Guide to grocery shopping in Spain – markets, specialty stores, and online grocery shopping

Besides supermarkets, in Spain there exist other popular forms of grocery shopping. In this article, we will explain some important offline stores and online grocery stores, aiming to provide you with more choices and ideas about where to shop.

1. Local markets

Unlike a supermarket, a Spanish market (Mercado) is a collective point of the local butchers, fisherman, fruit, and vegetable sellers. You can easily find fresh and high-quality food in your local market at an affordable price. Usually, if you want to communicate with them, you need to have some basic knowledge of Spanish. In some famous markets located in tourist areas, you might even use English to communicate with the sellers. Famous examples include:

• La Boquería (Barcelona)
• Mercado San Miguel (Madrid)

2. Specialty stores

There are a lot of specialized stores in Spain, especially in big cities.

• Jamonería/Charcutería: The most Spanish of them is Jamonería or Charcutería. They are stores specialized in Spanish hams, cheese, and other traditional food.
  • If you are a big charcuterie food lover, this might be the best choice. Because they are selected gourmet products, and they might be cut into slices by hand.
  • Supermarkets usually have their own charcutería inside: eg. El corte inglés, Mercadona.

• Organic markets/supermarkets/stores: Since the healthy lifestyle is becoming a more impactful concept, organic markets are gaining momentum. The products in these markets are considered as more natural, greener, and better for health. Some of them advocate environmentally friendly practices such as selling in bulk. The important organic stores include:
  • Veritas
  • Ametller Origen
  • Bio

• Food from another country: In metropolitan cities such as Barcelona or Madrid, you can easily find stores with food from a different country. Whatever you are from the United States or Bulgaria, you can always find a store selling grocery products of your country of origin. Here are some of the examples in Barcelona:
  • American food: Taste of America
  • Japanese food: Tokyo-Ya
  • Korean food: HANKUK
  • Russian food: RUSA TEREMOK
  • Chinese food: YANG KUANG

• Other specialty stores: Other common specialty stores include chocolate stores, candy shops.

Online grocery shopping is quite popular among working professionals and students because it’s quick and easy to choose. The main players and choices are:

• The online website of supermarkets: Since 2020, major supermarkets have also opened their online store and provided grocery delivery services.
• Food delivery apps and even ride-hailing apps are entering the grocery delivery market:
  • Glovo: one of the biggest food delivery apps
  • Cabify: one of the biggest ride-hailing apps
• Apps specialized in grocery delivery: Gorillas, an app that promises to get you products from convenience stores in less than 10 minutes.

5. We care for your everyday life!

Living a different life outside your country of origin can always be a challenge. We are an insurance company that cares for your everyday life, with a type of highly valued medical insurance (well designed for the very case of expats, which fulfills all the visa/NIE requirements) to assist you in whatever conditions.

Our contents will be updated according to the most recent legislation. Last update: 04/11/2021