The Best Grocery Store In Every State For 2016

The Daily Meal has previously ranked the nation's best supermarkets chains, but now we go further by asking: What is the best grocery store in each state?

Renfroe's Market: A longtime Montgomery institution, Renfroe's Market focuses on giving value to every customer's dollar. As one reviewer put it, "Kind of like Wal-Mart and Publix in 1. Layout and selection of Publix but prices like Wal-Mart! Great grocery store!"

Safeway: Each town in Alaska seems to have its own reliable hub or locally owned market, but Safeway wins here for its consistently positive reviews and its ability to reach and adequately supply the most people. Safeway is also Alaska's most popular grocery chain with a whopping nine locations scattered throughout the state.

Sprouts Market: The very first Sprouts Market opened in Arizona circa 2002, and today there are 36 stores throughout the state that market their own brand, and according to their website, are committed to making healthy eating more affordable. 

Edwards Food Giant: There are seven Edward Food Giants stores reliably serving the people of Arkansas. Most importantly, they are viewed quite favorably in reviews, as seen here: "This store is always remarkably clean with friendly staff. Their meat quality and prices cannot be beat!"

Berkeley Bowl Marketplace: This is quite a remarkable grocery store. It carries a vast range of products and foods, and also offers a large organic produce section with reasonable prices. A Google reviewer said it best: "This is probably the best grocery store I have ever been to. The fruit section has a huge section of every kind of fruit you can think of...Good prices as well."

King Soopers: King Soopers is the go-to for many in the Denver area, and in general has a significant presence in the Rocky Mountains. It has a large selection of goods and is cheaper than the high-end markets, making this store a local favorite. One shopper said, "This location is always fully stocked, clean, and always has super friendly employees. I go a little out of my way to shop at this location."

Stew Leonard's: Business Insider labeled Stew Leonard's the best grocery store in America in 2015. It's valued for its serious commitment to customer loyalty, in-store experience, and the quality and variety of products offered. 

Janssen's Market:  Although it may be on the more expensive side, this is still a favorite of many who call this small state home. As one Google reviewer put it, "I love Janssen's. It's too expensive to be my only place to go for groceries but it's great for a quick to-go lunch and I always find the best stuff in that store. The produce is always fresh and delicious. Best cheese in town and helpful and courteous staff."

Publix: Publix was locally founded in 1930 and has now grown to operate 769 stores in Florida alone. Simply put, Publix has great customer service, selection, and quality. "Go here instead of Walmart," say reviewers.

Whole Foods: Atlanta has spoken. Whole Foods is clearly the best reviewed store on Yelp, and Google Reviews:  "Most amazing Whole Foods I've ever been to!! Insane!! Check it out!!"

Foodland: Foodland has a significant presence of each of the five islands and is known for its great customer loyalty program. The race for this title was close; runners up in Hawaii included Tom's Supermarket and Safeway.

Natural Grocers: Natural Grocers is a retail chain focused on natural and organic groceries, supplements, and household products. Ultimately, the prices are lower than those at Whole Foods and the selection is better than at other options in Boise. As one review put it, "Enjoy shopping there: clean, well light, great selection and very well priced compared to Whole Foods and even the Co-op."

Nature's Best Fresh Market: A Westmont reviewer said of Nature's Best Fresh Market, "My favorite place for excellent produce, fresh meat, international and specialty. Perfect size store, not too big, terrific service, clean, well-stocked, [and]well-run. Always busy, diverse customers, pleasant atmosphere, never too long a checkout wait."

The Fresh Market: A national chain, yes, but the stores always seem to settle in with the local community at each location. This store is the consistent favorite throughout the state, but in Indianapolis, the local Fresh Market has been voted in the top five best grocery stores for eight years running. The stores that bested it were smaller, more expensive, specialty food markets.

Hy-Vee:  Hy-Vee is an employee-owned regional supermarket chain of about 240 stores located throughout the Midwest with 138 stores in Iowa alone. Its longtime slogan has been, "Where there's a helpful smile in every aisle."

Price Chopper: A Google reviewer said of the Roeland Park location, "Great store with great selection of everything and pretty good layout. Good prices too. Tons of fresh produce." This grocery store also got a nod from The Kitchn's Food Lover's Guide to Kansas City.

Lucky's Market: Lucky's Market is located in Louisville — the state's largest city. Lucky's is definitely a crowd-pleaser and its logo boasts "Organic for the 99%." One Google reviewer said of the store, "Lucky's is one of my favorite spots to visit! A market with specialty items you can't find elsewhere, an awesome meat department & deli, handmade sushi & pizza and you can buy a pint of beer to drink while you shop for $2!"

Rouses: The good people at Bon Appétit rated Rouses one of the eight best regional supermarket chains in the county, citing one very important reason: Rouses is dedicated to local food culture as exemplified in its sponsorship of the World Championship Crawfish Eating Contest.

A local reviewer also said of the store, "Helpful and pleasant employees. Never a long wait in line. Great meat department and seafood department. The bakery is one of the best in the city."

Hannaford: This store is lauded for its "excellent selection of product, excellent service, and prices that can't be beat." Maine-iacs and other New England residents enjoy more than 180 stores in the region.

Wegmans: Wegmans just marked its 100-year anniversary and, though the chain was founded in Rochester, New York, earned its spot as Maryland's best grocery store. According to one local, "Make this a stop at all costs. Inexpensive and high quality. Has everything to do with being organized and neat, not overpriced and cliché." (Note that Balducci's, now headquartered in Maryland, was a close contender but was knocked because of its high prices.

Market Basket: Ask any Bay Stater: Market Basket is their store. In a price comparison study conducted by a Boston news outlet, Market Basket held consistently lower prices than Target and Walmart. One reviewer said online, "Everything here is affordable and offers a large selection of products and food!" What more could you ask for?

Meijer: With more than 200 stores in Michigan, this local hub is a great for the everyday shopper. Of course, some Meijer stores are better than others in the state, but in general, "If you need it, Meijers probably has it."

Kowalski's Market: A family-run business that expanded throughout the Twin Cities area, Kowalski's Market is a store that actively seeks to differentiate itself from the big chains, specifically with its commitment to sourcing products locally. "Great quality, incredible customer service. Always greeted with a smile," one reviewer said. 

Rainbow Co-op: With better prices and selections than other stores, Rainbow Co-op seems to give the people what they want and at the right price. This review says it all, "Best place to get groceries in Mississippi. Very friendly and helpful staff. Great organic selection!"

Schnucks: Real St Louis locals prefer Schnucks for its great selection and overall experience. This locally established supermarket chain has been serving the community since 1939.

Community Food Co-op: Community Food Co-op is a local, independent grocery store with two locations in Bozeman. As their website says, they "offer local, organic produce and meat, deli prepared meals, artisan bread, organic non-GMO groceries, hard to find ingredients, natural supplements and body care and much more." Locals say it's "the best place to get a variety of bulk items and a pretty good selection of local produce, bread, and local and regional meats. It's small, but a great place to shop. I really don't go anywhere else for groceries in Bozeman." 

Open Harvest Grocery Co-op: One reviewer says it all: "This is my favorite grocery store, and to me is not just a local, but a national gem. This is better than Bi-rite and Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco, a fraction of the price, and a much more relaxing atmosphere. Nothing pretentious like Park Slope co-op in Brooklyn. Just people who care doing it right."

WinCo Foods: WinCo Foods is an employee-owned 24/7-supermarket chain with discounted groceries and bulk foods, plus a deli and bakery. One reviewer said, "WinCo offers excellent deals on general grocery store products. Their bakery, butcher shop, and produce sections are amazing and offer very good prices as well as a variety of options for any palate." 

A Market: Note that the bigger chains like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Market Basket are also very popular here, but A Market takes the cake. As one longtime shopper said, "My family has been shopping here since I was a small child and we're repeat customers because of the terrific selection of very healthy foods: fresh produce, groceries, and vitamins. The shop's open, friendly atmosphere is inviting and they offer free samples." 

Kings Food Market: Kings is a New Jersey-founded grocery store chain that stocks local farm produce, fine meats & cheeses, prepared foods and other groceries. The general consensus is that although products maybe a tad expensive, Kings carries the quality products you are looking for.

La Montañita Co-op: For the title of Best Market in New Mexico, we zeroed in the city of Albuquerque to see what it had to offer. One review said of La Montañita, "Very nice place and every organic grocery I want I can find it here. Handicap parking and access, bike parking and very centric." 

Fairway: Grocery shopping in New York City is not an easy task, but Fairway makes it just a little better for some. "I shop there frequently and have done for 35 years – that in itself is a good testament. Pretty good for most foods, a definite emphasis on quantity and variety," one Google reviewer said.

Harris Teeter: North Carolina Harris Teeters strive to be an active part of their communities by working with local schools and food voucher systems. In fact, Harris Teeter has now donated more than $24.6 million to local schools within their respective communities.

Dan's Supermarket: Although there are reports of outrage over the steeper prices, Dan's Supermarket is the go-to for the people of Bismarck. There are six locations in the city open 24/7.  As this customer review said, "Great selection, no wait to checkout and friendly staff. Yeah the prices might be a bit high but the convenience is worth it."

Jungle Jim's International Market: With more than 200,000 square feet of all the food stuff you can imagine, Jungle Jim's International Market is like a grocery store theme park. As Nancy of Cincinnati said, "THIS is the stop all my out of town visitors insist on seeing. You can find wonders and treasures and oddities... You will be distracted by all the shiny things. PLUS, the selection of beer, wine, cheese and even butter is amazing. Oh, and an acre of produce...did I forget to mention that?"

Crest Fresh Market: According to its website, Crest Fresh Market is the "Home of Rock Bottom Prices," a fact its shoppers absolutely love. A Google reviewer recently posted, "You have to go to Crest in OK. The most well stocked grocery store with the kindest staff. Unlike the other big name stores, this one still feels family oriented. They always run great specials as well." 

New Seasons Market: "Always top notch food offerings, with focus on Pacific Northwest companies," said Google reviewer Dan Beltramo. New Seasons has a good mix of grocery classics and local, organic favorites. It also gives 10 percent of profits back to the community.

Giant Food Stores: "Great selection of name brand and store brand items. Very nice employees and a nice interior. Although not the 'hippest' looking inside, the lower costs and excellent customer service more than makes up for a more plain looking store," local Robert Britton said.

Eastside Marketplace: "Great local market wonderful staff affordable food much better than any other supermarket in all of Providence," one Providence local said. Eastside Marketplace is also locally owned and has an expansive organic produce section that rivals that of Whole Foods. 

Harris Teeter: The Charleston area has many options for grocery shoppers but the Harris Teeter on Bay Street was deemed the ultimate go-to for locals. "I love this store. Everything is always great, clean, fresh, amazing staff, great options available. CHEAP ORGANICS!!" Tabitha Dery said on Google reviews. 

Lynn's Dakotamart: Throughout the state there are 10 Lynn's Dakotamart locations stocking the necessities and basics.  "Great selection, good prices, helpful people," Daniel Hoey said on Google. 

The Turnip Truck: The people of Nashville love their Publix and Whole Foods, but The Turnip Truck deserves the title of Best Market. The locally owned store has two locations and places a serious emphasis on sourcing locally. Reviewer Jason King said, "This is a nice natural food store with some great ready-to-eat meal options. The prices are reasonable (especially when compared to other natural food markets), and they always seem to have demos and samples out." 

H-E-B: Texans are just wild about their H-E-B grocery stores. Even in the Thrillist article mentioned in the introduction, author Dan Gentile said he was "severely disappointed that H-E-B isn't the most popular chain in Texas."

To reinforce this H-E-B love, another reviewer said of the store, "HEB is the best grocery store in town, bar none. Which is probably why it's always so busy. Truthfully this is the only downside to shopping here. Weekends are especially bad with pretty long lines at every open register. They do the best they can however, and the staff is always friendly, so I don't mind the wait. A byproduct of being great is that you are also popular."

Harmons: "Harmons is almost untouchable in quality in Utah from the rest of the grocery stores. They pride themselves on fresh food and a large variety of it," a reviewer said on Google. As an extra step toward quality, Harmons also sends its bakers to a top professional bread baking school in San Francisco to make sure the people of downtown Salt Lake City are getting great products. 

City Market, Onion River Co-op: "Out of every grocery store around the country and the world that I have gone to, this is the best one yet. The Onion River Co-op offers huge amounts of fresh, organic, and local produce, dairies, meats, spices, grains, and almost everything else that you can think of. What they do not have from local farms, they make sure to buy the best goods they possibly can; just talking about it gives me that rare rush only a great grocery store can," one Google reviewer said.

Ellwood Thompson's: Easily the best reviewed store in Richmond, Ellwood Thompson's handily sweeps the title in Virginia. Google reviewer Eric Asplund said, "Ellwood Thompson's is a mainstay of Richmond Grocery Stores. It has seemingly been around forever. They sell high quality organic and health foods, as well as a wide selection of delicious prepared foods. This is a high end grocery store, but you will find that the prices are worth it."

PCC Market: City Voter, Google, Foursquare, and Yelp all hold this market in very high regard. It does get knocked for the high prices and lack of parking, but overall, PCC Market delivers an awesome product that keeps its customers coming back for more.

Capitol Market: In the heart of West Virginia's capital city of Charleston, Capitol Market is serving the community. Built from an old transfer dock, the market is a year-round affair and has an eclectic collection of indoor shops featuring fresh fish, meat, and produce. Yes, this is technically a farmers market, but this grocery is top rated on Yelp and other conversation boards. As one Google reviewer said, "WV finest. An excellent farmers market, top notch wine shop, great meat market...So many local farmers! A great place to visit every day!"

Woodman's Markets:  A clear winner in Madison, Woodman's is the place to go for all your needs on the cheap. One local said, "I love Woodman's. This is the cheapest grocery store in Madison and it's open 24/7. Produce is good; I never really have trouble finding something fresh."

King Soopers: Wyoming's capital city hosts just a few grocery stores, but reviews on Google, Yelp, and Foursquare indicate that King Soopers reigns supreme. A local review on Foursquare said, "Easily the best quality and widest selection (and most affordable!) of organic veggies in Cheyenne!"