Poll: You voted for your favorite grocery store in South Florida. See results
UPDATE: Sedano’s, the family-owned grocer based in Hialeah, is our readers’ pick for South Florida’s favorite grocery store in our wholly unscientific — but fun — survey. Sedano’s rallied in the last few days of the poll, pulling ahead of No. 3, Lakeland-based Publix, and No. 2 Milam’s Market, another family-owned South Florida chain that is headquartered in Miami Springs.
Sedano’s finished with 53% and 503 out of 942 votes cast. Milam’s scored 19% and 176 votes, followed by Publix at 7% and 68 votes.
Everyone has to shop for groceries.
Maybe you make trips to several supermarkets each week. Maybe you just stick to one. Or perhaps you order your groceries online for delivery.
Whatever the case, you probably have a favorite store.
Reason? Selection. Price. Atmosphere. Location.
We want to hear from you.
What’s your favorite supermarket in South Florida?
Here’s what to know to make your voice heard:
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How to vote
Where to find the poll: Read about the stores below and then take our poll at the bottom of the article.
About the survey: It’s not a scientific survey, but it will give all of us an idea of the most popular stores in South Florida. If you can’t see the poll, turn off your ad blocker.
Deadline: Voting closes at the end of Monday, Nov. 10. We’ll post the winner after that date.
About each stores on the ballot
Aldi: Discount grocer founded in Germany in 1946 that dispenses with frills like fancy displays and carry out service and instead offers food staples and household at reduced prices. The focus aims more on its own brands rather than pricier names.
BJ’s Wholesale Club: A membership-driven wholesale club, similar to Costco, that sells a mix of brand and its own goods like food, household cleaners, electronics (TVs, laptops, smartphones, tablets), home and yard furnishing. Outlets may also include an eyeglass shop, gas station, and separate alcohol alcove. Families buy in bulk here.
Bravo Supermarkets: The chain was established in 1991, and operates from New York to South Florida with the slogan, “Every aisle leads home.”
Costco: The branded membership-driven warehouse club, similar to BJ’s. Sells a lot of everything in bulk.
Fresco y Más: Started as part of Winn-Dixie’s parent company, but is now an independent supermarket chain marketing to a Hispanic customer base.
The Fresh Market: Inspired by a European trip, Ray and Beverly Berry opened the first Fresh Market in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1982. The stores specialize in produce, coffee, flowers, prepared foods.
Gordon Food Service: A family-run chain of markets that cater to restaurants, chefs and the general food industry. The no-frills Michigan-based market has several locations in Miami-Dade and Broward.
Milam’s Market: Thomas Milam, who had years of experience in the grocery industry post-World War II, opened the first Milam’s Market grocery store at the Red Bird Shopping Center with his son Allen in 1984. That store near Coral Gables remains and is joined by other locations from Sunny Isles Beach to Pinecrest, run by 13 members of the Milam family.
Netcost Market: Eastern European market with Northeast locations opened its first Florida location in 2024 in Hollywood. There’s a large hot-foods bar and a bakery. Specialties are herring, caviar, pierogis, cheese and borscht.
Plum Market: The market was founded by two former Whole Food employees and opened about three years ago on U.S. 1 in Aventura. The focus is on local, natural and organic fruits and veggies, along with prepared food, apothecary items and wine.
Presidente Supermarket: Opened in 1990 by a South Florida Cuban-American Omar Rodriguez, the chain has stores in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Publix: The Lakeland-based supermarket giant that coined the phrase, “Where shopping is a pleasure,” and, one could argue, the acronym BOGO and the sandwich nickname you’ll wait at the deli counter for, Pub Sub. Publix was founded by George Jenkins in Winter Haven in 1930.
Sedano’s Supermarket: Sedano’s started as a family-owned neighborhood grocer in Hialeah in 1962 and has grown into one of the largest Hispanic-owned supermarket chains in Florida, including its Miami-Dade base and locations in Broward and Central Florida’s Orange and Osceola counties.
Sprouts Farmers Market: The Phoenix-based Sprouts puts the produce aisle front and center as nearly a quarter of its grocery stores business. You’ll find a deli as well as packaged products at its South Florida locations.
Target: Like Walmart, Target sells a little of everything like a department store. But many larger Target locations have larger grocery store departments.
Trader Joe’s: Trader Joe’s prides itself on running brick and mortar stores — they want you to come to them — and once inside you’ll find mostly Trader Joe branded merchandise. The chain was founded in Pasadena, California, in 1967.
Walmart: The nation’s largest grocery retailer, even if, like Target, it may be best known for its general merchandise aisles. But there are miles of aisles dedicated to groceries, too. Walmart also has smaller neighborhood grocery stores.
Whole Foods Market: Founded in 1980 in Austin, and a subsidiary of Amazon since 2017, Whole Foods promotes its vast selection of organic and “natural food” products.
Winn-Dixie: Winn-Dixie can trace its roots back almost 100 years — to 1925, when founder Milton Davis moved to Miami and opened a precursor as Table Supply. Headquartered in Jacksonville and named Winn-Dixie in 1955, the familiar chain has locations through South Florida.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
