Supermarkets in Jerusalem: The Chains, the Shuk and Where Locals Actually Shop
Jerusalem has three tiers of supermarket, a world-famous market and a makolet on every corner. Here is how they differ, when to go, and what the signs at the till mean.
The short version: the discount chains on the edge of the city are where a family does the big weekly shop, the mainstream chains are where you top up near home, the shuk is where you buy produce and anything you want to be good, and the corner makolet is what saves you at nine in the evening. Everything sells kosher food by default, almost everything closes for Shabbat, and Friday morning is the busiest shopping hour of the week.
This guide is about the shops themselves. For what to buy, how online ordering works and the kashrut symbols, read our grocery shopping guide; for the words on the shelves and at the checkout, keep the Hebrew vocabulary guide open.
The three tiers of supermarket
Discount chains: the big shop
Rami Levy, Osher Ad and Yesh (Yesh Chesed in the more religious neighbourhoods) are the warehouse-style chains. Large branches sit in the industrial zones of Talpiot and Givat Shaul and in some of the outer neighbourhoods, prices are the lowest in the city on staples, and the trade-off is distance, crowds and a fairly basic range of imported and specialty products. If you have a car or a big trolley and a lift home, one visit a week here cuts the food bill noticeably.
Mainstream chains: the everyday shop
Shufersal is everywhere, in several formats: the large Shufersal Deal branches price like a discounter, the neighbourhood Shufersal Sheli branches cost more and stock more, and the small Express shops are for a missing ingredient. Victory and Carrefour (which took over the former Mega and Yeinot Bitan branches) fill the same middle tier. Expect a decent range, an in-store bakery and deli, self-checkout in the bigger branches and a loyalty club that actually changes the price at the till.
The makolet and the specialty shops
Every neighbourhood has a makolet, a corner grocery that opens early, closes late and knows its customers. Prices are higher, the range is narrow and you will use it constantly. Alongside it sit the specialists: the bakery, the greengrocer, the butcher with the kashrut certificate in the window, the health-food shop and, in the Anglo neighbourhoods, the deli that stocks the imported cereal you miss.
Mahane Yehuda: the shuk
The covered and open-air market off Jaffa Road is where locals buy fruit, vegetables, spices, nuts, olives, cheese, fish and bread, and where prices drop as Friday afternoon approaches and stallholders clear their stock. Go on a weekday morning to shop in peace, Thursday evening or Friday morning to feel the city, and never on Friday afternoon expecting to get anything done quickly. The surrounding streets have the wholesale-style shops for dry goods, and the light rail stops right outside.
- Bring a trolley bag and cash for the smaller stalls, though most take cards now.
- Check the price per kilo on the sign before the stallholder weighs; the display price and the price quoted can differ.
- Taste before you buy at the cheese, olive and halva stalls; it is expected.
The Friday rhythm
Supermarkets and the shuk are packed from Thursday evening through Friday lunchtime, and most close two to three hours before candle lighting; the exact closing time shifts with the season, so check this week's Shabbat times. Saturday night they reopen quickly, and Sunday morning is quiet. In the days before a festival the whole week compresses into two days, and the week of Pesach is a category of its own, with sealed-off aisles and a different range.
At the checkout
Four things happen at every Israeli till that catch newcomers out.
- "Moadon?" means the loyalty club. Joining is free, usually done in the app, and the club price on the shelf label only applies if you are a member.
- "Tashlumim?" is the offer to split the bill into interest-free instalments on an Israeli credit card. For groceries, say no.
- Bags cost money by law; bring your own or pay per bag.
- Bottles carry a deposit (pikadon) that you get back at the machine or the service desk when you return them.
Produce is weighed by you or the cashier depending on the chain; look for the scale in the fruit section and the sticker printer. Prices on the shelf are per unit or per kilo, and "1+1" and "mivtza" (special offer) are the words you will learn first. Online ordering from the same chains is covered in the grocery guide and our online shopping guide.
Which one, then?
- New arrival without a car: the nearest Shufersal or Victory for the weekly shop, the makolet for the gaps, the shuk on a weekday morning for produce.
- Family with a car: Rami Levy or Osher Ad once a week, the shuk for produce, the makolet for emergencies.
- Anyone keeping a specific kashrut standard: the chains in your neighbourhood stock to that neighbourhood's norm; ask the butcher and the bakery which certificate they hold.
Spotted a chain we missed or a branch that closed? Tell us and we will fix it.
