15 Historic Food Stores Still Operating Around The World
Step right up, hungry shoppers, because these stores are not just selling food. They are selling centuries of proof that good taste never goes out of business.
From London to Tokyo, long-running food shops still show how tradition, quality, and identity can outlast changing trends. Here are historic food stores that have kept serving customers across generations.
1. Fortnum & Mason – Founded 1707
On a gray London morning, Fortnum & Mason feels less like a department store and more like a polished portal to another century.
Founded in 1707, it is famously credited with inventing the Scotch egg in 1738, a brag most food shops would gladly borrow if they could. Teas, biscuits, preserves, and signature hampers still define a store long associated with royal patronage and luxury food retail.
Visitors can find it at 181 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London SW1A 1ER, where the aroma of tea seems to do half the greeting.
2. Dallmayr Delicatessen – Founded Around 1700
Right in Munich’s historic center, Dallmayr has been supplying coffee, delicacies, and beautifully arranged provisions since around 1700.
Age alone would make it remarkable, but the range inside is what keeps the place memorable, from rare teas and roasted coffees to chocolates and gourmet specialties. Holding a Bavarian Royal Warrant only adds to the sense that this is no ordinary stop for provisions.
Its address is Dienerstrasse 14-15, 80331 Munich, Germany, set in one of the city’s most storied shopping districts.
3. Paxton & Whitfield – Partnership Recorded 1797, With Origins In 1742
Cheddar, Stilton, and wheels big enough to double as furniture line the counters here.
Serving cheese in London through a business history that reaches back to the eighteenth century, the shop has long held an elite reputation, helped along by royal recognition and generations of devoted customers, which might be the fanciest excuse to eat dairy ever recorded.
Royal Warrant in place and appetite encouraged, the doors at 93 Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6JE still open for anyone ready to take cheese very seriously.
4. Sembikiya Sohonten Nihonbashi Main Store – Founded 1834
In Tokyo, Sembikiya Sohonten turns fruit into something closer to luxury presentation than everyday produce.
Since 1834, the store has specialized in immaculate, gift-worthy fruit, with melons, strawberries, and other premium selections displayed with astonishing care.
Every item is treated less like a grocery purchase and more like an edible work of craftsmanship. The main store is located at Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower 1F, 2-1-2 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0022, Japan.
5. Casa Gispert – Founded 1851
Roasting nuts announce Casa Gispert long before the doorway comes into view. Barcelona’s beloved shop has worked with wood fires since 1851, filling El Born with the scent of almonds, hazelnuts, coffee, and old habits that never needed improving.
Its address is Carrer dels Sombrerers 23, 08003 Barcelona, Spain, in one of the city’s most atmospheric quarters.
6. Fauchon – Founded 1886
Few Parisian food addresses are as closely tied to luxury gourmet retail as Place de la Madeleine.
Fauchon opened in 1886 and quickly became the gold standard for French gourmet food, stocking everything from exotic spices to show-stopping pastries in shades of hot pink. Stepping inside feels like flipping through a very delicious fashion magazine.
Considered a major reference in contemporary French gourmet culture, Fauchon sits at 11 Place de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris, France, ready to spoil your afternoon completely.
7. Katz’s Delicatessen – Founded 1888
Pastrami does the talking at Katz’s, and everyone else wisely lets it.
Tracing its roots to 1888, the Lower East Side deli has built its reputation on towering sandwiches and old-school deli tradition. Pop culture helped spread the legend, but the counter would still have lines without a single movie reference attached.
Show up at 205 E Houston Street, New York, NY 10002, United States, ready for noise, history, and very little self-restraint.
8. St. Lawrence Market – Founded 1803
Toronto does many things well, but few of them smell as good as St. Lawrence Market on a busy morning.
Operating since 1803, the market grew into a landmark destination packed with vendors selling peameal bacon sandwiches, produce, honey, cheeses, baked goods, and just about every excuse to stay longer than planned. Wandering through it feels less like an errand and more like surrendering to appetite.
You’ll find it at 92-95 Front Street East, Toronto, ON M5E 1C3, Canada, with enough variety to derail lunch plans entirely.
9. Reading Terminal Market – Opened 1893
Under that great iron-and-glass roof, Reading Terminal Market still hums like one of Philadelphia’s most delicious traditions.
Opened in 1893, the market became a gathering place for bakers, butchers, cheesemongers, spice sellers, and longtime vendors whose counters reflect both local flavor and wider culinary influence.
Energy builds quickly inside, especially once breakfast and lunch begin colliding. Visit at 1136 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States, and do not make the mistake of arriving full.
10. Veniero’s Pasticceria & Caffe – Founded 1894
One bite of a Veniero’s cannoli and the noise of East Village fades into something softer, almost cinematic.
Antonio Veniero opened this Italian pasticceria in 1894, and the bakery has carried its Italian pastry tradition forward for well over a century. The cheesecake alone has inspired long detours and zero apologies from regulars who know better than to skip dessert.
Swing by 342 E 11th Street, New York, NY 10003, United States, and order something covered in powdered sugar.
11. La Grande Epicerie De Paris – Created 1923
Everyday grocery shopping leaves the room the moment La Grande Epicerie enters it. Created in 1923 as part of Le Bon Marche, the Paris food hall grew into one of Europe’s great temples of gourmet retail, with thousands of products sourced from French producers and international specialists.
Browsing the aisles feels faintly dangerous to both self-control and luggage space.
Its address is 38 rue de Sevres, 75007 Paris, France, close enough to central landmarks and far too easy to justify as a stop.
12. Marchesi 1824 – Founded 1824
Quiet elegance is Marchesi 1824’s preferred language, and Milan understands it fluently. Since 1824, the pasticceria has built its name on panettone, pralines, and beautifully composed pastries that reflect old Milanese tradition without ever feeling dusty or overdone.
Prada’s acquisition polished the setting, but the identity stayed rooted in long-practiced craft.
Go to Via Santa Maria alla Porta 11/A, 20123 Milan, Italy, where even choosing one pastry can feel like an unnecessarily stressful decision.
13. Peck – Founded 1883
Franz Peck opened a small Berlin-style delicatessen in Milan back in 1883, and what started as a butcher shop quietly evolved into one of Italy’s most revered temples of gastronomy.
Today the store stocks hundreds of Italian cheeses, award-winning cured meats, fresh truffles, and handmade chocolates that stop shoppers mid-stride.
Peck sits at Via Spadari 9, 20123 Milan, Italy, a short walk from the Duomo, which makes combining cathedral awe with cheese awe remarkably easy.
14. Valvona & Crolla – Founded 1934
Edinburgh gets a distinctly Italian accent at Valvona & Crolla.
Founded in 1934, the delicatessen built its reputation on wines, olive oils, cheeses, cured meats, and pantry goods imported with care for customers who know exactly what they like.
Over time, the cafe and wine bar turned the store into more than a shop, giving it the feel of a place woven into local routine. Visit at 19 Elm Row, Edinburgh EH7 4AA, United Kingdom, where lingering over food seems built into the atmosphere.
15. Russ & Daughters – Founded 1914
New York appetites have trusted Russ & Daughters for more than a century, and with good reason.
Joel Russ began with a pushcart before opening a proper shop by 1914, laying the foundation for what became one of the city’s defining names in Jewish-American food culture. Smoked salmon, bagels, herring, and cream cheese still draw loyal crowds, while later generations have kept the legacy alive without sanding off its character.
Today’s landmark shop is at 179 E Houston Street, New York, NY 10002, a location it has occupied since 1920.
Note: This article is intended as a food-and-travel feature highlighting long-running food stores whose histories remain visible in their current operations, locations, or brand identity.
Founding dates and origin stories can sometimes refer either to the first business on a site, the earliest traceable company history, or the moment a modern store name was formally established, so official company histories are the best source for the most precise interpretation.
