Local Markets: Los Angeles
Farm fresh ingredients, specialty items & pantry staples
Farm fresh ingredients, specialty items & pantry staples
Updated with new additions in 2024
After nearly three years in Los Angeles, I feel well-equipped with my list of essential specialty shops for items like strawberry honey jam, fresh pastas, high-quality olive oils, scratch-made sauces, dips, and ice creams. There’s something for everyone: natural wine, fresh bread, market produce, salads and sandwiches to go—read on for a few of my favorites.
Cookbook | Highland park, Echo Park & Larchmont
Cookbook’s locations in Highland Park and Larchmont Village have an excellent natural wine selection, fresh sandwiches, lots of produce options and local flowers. Both locations offer frozen soups, sauces and house-made ice creams (just picked up a lime and graham cracker frozen yogurt that I’m incredibly excited about), as well as pantry staples like pasta, rice and interesting spices and condiments that might be challenging to find at traditional grocery stores. The Echo Park location is smaller and more ideal for picking up a couple of things, while the Highland Park space has a bit more room to wander around and take your time looking for what you need (plus a space to order sandwiches).
Sqirl | Virgil Village / Silver Lake
Sqirl is well known for their ricotta toast, cookbook, and sorrel pesto rice bowl— all of which are fantastic. I love stopping into their takeout shop for a to-go salad, snacks, some natural wine, fresh bread or jam. While their jams rotate seasonally, the meyer lemon and blackberry will always be my favorite.
Wine + Eggs | Atwater Village
Wine + Eggs primarily offers natural wine and pantry items like crackers, olive oil, salts and sardines. They have a great chilled section with sparkling drinks, chocolates, dips and canned wines, as well as a small frozen section featuring wood-fired pizzas from La Morra. You can also pick up some fresh produce like seasonal stone fruits, berries and cherries. If you’re in Joshua Tree, check out their sister location: Wine & Rock Shop.
Dada Market | ECho Park
DADA opened a few weeks ago and truly has it all: wine, fresh bread, dried goods, tinned fish, non-alcoholic options like Ghia, snacks and desserts, cured meats, jarred and canned items, and a counter where you can order food to stay or to go from Little Fish!
Botanica | Silver Lake
Botanica is one of my favorite spots for brunch and coffee or tea to-go, and I love the market in the front of the restaurant. This is a perfect spot to quickly grab a loaf of bread, some house-made cultured butter, spiced apple preserves, natural wine, or non-alcoholic aperitifs. They also have really good chocolate granola, specialty dips, olive oils, and jars of local honey.
Bucatini | Echo Park
This gem of a shop contains a hand-selected curation of Mediterranean products from specialty canned tomatoes and beans, sauces, and pastas, to hand-made glass, heritage home brands, cookbooks, and decorative objects, Bucatini’s collection honors its ethos: quality, authenticity, and romance.
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills | Beverly Hills
This shop has the best sandwich I’ve had in all of LA: their turkey club was truly a no-notes experience with layer upon layer of delicately sliced turkey, a couple of perfect mayo/pesto-adjacent sauces that didn’t overwhelm or skimp, bread that was soft and easy to chew but still had a bit of a bite, thick-cut smoky bacon, and cold, crunchy lettuce. A true 10/10. This shop has been around since the 1960s and is focused on providing traditional, high-quality cheeses, pastas and other pantry staples to the Los Angeles ara.
Honorable mentions
Milkfarm, Gjusta Grocer, Altadena Beverage & Market, LA Homefarm, Sesame LA, Lady & Larder.
I hope you get the chance to stop in and support these wonderful small businesses in LA!