Essential shops

Settling into life in Portsmouth includes knowing where to pick up groceries and other essential items.

Portsmouth has large supermarkets for your big shop and smaller stores close to campus. If you're looking for international ingredients, explore our international stores across the city and discover where to get household essentials for your new home.

Food and drink

Supermarkets

The larger supermarkets stock food and other groceries, but often they also have other household essentials like cookware for your kitchen and medicines among others. The large supermarkets close to campus and areas where many students live include:

Tesco | Crasswell St, Portsmouth, PO1 1HT
Asda | The Bridge Shopping Centre, Somers Road North, Portsmouth, PO1 1SL
Lidl | Goldsmith Avenue, Portsmouth, PO4 0BS
Aldi | Fratton Way, Portsmouth, PO4 8SL
Tesco | Fratton Way, Portsmouth, PO4 8FD

Shopper picking vegetables with a shopping basket

Smaller convenience stores

There are a number of smaller stores dotted around near campus and student areas. These are a great place to pick up lunch or a few things you forget from your grocery shop. They're very convenient but prices tend to be a little higher than in larger supermarkets.

Sainsbury's Local | 5-7 Guildhall Walk, Portsmouth PO1 2RY
Tesco Express | 5 Isambard Brunel Road, Portsmouth PO1 2FT
Sainsbury's Local | 91-93 Commercial Rd, Portsmouth PO1 1BQ
Co-operative | 56 Great Southsea St, Southsea PO5 3BY
Tesco Express | 59-61 Elm Grove, Southsea, PO5 1JF
Co-operative | 100-102 Elm Grove, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO5 1LP
Co-operative | 155-159 Fawcett Rd, Southsea, PO4 0DH

Online grocery shopping and delivery

If you prefer to get your groceries delivered, supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda and Ocado offer delivery in Portsmouth.

These local companies also offer deliveries or click and collect:

Wild Thyme Wholefoods – an independent shop selling natural and organic vegan food and products
Package Free Larder – Portsmouth's first plastic-free supermarket offers click and collect
Farmer's Choice – locally sourced free-range meat, poultry and dairy, organic fruit and veg, and responsibly sourced fish and seafood

International food stores

Portsmouth has many international grocery stores, stocking ingredients from all around the world including:

Mediterranean Supermarket | 111-113 Elm Grove, Southsea
Okey Chinese Supermarket | 106 Elm Grove, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea, PO5 1LR
Snooki's Thai Market | 72 Elm Grove, Southsea, PO5 1LN
Algarve's International Deli and Cafe | 102 Palmerston Rd, Southsea, PO5 3PT
Florio's D'Italia | 119 High St, Old Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2HW
M A Food Cash & Carry | 154 Kingston Rd, Fratton, Portsmouth, PO2 7PD
Portsmouth International Food Centre | 47-49 Fratton Rd, Portsmouth, PO1 5AB
Eastern Stores Grocery | 212-216 Kingston Rd, North End, Portsmouth, PO2 7LR
Thai & Asian Food Mart | 40 Fratton Rd, Fratton, Portsmouth, PO1 5BX
Afro-Cart Foods | 150 Kingston Rd, Fratton, Portsmouth, PO2 7PD
Mama Lit Special Foods | 92 Fawcett Rd, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea, PO4 0DN
Albert Food Store | 131 Albert Rd, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea, PO5 2SQ

Delis, grocers and butchers

Portsmouth and Southsea has independent shops selling delicious specialities and more. Local favourites include:

Southsea Deli | A classic delicatessen in Southsea | 98 Elm Grove, Southsea, PO5 1LN
Southsea Local | A food shop stocking tasty vegetables, bread, store cupboard ingredients and more | 100a Marmion Rd, Southsea, PO5 2BB
Buckwells | A popular family butchers in the heart of Southsea | 70 Osborne Road, Southsea, PO5 3LU
Bransbury Park Butchers | A friendly butchers shop in in the east of the city | 141 Eastney Rd, Southsea, PO4 8DZ
Astles of Portsmouth | Award-winning family butchers | 295 Copnor Road, Portsmouth, PO3 5EG

Household essentials

As well as food, you'll probably want to purchase other items for your home, like furniture, decor, cookware and medicine. Here are some suggestions for finding what you need.

The Southsea Bazaar shopfront.
Elm Grove - City Guide 2022

Furniture, decor and more

Some of the larger supermarkets sell household essentials (like kitchen utensils and bedding) for a reasonable price. Other places to look for household essentials are:

Charity shops | There's a range of charity shops across Portsmouth that specialise in cheap household items
Independent furniture shops | Fawcett Road in Southsea has many furniture shops such as Macks & Sons and Harbour Furniture
Argos | 207-211 Commercial Road, Portsmouth, PO1 4BJ

For local furniture stores and second hand shops, see our guide to sustainable shopping.