Gelson’s is where you look for the best quality and most expensive food. This should be a rare treat – the aisles are long and the food is plentiful, but be prepared to pay through the nose for your organic free-range chicken. This was the cleanest grocery store I’ve ever been to. There was so much variety and the deli counter looked amazing.

Trader Joe’s is like your favorite sweater – comfy, predictable, and just good. This Trader Joe’s has ample parking (though it does tend to get crowded – please do watch out for pedestrians) and plenty of food to make your life easier. As with other Trader Joe’s, it’s kind of limited on the meat section, but the meat will be fresh, the cheeses will be good, and you can get fresh pizza dough. The produce is mostly packaged for your convenience, and the prices are just right. Bonus – if you bring in your own tote bag, you get to enter the weekly drawing for a gift card certificate.

Do you like saving money on groceries? Do you enjoy having beautiful fruits and vegetables to put on your plate? Is Arabic food part of your repertoire? Even if Arabic food isn’t a mainstay of your diet, you’d do well to shop at Super King, one of the largest grocery stores around with unbeatable prices and the freshest foods ever. There’s a whole aisle devoted to Mexican sodas (get your Mexican Cokes here instead of at Costco), a butcher’s counter with different meats (don’t go to the seafood counter, though) and a deli counter. You can buy tahini by the barrel and good butter by the block. What more do you want?

You can never have too many cheese stores. Say Cheese is a charming cheese shop with a variety of great flavors and excellent coffee that you can grind yourself. In addition to cheese and coffee, Say Cheese also sells other gourmet food items and beautifully designed cookbooks. All in all, it’s an addictive experience that will keep you coming back for more and more.

The Cheese Store of Silverlake is where you want to go if you’re craving great cheese. Stinky blue cheeses, aged gouda, pungent sheep and goat cheeses – it’s all here, and specially selected. In addition to a fine cheese selection, they also sell fine wines and gourmet food items. You can order specially packaged gift baskets, party platters and more! There’s not much else you can hope for from a cheese store!