Charlotte’s 20 top international markets, including some with cafes and food courts
Whenever I travel, I love visiting local markets and grocery stores. Food is such an intriguing (and delicious) entry point into any new place or culture.
But the truth is you don’t have to leave town to go on a culinary adventure. Charlotte is home to loads of international groceries. They’re fun to explore, and if you’ve been stumped by an unusual ingredient in a new TikTok recipe or you’re struggling to recreate an old family favorite, they may be just the thing to help you out of your rut.
We checked in with folks from Charlotte’s immigrant community to find out their favorite markets and combined them with recommendations from the CharlotteFive team.
Whether you’re new to Charlotte or you’ve been here for years, this guide to 20 international grocery stores in the area can help get you cooking.
A&A International Food
Location: 1636 Sardis Road North, Suite 110, Charlotte, NC 28270
What to know: This family-owned shop has been operating for more than 30 years. A&A International Food carries a wide variety of Russian, Ukrainian, Polish and other Eastern European products, including deli meats, cheese, frozen foods and wines.
Agora Greek Market
Location: 5122 E. Independence Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28212
What to know: A family-owned shop, Agora Greek Market carries all sorts of products from Greece, including packaged and barrel cheeses, its own popular olive oil, an olive bar and large sheet phyllo for baking.
Bosna Market
Location: 2719 Central Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28205
What to know: In his office, Charlotte FC’s general manager Zoran Krneta has a stash of Bronhi toffees and Kiki candies, which colleagues often swipe. They go well with espresso, which is just as much a part of his native Serbian culture, he said, as it is in Italy. (Fun fact: he says “Kiki” is also the nickname for Charlotte FC’s Croatian goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.)
Krneta found those items at Bosna Market, a great spot for a variety of products from the Balkans. The shop also connects to a small cafe, where you can grab a bite after you shop.
Cedar Land Halal Foods
Location: 4832 Central Ave C, Charlotte, NC 28205
What to know: A Halal grocery and small cafe, Cedar Land Halal Foods carries Lebanese and Middle Eastern staples including dates, olives, honey, fruit syrups and much more.
Enzo’s Italian Market
Location: 4420 Potter Rd, Stallings, NC 28104
Location: 121 S Main St, Lancaster, SC 29720
Location: 130 Matthews Station St, Matthews, NC 28105 (expected to open in June 2025)
What to know: A New York-style gourmet grocery, Enzo’s Italian Market carries imported pasta, freshly made Italian sausage, handmade pastries and many other traditional Italian products.
Ferrucci’s Old Tyme Italian Market
Location: 20910 Torrence Chapel Rd, Cornelius, NC 28031
What to know: This market includes a full-service butcher shop that makes fresh Italian sausages daily. You can also find a gourmet deli and prepared foods at Ferrucci’s Old Tyme Italian Market.
Gleiberman’s Gourmet
Location: 1816 Galleria Blvd G, Charlotte, NC 28270
What to know: This shop is the only fully kosher market within a 200 mile radius. Gleiberman’s Gourmet carries fresh and frozen products, including kosher meat, dry goods, Israeli and organic foods. It also carries specialty items for Shabbat and holiday celebrations.
Halal International
Location: 3120 N Sharon Amity Rd, Charlotte, NC 28205
What to know: This grocery store carries a wide assortment of products from the Middle East, Africa and Europe, including produce, home goods, spices and fresh Halal meats.
Hatoya Mart
Location: 605A N Polk St, Pineville, NC 28134
What to know: From candy and sake to home goods and frozen sashimi grade fish, Hatoya Mart carries a wide variety of Japanese products and has been serving the community since 1992.
India Grocers
Location: 509 N Polk St, Pineville, NC 28134
What to know: A full-service supermarket, India Grocers carries spices, frozen foods, snack items, henna cones and much more.
Ivoire African Market
Location: 937 Eastway Drive, Charlotte, NC 28205
What to know: Peinda Diop, a French teacher at The Language Academy of the Carolinas, said she heads to Ivoire African Market when she needs spices to add to her Senegalese recipes.
The Latin Corner CLT
Location: 705 Main Street, Pineville, NC 28134
What to know: “There is no party in Venezuela without tequeños,” said Gilberto Velazco, a Spanish teacher at The Language Academy of the Carolinas. Tequeños are white cheese sticks wrapped in a slightly sweet dough, and you can find them, along with frozen Venezuelan-style empanadas (fried corn flour exterior stuffed with meat, cheese, beans or other fillings) and other Latin American foods to heat up at home at The Latin Corner.
Mino’s Imported Goods
Location: 11016 Monroe Rd b, Matthews, NC 28105
What to know: At this shop that looks like a warehouse, you can find all sorts of gourmet Greek items from spices to olives to fresh feta.
Nonna Maria’s Italian Deli & Market
Location: 2332 Matthews Township Pkwy B, Matthews, NC 28105
What to know: From artisan cheeses and antipasti to prepared foods and a wide selection of desserts, Nonna Maria’s Italian Deli & Market brings the owners’ traditional family recipes to the area.
Patel Brothers
Location: 8109 University City Blvd Suite A, Charlotte, NC 28213
Location: 10701 Centrum Pkwy, Pineville, NC 28134
What to know: The biggest Indian grocery chain in the U.S., Patel Brothers has two locations in the area. The store carries authentic South Asian spices, produce, freshly baked roti and more.
Pepero
Location: 10920 Monroe Rd, Matthews, NC 28105
What to know: This Korean grocery with a popular small restaurant on premises carries all sorts of ingredients from Korea, China and Taiwan. Among the offerings at Pepero are kimchi, red bean desserts, rice cakes, seaweed, noodles, tea and much more.
Super G Mart
Location: 10500 Centrum Parkway, Pineville, NC 28134
Location: 7323 East Independence Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28227
What to know: You can find all sorts of international ingredients including products from Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean at this massive supermarket. The Pineville location also features a food court, Alley 51.
Taste of Brazil Market
Location: 10915 Monroe Rd C, Matthews, NC 28105
What to know: This shop carries a variety of Brazilian products, including candies, snacks, picanha (a popular cut of beef) and Brazilian sodas.
Triveni Supermarket
Location: 5985 Thunder Rd NW, Concord, NC 28027
Location: 300 S Polk St, Pineville, NC 28134
What to know: This Indian supermarket has locations throughout the Southeast. In addition to a full service grocery store, Triveni Supermarket has a food court where you can pick up ready-to-eat dishes like curries, dosas, biryanis and more.
Out of town bonus recommendation:
Now, that’s only 19 spots, you say? We’ve got one more to add, and we’re counting it as 20 because despite the road trip involved, whatever you’d make from this out-of-town market would surely be cooked back at home in Charlotte:
H Mart
Location: 1961 High House Road, Cary, NC 27519
What to know: Charlotte ballet dancer Fuki Takahashi said she and her husband take regular weekend trips to H Mart, a Korean market, where she can find authentic Japanese rice that’s grown in Japan and not in California. “I’m kind of a snob about rice,” she said.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
