When your on an Orlando vacation, your going to spend a LOT on food and snacks. Eating just seems to be one of those things you do lots of while on vacation. Your walking around, seeing the sights and being more active than normal. Also because Orlando is hot you tend to drink a lot more fluids. Lucky for you there is a snack food store on every corner down here!
You also will eat at a lot of fast food joints and restaurants. But after a few days of all this junk food, you might want to do some real food shopping to eat at your hotel. Most hotels have a mini fridge and microwave, while suites can have full kitchens. If your not from around here, and most likely your not, your not familiar with the most common grocery stores here.
I’ve seen a lot of people buy lots of stuff at the 7-11’s down here. They are everywhere! But, anything you buy there is going to cost you a lot compared to a normal grocery store. I’ve seen poor tourist ring up 80 bucks worth of food that fit in one plastic bag at those 7-11’s. So where do you go to buy real food at a real grocery store?
Well all along the tourist strips there are small mom and pop food stores. They are a step up from the 7-11’s in that they carry more normal food you can cook and prepare. However they also as a rule are a bit overpriced, just as most things are around any tourist area. That leaves two of the most common full service grocery stores found around the theme parks.
Those two are a big grocery store chain called Publix, and the super Wal-marts. The big Wal-marts have a full grocery store in them. Many locals shop there, and the prices are the cheapest you can find anywhere. There are around 4 to 6 of them scattered around the tourist area. But some folks, myself included, don’t like shopping in those big huge box stores.
So that leaves Publix. Publix is a very well known grocery store chain in Florida. For some reason they are the ones that are all around the theme park area. I myself shop at one nearby. They are your basic full service grocery store, with a sea food section, deli, bakery, meat shop, food to go section and more.
Plus all the normal aisles and aisles of everyday food you buy right at home. Sure some brands and so on will be different, but this is the place that is as close as you can get for normal home food shopping in Orlando on your vacation. To find one near where your staying go to the Publix store locator and see where the closest one is near your hotel, and eat some real food!
