A “brilliant concept that exploits the foodie in us all”, the first Eataly opened in Turin in 2007. Conceived by Italian businessman Oscar Farinetti, the groundbreaking 30,000+sq ft food and wine marts draw inspiration from open-air European marketplaces selling fresh pastas and cheeses, mortadellas, salamis, prosciutto and every other Italian treat imaginable. There are now eight Eataly stores in Italy (with three more planned for 2013), four stores in Japan and one in the Flatiron district of New York City. A Chicago store is set to open in late 2013.

Eataly bills itself as the “largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace in the world” and its Rome complex is its largest, at 170,000 sq ft, with 18 restaurants and cafés plus a brewery, spread over four floors. The New York City Eataly, which is part-owned by American celebrity chef Mario Batali, “is in a class by itself in the US food landscape” said one judge. With “display fixtures and merchandising to match the artisan food”, another called Eataly “the next generation of food retailer”. 

See the complete list of the World’s 50 Best Grocers.