Groceries and specialty food

Palo Alto takes its groceries seriously. The city has no giant warehouse store, but it has an unusual number of independent and family-run markets, a natural foods store with roots in the counterculture and two farmers markets that run every week of the year. Within a short drive you can find a full-service butcher, a produce market founded in 1975 and Japanese pantry staples.

This guide is organized by area so you can find the closest store, whether you are a new resident, on a long work trip or stocking a rental kitchen for a weekend. Every store named here was confirmed open in 2026 on its own website or its shopping center's directory. Hours change, so check before late-night runs. For the rest of the city's shopping, see our Palo Alto shopping guide.

Grocery stores at a glance

Downtown: Whole Foods

Downtown's full-service grocery is Whole Foods Market at 774 Emerson Street, at the south end of the business district near Homer Avenue. It carries the chain's usual range of organic produce, meat and seafood, cheese and prepared foods. Downtown office workers use it for lunch. It posts hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Amazon Prime members can order online for pickup or delivery and return Amazon packages at the store.

For fresh produce downtown on a Saturday, the Downtown Palo Alto Farmers Market runs from 8 a.m. to noon on Gilman Street between Hamilton and Forest avenues. It is a short walk from Whole Foods.

El Camino Real: Trader Joe's and Yutori

Trader Joe's has its own building at Town & Country Village, 855 El Camino Real at Embarcadero Road. It sells the chain's private-label snacks, frozen meals, cheese, wine, flowers and pantry staples at moderate prices. Parking near the door is the main challenge. Go on a weekday morning if you can. The rest of the center, including Manresa Bread and Boichik Bagels, is covered in our Town & Country guide.

Farther south, Yutori at 3375 El Camino Real combines a Japanese market and cafe and opened a full restaurant in 2026. It is the place in town for Japanese pantry items and home-style dishes to take away.

Stanford Shopping Center: Sigona's and Schaub's

Two of the best food shops in the area sit side by side at Stanford Shopping Center.

Sigona's Farmers Market at 399 Stanford Shopping Center is a small family-owned produce and specialty foods market. It started in 1975 as an everyday farmers market and its flagship store is in Redwood City. The Palo Alto store is next to Pacific Catch and Schaub's. Expect a strong produce section plus dried fruit, nuts, olive oils, balsamic vinegars and jams, many of them sold in gift sets. Sigona's posts seasonal hours, so check its site before an evening visit.

Schaub's Meat, Fish & Poultry is the butcher counter next door. Between the two you can shop for a dinner party without going near a supermarket aisle. Parking in the center's lots is easy on weekday mornings.

California Avenue: Mollie Stone's and Country Sun

Mollie Stone's Market at 164 S. California Avenue is a full-service grocery and part of a family-run Bay Area chain that has recently marked 40 years in business. The store also handles catering. Fans of HBO's Silicon Valley may recognize it from an episode in the show's fourth season.

Country Sun Natural Foods at 440 California Avenue is Palo Alto's independent natural foods store. Its history goes back to 1970, when New Age, which the store describes as the first natural foods supermarket, opened in a closed Purity Market on California Avenue. The store's own history picks up from there in 1971. It posts hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

On Sundays the California Avenue Farmers Market fills the car-free street from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. See our farmers markets guide and the California Avenue guide.

Middlefield Road: Safeway and Piazza's

Safeway at 2811 Middlefield Road is Midtown's everyday supermarket, with parking in front. It is the closest big grocery for much of central Palo Alto.

Piazza's Fine Foods at 3922 Middlefield Road anchors the Charleston Shopping Center in south Palo Alto. The locally owned store traces its family's grocery roots back four generations to Italy. Departments include produce, cheese, meat and seafood, bakery, deli, prepared foods, wine, beer and spirits, wellness and flowers. The butchers make Italian sausages in house. Piazza's posts hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and holds an early hour for shoppers aged 60 and over on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 8 a.m. It also delivers through Instacart. Our Midtown and Charleston guide covers the surrounding shops.

Draeger's in Menlo Park

Just north of the city line, Draeger's Market on University Drive in downtown Menlo Park is a long-standing upscale family grocery. Its departments include specialty foods, a bakery and deli, wine and gift baskets. Draeger's also has stores in Los Altos, San Mateo and Blackhawk. From downtown Palo Alto it is a short drive up El Camino Real or a Caltrain ride to Menlo Park station.

Asian and international groceries

More than a third of Palo Alto residents were born outside the United States. Many cook the food they grew up with. Inside the city, Yutori is the main dedicated Asian market. Mainstream stores carry a reasonable range of Asian, Indian and Latin American staples.

For a full Chinese, Japanese, Korean or Indian supermarket, most residents drive 10 to 20 minutes south to Mountain View, Sunnyvale or Cupertino, where El Camino Real and the side streets hold large markets. For restaurants serving those cuisines in town, see our Asian food guide.

Tips for visitors and new residents

• Staying in a rental? Pick the store closest to where you sleep. Downtown stays point to Whole Foods. Stanford-area stays point to Trader Joe's and Sigona's. South Palo Alto points to Piazza's and Safeway. Our long stays guide covers furnished rentals, or you can browse rentals with a kitchen.
• Want the best produce? Shop the farmers markets for whatever is in season, then fill in at Sigona's or Piazza's.
• Need dinner fast? Whole Foods' prepared foods and Piazza's deli are the quickest ready-to-eat options.
• Hosting? Build a cheese and charcuterie board from Piazza's or Schaub's and add bread from Manresa.

Frequently asked questions