21 Specialty Food Shops You Need To Visit In The US

Not long ago, it was hard to come by stores selling specialty ingredients. A few age-old, much-beloved gems in foodie hotspots like New York City have been meeting spots and coveted secrets for decades (more on them later), yet many areas were left underserved. But things are changing; chiefly thanks to zealous and pioneering entrepreneurs, a new era has beckoned the rise of novel specialty stores materializing everywhere from California, Illinois, Texas, and New Jersey.

The term "specialty store" can mean anything from a shop concentrating on a particular cuisine, to focusing on one type of ingredient, or stocking all-organic, non-GMO, all-natural products. Current conversations centered around food inclusivity, accessibility, sustainability, and zero-waste food all point us one way. Supporting small, local businesses, which subsequently often focus on small-batch producers, local farms, and sustaining traditional practices, is where it's at.

For the consumer, exploring specialist stores can offer a way to widen our palates and explore new foods — stumbling upon a hidden gem stacked with unknown ingredients is an inspiring experience. Moreover, for those who miss their home away from the U.S., it's comforting, reassuring, and community-building. We've compiled a list of must-visit specialty stores in the U.S., ranging from popcorn experts, Asian grocery store conglomerates, historic emporiums, and curated organic fresh produce. How many do you think you've yet to explore?

Are you looking for an obscure cheese found only in the foothills of Southern France? If so, head over to Formaggio Kitchen, a moniker meaning "Cheese Kitchen" in Italian. The specialist cheesemonger provides well-loved classics like Stilton and Parmigiano Reggiano, in addition to obscure cheeses that are unlikely to be found in your local grocery store.

To amass the store's collection, the owner of Formaggio Kitchen, Julia Hallman, travels with her small team around Europe, exploring dairies and cheesemakers to source the best artisan cheeses. Shelves elsewhere in the store stock a curated collection of wine, preserves, antipasti, and cured meats ideal for building a charcuterie board. If you aren't local to any of Formaggio Kitchen's stores in Boston, Cambridge, Kendall, or N.Y.C., the shop offers a monthly cheese subscription delivery service or a virtual tasting experience.

When two brothers bought a small Indian grocery store in an overlooked area of Chicago, they could have never imagined the opportunities that awaited them. It was 1974, and soon an influx of Indian immigrants would demand access to products that were hard to find in the U.S.; rice varieties suitable for biryani recipes and dosa, Alphonso mangoes, authentic pickles, and, of course, aisles of spices.

Since that day nearly 50 years ago, Patel Brothers (colloquially known as Patel Bros) has grown into America's largest grocery chain selling South Asian produce, totaling over 54 stores. The stores are large and mainly focused around the East Coast — although foodies on the West Coast can find a lone store in Santa Clara or the suburbs of Phoenix. It's well worth making a trip for regional Indian ingredients, dry fruits, and packaged snack items.

One of the first things you'll notice at the Southern California-based Bristol Farms is that, although the stores are large, each has retained the feeling of a local, friendly neighborhood shop. Organic food sourced from local farms and artisanal produce is the focus across its wide range of deli items, meats, seafood, fruits and vegetables, pantry items, and ready-made meals.

Although there is no shortage of things to explore, including an enviable salad bar and a tempting bakery with countless house-made cakes, we recommend heading to the juice bar. The aesthetics make for a perfect TikTok and Instagram moment — we won't judge. Overall, the produce selection is where Bristol Farms shines; vibrant pesticide-free vegetables piled high along the walls make Bristol Farms a must-visit location.

As the name suggests, Gene's Sausage Shop & Delicatessen is all about the sausages. A family-owned store in the Lincoln Square area of Chicago, Gene's is decidedly one of the best places to find authentically smoked European sausages in the U.S. Since opening in the 1970s, the Luszcz family have preserved their family recipes, providing the European community over 40 varieties of freshly made artisan sausages — including bratwurst and Polish blood sausages, Kiszka — cooked in-house by authentic smokehouses.

While sausages are undoubtedly the main draw, the sizeable space presents a wide selection of European deli meats, cheeses, and fresh produce. In a traditionally European fashion, there's an entire floor dedicated to beer and a relaxing rooftop garden to enjoy German draft beers.

For far too long, Los Angeles and New York City had a bit of a monopoly on specialty grocery stores. As the largest in the U.S. and home to sizable immigrant communities, both cities boomed with small community stores.

The founders at Papa Joe's were determined to change that, bringing a diverse selection of international groceries to its multiple locations in Detroit. In the 30 years that the store has been serving customers, it's developed a reputation as an excellent place to find an impressively large array of wines — the collection totals over 28,000 varieties, and a sommelier is always on hand to help to match gourmet cheese, oysters, or desserts.

A little under five years after they immigrated to the U.S., Américo and Maria Seabra founded Seabra, a family-run grocery store specializing in Brazilian and Portuguese foods. The location was perfect: Newark's Ironbound district, fondly nicknamed "Little Portugal." Much like other stores which cater to a specific community, the idea came about when the couple struggled to find foods they held dear in traditional American supermarkets.

Now, over 40 years later, other immigrants in the same boat have reconnected with Latin American foods, thanks to the selection of meats, fresh produce, and pantry goods at Seabra Foods. Make a bee-line for the salted cod (a Portuguese forte), morcela links (Portuguese blood sausage), green coconuts (hard to find elsewhere), or dried lupin beans, popular in cuisines the Mediterranean, Latin America, and North Africa.

Sometimes, the smallest places offer the biggest surprises. That's the case for LA-based Cookbook, a tiny curated store stocking a sample of hand-picked items from ethical, small-business producers. Created by a married couple in 2010, they first set up shop in their native hometown — Echo Park — then grew to add an additional location in Highland Park.

Both sites have a surprisingly broad collection of items, from upmarket daily essentials like fresh greens and dairy to Anson Mills grains and woman-owned canned fish brand, Fishwife. We think these carefully selected products with strong stories and ethics at their core are what keep people coming back to Cookbook. Prepare to experience long queues at peak hours, as the brand has built a strong fanbase and space inside the shops is limited.

You likely can't find luxury products like caviar, truffles, or even the controversial foie gras at your local grocery store. If you're in the market for gourmet foods, Marky's, which has locations across Miami, New York, and Brooklyn, is the place to look. Created to fill a gap in the market for refined European goods such as smoked salmon and caviar, Marky's has become the go-to for assorted epicurean ingredients.

We urge you to browse the range of caviar, which ranges in price from distinctly affordable to pure indulgence, and if you're in the mood for adventure, buy some French escargot (snails) to pair with a bottle of white wine. Browsing Marky's is a stimulating experience with something for everyone — even if you're not quite as enthusiastic about snails — and we're sure you'll leave with more delicacies than you had planned.

We have covered specialist Taiwanese and Korean grocery stores, but Mitsuwa Marketplace is all about traditional Japanese fare. With 12 locations in the U.S., including a store in Hawaii, this chain is making its mark on the Japanese American community.

In addition to shelves stocking necessities like nori sheets, udon noodles, miso paste, tamari, tofu, and frozen gyoza (along with plenty more), most Mitsuwa Marketplace locations showcase an impressive fresh sushi counter, bakery section with cutely-shaped sweet rolls, plenty of fresh seafood, and even Japanese restaurants. No matter if you are craving vegetable-packed Japanese curry or a spruced-up instant ramen bowl complete with fun toppings, you know where to head – Mitsuwa Marketplace.

Who said that popcorn is just for the movie theatre? Not us, and certainly not Cole Market. The small shop in Colorado Springs is a childhood dream, with jars of colorful, multi-flavored gourmet popcorn lining the shelves. The team creates popcorn of all combinations, encompassing classics like sea-salted caramel, butter, and dark chocolate coated to adventurous like a candied cake pop, parmesan garlic, or everything bagel.

Cole Kitchen also creates new mixtures seasonally, so each time you pop into the store, there's a possibility of a new treat waiting for you. As if that didn't sound incredible enough, popcorn isn't the only draw; artisan chocolate bars, truffles, and coated pretzels are made in-house just for you.