The Best Supermarkets in America

A lengthy period of evolution in American food culture has transformed supermarkets, and often for the better. As Americans become increasingly interested in eating well, the country has better access to higher quality food than at any other time in recent memory.

We love the following American supermarkets for their value and the quality of their products, and we can't imagine grocery shopping without them. Read on for the best supermarkets in America.

Does DL agree?

Central Market, a fancy name for an HEB in Austin is one of the best grocery stores I’ve been in.

I was learning to cook and they had everything I needed, down to the correct size of the San Marzano tomato cans the recipe called for.

The Wegman’s in the southern part of Alexandria VA was amazing!! Never seen anything like it before, it was magical.

Wegmans is wonderful.

Apparently we have a Winco nearby....will have to check it out. I thought it was a sketchy place from the road.

Wegman's, absolutely. I didn't discover until I was 50, or rather it didn't reach me then. It was wonderful, beautifully lit stores with the spotlight on food, excellent presentation, high quality goods, seasonality spotlighted, a very impressive reorganization of how food was arranged. Great selections of prepared foods and baked goods, the deli and prepared foods and specialty meats and seafood were among the real drivers of the thing. Lots of imported foods and they even had depth and variety in narrow interest areas. Their store brand products were excellent. The prices were reasonable. They elevated the common grocery store to something better and it was always a pleasure. Every staff person you met was pleasant, professional, and seemingly couldn't do enough for you, but not in an unctuous way.

I've known more or less full service American grocery stores that were beautiful one-off locations or that had absurdly rich selections of gourmet items, prepared foods, and luxuries. I'm always a sucker for the beautiful temples of food and don't mind paying the premium. Wegman's, though, is more an oversized rethought chain where quality and doing things well was the basis for a chain. I don't live in the U.S. any longer but have fond recollection of the place and of shipping there; they did great things with elevating a common place.

Here in Tampa, it’s the Fresh Market chain. The hot and prepared food is always fresh and a large variety of offerings, but plan on spending $50 for a decked out dinner for two. If you are in the area, check out Mazzaro’s in St. Pete. It was founded by two NYers in the early 70’s and is a huge, Italian emporium of fresh and imported meats. pasta, cheese, wine and baked goods as well as and other hard to find delicacies. They also have a giant warehouse of imported kitchen goods next to the market. You need to get there right when they open because it’s always mobbed, especially around family gathering holidays.

I’ve been hearing about H-E-B for so long from friends who have the misfortune of living in Texas. But at least they have that. I have no plans to ever go to Texas just to visit a grocery store.

Wegman’s are amazing and I wasn’t shocked to see them at number 2, but the one that was closest to me was weird. You walked in through a wine bar into the hugest food court in the world with about 100 buffets, then there are like 3 aisles of gourmet items and that whole section has beautiful wood paneling and pressed tin tiles ceilings, then you reach aisle four and the rest of the store looks like any other grocery store but with an even cheaper, almost warehouse like interior. Super weird change in the atmosphere once you cross that line.

I do shop at Winco. Mostly because I buy a lot of whole grains and their bulk bins are amazing. Produce is fresh and cheap. Lots of specialty produce items from and for Mexicans (cactus pads, etc). But service is minimal, checkout lines are long, and customers have to bag their own items. Many items are less expensive than stores with better service, but I don't find meat or cheese to be especially less expensive.

I loved Harris Teeter, but sadly Publix & Kroger ran them out of Atlanta. Of the 2 (Publix & Kroger) I much prefer Publix. I find Whole Foods crappy since Bezos bought the place. Trader Joes is pretentious.

Publix is my favorite - they really emphasize customer service and they gave great weekly sales. And their deli subs “Pub Subs” are incredibly popular and awesome. Best of all, during storms/hurricanes they are the last store to close and the first to re-open.

R4- A Wegmans opened near me in the White Plains NY area. I drove their last July. I was very disappointed by their selection of produce I didn’t particularly by their extremely limited selection of organic produce. Especially if you could fit her what a gigantic store it is. Their name brand products have artificial flavoring and artificial coloring in them that was another disappointment. It was certainly fine to go into a store and see branch of products I don’t find another supermarkets and put stores but overall I was disappointed in Wegmans.

I have never sipped the Trader Joes Kool-Aid. I've been in 2 or 3 times, but I just wasn't overwhelmed by its greatness the way most are.

So many of these grocery stores are very unhandy for simply buying a few things and getting out.

Raytown's finest, R14. Especially since we made them get rid of the smutty magazines.

Wegman’s is good but has some shortcomings (and high prices) that keep it from being the go-to place for us. Half gourmet marketplace and half warehouse store. OTOH, they sell some things like house brand paper towels cheaper than anyone else. Their own brand ice cream is great and they have an incredible selection of local and artisanal ice creams, too.

Otherwise, it’s MarketBasket in New England. It’s a relatively small (100 or so stores) local chain with incredibly low prices, great produce and meat, and employees who appear to be happy working there. So much so that about ten years ago, the store’s staffs went on strike in support of their bosses during an attempted takeover and won.

In Florida, we don't have much choice anymore, it's either Piggly Wiggly (good for hog jowls) and Publix, Whole foods and Trader Joes. We do have a few Fresh Market. Publix is the best overall store for good produce and normal groceries.

No Dierberg's, R11?

I spend a lot of time in St. Louis and on the East Coast and I find Dierberg's comparable, if not better, than Wegman's.

I fucking love HEB and it's various incarnations. Central Market (upscale) and Mi Tienda (for the Hispanic market) which is great for to-go fresh authentic Mexican food and groceries. You can even get whole goats and pigs if you need them.l

Publix is the best all around grocery store chain with great service and a wide selection of organic produce that was around before it became popular with other grocery store chains.

Publix has the best subs too.

R6, Whoa! I have three Wegmans near me (Allentown, Bethlehem, Nazareth, PA), and none comes remotely close to what you describe! Buffets?! Wine bar?! Jeez Louise, my delis and "prepared foods" offerings seem rather ordinary to me. I'd even rather buy my vegetables in my local farmers markets.

But since Wegmans is my pharmacy (near my preferred Urgent Care, is why), I shop there often, or, these days, order via Insta-Cart for deliveries.

They just opened a Lidl not far from me but I haven't been there yet. What's interesting is that the Lidl is across the street from a recently built and quite massive Shop Rite. The SR has an in-store liquor department which is kind of unheard of in NJ. We have separate liquor stores here.

My favorite, which is not on the list, is Shop Rite. They aren't everywhere but I have quite a few near me. Their produce is great and fresh and they have their own store brand called Bowl and Basket. Two of the stores near me are open 24 hours. The stores that are independently owned seem to be in much better shape. There's one near me that I only go to if there's a gun to my head. It hasn't been updated in the 50+ years I've lived in this area.

Used to be Harry's Farmer's Market in Atlanta but not for a long time.

What, no C-Town, Pioneer, Gristede's, D'Agostino? NYC grocery stores suck.

[quote][R6], Whoa! I have three Wegmans near me (Allentown, Bethlehem, Nazareth, PA), and none comes remotely close to what you describe! Buffets?! Wine bar?!

That’s weird. I assumed they all had them. It is strange walking into a grocery through a wine bar where people are sitting at a bar getting drunk at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon though.

And they don’t have the food court? And all the stalls with pastries, cakes, pizzas, Mexican food, prepared meals and all that stuff? Without all that it would be the dullest grocery store around.

This is kinda what the food court at mine looked like. It doesn’t show the million buffets.

Just don't shop at Wegner's. Their crudités is very overpriced. I blame John Fetterman.

And this is the actual bar at the one near me when I lived in DC

Try the Wegman's in Mechanicsburg, R21. I knew someone who worked there, and it was great. I was especially entranced by the model train that hung from the ceiling and blew its whistle (choo-choo!) all around the store. I used to go there just for the $15 sushi tray, as most things there were more expensive than anywhere else. But I'll never forget the first time I saw the train chugging along.

My Wegman’s didn’t have a train! 😡

It’s hard to hate on Trader Joe’s (and I find the comment that it ‘s pretentious weird. They’re the friendliest employees in the world and they’re all wearing Hawaiian shirts. WHOLE FOODS is pretentious).

It’s dirt cheap and has a lot of great stuff. A lot of it is the same thing you’d get under the brand name at another grocery but with a TJ’s label and at half the price, but it’s manufactured by the same companies.

But it’s almost impossible to do all your grocery shopping there. They’re quick to restock shelves (way faster than any other store) but I always end up having to go somewhere else because they’re out of some staple like peanut butter or ketchup. And if you go after the post work rush hour the freezers are almost empty. Buy they’re always full by the next morning.

And I can’t get mad when they discontinue something I love because I know they’ll just replace it with some new item that I’ll love. It’s a tiny store. Only so much room for so much awesome stuff.

I was at a Wegman's in Erie and was told it was one of the smallest and most low end of Weg's, so they must vary based on the size of the store/local community.

Exactly, R34. All large grocery store chains operate in this manner.

The Publix Markets in Palm Beach or Siesta Key. Florida will not look anything like the Publix in Auburndale or Hialeah, Florida.

Very true, R34. Some posters on here love their Aldi and talk about the great deals. My local Aldi looks like a bomb hit it. The store is dirty, meat on the shelves was past their best by date (one package of chicken actually had a whole in the plastic wrap), and they had food items intermingled with household cleaners and motor oil.

R9 Publix is everything that's wrong with Flawduh

Overpriced

Overstaffed

Understocked

I loved Harris Teeter, but then the Kroger people bought it and it lost its "specialness". It surprises me how many chains are really owned by Kroger. If your store as the Prime Selection brand, it's Kroger.

Bristol Farms in LA, Citarella in NY, and Treasure Island in Chicago (RIP). Publix and Wegmans are ok. I had fond memories of Heinen's in Cleveland but haven't been there in years.

Bristol Farms ain't shit. It might have been before Albertsons bought it (and then sold it) years ago but it's terrible now. Same with Gelsons. The pandemic really hit them hard.

I'd really like to visit that Heinens in downtown Cleveland that they put in the old building with the hotel. Sounds elegant.

Kroger’s and Albertsons are about to merge, so, goodness knows what’s gonna happen there.

Higher prices probably. We have Albertsons here. Hope they don’t change them too much. They’re already the most expensive grocery store in town, except for our one Whole Foods, but they have most of what I need when I’m cooking something nice.

Big Y in the northeast has excellent produce from local farms. Love them.

Don't go, R37. I like Publix when it is less crowded.

On the other hand, Safeway is THE WORST.

Gristedes on 8th Ave. Go on Tuesday for the Chelsea elder gay discount. Stay to see view of tran escorts and dealers taking a break from the porn shops just down the block.

I've only shopped at Lidl and Aldi in Europe. In my experience Lidl has always been superior, with more interesting and "fancier" items.

Winco is good for the bulk section - cheaper than Sprouts. TJ's is alright when you just want to grab a few things, but not for one stop shopping.

I've only been to HEB in Mexico, but I loved it. Wouldn't move to Texas for a supermarket though.

R21 the idea of having a favorite “doc in a box” storefront scares me..a little bit!

[quote] On the other hand, Safeway is THE WORST.

It's weird because Jewel, Safeway and Albertsons are, if I understand it right, owned by the same company.

Jewel and Albertsons are overall OK but every Safeway is always badly stocked and filthy, every time, every city.

I can’t believe it, R48, they have HEB in Mexico but NONE in far west tejas.

Crazy. 🙄🙄🙄

Oh for glorious days of my youth: Jurgensen’s, of Pasadena, Westwood & more.

Life was good when you could shoot up the 405 to Wilshire, see a movie at the Village Fox or the Bruin Westwood, cruise some dopey UCLA frat boys and then shop at Jurgensen’s!

It’s not fancy, but HEB (parent company of Central Market, to which r1 refers) is a fantastic community member and the stores are good, to boot. Based in San Antonio but pretty much everywhere in TX now. They’ve supported one of my non-profits with marketing opportunities as well as cold, hard cash. And they have donated consistently for many years.

Regarding the merchandise, HEB has taken over where Fiesta used to be (though I believe they still exist) in the Hispanic food marketplace. Most stores have live tortillerias where one can buy tortillas fresh and hot - mouthwatering - and have pretty much anything one would find in a Mexican larger mercado.

I shop exclusively at FOOD TOWN food liner.

Randalls was once the "special" store in Houston, back when it was family owned. They didn't sell beer or lottery tickets for religious reasons. They tried moving slutty Cosmo magazines away from the checkstands, but that violated a contract clause. They devised special plastic covers for the Cosmo racks so shoppers would be shielded from provocative, scantily clad women on Cosmo covers. Despite all that craziness and generally higher prices, they had excellent customer service. Eventually they sold the chain to Safeway and service noticeably slipped but was still better than Kroger. Several years later Albertsons bought Safeway and the Randalls chain tanked. Several stores have been closed. It still has some products I like, so I shop there every other month or so. But HEB serves Houston better. It's based in San Antonio. Albertsons is based in Idaho. The execs there do not have a clue about Houston.

55 posts and no shout-out to Midwestern staple Hy-Vee?

HyVee in a college town is chock-full of young hotties. And many of the employees there are kind of hot, too.

Not to mention their contribution to pop culture with the short-lived, house-brand Panburger Partner!

And they've had the same advertising song/slogan for more than 50 years..."HyVee...shop HyVee...where there's a helpful smile...in every aisle!"

[quote] HyVee in a college town is chock-full of young hotties. And many of the employees there are kind of hot, too.

I lived for a few years in a college town....used to shop at a small local store there and literally, the employees would have either done their own calendar or their own Chaos Men style OnlyFans. They were ridiculously hot, every one of them.

*could have done.....oops.

I'd like to see Aldi's on the west coast, I've never been. I've lost my fondness for Trader Joe's, the wacky safely exotic convenience store

Here in South Tampa, Publix gutted and renovated several stores into their new model with a dining room upstairs, wine and beer on tap, brick oven pizza, and even a popcorn bar. They’re going for the youth market.

I agree with the poster than said Aldi’s looked like a bomb went off in it- the one in Carrolwood I visited was disgusting.

[quote]On the other hand, Safeway is THE WORST.

That’s weird because where I live in Safeway’s are the cleanest and nicest stores.

I lived in DC, when all we had were Safeways. Thank God we eventually got Trader Joe’s, Harris Teeters, and Whole Foods. But every Safeway in DC had its own name. The one in Georgetown was the social Safeway because people dressed up and went and cruised one another (straight people). There was a small that was hard to find called the secret Safeway. Mine was the one on 17th St. called the Soviet Safeway because the shelves were always empty in the line stretch to the back of the store.

I hated Safeway then, but now it’s where I shop.

[quote]I said what I said, [R25]!

I’m sorry! I wasn’t trying to rub it in. I just thought it was peculiar that they didn’t have all those things.

Are you sure it was a Wegmans? Could it have possibly been a… Wigmans? Or a Wagmans? Just trying to capitalize on the brand?

And that picture I posted that looks like a village market. That would be like 1/5th of the whole aisle. They were huge.

R51

No HEB in El Paso? Dios Mio!

R63

I shopped at the Soviet Safeway back in the 90s! I think it’s gone but that CVS was still there the last time I walked the neighborhood. And you’re correct, it was so poorly stocked - what a joke.

Market Basket is deservedly on the list. They're cheaper than the rest and have everything.

R66, it’s still there! But at least there’s a Whole Foods two blocks away, so, with that and the addition of all the other grocery stores, like Harris Teeter, it became much easier to shop at. Like you could run in and grab one thing and be out in five minutes instead of two hours.

R66, oh, and we were probably shopping there at the same time! I wouldn’t be surprised if we were in the same line at some point since you had to wait for an hour to check out.

That’s right, R65.

We do have something called a Food King all over town plus another market called Vista.

Obviously they cater to the raza and sell a lot of Mexican brands. ‘

R66, last story. I bought a bottle of Tide at that CVS, and when I opened it up, I could smell before I even poured it into the cup that it was used cooking oil!

I took it back, and the cashier looked at me and said “Aw man! Again?”

Evidently people buy bottles of Tide and then empty them into something else and fill them up with trash and return them for money. And CVS just put them back on the shelf. 🙄

At some point, they put theft deterrent alarms on all the detergents.

God, I miss DC!

R63 That made me laugh. I know a few places that have earned names over the years.

My friends in Atlanta always talked about the Murderkroger.

When I lived in Denver we had the Queen Soopers (the small location of King Soopers).

Oh, and I used to live near a McDonald's location that everyone in town - regardless of race - called the Blackdonald's.

Fox and Obel used to be popular

R71

Any chance you were a Washington Sports Club member, lol? I spent much of my free time there. I was on 15th Street from 92-93 and was shocked at the Safeway. I had just moved from Austin and had been spoiled by the vibrant Whole Foods stores everywhere.

Market Basket better be on this list.

Here in New England Market Basket is by far the best choice of supermarkets.

The stores are big, clean and have plenty of staff to help you. And the prices are always good.

Then there's the sleazy trial of the rival cousin/owners. A corrupt judge, sex and murder for hire.

Nobody is perfect, but their jelly donuts are the bomb.

Bristol Farms is so far above the average it is hard to describe in words, kind of like the Grand Canyon or the Great Wall; you just have to experience it to believe it.

The Manhattan Beach Bristol Farms ain’t all that…

I HAVE experienced our local Bristol Farms.

7 or 8 years ago it was quite good. But it's fallen to absolute shit since the pandemic. 75 percent of their inhouse specialty items are gone/discontinued and most of what they have on their shelves in the store are the same items you can get at Albertson's/Ralph's et al, but for $2 or $3 more.

We ordered a Thanksgiving turkey from them - which we'd done at Whole Foods and other places in years prior - and it was the worst, most inedible dinner we've ever had.

I can totally see what it might have been or used to be, but now it's crap. At least the one nearest us.

R75, not a member of WSC and I l moved to DC in the late 90s for a one year fellowship and then back in 2007 and was there for 10 years. And for a while I was on 14th. Do you remember what it looked like in 92? Have you seen it since? It’s absolutely crazy what 14th is like now. It’s one of the busiest streets with restaurants and bars and retail. In the late 90s there was a couple auto stores and a laundromat and that was it!

R72, I’m in Denver now! I’m curious where the Queen Sooper is. I’m in Cap Hill and mine is a lot tinier than the ones in the burbs. My sister’s has a clothing section!! Mine didn’t even have bagel bites when I wanted them the other day! ☹️

R72 I think it's your King Soopers! At 9th and Corona, according to this Reddit.

I knew it was somewhere that was somewhat near the center part of the city. I never really got my bearings because we only lived there for a year and part of that year was COVID. (Though I did really like it there and would go back in a second)

This thread also reminded me of the Unsafeway which was over near Five Points.

Whoops, I meant to link/direct my post at R83 to R82, not R72 because I myself was R72.

Sorry, haven't had enough coffee yet this AM.

R83, yup! That’s my “Queen” Sooper! We have that, a Safeway and a few years ago we got a mini Whole Food at 11th and Emerson called Ideal Market. It’s supposed to be tiny but it’s bigger than the first Whole Foods I went to!

R85 We went to Wheat Ridge for a place called Lucky's, which promptly closed down right before the pandemic hit but it was so good.

The King Soopers were all pretty terrible, no matter where we went, and I was not surprised to learn it was a Kroger. OH and I really loved Marczyk's which has a location on 17th street near City Park West (my old neighborhood) and another on Colfax. It's not a full size market but it's one of those cute little delis that has some nice high end items. And booze....so much booze.

The Unsafeway in Denver....I thought that was a total exaggeration. It was technically the closest Safeway to us. I've lived in big cities, I'm a bad ass, I can handle it, all that.

So we go there and park our car....and about 5 or 6 different homeless people come off the pavement, out of the trees and off the hillside and start yelling at us, walking toward us. One was clearly mentally ill, screaming and carrying a stick or small bat in his hands. And we just said NOPE, got back in the car, started the car and got the fuck out of there. So the Unsafeway is very Unsafe.

I love Marczyk’s too, but Sprouts is probably the best and nicest store in Denver. But it’s a health food store, like a less expensive Whole Foods, so not easy to do all of your shopping there. It’s another place that guarantees you’ll have to go to another grocery store because they don’t have things like Worcestershire sauce or horseradish. But alway the best and cheapest avocados!

Dierberg's and Trader Joe's for me!

Lexington, KY has a store called Good Foods Co-op that’s kind of a cross between Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. It has a little restaurant attached. The prepared food is delicious and there are a lot of local goodies to chose from. If I lived in Lexington I’d shop there a lot.

For the person upthread talking about Big Y, yes! The one by the post office in Westfield is a beaut.

Meijer is better than Hyvee, and I fully am onboard with them opening a massive location and swallowing them whole.

You guys got nothing on NYC. Can you buy loosies or weed at your fancy Wegmen’s. Does your Bristol Farms run a numbers game out of the deli counter? Does your Hyvee have a ready stash of DR Phone cards on hand?

Meijer was pretty solid, for sure. I wouldn't put them in the same bracket as Wegman's etc. but I will say they were always a solid location for most items.

I wish they were national, but alas, they are pretty limited in terms of footprint.

"...one of my non-profits..."

I like the way you slid that in there, R53. Nice!

No mention of Amazon Fresh? I worry they are going to push Whole Foods out of the DC market. Bezos seems to be investing in AF leaving WF stores in disrepair and needing renovations.

We also have Mom’s Markets which are ok. I like their cafe.

Wegman’s prepared food section, which is fairly expansive, is ridiculously priced at $17.99 per pound. 90% of the food is heavy carbs laden with oils and heavy sauces or deep fried. It used to be so good and affordable.

DC area has quite a few large Asian grocery stores popping up all over, H Mart and Great Wall among others.

I liked Fresh Thyme when I lived near one. It seems very much like a very slightly smaller, Trader Joe's/Aldi sized version of Sprouts.

I dont know, but both Kroger and Albertson's are neck-and-neck for being the SMELLIEST grocery stores around. The tang of rotting meat hangs heavily. No, I don't shop there: tried both on several occasions, thinking the stench must be a passing thing. NOT.

This is a bit off topic but about two weeks ago I bought a box of Pepperidge Farm Cookies- the larger variety pack - at a Stop And Shop supermarket. I paid $9!- What a RIPOFF or maybe that's inflation for you.

R100 fresh thyme is worlds better than TJ

R102. You are off-topic. Please pay more attention.

I think Fresh Thyme and Fresh Market are the same thing just with different names.

R102 that does seem a lot, even with inflation.

PF cookies are so stank anyway

Even though I'm a Texan, I prefer Wegmans. It has the best deli and prepared foods. HEB is over hyped, to be honest.

R106 Pepperidge Farms remembers! We are watching you…👀

Pf cookies ARE stank and so are Entemanns.

You can only do so much to keep things cheap before the quality suffers.

I agree with everyone who's basically saying that nowadays Pepperidge Farm cookies SUCK.

I was in a binge FAT WHORE mood so I bought them. When I ate them they were rather tasteless. Even ten years ago they were much better than they are now. I bet back in the 1960's they were high quality.

R75

I don’t recognize 14th anymore, which is a good thing. In 1992, was a crappy IGA market where the Whole Foods is now - the kind of market that smells of meat upon entering. I lived at 15th and Q - right across from the Chastleton. What a beautiful neighborhood.

I don't live in a region where there's Publix or HEB, but I think they're great. Hy-vee - at least where I live as gone to shit after a strong start.

He owns the worst group of supermarkets in NYC, and now he wants CNN (he used to spy on his daughter’s boyfriends, to boot).

Gristedes is NASTY.

R64, One name I might read incorrectly. Two, a long-shot. But for me to read "Wegmans" wrong thrice, and me now without cataracts, beggars credence!

The nastiest grocery store chain ever was Magruders. Old school DC area, leaky freezers, rotten produce, weird meat and squished cantaloupes in the parking lot. My grandparents liked it. The Vienna, VA store had the diciest parking lot. Imagine 30 senior citizens all backing out at the same time in big land barges.

There was also one of those bargain bin joints called Shoppers Food Warehouse that I loved.

Also, can’t believe no one’s mentioned H Mart and that Ranch 99 (?) place. They are a treat.

I went to 2 different H Marts a few different times with friends. Saw a mouse/rat each time.

No thanks.

I'm in the minority but I don't find Publix to be all that. Much prefer Wegman's.