Prices between different brands of supermarket can vary quite dramatically, while the quality of some items like fruit and vegetables can be equally varied; this means it can pay to visit a couple of different supermarkets to get the best balance of quality and price when completing the grocery run.

Hypermarkets
For a one-stop shop for almost anything you can think of, hypermarkets are the place to go. With a range that goes far beyond food, most sell a range of electronics and home appliances at competitive prices, as well as toys, homewares, luggage, clothes, shoes, music and DVDs and much, much more.

Supermarkets
Unlike hypermarkets, supermarkets concentrate solely on food and domestic necessities such as cleaning products and toiletries. They all tend to have their own kitchens that cook up freshly baked goods, with some larger stores offering quite an impressive range of pies, samosas and pasties. Some even have fish and meat counters for you to peruse. You may find that the prices between different brands of supermarket can vary quite dramatically, while the quality of some items like fruit and vegetables can be equally varied; this means it can pay to visit a couple of different supermarkets to get the best balance of quality and price when completing the grocery run.

Convenience stores
Abu Dhabi has a huge number of smaller convenience stores selling many of the basic food and drink needs. In 2013 the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority closed many of these down as they had failed to comply with new food storage and hygiene regulations, with requirements including the fitting of automatic doors, steel roofing, CCTV, a computerised till and lower, more accessible shelves. Those that shut down are gradually being replaced to ensure many of the more densely areas of the city are well serviced for local groceries. And the good news is, you should be able to trust their food hygiene. If you live close to a convenience store it’s quite usual that you can phone them up and have them deliver small amounts of groceries to you too, with the only extra cost being a tip for the delivery guy.