USA TODAY 10Best
These 10 grocery stores have the best prepared food options in the country
Best Grocery Store Prepared Food (2024)
Sometimes you just don't feel like making a meal. That's when buying prepared food at the grocery store can be a lifesaver. You don't have to worry about grabbing the ingredients, following a recipe, or cleaning up. It's convenient, fast, and delicious.
These 10 grocery stores — selected by an expert panel and voted by our readers as the best for prepared foods — have a vast, quality selection of ready-to-eat and take-and-bake options, from salads and sandwiches to pizza and full entrées.
- Trader Joe's
- New Seasons Market
- Publix Super Markets
- Wegmans Food Markets
- Champagne's Market
- Gelson's Markets
- Stew Leonard's
- Deli 4 You Market
- Hy-Vee
- The Fresh Market
Photo courtesy of monticelllo / iStock Via Getty Images Plus
No. 10:
While you pick up a bottle of organic ketchup or frozen mac and cheese bites, consider some of Trader Joe's prepared foods that also use high-quality, often organic ingredients. Grab items like a cheeseburger burrito, tomato feta soup, or a sesame miso salad with salmon.
Photo courtesy of New Seasons Market
No. 9:
At New Seasons Market, graze the self-serve hot bar, grab some hot soup, peruse the fresh sushi, or check out the grab-and-go offerings. At most locations, shoppers also enjoy a selection of pizzas. This grocer has something prepared for all tastes and dietary needs.
Photo courtesy of Publix Super Markets
No. 8:
Publix may have set the bar with its deli subs, but the Southern chain's hot prepared foods are pretty popular, too. Choose freshly fried chicken wings tossed in your favorite sauce or restaurant-worthy pulled pork or ribs. Pair it with macaroni and cheese, okra, and collard greens. For something lighter, grab a pre-made salad or wrap.
Photo courtesy of monticelllo // Getty Images
No. 7:
Those who frequent Wegmans are in the know about the grocery chain's superlative Market Cafe. The chef-prepared options are dizzying. Pizza, hot or cold packaged Asian meals, classic Italian dishes, a fresh salad station, sushi, hot or cold subs, wraps, and sandwiches on freshly baked rolls are all on the menu.
Photo courtesy of fotofrog // Getty Images
No. 6:
Enjoy a quick meal by grabbing some sushi rolls or a poke bowl at Champagne's Market in Lafayette, Louisiana. They also offer a variety of grab-and-go dinners from The Kitchenary, the store's sister restaurant that's located next door. And if you're set to entertain a crowd, you'll find a plethora of party trays, from boudin and catfish to meatballs and mini meat pies.
Photo courtesy of Gelson's Markets
No. 5:
What will it be tonight? A poached salmon dinner, citrus chicken for two, or beef pot roast (that you're not having to cook for hours and hours)? Southern Californians enjoy restaurant-quality meals prepared by Gelson's chefs for substantially less than what it would cost in a restaurant.
Photo courtesy of Stew Leonard's
No. 4:
Northeasterners enjoy the privilege of grazing this regional grocery chain's impressive prepared food section often. The choices at Stew Leonard's travel the globe, with coconut shrimp with mango salsa, Jamaican beef patties, hot and sour soup, classic BBQ, and four-cheese macaroni and cheese among the many options.
Photo courtesy of Deli 4 You Market
No. 3:
Deli 4 U Market in Illinois is a Polish and European grocery experience, offering dozens of interesting salads, a hot case with European dishes from schnitzels to stews, and homemade soups like Ukrainian borscht and pickle soup. There's even a pierogi station.
No. 2:
You can certainly peruse the assortment of prepared delights like stuffed mushrooms, meatloaf, and chicken enchilada dinners inside a Hy-Vee store. But this Midwestern grocery chain has made it even easier with Mealtime to Go. Shoppers can order ready-to-eat or heat-and-serve meals online and pick them up curbside, from breakfast biscuits and gravy in the morning to Asian beef and broccoli for dinner.
Photo courtesy of The Fresh Market
No. 1:
The Fresh Market excels in the realm of grocery store prepared foods. Comfort Bowls soothe souls with hearty foods, while pre-made, all-natural quiche works for brunch. Ready-to-bake meat or vegetable lasagnas, flatbread pizzas, or a chicken pot pie for four covers your dinner dilemma. Shoppers also love their Bistro meals that include an entrée and two fresh sides.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Amanda Mactas
Amanda Mactas is a freelance journalist based in... Read More
Amanda Mactas is a freelance journalist based in New York City. Her work has appeared in Time Out, Women's Health, Eat This Not That, Bella Magazine, and PureWow, among others. Her favorite pastime is eating and drinking her way around the world, and when she's not doing that, she's probably thinking or writing about doing just that. Besides being on the hunt for the best food offerings in any given city, she's often looking for a cozy independent bookstore, beautiful cemetery, or haunted locale to discover. You can follow her work and her travels on Instagram.
Amanda Mactas
Amanda Mactas is a freelance journalist based in New York City. Her work has appeared in Time Out, Women's Health, Eat This Not That, Bella Magazine, and PureWow, among others. Her favorite pastime is eating and drinking her way around the world, and when she's not doing that, she's probably thinking or writing about doing just that. Besides being on the hunt for the best food offerings in any given city, she's often looking for a cozy independent bookstore, beautiful cemetery, or haunted locale to discover. You can follow her work and her travels on Instagram.
Brian Cicioni
Brian enjoys exploring cities along public transit... Read More
Brian enjoys exploring cities along public transit lines and writing about it at his blog, imayroam.com. He also writes about food tours, layovers, and exploring movie and musical landmarks. Brian has traveled to 57 countries as well as every state. On weekends, he leads music and film-focused tours of New York City. His five-star rated Goodfellas Tour has been featured in Airbnb Magazine. Always happy to offer tips to aspiring travel writers and tour guides, Brian has been featured at the New York Times Travel Show as part of their Meet the Experts panel.
Brian Cicioni
Brian enjoys exploring cities along public transit lines and writing about it at his blog, imayroam.com. He also writes about food tours, layovers, and exploring movie and musical landmarks. Brian has traveled to 57 countries as well as every state. On weekends, he leads music and film-focused tours of New York City. His five-star rated Goodfellas Tour has been featured in Airbnb Magazine. Always happy to offer tips to aspiring travel writers and tour guides, Brian has been featured at the New York Times Travel Show as part of their Meet the Experts panel.
Carole Terwilliger Meyers
Carole Terwilliger Meyers has written articles for... Read More
Carole Terwilliger Meyers has written articles for numerous outlets, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Via, and Orbitz. She has been a featured guest on the Today Show and quoted in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Her favorite and most frequent destinations are London, NYC, and Hawaii, but she favors destinations in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives and about which she writes frequently. Carole is a blogger--Travels with Carole; a website publisher--Berkeley and Beyond and Webcam Traveler; and an active freelance writer. You can follow Carole on YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Carole Terwilliger Meyers
Carole Terwilliger Meyers has written articles for numerous outlets, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Via, and Orbitz. She has been a featured guest on the Today Show and quoted in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Her favorite and most frequent destinations are London, NYC, and Hawaii, but she favors destinations in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives and about which she writes frequently. Carole is a blogger--Travels with Carole; a website publisher--Berkeley and Beyond and Webcam Traveler; and an active freelance writer. You can follow Carole on YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Jacky Runice
Born in Bucktown (Chicago) when bulletproof was a... Read More
Born in Bucktown (Chicago) when bulletproof was a home safety choice and not a coffee order, Jacky Runice has been knocking around Chicago as a professional print, online and broadcast journalist and editor specializing in separating the riff from the raff in culture, entertainment, food, travel and pure unadulterated fun. Jacky is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) and relies on her vast experience and gray matter to produce informative, entertaining content.
Jacky Runice
Born in Bucktown (Chicago) when bulletproof was a home safety choice and not a coffee order, Jacky Runice has been knocking around Chicago as a professional print, online and broadcast journalist and editor specializing in separating the riff from the raff in culture, entertainment, food, travel and pure unadulterated fun. Jacky is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) and relies on her vast experience and gray matter to produce informative, entertaining content.
Jamie Davis Smith
Jamie is a travel writer who has visited over 50... Read More
Jamie is a travel writer who has visited over 50 countries, many of them with her children in tow. She loves visiting everything from theme parks to ancient ruins and packs strictly carry-on-only. Jamie can be reached at [email protected].
Jamie Davis Smith
Jamie is a travel writer who has visited over 50 countries, many of them with her children in tow. She loves visiting everything from theme parks to ancient ruins and packs strictly carry-on-only. Jamie can be reached at [email protected].
Marlynn Jayme Schotland
Marlynn is a former broadcast news anchor/reporter... Read More
Marlynn is a former broadcast news anchor/reporter who has combined her love of writing and publishing with her passion for cooking, baking, wine, and travel. She is a cookbook author, recipe developer for food & beverage brands, and longtime food, wine, and travel writer. In 2004, she launched Urban Bliss Life, a leading food, wine, and travel website. She is a regular guest chef on the Portland, Oregon ABC affiliate'sAfternoonLive show, where she cooks different recipes live each month. She has also been featured as a recurring guest chef on The Drew Barrymore Show, as well as Season 3 of the Magnolia Network and Chef Andrew Zimmern's TV show Family Dinner. Her recipes have been featured in Oprah.com, Martha Stewart, Shape, Eating Well, Good Housekeeping, the Pioneer Woman, and more. Marlynn is also a certified wine pro, holding a WSET 2 with Distinction certification and currently is working on her Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) certification. You can connect with Marlynn and find her easy, comfort food recipes, wine pairings, and foodie travel tips on Urban Bliss Life as well as on Instagram, and you can find her cookbooks, The Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker Meal Prep Cookbook and The Super Easy Teen Baking Cookbook, in most major booksellers online and on her website.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland
Marlynn is a former broadcast news anchor/reporter who has combined her love of writing and publishing with her passion for cooking, baking, wine, and travel. She is a cookbook author, recipe developer for food & beverage brands, and longtime food, wine, and travel writer. In 2004, she launched Urban Bliss Life, a leading food, wine, and travel website. She is a regular guest chef on the Portland, Oregon ABC affiliate'sAfternoonLive show, where she cooks different recipes live each month. She has also been featured as a recurring guest chef on The Drew Barrymore Show, as well as Season 3 of the Magnolia Network and Chef Andrew Zimmern's TV show Family Dinner. Her recipes have been featured in Oprah.com, Martha Stewart, Shape, Eating Well, Good Housekeeping, the Pioneer Woman, and more. Marlynn is also a certified wine pro, holding a WSET 2 with Distinction certification and currently is working on her Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) certification. You can connect with Marlynn and find her easy, comfort food recipes, wine pairings, and foodie travel tips on Urban Bliss Life as well as on Instagram, and you can find her cookbooks, The Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker Meal Prep Cookbook and The Super Easy Teen Baking Cookbook, in most major booksellers online and on her website.
Nicky Omohundro
Nicky Omohundro is the founder and editor of Read More
Nicky Omohundro is the founder and editor of LittleFamilyAdventure.com, the popular family travel & lifestyle website that inspires families to leave no child left inside. Since 2013 LFA has been providing inspiration to get families outdoors, eat well, and travel everywhere from their own backyard to around the world. Always up for a family adventure, she has traveled to 37 states and 6 countries to zip-line through a Costa Rican rainforest, see Finland’s Northern Lights, and go camping throughout the US. Nicky is the co-founder of Tourism WorX a travel consultancy group. Connect with her Twitter and Instagram.
Nicky Omohundro
Nicky Omohundro is the founder and editor of LittleFamilyAdventure.com, the popular family travel & lifestyle website that inspires families to leave no child left inside. Since 2013 LFA has been providing inspiration to get families outdoors, eat well, and travel everywhere from their own backyard to around the world. Always up for a family adventure, she has traveled to 37 states and 6 countries to zip-line through a Costa Rican rainforest, see Finland’s Northern Lights, and go camping throughout the US. Nicky is the co-founder of Tourism WorX a travel consultancy group. Connect with her Twitter and Instagram.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
