Harrods Food Hall
If you’re like us, eating well is the best part of traveling. So in addition to all kinds of restaurants, we also include markets, specialty shops, and food stores in our itinerary. They’re great places to pick up souvenirs, buy gifts for friends, and find supplies for a picnic lunch.
The best food stores are destinations in themselves. And you can learn a lot about local culture by strolling the aisles. One look at the potato chip section in Marks and Spencer will tell you that today’s Britain is a multicultural melting pot.
Most of the best food stores are centrally located, so you don’t usually have to venture too far off the beaten path. Just be sure to allow plenty of time to browse.
Trying to choose the best food store in Paris is a bit of a challenge. From Fauchon to Alain Ducasse’s Boulangepicier, there are wonderful food shops all over the city.
But for most travelers, Le Grande Epicerie in the Bon Marche department store is a one-stop wonder. With more than 9,000 square feet of gourmet delights, it’s a foodie paradise. You’ll find, sinful desserts, cheeses, sausages, produce, oysters, coffee from all over the world, spices, more than 80 kinds of bread, condiments, and a huge selection of prepared foods.
In Milan, Peck has been in business since 1883. It has 10,000 square feet on three floors of the best food and wine in Italy. Delicious cured meats, cheeses, pastries, olive oils, and hand-made pastas are beautifully displayed. Almost everything is made fresh daily with Italian ingredients and the gelato is the best in town. There are 5,000 kinds of wine in the basement. Peck also has the most fabulous window displays in the world, especially at Christmas.
Opened in Vienna 1862, Julius Meinl was originally a caterer to the Hapsburgs. The store that bears his name stocks 16,000 delicacies from all over the world, including 400 kinds of cheese. It’s located on the pedestrian-only Kohlmarkt, a short stroll from the Hofburg Palace. You can wash down your caviar or oysters with vodka, dine at the restaurant upstairs — one of the best in the city — or visit the wine bar in the basement. A box of coffee, espresso, or tea from here makes a lovely gift.
Most of London’s department stores, including Harvey Nichols and Fortnum & Mason, have food halls. But if you can only visit one, make it Harrods. Not only is there more fabulous food than you can imagine, with its Art Nouveau tile work and artistic displays it’s a treat for the eyes as well. If you’re hungry, you’ll be spoilt for choice with fish and chips, a pizzeria, dim sum, a delicatessen, a sushi bar, a Lebanese restaurant, and the Veuve Clicquot Champagne and oyster bar. There’s even a Krispy Kreme doughnuts. It’s magical at Christmas time.
Peck in Milan
In Barcelona, Club del Gourmet located in the Corte Ingles department store on Placa de Catalunya is the best place in town for gourmet food. If you’re interested in ham, this is the place. There are also delicious pastries, exquisite chocolates, cheeses from France, bison from Canada, and seafood from Portugal. While you’re in town, Mercat de la Boqueria is one of the most enjoyable in Europe.
Berlin’s premier department store, KaDeWe, has 30 individual food stalls, including products from Paul Bocuse, Lenotre, Hediard, and Fauchon. Poultry from Bresse, Brittany Oysters, Argentine beef, and New Zealand lamb are just some of the 34,000 treats you’ll find here. The selection of fish and seafood is especially impressive. Complete your purchase with one of the 3,400 kinds of wine.
Read more food and wine articles here.
Harrods Food Hall Image Flickr: Wolfiewolf
Peck in Milan Image Flickr: BruceTurner
