The Yummiest Grocery in Chicago

Southport Grocery & Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.9 (1004) • $$

J.P. Graziano Grocery

★★★★★ 4.6 (684)

"Why 4 stars? Because this hit the spot after a long commute. --- --- ---Specifically, that long commute originated in Texas. When I knew I was coming to Chicago, I reached out to a local trusted source for a lunch recommendation. She gave me two top choices - this was one of them and I painstakingly went back and forth trying to decide which place to choose, before ultimately going with JP Graziano. I'm happy with my choice. I ordered a classic Italian sub and it was exactly what I would have expected it to be. High quality cold cuts, plenty of Chicago accents, and the bonus of lemon soda available in the fridge. Of course, I grabbed some salt and vinegar chips too, because that's a requirement.Thanks for the nice "Welcome to Chicago" meal, JPGG!"

Fresh Market Place

★★★★★ 4.5 (169)

"Yes, prices are more expensive than your typical grocery store, but I love the quality, selection and service. In particular I I've their butcher section. Fresh Market Place offers a wide selection of Slagel Farms pork, chicken, and beef. You can't beat this quality. The butchers are informed and even offer cooking prep suggestions.Publican Bread, another tough find, is sold here as well. It's great to have a small local market with so many great finds. Produce is again pricey, but very fresh. I wouldn't suggest completing all of your grocery shopping here, but strongly suggest checking out the butcher and produce sections. Pro Tip: Table 87 pizza is sold here. .. and it's better than any frozen pizza in your freezer."

New York Market

★★★★★ 4.6 (48) • $$

"Got some lunch from this Uptown market and deli. It doesn't look like much but it's good. New York Market makes fresh sandwiches. Has stuff like the falafel. The prices are kind of high but this is better quality. Came and got a sandwich at lunch. It's about $11 to get one. These come with a choice of protein. Among the meats are beef and chicken. The vegetarian choice is falafel. Got a few other things for cheap. They have containers of vegetarian dolmatas for only a few bucks, and these are a pretty good side. Other stuff in the store isn't as cheap. There's a lot of ripoffs, but has some okay things. Has a few items that are pretty cheap. It's more expensive for the fresh sandwiches. There's many things here okay for vegans and vegetarians."

Salsa’s Family Market

★★★★★ 5 (32)

"I learned about this small neighborhood market in Block Club Chicago and then it was promoted to me via Yelp, so I've been wanting to visit for weeks. Tonight was just the right night; we were having picadillo, and several of the reviews mention their fantastic salsa and guacamole. (Spoiler alert: They were right, it's great.) The article I read said the owners met as kids working in a store, I believe, and I love that so much.When I entered the woman who greeted me was really nice and said to let her know if I was looking for anything in particular. It is very, very small inside, but they have a deli counter at the back with a few things. The aisles are so narrow you can hardly fit two people (and in a couple of them, having one feels like overcrowding) so navigability can be tricky. But I found what I wanted, and a few other things to boot, so all in all it was successful. They have some vegetables (which was great because I needed lettuce but was going to forget it because I didn't want to go to Mariano's), some dairy items, pantry stores and pasta, and so on. They had sopes, which I was telling a friend I wanted to make and she'd told me that ready-made sopes were a thing; now I just I just need to find a recipe for what to put in them!The guacamole was good but I liked the tomatillo salsa even better. It's flavorful, a little sweet, and heats up nicely the more you eat. This will probably be my favorite. The woman (perhaps the owner?) told me that she had one sweet corn tamal left and I decided to give it a taste, and it was really good! But I need them to update a webpage or Instagram or something so I can make sure to be their early when they have chicken and/or cheese tamales!!They also have sweet treats--the right side as you enter is coffee and pastries so there's another place for the coffee drinkers in the neighborhood to get their fix. Glad to welcome this place to the neighborhood and I hope it has a very bright future ahead."

Alta Vista Foods

★★★★☆ 4.1 (46)

"#thankyouthursday Alta Vista Foods is the hidden gem of the neighborhood! I love that they have such a nice selection of meats and produce, especially during times when I don't want to visit the larger grocery stores. I can always find something that I can easily whip up for dinner whenever I visit. They also have the tortillas that my husband and I love to make with our breakfast along with items that I would normally pick up from Walgreens across the street. The staff at Alta Vista Foods are always friendly and willing to point you to the direction of where your item can be found. They do have a little of an up charge for certain items, which is to be expected for a small corner store but it is worth the small increase in price to avoid the crowds at the major grocery stores. This is a must visit place if you are looking for some essentials and don't want to travel to the more crowded places."

Old World Market

★★★★☆ 3.8 (39) • $

"This place is very cool, I can find most of my Jamaican products there and it's not too for from other shopping areas next to my home."

GNS Market

★★★★★ 4.7 (24)

"Super friendly people! You can find practically **anything** you need here. Aside from a great beer, wine & liquor selection, they are also your typical corner-type convenience store. I have bought frozen yogurt, Nyquil, postage stamps & beer all in one trip, if that gives you an idea. :)Being such a friendly neighborhood spot, the great staff get to know all the regulars & treat you very well. Located very nicely at the corner of N Broadway St & Belle Plaine. There is even a USPS post-box outside the store."

Uptown Deli

★★★★★ 4.8 (18)

"Such a great little corner deli. The food is really good and great value. Sandwiches are excellent size and the soups especially cheddar broccoli is on point!"