Continuing the celebration of The Market Report's 10th year!
Each month of 2026, I'll be posting a different special feature to celebrate my 10th year of writing this blog. There's a lot to see, so here's a summary of what we've done so far:
- January: Remembering A&P
- February: Best of 2016-2020
- March: Back in Time (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3)
- April: Recommended Reading
- May: Behind the Scenes
- June: Best of 2021-2025
- July: Shop the City
- August: Recommended Reading 2
- September: Updates
And now it's time for October's feature...
The Northeastern Supermarket Road Trip!
(Or, 30 Supermarkets to See Before You Die)
That's right, these are the stores I think every grocery enthusiast should visit! These aren't necessarily the absolute best supermarkets in the northeast (though many of them are exceptional), but ones that I think are interesting enough to warrant stopping in. Is it realistic to do them on a single road trip? No, definitely not. But here goes anyway, a loop from Delaware to Maine and back again! Below, click on any picture to enlarge it.
1. Newark Farmers Market
2515 Kirkwood Hwy, Newark, DE
This quirky supermarket is divided into two parts -- Asian and Middle Eastern groceries on the left, Latino and mainstream American groceries on the right, and a massive warehouse in the middle for produce, meat, seafood, and fresh food from house-made tortillas to kimbap and kimchi made on site. In addition to a huge variety of international foods, this store is home to an impressive array of relics from other supermarkets, including Pathmark carts, aisle markers from SuperFresh, and signage from Bottom Dollar and Giant.
...1 hour / 50 miles northeast to...
2. 7 Brothers Supermarket
180 W Duncannon Ave, Philadelphia, PA
Another unusual independent, this one in northern Philadelphia. 7 Brothers is a local favorite for all manner of Latino foods, but like the Newark Farmers Market, sharp eyes will spot decor elements from ACME, Safeway, Giant, and the local chain Cousin's. But it's not like this store gets random odds and ends -- in fact, it's a great spot for a huge selection of fresh produce and meats cut to order, with the bonus of its retail history in a 1970s-era ACME.
...35 min / 13 miles northeast to...
3. Bell's Market
1055 Bustleton Pk, Feasterville-Trevose, PA
Just outside of Philadelphia is this gorgeous Eastern European market with enough pickled vegetables and cured sausages to fill a football field. Blintzes, farmer cheese, plov, and herring are on the menu when you visit. Read more about it here!
...50 min / 35 miles northeast to...
4. Kasia Market
2311 US-206, Belle Mead, NJ
If it's not the locally-grown mushrooms and microgreens that draw you to Kasia Market's produce department, then maybe it's the lettuces and herbs grown on-site in an in-store hydroponic farm. While you're here, don't forget to stop by the food court for a delicious bibimbap. The grocery aisles are stocked abundantly with Asian groceries along with some basics in this location just outside of Princeton. Read more about it here!
...1 hour / 36 miles east to...
5. Delicious Orchards
320 NJ-34, Colts Neck, NJ
It's no surprise that great local produce is the star of the show at Delicious Orchards (I mean, given the name and all) but you'll never be able to go back to buying regular supermarket apples once you visit this store. In addition to spectacular Jersey-grown produce and homemade apple baked goods, Delicious Orchards has an amazing deli, a wide variety of prepared foods, and plenty of gourmet grocery items in this nearly 60,000 square foot barn-like store.
...35 min / 26 miles north to...
6. La Bella Marketplace
99 Ellis St, Staten Island, NY
Some of the greats on this list are outstanding independents, and among independent grocers, it's very common to reuse elements from other stores. A handful of old ACME interior signs have popped up here at Staten Island's largest Italian grocer, La Bella Marketplace (another location is in Brooklyn). Aside from spotting some ACME relics, you'll find freshly baked pizza and bread, house-made pastas and mozzarella, and lots of Italian cured meats.
...35 min / 20 miles north to...
7. Seabra Foods
281-285 Ferry St, Newark, NJ
Crusty fresh breads, house-cured salt fish, and a massive hot food bar are some of the big draws here at the Ironbound's largest supermarket (and the second-largest in New Jersey's biggest city). Seabra Foods in fact originated here in the Ironbound, Newark's famously Portuguese neighborhood, and in 2019 opened their flagship location in what had previously been a Pathmark and an ACME. Read more about it here!
...40 min / 13 miles east to...
8. Food Bazaar Supermarket
480-500 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY
How many supermarkets have a waterfront cafe with a view of the Statue of Liberty, an in-house coffee roastery, and produce as far as the eye can see? Really it's just this one: the Red Hook Food Bazaar, which the Queens-based chain bought from Fairway Market in 2020. If the craft beer on tap and the outdoor barbecue station (in the summer) aren't enough of a draw, maybe the lobster rolls -- a Fairway tradition that Food Bazaar has continued -- will do it for you. Read more about the store here, and see an update with the cafe here.
...25 min / 12 miles southeast to...
9. Tashkent Supermarket
713 Brighton Beach Ave, Brooklyn, NY
This bustling market at Brighton Beach's busiest corner sells a stunning variety of prepared Uzbek foods alongside some amazing produce and halal meats. Also look out for the most beautiful crusty rye and sourdough breads in the bakery department, produced in-house and quickly whisked away by a steady parade of eager customers. Read more about it here!
...1 hr 20 min / 30 miles east to...
10. 99 Ranch Market
1500 Old Country Rd, Westbury, NY
99 Ranch has multiple locations in the northeast, but I'm singling out the Westbury one because of its food court. Called Eat Up!, a variety of vendors sell some amazing Asian food including an unassuming takeout container packed full of the best udon noodles I've ever tasted. Judging by what I saw other customers eating, I don't think Eat Up has many bad options.
...25 min / 12 miles east to...
11. Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace
890 Walt Whitman Rd, Melville, NY
You'd be hard-pressed to find a bad location of this Long Island native chain of Italian supermarkets, which also has stores in New Jersey and Westchester, and is now preparing additional locations in the Philadelphia area. At around 55,000 square feet, the Melville store is one of Uncle Giuseppe's largest.
...1 hr / 35 miles west to...
12. Ermina's Market
825 2nd Ave, Manhattan, NY
There are lots of supermarkets out there that promise an upscale, gourmet experience, but few deliver quite as well across the board as midtown Manhattan's Ermina's Market. Owned by local chain Westside Market, this grocer has a stunning array of prepared foods, fresh breads, imported cheeses, and top-quality produce. Read more about it here!
...1 hour / 30 miles north to...
13. DeCicco & Sons
1 Legend Dr, Sleepy Hollow, NY
Speaking of upscale experiences, another New York chain whose focus is premium supermarkets is DeCicco & Sons. Their Sleepy Hollow store, a 40,000 square foot new build on the Hudson River, is as close to grocery perfection as you can get. Above the rows of gorgeous produce, high-end meats, and hundreds of gourmet cheeses, you'll find a full-service bar and restaurant with a second-floor patio looking out over the river along with a catering hall. This is not a supermarket to miss -- but come hungry and with a well-stocked wallet. Read more about it here!
...2 hours / 72 miles east to...
14. Connecticut Fresh Food & Produce Market
920 S Colony St, Wallingford, CT
Driving by this nondescript Connecticut strip mall, you might easily miss this supermarket gem tucked away at the back behind a gym and a coffee shop. It's not upscale, it's not fancy, but instead it's somewhere between the friendly neighborhood supermarket and the warehouse farmers market stores. The rows of fresh produce, homemade baked goods, and garden center (in season) bring in customers to this store just north of New Haven.
...30 min / 19 miles north to...
15. Stew Leonard's
3475 Berlin Tpk, Newington, CT
No collection of notable northeastern grocery stores would be complete without a Stew Leonard's mention. If you feel like visiting a theme park where you can also buy toilet paper, this is your spot. Navigate past the singing avocados, the singing milk cartons, the singing bananas -- you know what, it's almost easier to list the things in the store that aren't singing. But you'll find piles of produce, local milk, house-smoked barbecue, and plenty more in this experience of a supermarket, plus there's a cafe on the second floor to eat in. Read more about it here!
...1 hr 40 min / 90 miles east to...
16. Dave's Fresh Marketplace
371 Putnam Pk, Smithfield, RI
Few grocery chains are as deeply steeped in their home region as Dave's. The independent grocery chain has 10 locations, which is around 10% of all the grocery stores in the state. You'll find fresh local cheeses from Naragansett Creamery, classic Rhode Island pizza strips and square thin-crust pizzas, and shellfish from the coast just miles away. Read more about it here!
...1 hour / 50 miles northeast to...
17. Kam Man Foods
219 Quincy Ave, Quincy, MA
Kam Man's Quincy store is the largest Asian supermarket in New England, and one of the largest on the east coast as a whole at 85,000 square feet. It's almost more of a department store, with a variety of home goods, kitchenwares, decor, and even furniture. On the grocery side, don't miss the Chinese baked goods and expansive seafood department. Read more about it here!
...35 min / 10 miles north to...
18. Roche Bros
8 Summer St, Boston, MA
Filene's is (or at least was) a well-known name across New England, as a now-defunct chain of department stores. Filene's Basement was the discount side, and it was -- you guessed it -- in the basement of the flagship Filene's in downtown Boston. After a number of acquisitions and mergers, Filene's and Filene's Basement actually split, both eventually closing or selling all of their stores. But the original Filene's Basement is still a retail store -- today a gorgeous Roche Brothers at Downtown Crossing in Boston. Read more about it here!
...50 min / 25 miles northeast to...
19. Henry's Market
588 Cabot St, Beverly, MA
Henry's Market in the coastal town of Beverly (just outside Salem) is a charming local market, but what makes it truly worth the visit is the deli and bakery. The deli has a huge variety of fresh prepared foods (and its kitchen also handles prepared foods for the local Crosby's Marketplace chain, which acquired Henry's in 2015). In the bakery, grab an apple fritter -- but be prepared to share, as they're almost as large as a dinner plate. Their half-moon cookies, a local equivalent of black and white cookies, are also worth picking up. Read more about it here!
...3 hours / 170 miles northeast to...
20. French & Brawn Marketplace
1 Elm St, Camden, ME
Henry's has been in business since 1941 -- an impressive tenure, no doubt -- but Camden, Maine's downtown market French & Brawn Marketplace has been selling groceries since three years after the end of the Civil War. The store is charming and old-school, and located right along the scenic downtown of Camden. Read more about it here!
...4 hours 10 min / 250 miles west to...
21. Co-op Food Stores
209 Maple St, White River Junction, VT
Supermarket history is important to any retail enthusiast, and that interest becomes particularly acute when we're talking about a chain that hasn't existed for many years. You can see a bit of Grand Union history here at White River Junction's Co-op Food Store, in a pleasant, well-run, and community-owned store to boot. Read more about it here!
...1 hour / 55 miles north to...
22. Hunger Mountain Co-op
623 Stone Cutters Way, Montpelier, VT
Vermont is the land of cooperative grocers, and one of the best is the state capital's Hunger Mountain Co-op. This gorgeous, modern store has an impressive variety of some of the best things the state has to offer: lots of sharp cheddar, incredible local produce, beautiful breads, and of course, plenty of local maple -- plus a riverfront cafe. Read more about it here!
...2 hours 30 minutes / 120 miles (including a ferry!) west to...
23. Nori's
138 Church St, Saranac Lake, NY
Only now is my true love for waterfront cafes becoming apparent to me, as Nori's is now the fourth store on this list with a waterfront cafe and coffee shop. When I spent some extended time in Saranac Lake, Nori's cafe became my spot -- where I could get a drink and a delicious homemade chicken salad sandwich, sit comfortably, set up my laptop and do some work, and hey, there's even a bathroom right there. Not bad for a second, temporary, home! But the store also is a bit of an oasis in the Adirondacks, where food choices are somewhat limited. The freshly baked breads from a local bakery and the local New York-grown produce are what should wind up in your cart here, and I wasn't joking about that chicken salad sandwich. Keep an eye out for a post on this store coming next month!
...3 hours / 150 miles south to...
24. Henry's Market
831 Main St, Bennington, VT
I haven't repeated any stores on this list -- for example, two locations of one chain -- but we do have two, completely unrelated, Henry's Markets. This one in Bennington, Vermont doesn't have the incredible pastries its Massachusetts cousin does, but this is your spot for smoked meats including some of the best bacon I've ever had. Read more about it here!
...1 hour 15 min / 65 miles south to...
25. Hawthorne Valley Farm Store
327 CR-21C, Ghent, NY
Some of the stores on this list focus on collecting amazing products from around the world, whether that's Asia, Italy, Latin America, or all of the above. The reverse is true here in the tiny town of Ghent, New York, where the Hawthorne Valley Farm Store stocks a huge range of food from just miles from the store's location. Some of it even comes from the Hawthorne Valley Farm itself, on which the store is located. You'll find a surprising variety of lettuce, some delicious pastries breads made from local grains, and even meat from the farms that surround the store.
...1 hour / 45 miles southwest to...
26. Sunflower Market
75 Mill Hill Rd, Woodstock, NY
Full disclosure: I have actually written about this store, in a brief post way back in the spring of 2019. Then, this was a kind of unremarkable small natural foods store in a small town. Now, it's undergone a major renovation and expansion, and while it's not huge at around 15,000 square feet, it is a beautiful natural food store that's absolutely packed with good food choices.
...1 hour 45 min / 68 miles southwest to...
27. Peck's Market
9 Proctor Rd, Eldred, NY
A casual visitor to the Peck's Market in Eldred -- part of a local chain -- might not notice anything special. I mean, let's face it: this is a perfectly adequate but completely unremarkable small-town independent supermarket. Except for one key detail. It was actually constructed in the early 1960s or so as an A&P centennial (not in and of itself unusual). But with an original building of just 6,000 square feet, this store may in fact have been the smallest of the hundreds of centennial stores that A&P built in the 1950s and 60s. For that reason alone, retail enthusiasts should see it. Read more about it here!
...2 hours 30 min / 140 miles southwest to...
28. Weis Markets
135-147 Market St, Sunbury, PA
If you want an impressive, modern Weis Market, visit Enola. But if you want a step back in time, visit downtown Sunbury's Weis. This tiny store, opened in 1954 and not changed very extensively since, spans just 13,000 square feet. Although the interior has gotten cosmetic renovations and updates like new refrigeration, shopping here allows you to experience roughly what shopping would have been like at the very beginning of the supermarket era -- when grocers were transitioning from small, service stores in downtown locations to larger, suburban-style markets with parking lots. Read more about it here!
...1 hour 45 min / 95 miles southeast to...
29. The Market at Oregon Dairy
2900 Oregon Pk, Lititz, PA
What better place to find farm-fresh foods than Pennsylvania's Lancaster County? Oregon Dairy's dairy farm supplies an attached independent supermarket with milk products, and lots of the store's produce comes from the many growers in the immediate area. Plus, don't miss the homemade ice cream with milk from the farm. Read more about it here!
...45 min / 42 miles east to...
30. Kimberton Whole Foods
701 Rice Blvd, Exton, PA
Unaffiliated with the Whole Foods chain everyone knows, Kimberton Whole Foods is a chain of excellent natural food stores in southeastern Pennsylvania. More Lancaster County produce is a staple here, as well as a wide variety of specialty foods and natural health and beauty products. I chose to include the new Exton location on this list simply because it's geographically convenient, but I haven't posted a full tour yet and you can see a similar one here.
...1 hour / 33 miles south to...
the Newark Farmers Market again, and that completes the circuit! So there you have it, the 30 supermarkets in the northeast that every retail enthusiast should visit. Hope this was fun to see, and let me know what you think if you visit any of these stores. Back to Vermont on Monday, so see you soon!
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