Texas Supermarket Chain Central Market Is Actually Better Than H-E-B | Eater Austin

"As someone who likes the Texas-based supermarket mega-chain, I'm here to say Central Market — H‑E‑B’s smaller grocery chain with only 10 stores across Austin, Houston, and Dallas — is miles ahead when you care about interesting food. It’s a hybrid where I can grab weeknight staples or dive into specialty items like blue grits, a bright gose, dried squid ink noodles, or chips flavored with port wine and cheese or cheddar and shallots; there’s also a cafeteria serving gumbo, sandwiches, and burgers and a bakery with H‑E‑B‑favorite fresh tortillas. The produce and seasonal shelves regularly surface rare finds from cherimoyas to fresh truffles (and an overabundance of Hatch chile variations, including cookie sandwiches), while the freshly squeezed juices — margarita mix, lemonade, orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, and watermelon — are chilled on pebble ice. The bulk aisles are a labyrinth where I can buy citric acid, agar, and small amounts of rice, granola, coffee, tea, and candy (I’m partial to the lime‑pepper seasoning), and the butcher and seafood counters go beyond the usual with veal, dry‑aged and wagyu beef, lamb, duck, sometimes rabbit, and seafood like Chilean sea bass, whole red snapper, halibut, mahi mahi, and sashimi‑grade fish. Their tinned fish selection is extensive — La Narval, José Gourmet, Ortiz, Patagonia, and favorites like Donostia Foods — and the wine and beer aisles rival specialty retailers with orange wines, sherries, ports, vermouths, a strong focus on Texas breweries, and nonalcoholic options like Seedlip and Kentucky 74. They also offer cooking classes (lamb, fresh pasta, kolaches, cider-and-cheese pairings), useful coupons (sometimes up to $25 off), a standout floral section with bougainvilleas, daisies, and seasonal peonies, and even bags of ice at checkout perfect for chilling oysters or a bottle of wine." - H. Drew Blackburn