Supermarkets, groceries & shops in Berlin

When I moved to Berlin in 2018, I had no idea where to buy items that I needed. There are a lot of supermarkets, stores that have different items that I like. Over the years, I have particular supermarkets and shops where I buy particular items. I will list those down here.

Indian Supermarkets

All of the Indian stores contain large packs of rice, paneer, instant ready to eat foods like MTR, sweets like Laddu, Kaju Katli. They have alcohol as well: Kingfisher, Old Monk, etc. They sell fresh vegetables that you get in India but you should find out which day of the week they arrive so you can get it fresh.

I recommend buying spices & lentils out of Indian supermarkets than from German supermarkets. It is more affordable.

• TS Foods Supermarket
  They have probably the largest collection of Indian / Pakistani food ingredients in Berlin. They sell good Mangoes during June to August. They have great samosa's and jalebi almost every day. Sometimes they have frozen green chilies and coriander.

• Sona Food Traders
  Similar to TS Foods with the exception of samosa's and jalebi.

• Asia Might
  Most of them speak Tamil here, they have a good collection of South Indian ingredients. During March to May, they have guava's.

• Spice Village
  They have a good mix of North and South Indian ingredients. They sell Dosa Batter and make fresh dosa's, idly & chaat items at the store. Their website is updated well with their stocks.

• Indian & Sri Lankan Grocery Store (Asia Super Shop)
  Small shop, they speak Tamil and are friendly. They sell frozen Idiyappam. Good for South Indian items.

• Punjab Foods
  Large shop with a lot of frozen food and Indian / Pakistani ingredients. Good selection of Parathas.

German Supermarkets

All of the German Supermarkets almost have similar items. I'll mention where I buy particular items.

• Aldi
  I buy canned chickpea (Kichererbsen). Constantly the cheapest in Berlin. Their selection of beer is questionable.

• Edeka
  I buy beans, basmati rice, coffee, milk and jogurt here and they have good desserts of their own brand.
  
  Their Berliner Str. location is open 24 hours (Tuesday to Friday and almost Saturday too!)

• Lidl
  I like their coconut milk, their vegan gyros is my favorite out of all of the brands I have tried.

• Kaufland
  When I can't find what I need in other supermarkets, this is where I go. They have almost everything and their stores are generally huge. Great section of International items.

• Rewe / Rewe City
  Slightly more expensive items, I like their coconut milk (Kokosnussmilch). Good selection of meat alternatives as well.

• Hit Ullrich at S Zoologischer Garten
  Special mention because they are open every day. Yes, even Sundays. Beware of the long queues though.

• Norma, Netto, Penny
  I go here when everything else is closed or unavailable.

DM & Rossmann are both great with their inventory for health care & cosmetics. I prefer to buy products related to showering, cleaning, cosmetics at DM. When I have to print copies of documents, DM has a copy printing service as well.

Furniture and Hardware

• Ikea
  I get most of my home (tables, chairs, shelves, sofa, bed, etc.) and work furniture from them. For heavy stuff, I use their (expensive) delivery. In store, they speak some English and I found them useful. Their 1€ vegetarian hotdogs and their desserts are good.

• Poco
  Used to buy here, they are cheap but sometimes the quality took a hit. Have not been here for a few years now.

• eBay Kleinanzeigen
  Not a shop per-se but you can get good used items and deals here if you look

• Bauhaus
  Great selection of hardware tools and plants. This is my go-to shop for anything related to tools.

Books

• Dussman
  Huge place, great selection of books. If they don't have it in stock, they can pre-order it for you. There is enough place to sit around and spend your evening.

• Saint George's English Bookstore
  Cute shop, really friendly people in there. They speak English and can get you books that you want. They are great for used books and are pretty affordable.

Others

• Latino Point and Chili & Paprika
  For Mexican ingredients

• Mediamarkt
  For electronics, cables, etc. I prefer to order online and pick it up.

Additional Resources

• Live In Germany