Buford Highway Farmer's Market is Atlanta's Best Kept Secret

Everyone knows Buford Highway is where you want to be for hole-in-the-wall, authentic eats from all over the world. But if you’re not adding Buford Highway Farmer’s Market into your rotation, you’re missing out big time on one of Atlanta’s best food experiences. It should be noted that we use “best kept secret” loosely as this supermarket has been a go-to for both locals and Asian and Latin American diaspora communities for years and years. But too often, this massive, 100,000 square foot market doesn’t make the conversation when discussing Buford Highway or Atlanta’s top farmers markets and grocery stores. Here are some of our favorite can’t miss highlights.

The Produce Section

Have you ever tried rambutan or dragonfruit? What about jackfruit or sugarcane? Now’s your time to give these exotic fruits a try. Or if you’re a spice lover, there’s a dozen types of peppers to choose from: Thai chili peppers, Chilaca peppers, Italian Sweet peppers… pick up some key limes or meyer lemons and you’ll see how there is a world’s difference from your average grocery store lemon and lime. The possibilities are endless, and there’s always something new to try in the fruits and vegetables section at Buford Highway Farmer’s Market.

Fresh Bundles of Herbs

It’s so hard to pay $6 for a few basil leaves that inevitably spoil after a few days after you’ve been to Buford Highway Farmer’s Market. At Buford Highway Farmer’s Market, there’s huge bunches of fresh, inviting herbs for a few dollars to really juice up your weekly recipes. Throw a sprig of marjoram into a stew, or make a bouquet of dill to store in your fridge and pull a few fresh sprigs from it to add to your meals all week long.

Freshly Packed Bulk Spices

And similar to their produce section, there’s a few more names you may not recognize aside from your household spices. If there’s a challenging international recipe you’ve been wanting to try or a dish you want to recreate from a trip abroad, you’ll likely find the ingredients needed here.

The Fresh Fish and Seafood Section

The seafood section is probably the most show-stopping stop in the supermarket. In the back of the market, you’ll find fresh seafood from all over the world: Chilean sea bass, a dozen types of shrimp, crab legs… Place your order here, keep track of your order number, and they’ll holler at you when they’re done preparing and packing up your selection.

Load Up On The Cheeses

Buford Highway Farmer’s Market is my market of choice when building out a charcuterie board, with a pretty solid selection of cheeses to choose from. Pricewise, I haven’t found there to be much savings compared to your usual grocery stores, but everything has been tasty. There’s lots of truffle flavored cheeses if you’re a truffle lover like me!

Kosher, Halal, and Vegan Selections

If you eat kosher or halal or follow a vegan diet, there’s something for you. To the left of produce is where you’ll find the majority of vegan offerings, including dozens of types of tofus, fresh rice noodles, and imitation meats/more processed vegan foods.

The Latin American Selections

Buford Highway Farmers Market began with an exclusively Latin focus out of a need to serve Latino communities living along this international corridor before expanding to other regions of the world. So they’re Latin American selections are still some of the best! There’s a dozen kinds of cheeses from queso fresco to queso guayanés, a dozen types of chicharron and a smattering of Mexican sodas to pick from. The bread and pastry section in the back also has plenty of Latin themed baked goods to choose from. Delicioso!

The Frozen Dumplings and Ice Creams

The Japanese/Korean/Chinese/Russian/Eastern European frozen section is something to behold, found on the right side of the grocery store. This is the only place I’ve found in Atlanta with pierogies, and there are a million types of buns, gyoza and mandu to choose from, filled with yellow bean curd, leeks, BBQ pork and more. Perfect for a quick snack. And to satisfy your sweet tooth, there are so many delicious mochi ice creams, waffle ice creams, popsicles, and flavors to choose from.

The Sushi and Sashimi

Sushi lovers rejoice! You can get fresh sashimi-grade salmon and tuna at a great price here. Go the back left corner of the market for this stuff. Japanese mayo, seaweed, and sushi style rice are just around the corner if you want to make your own sushi or poke bowls. And there are some fantastic Korean prepared foods, like bulgogi, kimchi, and bibimbap to pick up as well while you’re here.