Supermarket Social – Why Specialty Food Shops Are Dominating Gen Z’s Feed

Author: Jen Paolini

Specialty food shops are taking over social media thanks to Gen Z, as featured in 3 Magazine’s Spring 2025 issue – here are the world’s top specialty grocers and ultra-niche specialty shops to add to your feed.

Los Angeles: Erewhon

Love it or hate it, Erewhon (an anagram for ‘nowhere’) has become infamous for their eye-watering price tags and artisanal health and wellness products. Created by two macrobiotic enthusiasts, the LA-based organic and certified B-corp retailer attracts countless celebrities, influencers and Hollywood A-listers who are often seen filming themselves sipping Hailey Bieber Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothies (US$20) and filling their carts with Cosmic Berry Sea Moss Gel ($80), handpicked Elly Amai Japanese strawberries (US$19) and “hyper-oxygenated water” (US$26), no less. No wonder the New York Times called it “the unofficial hangout for the young, beautiful and bored.” With 10 stores across LA and three more opening in 2025, it’s safe to say that Erewhon is going nowhere.

For next-level specialty: Drive out to the Santa Monica coast for Lady & Larder’s curated cheese and charcuterie boards paired with seasonal farmer’s market fruits, Malibu honey, small-batch jam, whole-grain mustard, plus other aesthetic tidbits like olives, cornichons, dried fruits, nuts, and garnishes.

London: Harrods Food Hall

Harrods Food Hall in London has been swarmed so much by TikTokers these days that there are now official signs encouraging them to move away from the deli counters when consuming and creating content. First opened in 1903 as the Harrods Meat & Fish Hall, the venue was revamped in 2023 with new interiors by David Collins Studio and now draws more gourmands than ever with its wide selection of fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, cheeses, fish, baked goods, and ready-to-eat dishes in a nostalgic Art Deco-inspired space. Not sure where to start? Take your pick from the Japanese whole crown melon (£150), the photogenic home-cured gravlax and caviar croissant (£12) topped with edible gold leaf, the viral Japanese strawberry box (£180) that’s making the rounds on social media, or the truffle mac and cheese box (£14).

For next-level specialty: Skip the crowds and head to Peckham for Life of Fish, a local fishmonger in a space that was once a famous launderette. Founder David Palmer has been in the fish business for over 15 years – sourcing sustainably caught seafood and working closely with dayboat fishermen in Hastings to stock wild sea bass, whole salmon, rainbow trout, oysters, live lobsters, and even oak-smoked haddock fillets.

Paris: La Grande Épicerie de Paris

Any self-professed travelling foodie will have La Grande Épicerie de Paris as a non-negotiable stop on their Paris itinerary. This LVMH-owned megastore is a mecca for Parisian culinary delights – think walls of beurre, moutard and chocolat to capture on camera – plus separate sections and floors devoted to wines and spirits, fresh produce, beverages, teas and coffees, breads and patisserie, cheese, fish and seafood, global cuisine, sweet and savoury delicatessen, and meat. With two locations across the city, La Grande Epicerie de Paris Rive Droite alone has 30,000 product references including 100 types of potato chips, 150 types of oils, 350 sorts of jams and marmalade, 350 kinds of chocolate tablets and 150 water brands.

For next-level specialty: Continue the quest for superb French diary at Fromagerie Laurent Dubois, an acclaimed cheese boutique with four outlets across Paris. Dubois, who hails from a long line of cheesemakers and -mongers, set up his first shop in 1996 and attained the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman in France) recognition in 2000. Today, his cheese collection includes more than 250 varieties, from rarities like the semi-hard Alpine-style Tarentais and Bleu de Termignon raw blue cheese to the more common Camembert, Brillat-Savarin, Saint-Marcellin, Mimolette, and Comté.

New York: Eataly

When in New York, head to Eataly – an artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace specialising in biodiverse products and quality ingredients sourced directly from Italia. Founder Oscar Farinetti conceptualised the first Eataly in Torino in 2007 as a place to eat, shop, and learn, and this ethos has been transported to more than 20 locations across the world. Its Flatiron outlet in New York spans an impressive 42,500 square feet and offers a truly immersive experience – join hands-on tastings and workshops like pasta-making; shop Italian housewares, pantry goods, and cookbooks; or book a table at one of its restaurants to see how the chefs transform Eataly’s products into a culinary – and social media-ready – spectacle. Eataly’s prime-rib sandwich on a seeded loaf ($28.90), prepared with a porcini rub, olive oil, and sea salt, is highly raved about on TikTok, as are the focaccia sandwiches.

For next-level specialty: For a true New York delicatessen experience, step foot inside Zabar’s, a fourth-generation, gourmet epicurean institution that has introduced the city to once-exotic, now-commonplace food experiences – think brie, sun-dried tomatoes, and gnocchi. Besides deli favourites such as cheese and charcuterie, smoked fish is the name of the game here paired with bagels and house-roasted coffees, plus authentic handmade rugelach, babka, and hamantaschen.

Seoul: The Hyundai Seoul

For a one-stop-shop in Seoul that spans international and local selections – plus picture-perfect backgrounds for your social feed – look no further than The Hyundai Seoul. In this redefined retail experience sprinkled with luxury brands, botanical installations and art exhibitions, you’ll find a sprawling food hall in the basement complete with a fully-stocked supermarket, wine shop and gourmet food counters selling baked goods, confectionaries, and ready-to-eat snacks. Pile on the tteokbokki spicy rice cakes from Queen Tteokbokki, colourful kimbap seaweed rice rolls from Yozm Kimbap, chapssaltteok fruit-filled glutinous rice cakes from Hanjungsun, and picture-perfect Japanese fruit sandos from BuraBura, as well as Hart Tiramisu’s trending heart-shaped tiramisu and the Earl Grey Puppy Cake from Café Layered.

For next-level specialty: Bring home a taste of soju, makgeolli, cheongju, yakju, fruit wines, distilled spirits and liqueurs from Aejoo Geumho, a small but mighty bottle shop by the Geumho subway station with a secret tasting room for those in the know. From Ellyeop Pyunjoo cheongju rice wine and Ssug Ssug craft beer to Hana Makgeolli, Aejoo’s selection is as vast as it is diverse.

Tokyo: National Azabu

An expat favourite, National Azabu is widely regarded as the premier retail destination for international grocery selections, specialising in imported goods that are hard to find in Tokyo, alongside organic fruits, vegetables, and other fresh ingredients, seafood, and meat. If you’ve ever missed French Baraka cheese, Tasmanian pasture-fed beef, Hungarian duckling breast, Welsh tangerine and Champagne marmalade, or Tunesian Berber harissa, you’ll find it here. National Azabu is also famously known for its made-to-order nut butter, fresh-pressed at the shop from your choice of natural peanut, honey-roasted peanut, almond, and cashew.

For next-level specialty: Head to the upscale Dashi Okume Azabudai Hills with more than 30 premium varieties of dashi ingredients to create your own unique soups and broths. The shop also stocks pre-mixed dashi packs, ranging from the classic option of dried bonito, boiled and dried anchovies, grilled and dried flying fish, sweet kelp, and koshin shiitake mushrooms to regional Kyoto and Tokyo styles and even a vegetable-based blend.