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How to Spice Up Your Grocery Trips While Shopping Locally

Posted on July 11, 2024   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
Ava Wojnowski

Ava Wojnowski

Person shopping for groceries at a grocery store.

Madison has a variety of locally-owned grocery stores, making it easy to find different niche ingredients you may need for your next dish. (SDI Productions / Getty Images)

Groceries are something all of us need. Whether it’s making a pasta dish you found on TikTok or trying out traditional Hmong sesame balls, there is a grocery store for you in Madison.

This Italian grocery store is popular for its authentic ingredients like pasta, charcuterie board ingredients, oils, and kinds of vinegar. They also sell delicious sandwiches on Madison Sourdough bread starting at 9 a.m. (10 a.m. on Sundays) until they run out. 306 S. Brearly St.

This west side shop offers a variety of groceries from Middle Eastern countries, including a range of spices. Along with these groceries, they offer traditional Middle Eastern clothing for men, women, and children. 807 S Gammon Rd.

This Italian grocery store has been a Madison staple since 1971. With fresh pasta, soups, sandwiches, and other entrees, there are plenty of options at Fraboni’s that can give you the taste of Italy. This is also a great spot to get imported and domestic meats, cheeses, and wines for your kitchen. 108 Owen Rd.

The inside of Gooh Grocery Store.

Gooh Grocery on E. Washington St. is Madison’s newest international grocery store that’s expanding local options for African, Hmong and Southeast Asian foods. (Hayley Sperling / City Cast Madison)

Gooh Grocery focuses on providing fresh, sustainable groceries for the Madison community. The goal of this grocery store is to address food insecurity. Would you believe that it used to be a strip club?! 3554 E. Washington Ave.

This market opened in 2020 selling quality ingredients from all around the world. Top-notch seafood is something you are sure to find at Global Market and Food Hall. There are also many different restaurants in the food hall where you can grab a bite like Dumpling House and Hmong Kitchen. 2161 Zeier Rd.

Luna’s Groceries is all about building community. They are currently in the process of constructing a second location on South Park Street. While they have the standard groceries you may need, they also work to sell items you may not be able to find elsewhere. Many know they have the best mangoes in Madison. 2010 Red Arrow Trail

This family-owned grocery store is a great place to get traditional Hmong cuisine. From sesame balls to pork steam rolls, there is a wide range of products from the Hmong Legacy Market. They also sometimes offer hot deli dishes which are worth checking out too. 2119 Fish Hatchery Rd.

This Mexican grocery store is a great place to get your groceries for your next Mexican dish at home. There are tons of meat options and delicious tortillas for your next taco night. And if you don’t want to make your own, you can grab some authentic tacos made at the market. 601 N Sherman Ave.

If you’re looking for ingredients to make any Asian dish, Viet Hoa is bound to have what you need. This Asian grocery store has items from countries like Vietnam, Japan, China, Korea, and beyond. Plus, inside is the restaurant Hot N Spicy, a mother/son restaurant, which dishes out tasty Laotian food. 4602 Monona Dr.

Where Do You Get Your Groceries? 🛒
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