Best Grocery Stores In The US

We've all gotten more used to going to the grocery store lately. In 2020, people began buying more groceries and changing their shopping habits — not to mention their entire lives — in myriad ways (via The New York Times). Since the start of 2022, price increases from inflation are on grocery shoppers' minds. But as inflation is becoming more impossible to avoid, we can take a look at which grocery stores are giving us more than just good prices.

Think about healthiness, sustainability practices, organic food offerings, in-house prepared goods, name brand products, discounts, easy-to-navigate aisles, and even atmosphere. Our favorite places to buy groceries wouldn't be the same without them. But not every store can be the best at everything.

Why are people obsessed with Trader Joe's employees? What's with Whole Foods' high prices? Where can I find a grocery store with animatronic singing cows? What's the best place to get Japanese groceries? Why should I try shopping at German chains like Aldi and Lidl? Each supermarket has something unique to offer shoppers. Read on to find what the best grocery stores in the U.S. are offering their customers.

Sprouts Farmers Market opened its first location in 2002, in Chandler, Arizona. The flagship location was launched by father-and-son duo Stan and Shon Boney, the descendants of Henry Boney, who ran a fruit stand in San Diego. The family connection is why you see the phrase "farmers market" in the name of this grocery store chain. But it is indeed a grocery store, not a true farmers market. Over the past two decades, Sprouts stores have popped up all over the U.S. Today, there are around 380 stores across 23 states.

Organic foods make up the bulk of Sprouts' products. Per the company, "about 90 percent of the products we carry are natural or organic." You can even search for products based on different dietary needs, such as gluten-free, paleo, plant-based, keto, or non-GMO, online. When you do, dozens of options — whether you're looking for nondairy cheese, grass-fed beef, or gluten-free bread — will appear. At Sprouts, there is something for everyone's diet.

Sustainability is another focus of the chain. Sprouts pledges to ease its environmental impact by sourcing sustainable palm oil and seafood, partnering with local farmers, reducing plastic waste, and other practices. The chain famously has a bulk foods section that allows you to buy various amounts of nuts, seeds, grains, and other items without packaging. You can even bring your own container or buy a reusable cloth bag near the bulk section. One shopper said, "the bulk items area is impressive."

MOM's Organic Market is a regional grocery chain based in the mid-Atlantic region, but it got its start in 1987 as a grocery delivery business. Today, it owns and operates stores in Maryland, Virginia, D.C., Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. The company's commitment to organic food and environmentalism aligns it with grocery stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods. Although it's much smaller than those supermarket chains, MOM's still has over 20,000 followers on Twitter, where its bio reads "100% certified #organic produce, always."

Customers who shop at MOM's say the health food options are diverse. There is something for every kind of health nut. Regarding the Virginia location, one Yelp reviewer wrote, "pretty much anything you buy here will be delicious. I love their large kombucha selection, the fresh food aisle, the granola, the coffee, and the amazing frozen options too."

Along with organic produce, MOM's grocery stores are known for their non-edible products. Each store has a beauty and personal care section that offers makeup, aromatherapy, and candles. MOM's even sells its own line of vitamins and supplements, which are made under several different quality standards. There are even compostable and cruelty-free household items. All these sections give shoppers the opportunity to fill up on personal and home care items while getting their grocery shopping done at the same time.

One of the most unique grocery chains in the country is Stew Leonard's. The business began as a dairy delivery service that used trucks decorated with moo-ing cows. It became a grocery store in 1969 with the launch of Stew Leonard's first supermarket location. Although the original space was a mere 17,000 square feet when it opened, that same location is now around 100,000 square feet. Along with expanding its original store, Stew Leonard's now operates seven stores in the Northeast, including Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey.

As early as the 1980s, Stew Leonard's was known for its themed experience. During this decade, it was compared to Disneyland by The New York Times. This reputation comes from the Chuck E. Cheese-like animatronics that play music throughout the store, the costumed characters such as Clover the Cow, an outdoor petting zoo, and farm-themed decorations (via Business Insider). These touches have nothing to do with the groceries you'll be purchasing. But it makes shopping entertaining. Kids love it, too. As one Yelp reviewer wrote, "my daughter loves shopping At Stews."

Like other large stores such as Wegmans, Stew Leonard's has several departments. There is a bakery, butcher, dairy, deli, florist, seafood section, and wine store, in addition to your typical grocery store offerings. In each of these sections there are free samples, offering customers a taste of the store's house-made mozzarella and potato chips.

Mitsuwa Marketplace is a Japanese supermarket chain with a few locations scattered throughout the U.S. There are Mitsuwa Marketplaces everywhere from New Jersey to Hawaii, however, most of them are in California where the chain is headquartered. It was founded in 1998, per the company website.

Locations of this chain allow shoppers to sample a vast array of Japanese food options. As North Jersey.com explains, Mitsuwa Marketplace has "aisles stocked with shining sushi-grade seafood, whopping 15-pound bags of rice, and hundreds of varieties of sake, tofu, and ramen noodles." In addition to food, you can buy Japanese beauty products and home goods. One Yelp reviewer said of the shopping experience, "it looks like a regular grocery store from the outside but as soon as you step inside prepare for your eyes to glisten!"

To make the shopping experience even better, a food court accompanies each location of Mitsuwa Marketplace. On Yelp, a visitor remarked, "the food court is amazing and I love the salt ramen from here. Definitely worth the hype!" Food court vendors will vary based on location. For example, the San Diego location has a sushi restaurant, Japanese eatery, pickle store, crepe shop, and ramen restaurant. The Texas location even has a bookstore.

H-E-B stands for the initials of its founder's son, Howard Edward Butt. You can laugh all you want, but the Butt family's singular store — launched in 1905 — became an American success story (via Texas Hill Country). Nowadays, H-E-B is still only found in one U.S. state, but there are hundreds of them there. In Texas alone, the chain has 319 stores (via Scrape Hero). Despite being confined to just one state, the chain is somehow "one of the largest independent food retailers in the nation" (via H-E-B).

A major draw of H-E-B is the name-brand goods. As My San Antonio explains, these items have their own Twitter fandom. People are particularly enthusiastic about the chain's knock-off Oreos (called Twisters), the Bagel Not Included seasoning, black pepper ketchup, club soda with sea salt, and Mootopia milk. KW San Antonio gave a shoutout to a few other H-E-B name-brand products such as cranberry pistachio bread, honey roasted peanut butter, crustless white bread, freshly made tortillas, and San Antonio sushi rolls. H-E-B even partners with the chain Whataburger to sell name-brand products beloved by grocery shoppers and burger eaters alike. As Forbes explains, part of the allure of these food items is their connection to Texas. "Walk into any H-E-B store, and the Texas theme is instantly and continuously apparent," writes the outlet.

Harris Teeter is a regional grocery store chain that's been around since 1960, when North Carolina founders W.T. Harris and Willis Teeter opened up the first supermarket of its kind. Now, the chain operates around 250 stores as well as 60 gas stations. It's the largest grocery store chain in North Carolina (via North Carolina History), but you can also find Harris Teeters in seven different southeastern states plus Washington, D.C.

Special incentives and discounts are what keep shoppers coming back to Harris Teeter. First, there's the VIP parking program for military veterans. Each location of Harris Teeter has a few spaces reserved for vets doing their grocery shopping (via Watauga Democrat). Next, there is the fuel points program which can be used at Harris Teeter fueling stations (via Harris Teeter). When you buy certain items at the store, you are chipping away at those high gas bills. Yelp reviewers said the discount makes prices nearly competitive with Costco's, which is known for having cheap gas. "With the fuel points I had and the discount connected to my point value it made the gas the exact same price as Costco's price," wrote a Harris Teeter shopper.

Kroger is older than most American grocery store chains — in fact, it's been around for over 100 years. In 1883, founder Barney Kroger opened up his first store. It was located in Cincinnati. Nowadays, there are approximately 2,800 different stores spread across 35 different states, including chains like Frys, City Market, Mariano's, Ralphs, and Dillons. But the original line founded by Barney is still a favorite of shoppers nationwide.

Quality meat is a major draw for Kroger fans. As Aisle of Shame warns, it's not cheap. Per CNBC, Kroger's meat options offer a balance of quality and affordability. Most Krogers have an in-house butcher, allowing shoppers to get whatever cut they like. It's a good place to get steaks, roasts, chicken, pork, and ham.

The Simple Truth line of organic and natural products is another fan-favorite of Kroger regulars. Per Insider, the line includes around 35,000 products. There are around 101 banned artificial ingredients which you won't find in the Simple Truth line. It even has a few different plant-based meat products (via Forbes). Additionally, you can find produce, seafood, pantry items, baby food, and baked goods with the Simple Truth label. When you're shopping at Kroger, the meat and Simple Truth products are a safe bet for higher-quality items.

Although both Aldi and Lidl have similar names, low prices, and comparable tactics at getting those prices, these two European stores are decidedly different. Like Aldi, Lidl is also a German-born grocery store that's since expanded globally. The company now has more than 11,200 locations in 32 different countries. In the U.S., there are around 175 locations in nine different states on the East Coast. The states with the most Lidls are Virginia, North Carolina, and New York.

Aldi is technically more successful in the U.S. than Lidl, but the latter German grocer is on its way up. A review by Insider said Lidl was less confusing to shoppers. Although both stores are certainly attempting to be more streamlined than other American chains, Lidl may be more successful in terms of layout. Confusion is also minimized by clearly presented mark-downs. At Lidl, shoppers can find savings marked by orange signs, the term "fresh deals," and orange stickers that offer cuts on almost-expired items, explains Clark.com. One Influenster reviewer summed up their Lidl experience by saying, "this place is amazing. Produce is good, lots of fun goodies and everything is so cheap!" Lidl is a budget supermarket with a growing number of happy customers.