Erewhon has become a place to see and be seen.
While the grocer has several locations across Los Angeles, its Beverly Hills outpost is the biggest scene and a tourist attraction in its own right, drawing visitors who make a point of stopping in to see what the hype is about.
Its roots go back to 1966, when Michio and Aveline Kushi, early proponents of the macrobiotic and natural-foods movement, founded the market in Boston before expanding to L.A. in 1969. The Erewhon shoppers know today took shape after Tony and Josephine Antoci acquired its remaining Beverly Boulevard store in 2011, giving the concept an L.A. spin with pristine merchandising, picture-perfect produce, gluten-free and wellness-focused products, prepared foods — with premium prices to match — and a smoothie bar that became a destination. Hailey Bieber’s viral $21 Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie helped push the market even further into pop culture.
California, meanwhile, has had a natural-food culture for decades, particularly in the Bay Area. In 1965, Fred Rohé took over San Francisco’s Sunset Health Foods, an early natural-food retailer, while Berkeley Bowl, which opened in 1977, became an institution for its expansive produce selection and mix of natural and hard-to-find foods.
What feels newer is the way today’s markets are combining that food-first approach with design, hospitality and community, often alongside elevated price points, while continuing to pop up in more places, from L.A. and New York to cities around the world. Here’s a look at the most notable:
Los Angeles
Laurel Supply
8445 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069; (310) 935-1772
For Phil Howard and Dean McKillen, the pair behind restaurants Laurel Hardware and Ysabel, grocery was a natural extension of their hospitality background.
The duo opened the roughly 15,000-square-foot Laurel Supply in West Hollywood in May, with the idea of creating “a 100 percent organic kitchen to provide restaurant-quality food while building a grocery department of as many exciting brands as possible,” Howard said.
“I think there are a number of things that set us apart but the main area is that as far as we are aware we are the only market in California with a 100 percent organic kitchen,” he went on. “There is a reason why nobody is doing it, it is very difficult and expensive to have the highest quality ingredients.”
Prepared foods and smoothies have become the biggest draws, alongside organic produce and grocery items, while the butcher counter has been a standout, he said: “I think our 100 percent organic butcher was the most unexpected favorite. The customer really values the highest quality meat and poultry to bring home. And believe it or not, the homemade cinnamon bun is very popular.”
Howard sees Laurel Supply as more than a place to pick up dinner, saying he wants customers to feel a sense of hospitality.
“We want people to feel like this is their neighborhood market,” he said. “That’s what we are trying to create, to feel comfortable and to want to spend time exploring the market.”
L.A. Grocery & Café
5059 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038; (323) 822-5092
L.A. Grocery & Café is focused on local produce.
The Melrose Hill market, which opened in June 2024, sources 85 percent of its fruits and vegetables directly from L.A. farmers markets, according to Caitlin Sullivan, who owns the business with Theresa Ruzumna and real estate developer Zach Lasry.
“We have quite literally put local, sustainably grown produce as the centerpiece of the store,” said Sullivan. “We know our farmers and their practices.”
Their approach extends to the shelves.
“We prioritize local and domestic products over imports whenever we can, making exceptions for regional specialties like Champagne and Parmesan to honor tradition,” she continued. “We’re looking for simple ingredients, as close to whole foods as they can be, avoiding ultra-processed foods and unnecessary additives.”
The café gives shoppers a place to sit, eat and linger, helping create what Sullivan describes as “a sense of ease and peace of mind.”
The market has also become a home for collaborations with its neighbors. Buzzy restaurant Little Fish hosts a weekly Sunday fish market inside the store, selling local, sustainable seafood through a recurring pop-up.
“We never planned to have a weekly pop-up like this before we opened. It happened naturally as we got to know our neighbors and realized how much our sourcing values aligned,” said Sullivan.
New York
Happier Grocery
365 Canal St Ground Floor, New York, NY 10013
Cofounded by fashion veteran Wells Stellberger who was at Marc Jacobs for many years, Happier Grocery debuted in SoHo in New York City back in 2023. The idea is to have a seasonal selection of food, favorites such as juices, nut butters, nut milks and prepared foods, in addition to the beloved hot bar for healthy, seed-oil-free meals.
It has also been designed as a neighborhood gathering space, with Apartment at 365, the physical space representing the Happier pillar of discovery, idea exchange, community, creativity and collaboration. Featuring a full-service kitchen, a podcast room, guest-in-residence bedroom, and a rooftop garden, the goal is to “partner with like-minded collaborators and thought leaders to bring new ideas to life with hopes to inspire our broader community.” Think dinners, yoga classes, workshops and much more.
Store number two is set to arrive in the second half of 2027 at 210 86th Street, while there has long been speculation that the founders are also eyeing a Brooklyn location.
Meadow Lane
355 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10013
Meadow Lane, founded by Sammy Nussdorf, opened its doors in TriBeCa in November 2025 to much fanfare. (In New York that always means long lines snaking around the block.) That was in part driven by Nussdorf’s TikTok account @Brokebackcontessa, which featured some of the dishes that would be available in the months running up to the opening, always with the opening line “I’m opening a gourmet grocer in TriBeCa.”
Almost a year later, the 2,000-square-foot store is still drawing in the crowds, with Nussdorf telling WWD that the store does around 1,300 transactions daily, with the hot bar — including those TikTok-famous chicken tenders — the most popular segment among customers.
It’s also become a gathering space for locals. “It’s a place they come habitually and a place sometimes they meet up and to get lunch or breakfast,” he continued. “I see people eating together outside, and they seem to be in friend groups.” And we know our regular regulars too, and they’re locals, and they stop by and they meet their friends and such and grab food together.”
On why grocery stores have become quite the destination, Nussdorf believes it all comes down to wellness. “There’s a real emphasis right now on nourishment and longevity and health, and people want those things more than they want going out, clubbing, or partying, or at least a large cohort do,” he said. “There’s something fun in this being an activity that you do when you’re sober. You’re grocery shopping, but it’s an elevated experience. My intention was to create an everyday task and chore, and make it beautiful and fun and exciting, while offering healthy things like things you need.”
Paris
La Grande Épicerie de Paris
38 Rue de Sèvres, 75008 Paris; (011)-33-1-44-39-81-00
La Grande Épicerie de Paris gourmet food hall, part of Le Bon Marché department store, might be 103 years old, but it keeps up with tastes of the times thanks to its remarkable selection in an elegant Art Deco setting.
With a total surface spanning close to 39,825 square feet, La Grande Épicerie on the Left Bank stocks more than 30,000 references billed to be the finest products, of which over 600 are from its own brand. The offer includes 30 bread varieties, 8,000 wines and spirits and approximately 120 kinds of cheese — to name but a few of the treats found here.
Eighty artisans work in the kitchens here, where people can shop for anything that might strike their fancy food-wise. Locals from the tony Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood flock to La Grande Épicerie, as do tourists from the world over.
A 120-seat restaurant, The Betit Bistrot, is set on a platform overlooking the shop floor. There are other tables dotting the store, where people can dine on sushi, sandwiches or a plethora of other delectable treats.
There’s been a constant evolution. Since Le Bon Marché’s redesign in 2013, a second location was opened on Paris’ Right Bank in 2017. La Grande Épicerie’s fish stand was remodeled two years ago, including with mosaics by Parisian artist Mathilde Jonquière, and the rotisserie corner has been relooked more recently.
The vibe is of a cheerful — very upscale — Parisian market that’s centered around a section of fruits and vegetables displayed like in a museum.