Tienda de abarrotes

The tienda de abarrotes is Mexico’s classic corner grocery store: a small family-run shop selling food staples, snacks, drinks, and cleaning and household items. Often called simply “la tiendita de la esquina,” it is a fixture of daily neighborhood life, where shopkeepers know their regular customers by name.

Don’t confuse it with a tlapalería, which is a different traditional shop that sells paint, solvents and hardware supplies.