rio de janeiro's dynamic food culture certainly requires a variety of supermarkets to meet its demands, and there are quite a few familiar places that cariocas and visitors alike, tend to flock to because of their fresh goods and diversity of product.

their reusable bags can be seen all around town in a variety of colors with its distinguished big hearts pattern, the famous supermercado zona sul, named after the popular southern zone in rio de janeiro in which the establishment can be found, as well as some stores in barra da tijuca, recreio, and angra dos reis - there are over 35 zona sul supermarkets in rio with never-ending aisles of rio's favorite foods, including fresh fruit and vegetables, organic products, gluten and lactose-free foods, as well as fresh baked bread and pastries, gourmet cheese, ready-made dishes, and many other specialty items.

zona sul's tend to have an extensive wine and beer selection, and several popular brands for ice cream lover's to choose from  - some larger markets even have small sit-down cafe-style areas with buffet breakfast and fresh pizza.