The Guide to Shopping in San Juan Del Sur
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Property sales in San Juan are brisk right now. With a combination of people who can now work remotely, and retirees looking to escape the cold and the lockdowns, we have a lot more people permanently moving to San Juan Del Sur.
With that it's a super common question - what it's like grocery shopping here in town? So I wanted to do this article and video to answer that.
Shopping here is definitely different than most peoples common grocery shopping experience in the United States, Canada the UK, etc.
For example my wife and I normally got to a few different small stores to grab the best items from each one. As opposed to when I lived in Canada, and used to do a huge single grocery shop once a week at a huge supermarket.
* For the best of Managua including shopping, malls, restaurants, entertainment and accommodation in the capital, check out the new article - The Best of Managua
We do have a one stop shop supermarket, which is the Pali. I mention it first below just because it's largest grocery store in town. The Pali has five aisles with everything Nicaraguans generally buy.
There’s a produce department, meat counter, pre-cooked chickens, all of the staples, cleaning supplies, personal care products, drinks, pet items, and a bunch more. It’s handy if you just want to go to one spot.
However it is a Walmart subsidiary and we try and support local as much as possible.
In my opinion it's better to grab the best items from each of the little stores. I go into those a little further below.
For example of the places listed below:
I get my meat from Carne San Martin. ($4 / pound filet mignon!)
We get our seafood direct from the seafood market, where things come in fresh from the ocean every day (shrimp, tuna and mahi mahi!)
Our fruits and vegetables from Guevara Fruits and Vegetables
And our organic eggs and chickens I get direct from local farmers I know
It does mean stopping a few places as opposed to just going into a single enormous grocery store like in the United States. However, given how small San Juan del Sur is, it makes it pretty easy to to a single quick lap of town and grab the best from each place.
Again, in my opinion, it's actually significantly better than standard grocery shopping back home. The produce, meat, seafood, and eggs are all fresh and locally sourced. In addition, given the fact that pesticides, chemicals and hormones are less common here, I think it's all a lot healthier too.
Supermarket:
Pali
It's a Wal Mart subsidiary, so not my absolute favorite for that reason. But it is the store with the largest selection under one roof. Locals use it as their number primary shopping option because for the staples it’s the cheapest.
Usually we will only go here if we are in a hurry and we just want to do a single shop. The selection is solid, and is mainly geared towards Nicaraguan consumers.
It has five aisles with all the basics:
Rice, beans, pasta, soups, condiments, milk, cereals, eggs, coffee etc
Produce section
Meat counter
Cooked whole chickens
Freezer section
Beer, liquor and cheap wine
Cleaning products
Kitchen and bath basics
Produce:
Frutas & Verduras Guevara (Fruits and vegetables)
This is where we get all of our fruits and veggies. These guys are super nice and family owned. They actually deliver to our house for free on larger orders, or at most charge a couple dollars for delivery.
We buy a ton of fruits and vegetables from here. Our diet is excellent thanks to that local selection. Everything here is locally sourced so availability does vary seasonally.
My favorite fruit and vegetable store, all local produce direct from area farms
Way better than Pali for produce - fresher and better selection
Seasonal as mentioned, so selection varies a lot. For example when it's mango season there are a million of them, and the same goes for dragon fruit (pitaya), avocado etc.
Delivery in town is inexpensive or almost free depending on the size of your order
Primaevo Nicaragua
I personally haven’t used these guys yet. Might try in the coming weeks. However I know a lot of people that really like them. They have a ton of selection and do delivery right into San Juan. Primaevo has lots of options for organic, vegetarian, and vegan items.
Online - delivery only to San Juan on Wednsdays and Satudays
Fresh organic fruit, vegetable, organic and more
They've also expanded recently into offering a number of other items via delivery. Check out their website for more.
Meat
Carnes San Martin
These guys are my go-to meat store. Slightly more expensive than Pali but the quality is excellent - beef, chicken, pork, eggs, cheese and dairy.
$4 / pound filet mignon - thats my jam
We get tons of chicken too and the lady that takes care of our house makes an awesome Nicaragua sopa (soup) that lasts us days
Click for the two map locations
Seafood
The Seafood Market
We love seafood! San Juan Del Sur was a fishing town before the world discovered it. So for me this place is awesome! Depending on the week we will rotate through buying fish, shrimp, lobster, and the fresh pre-made ceviche. There are a few stalls here, just pick the ones with the prices listed out front so you get the real price.
The freshest seafood possible
Straight off the boat, all locally sourced
Selection varies by season
Varieties of fish, lobster, shrimp, calamari, octopus and that awesome fresh ceviche
Mini Markets:
Sanchez Mini-Super Markets
These are my favorite mini supermarket's in town. They are run by a couple ladies, not surprisingly with the last name Sanchez. They are little more expensive than the other mini-supers, but lovely families that run them. These two stores are local institutions, super popular with the permanent expats.
(Also the older lady that runs the main location has called me handsome for like eight years. She might say that to all the clients, but she's got my business hahaha.)
The best mini-super markets in town, with all the stuff us expats like: potato chips, North American snacks and breakfast cereals, peanut butter, a little asian section.
Wine, beer and soft drinks not at the local convenience stores
Plus the staples
Click for the two map locations:
AMPM
This your standard 24 hour convenience store Think like a Nicaraguan 7-11
All packaged food plus hot dogs, beer, wine, soft drinks
The Nacatamals are actually pretty good
Super Express
Similar to AMPM, your standard 24 hour convenience store
Basics like snacks, drinks, bread, basic personal items and pet food
Click for the two map locations:
The Municipal Market
This is the traditional small town Latin American public central market. I don't shop here that much myself just because I like the places mentioned above more.
However you will find some stuff that you might not find elsewhere, like basic kitchen appliances, plastic goods, and stuff like that.
In the front there are five restaurants serving up breakfast and lunch from $2 - $5
Fruit and vegetable stalls around back
On the outside there's a good pet store, with an excellent selection of pet food, medicines, toys etc.
Some other basics at the back stalls - containers, plastic goods, basic domestic kitchen appliances
OK that's it for now. I hope that was helpful. If you thinking about moving down here to Nicaragua, feel free to reach out to me and we can chat about life and real estate down here on the beach.
Cheers,
Joel Stott-Jess
Cell / WhatsApp: (+505) 8176 8624
US Number: 1 786 753 8743
Skype: joelstottjess
Joel Stott-Jess is a New York Times featured agent / broker in San Juan Del Sur.
Originally from Alberta, Canada he has been doing business in Nicaragua since 2014.
An investment consultant, serial entrepreneur, surfer, and outdoor enthusiast he is an expert on the real estate and business markets in Nicaragua. He also operates The Central Investor, a real estate and investment blog focused on the entire Central American region.
Thanks to his lovely Nicaraguan wife, a medical doctor, he is also well informed on health care services in the country.
