Why Eataly Is One Of The Priciest Grocery Stores In America

What's not to love about Italian cooking? The food is acclaimed as part of a healthy Mediterranean diet — and it's molto delizioso on so many levels. It leaves us yearning for colorful trattorias, wine-centric enotecas, and lots of creamy pasta and rich espressos drinks. Without a long international flight, those dreamy experiences seem far, far away — unless you know the secret for bringing genuine Italian food into your own kitchen. It's called Eataly, and everything inside this wildly popular market is authentically Italian — with prices reflecting exquisite sourcing and long journeys to American shores. 

Eataly unsurprisingly made its way onto our list of the eight most expensive grocery chains in the U.S., but that's not necessarily a deal-breaker. You won't find average supermarket prices for several reasons, the primary one being a high percentage of goods imported from Italy. The company notes that it works with Italian producers and makers who meet strict quality standards, and that's reflected in what consumers pay. 

Fresh produce, cheese, and other ingredients are local, but dry goods such as pasta, pestos, and olive oils still make their way from the Motherland. Eataly stocks about 100 varieties of extra-virgin olive oil from Italy, employs in-house olive oil experts in some locations, and gathers oils from single-estate and boutique providers. All those things seep into the prices you'll pay at these fascinating venues, which now number 40-plus locations worldwide, including at least 15 in America. Even more intricacies influence Eataly's prices — creating even more reasons to visit this re-creation of a thriving Italian market.

In addition to imports, high standards, and boutique providers, the cost of Eataly goods reflect partnerships with specialty Italian and European brands, from pastas to chocolates, sparkling wines, Parma tomatoes, cheeses, Italian coffees, and more. All these factors — small-batch imports, strict quality control, and niche producers — add costs to your Eataly treasure hunt. It's definitely a store for curated, high-end items rather than budget-friendly ones, but food shopping isn't the only thing happening inside these walls. 

The price puzzle gets solved when realizing that Eataly is far more than a grocery store. In many locations, it's a finely tuned yet lively mix of street market, food hall, restaurant collection, and culinary school. As the company states, "we cook what we sell and sell what we cook."  In-store U.S. restaurants roll out everything from Milanese to Tuscan classics, with regional Italian wines and craft cocktails flowing freely. It quickly becomes evident this is no trip to Kroger or Costco, rather a multi-hour outing from which you bring home groceries — with high hopes of re-creating that magic in your own domain. 

As noted in exclusive conversation with executive Dino Borri, there is so much more to know about Eataly, things that blur the lines between retail shopping and hospitality. It's a many-layered deep-dive into Italian culture through education, ambiance, and a whole lot a tasty foods — uniquely experienced through things like Eataly's well-loved cooking classes. 

One Eately fan-fave is the all-encompassing cooking classes, which include everything from hands-on pasta making to mastering regional Italian recipes and approaches to pizza-making, classic regional desserts, and homemade pastas, all created and consumed during the classes, along with beverage pairings. You can also join in wine tastings, special dinners with storytelling, and food classes for kids. These Eataly experiences incur company costs for extra space, employee labor, and equipment expenses that ordinary supermarkets don't have. But most folks understand that such culturally specific in-store experiences are priceless, and worth paying more to enjoy. 

High-rent flagship stores occupy prime real estate in major cities such as Chicago and New York City, often sprawling across multiple levels, incurring occupancy costs and investments in space customization. New York's Flatiron district store even features a whopping 56,000 square feet for its customized Italian-style food hall. Locations with restaurants include Boston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, Silicon Valley, and more. 

For an idea of what's tucked into Eataly shopping aisles, check out these 12 Eataly products you have to try. They include things like Gli Aironi porcini mushroom risotto (a package mix for easy risotto), the highly snackable Puglia Sapori Tarallini crackers with chili pepper, and a beef-based cured meat called bresaola. Plenty of pasta sauces populate the shelves, though our reviewer was partial to the Agromonte Arrabbiata pasta sauce with green olives and hot peppers. For curious eaters, there's the ever-intriguing ribbons of Antignano Tagliatelle pasta colored black by cuttlefish ink.