As we found that prices are more or less similar in San Miguel de Allende to Mexico City, we decided not to do a Price Check here. We still wanted to provide some shopping tips for those of you who are planning on settle in for a while, so we thought we’d roll it into my Take-Homes post on supermarket souvenirs.
Unlike Mexico City where the fresh food markets are fantastic, in San Miguel de Allende they’re rather disappointing. The best food is actually to be found in the supermarkets here, which says a lot about the place I guess.
The largest supermarket, Mega, on the edge of town, is brilliant. It is indeed a colossal thing and is just as good as any supermarkets you’ll find in the UK, Europe, Australia and North America, only with a Mexican flavour of course.
There is virtually half an aisle of salsas, hot sauces and moles alone! And lots of other delicious Mexican products, from white cheeses from Oaxaca to all different types of dried chiles. They also have an excellent liquor section with a good offering of Mexican wines. Like in Mexico City, the quality of the fresh produce is superb, from the most perfectly-formed onions to fruit and vegetables without a single bruise on them.
It’s best to do a big shop at Mega when you first arrive and then use the small neighbourhood grocery stores to pick up things you forgot. For fresh tortillas head to a local tortilleria.
Above is a selection of scrummy edible supermarket souvenirs you might want to pop in your suitcase: an array of spicy salsas that come in a colourful basket with a striped napkin; spicy mixes to make micheladas; a DIY chilaquiles pack; a tin of chipotle chile peppers in case you live in a country where customs won’t let you bring the fresh ones in; chorizo-flavoured Asian-style noodles (they were delish!); and a tiny jar of mole.
Thanks for the tips! We’re visiting San Miguel later this year. Look forward to trying the salsas!
No problem. Do take a look at our other San Miguel posts – got some stories on our favorite tacos al pastor stand, a terrific cooking class we did, and the best local music spots among others. Can’t wait to hear how you enjoy it! Muchas gracias for dropping by :)