened in: 1993
Visit: Baron’s Market
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Baron’s Market is a full grocery store offering staples like fresh produce, dairy products and meat.
However, it's particularly known for the trio of prepared food bars: one for fresh salad, one for hot soup and one for antipasto dishes.
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Dom’s Kitchen & Market is considered a grocery store-restaurant hybrid. It has a heavy focus on fully prepared meals as well as meal kits.
It's market is split into three sections — the market, the kitchen and the brew — so shoppers can grab regular groceries, prepared foods and gourmet coffee beverages under one roof.
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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The Santa Barbara Public Market is what you would get if dozens of gourmet food trucks transformed into miniature stationary diners and convened under one (very fancy) roof.
Shoppers and diners can either choose to eat prepared items at limited stools at the various high-end vendors or get grab-and-go meals and luxury ingredients to take home.
3. Eataly
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Locations: New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts
Opened in: 2007
Visit: Eataly
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Eataly is also a combination of a market and restaurants, with dozens of vendors specializing in Italian foods or offering onsite, casual dining.
If you’re searching for truly gourmet goods from the boot-shaped country, Eataly has it all — from handmade pasta to infused olive oil. It also carries incredible baked goods and gift baskets.
2. Bristol Farms
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Location: Southern California
Opened in: 1982
Visit: Bristol Farms
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Bristol Farms is known for having a small, local-market atmosphere despite operating a total of 19 stores.
It offers the finest version of every ingredient you can imagine, carrying gourmand delights such as dry-aged beef, wild-caught seafood, grass-fed and free-range lamb and poultry, high-end cheeses and gourmet deli items.
1. Erewhon
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Location: Los Angeles, California
Opened in: 1966
Visit: Erewhon
Why It’s a Top Gourmet Grocery Store
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Erewhon has several locations throughout Los Angeles County, each one delivering locally sourced specialty items.
It tops our list because of its large selection of vegan, organic and raw items. Plus, it caters to many diets, including keto and gluten-free.
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