11 Best Local Grocery Stores In Los Angeles That Are Worth A Visit

They say the best way to get to know a destination is to visit its local grocery stores. Sure, Los Angeles has its fair share of national grocery store chains, from fan-favorite Trader Joe's to Whole Foods to Aldi, but thankfully, the city also has a few locally-born (or near locally-born) supermarkets. 

The local grocery stores in L.A., though, are quite different from each other. There are plenty of higher-end grocery stores focusing on natural products or organic produce, but there's a lot more to be discovered. 

Thanks to the diversity of cultures in the area, local grocery stores here aren't just about high priced, organic groceries. There are also numerous Latin-owned supermarkets, Korean grocery stores, and even a Thai wholesale market. Whatever grocery item you're looking for, there's a good chance you can find it in the City of Angels. To start the search, here are 11 grocery stores in the region worth checking out. 

Erewhon Market is currently perhaps the most famous (or infamous) grocery store in Los Angeles, beloved by celebrities and known for its sky-high prices, including a viral $19 strawberry (yes, that's for a single strawberry). 

While the original Erewhon opened in Boston back in the '60s, it was really after its move to L.A. that the brand took hold and evolved to what it is now — but what remains is the company's commitment to offering health-focused and ethically sourced products. Of course, you probably have mostly heard about its $20, celebrity-endorsed smoothies (which this writer can attest that they actually do taste quite good).

Even if the prices might mean you won't buy anything here, Erewhon is still fun to visit at least once, if only for the people watching, as it's one of the hottest places to be seen around town. There are currently 11 Erewhon locations in L.A. so there's a good chance you'll find one convenient to you when you visit.

Locals call LAX-C the "Thai Costco" except thankfully you don't need to pay for a membership to shop here. Indeed, this grocery store in Chinatown that opened back in 2000 is a megastore that sells various Thai groceries in bulk. Chefs from Thai restaurants around town shop at LAX-C. Not only does LAX-C sell produce and Thai ingredients, it also sells plates and housewares. 

Stepping inside LAX-C feels a bit like stepping inside a grocery store in Thailand, so this is certainly the place to go if you've been wanting to try your hands at cooking Thai dishes. If you're new to cooking Thai food, check out the four ingredients you need to capture that essential Thai flavor.

For those not planning to cook, LAX-C also has a hot food bar inside serving all kinds of prepared Thai dishes. To make visiting LAX-C even more exciting, food vendors set up outside on the weekends, so customers can also grab some Thai street food for lunch before or after they shop. 

The Latino grocery store chain Vallarta Supermarkets is California's largest Latino-owned grocery store chain. The chain currently operates around 60 stores and recently expanded to Arizona, but the chain originally started in 1985 as a small store in Van Nuys, a neighborhood in Los Angeles county.

Vallarta Supermarkets not only carries Mexican goods like masa and hot sauces, but also fresh tortillas made in-house, marinated meat cuts and chorizo, Latin American baked treats, and so much more. You can also find harder-to-find fruits here like chayote and guava.

This supermarket also now has a guacamole station, where customers can customize their own guacamoles that are made to order with fresh ingredients like onions, jalapeño peppers, tomato, and more. The market also has a prepared foods section serving items like burritos, chile relleno, and aguas fresca. Customers say the prices are reasonable and the tamales are great. 

Bristol Farms is known to be a premium grocery store (even if not as expensive as Erewhon), and the brand only opens locations in higher end neighborhoods. The chain will soon open its 14th location in Southern California, but the very first location opened in 1982 in Rolling Hills, in the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Bristol Farms was the first grocery store to offer restaurant-quality sushi in-store.

While this grocery store is known as a higher-end store, the quality it offers matches the price. Bristol Farms is known to carry excellent quality meats, including humanely-raised wagyu from First Light Farms. Google local guide Mariana Moraes said that Bristol Farms is, "... definitely on the pricier side, but absolutely worth it for the quality you get" and that it has "the best meat selection among all the markets." Redditors also recommend their prepared treats, from the freshly made chocolate chip and walnut cookies to the pies.

The family-owned Northgate González Market opened its first market in 1980 and it has since grown to more than 40 locations around Southern California. Not only is this supermarket a great spot to find any Mexican grocery item, the Northgate González Market is also known for its prepared Mexican foods. Redditors seem to recommend pretty much everything from the freshly made guacamole to the tamales and aguachile. 

While you can visit any of the market locations to peruse through the various Mexican grocery items offered, the best experience is to head down to Costa Mesa for the 37,000 square-foot Mercado González. This location takes up the supermarket a couple of notches. Not only does the Mercado have a more expansive produce department, there are more than 20 food stands all over the store where you can get various Mexican food including churros from Mexico City's famous Churreria El Moro.

Super King Markets calls itself the "Host of International Foods" and indeed that is partly why this supermarket chain has its loyal following. Super King is known for having a large selection of imported goods compared to other grocery stores. The other reason people love Super King so much is the prices are affordable. This grocery store chain is said to have some of the cheapest prices around, even when the items aren't on sale.

The exact products offered at each location are catered toward customer preferences at that location. For example, the Glendale location has an abundance of Armenian products (Super King, after all, is Armenian-owned).

Started in Anaheim in 1993, Super King Markets currently has nine locations with number 10 coming soon to Culver City. Thanks to its low prices and wide selection, Super King is always busy, so be prepared to fight the crowd, especially on weekends.

Lazy Acres is owned by the same company that owns Bristol Farms, but Lazy Acres focuses on natural and organic products. The first Lazy Acres store opened in Santa Barbara in 1991, but it has since expanded to six locations in Southern California, including a few neighborhoods in Los Angeles. 

Even if you're not shopping for strictly organic and natural items, Lazy Acres is known to have a great cheese selection that even includes raw cheeses. Some say that Lazy Acres has a great meat and seafood section, and people also love the poke bar, which is part of the market's health-focused prepared foods program. There's also an affordable (and organic) juice bar at some locations. Since it's owned by the same company as Bristol Farms, you can find some of the same products at Lazy Acres, like Bristol Farms' popular cookie.

Gelson's is an upscale grocery store chain that carries some of the most well-known brands for quality products, like Sumo citrus and Mary's Chicken. While the prices can be higher than standard stores like Ralph's or Pavilion's, Gelson's also offers weekly deals that can be a good value for the quality.

The first Gelson's was opened in Burbank in 1951 by two brothers: Eugene and Bernie Gelson. The company was later acquired by a private investment firm and grew to 27 stores, stretching from Santa Barbara to San Diego. 

Groceries aside, the deli and prepared foods section are where Gelson's excels. Pastry lovers should certainly check out the baked goods at Gelson's, too. The grocery store chain is the only one that carries pastries from Viktor Benês Bakery, known for the coffee cake with pecans called the alligator (of course, not to be confused with alligator meat which apparently you can eat during Lent).

Los Angeles has the largest Koreatown in the United States, so any visitor to L.A. should make a point to check out this neighborhood and perhaps visit a local Korean grocery store like California Market. California Market, also known as Gaju Market, is located inside a shopping plaza called California Marketplace.

This market was in fact the first Korean grocery store in all of Southern California (it opened in 1987), and it's still a locals' favorite. Redditors say that California Market has better produce quality compared to other Korean supermarkets in town and that it also has a good hot bar selection.

California Market carries Korean fruits like the Korean Shine Muscat grapes, kimchi made in-house, and so much more. Of course, you can find a variety of Korean snacks and ramyeon, but you can also get a variety of Korean banchan here. 

SÜPRMARKT is the newest of Los Angeles local grocers and it steps up to fill a previously-unmet need. This grocery store is a black-owned (and woman-owned) business specializing in providing affordable organic groceries in the South Central neighborhood. While the city as a whole seems to have no shortage of fancy grocery stores, South Los Angeles is a food desert, with limited grocery stores and access to fresh and healthy food, which is why Olympia Auset decided to start SÜPRMARKT.

The market initially started as a pop-up market in Leimert Park, providing produce to the community since the summer of 2016. The brick-and-mortar location on Slauson Ave. finally opened in 2024. While still small in size, the store sells organic and vegan groceries, including fresh fruits and vegetables, at an affordable price which is hard to come by in the neighborhood. In addition, it has a salad bar that also serves up vegan mac and cheese, cornbread, and more. 

Seafood City Supermarket is a chain of grocery stores specializing in Filipino groceries. The first Seafood City Supermarket opened in 1989 in National City, California, a city just south of San Diego. It has since expanded significantly, including a few locations around Los Angeles. The company now has 35 locations in North America, including in Texas and Canada.

You can find Filipino along with other Southeast Asian pantry staples here, but just as the name suggests, Seafood City has a large selection of fresh seafood. This supermarket is where you can find seafood popular in the Philippines but hard to find in the United States, like milkfish or bangus. Its bakery section also carries all kinds of ube desserts which Filipinos have enjoyed long before it became trendy. There's also a hot food section where you can try a variety of traditional Filipino dishes.