Is there anything better than mooching around a posh grocery store?
Well, yes, probably. But it’s still one of life’s underrated pleasures — perusing the aisles lined with aesthetically designed packaging and hard-to-find ingredients, picking up a specialty coffee or even a $50 smoothie.
Grocery stores have evolved substantially over the years. No longer just places to stock up on the essentials; many now have a fair few hyphens to their name. Part grocery store, restaurant, farm shop, beauty counter, hotel, bar… they've become destinations in their own right, serving as social hubs as much as places to pick up milk and eggs.
Others have created unlikely status symbols, from sold-out Swarovski crystal tote bags to celebrity-backed smoothies. Whatever you're into, these are the world's posh pantries to see — and be seen in — as well as the places worth leaving with more than you came for.
Luxury grocery stores to shop from
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Daylesford Organic
Moreton-in-Marsh, EnglandSitting amongst the green rolling hills of the Cotswolds in England, Daylesford Organic is one of the UK’s largest organic farms, with much of the produce lining the shelves of the farm shop. The concept came about when founder Carole Bamford was strolling through her garden with her newborn and noticed her roses wilting — the cause was a neighboring farm spraying crops with a strong toxic herbicide. This inspired her to grow seasonal vegetables using sustainable farming methods, and she launched a small farm shop of her own. Today, Daylesford has cottages for guests to stay; a coveted spa brand (the scent of Bamford’s products is as recognizable as its deep green packing); a cookery and garden school; and outposts of the farm shop in London. The farm shop itself looks more like a sprawling country home than a grocery store, with vaulted ceilings and lots of natural light.
Posh pantry pickup: The Dayesford Organic Tomato Ketchup has amassed a cult-like following, with many saying it’s the best you can get. It’s made with ripe tomatoes, apples, and spices.
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La Grande Épicerie de Paris
ParisLa Grande Épicerie de Paris keeps good company on the Rue de Sèvres with Maje, Loro Piana, and Hermès as its neighbors. Spanning over 31,000 sq ft, it stocks some 30,000 products — many of which are only available at the store or made on-site. There’s an organic extra virgin olive oil for just shy of $400, produced by Château d'Estoublon, a 740-acre estate in Provence. It’s very easy to lose a few hours here, but it’s important to visit La Patisserie. There are 23 pastry chefs and the selection is bountiful — try the macarons or the Saint-Honoré to share (or not, no judgement here).
Posh pantry pickup: Bordier butter. The company, based in Saint-Malo, has been partners with La Grande for some 15 years. Try the garlic and herb butter or the Madagascan vanilla butter.
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Erewhon
Los AngelesWhile Erewhon is not the first of its kind, it’s probably the best known. Endorsed by LA’s celebrities, and with smoothies breaking the $100 mark, Erewhon is as much a place to be seen as it is a place to pick up produce — even the tote bags are considered a status symbol; each color is made in limited batches to keep supplies limited and demand high. Balenciaga collaborated with the brand and presented grocery bags in its fall 2024 show. Its shelves are lined with specialty items like raw dairy and premium meats, and all items are non-GMO, organic, and free of artificial additives and refined sugars. There’s a cafe, too — Lexi’s Chicken Salad is its most popular, chicken with house-made avocado oil mayonnaise — and a huge selection of apotogens and beauty products.
Posh pantry pickup: The Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie by Hailey Bieber was selling around 40,000 a month, so if viral things are for you, pick one up. The Coconut Cloud is another staple, with almond milk, coconut meat, pineapple, banana, and blue spirulina.
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Gelson’s Markets
CaliforniaFounded in 1951 by brothers Bernard and Eugene Gelson, Gelson’s Markets went from one store in Burbank to 28 locations across California. Alongside the gourmet produce, locations also have in-house sushi chefs, poké bars, florists, and carving carts. The store in West Hollywood at 8330 Santa Monica Blvd has a Wolfgang Puck Express; Gelson’s Long Beach has a mezzanine on the second floor that overlooks the marina. Most locations also offer a ‘Sip ‘n’ Shop’ service — have a glass of wine and chill out at the wine bar, while an associate takes your shopping list and picks out the highest-quality products.
Posh pantry pickup: Gelson’s private-label wines are made with top winemakers and have won many awards. The flagship Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from Napa Valley and Coombsville; the Mayfair is a white Rhône-style blend from the Los Olivos District in Santa Barbara County, featuring a mix of Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, and Viognier.
See also: The Best Heatwave-Friendly Recipes – According To Chefs
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Corner Shop
LondonFounded by Nick Jones of Soho House fame, Corner Shop in London was always going to have an air of “cooler-than-everyone” about it. In a traditional British corner shop, you’re likely to find basic staples like milk, bread, sweets, and booze. This Corner Shop is a little different. Located at 180 The Thames, it’s pegged as a grocer, baker, wine bar, and flower stand. There’s hand-stretched organic pizzas with all suppliers listed (mozzarella from Somerset, mushrooms from Sussex) or sweet treats from Populations Bakery — try the strawberry and elderflower cream croissants. The space is available for private hire, too — Vogue Café had a pop-up during London Fashion Week, and it hosts some supper clubs (the last was a Thanksgiving special, serving slow-roasted turkey with chardonnay and dijon mustard).
Posh pantry pickup: Come for breakfast and have scrambled eggs, then grab some Cacklebean Eggs, Stockholm sourdough, The Estate Dairy cultured butter, and organic creme fraiche from Neal's yYard and recreate it at home.
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LaManna
Melbourne Oft referred to as Australia’s answer to Erewhon, LaManna is a family-owned store in Melbourne’s Essendon Fields. The LaManna family emigrated from Italy in 1948 and began selling fresh food, before Vince LaManna, his wife Linda, and their children Tanya, Patrick, and Stefanie opened the huge 107,600-sq-ft store in 2010. The siblings still operate the store and the items on offer favor high-quality Italian — it sells 40,000 lasagnas a year and 250,000 cannoli. There’s a tiramisu bar, operating like an ice cream truck so you can choose your own flavors like Biscoff or Pistachio Papi. The vanilla slice is also a much-hyped offering — the bakery makes around 500 of the pastries a day, and yet they still sell out frequently.
Posh pantry pickup: LaManna has an on-site ‘cheese laboratory,’ so pick up a few — the Truffle Burrata is creamy and rich, and the Fromager d’Affinois is a French double-cream brie that melts at room temperature.
