A Guide to Food Shopping in Luxembourg

Luxembourg may not have 24-hour shopping centres, and it may not have chains of convenience stores on every corner, but once you get used to the sometimes awkward opening hours you’ll appreciate the wide range, freshness and seasonality of the produce when food shopping in Luxembourg.

Case in point – on a recent visit to a local supermarket I witnessed a slow-mo video of mushrooms in season to the musaic version of “Sound of Silence”; underneath lay a lovingly arranged display of mushrooms for shoppers to take home and enjoy. The Luxembourgers take the love of food to another level. Their love of musak however…

Supermarkets

You need a one or two euro coin for a trolley but you can get a jeton (token) from the information desk. When buying veggies, you’ll need to weigh it yourself in some places, while in others they are weighed by a staff member at a counter. (When in doubt, watch other shoppers!) Most supermarkets have bakery, meat and fish counters; take a ticket from the machine and duke it out with the counter person. Organic products are known as “Bio“; diet, soya and lactose-free products often have in their own section.

Top End

Out of all the supermarket chains in Luxembourg, only Cactus, Alima and the Cooperative are Luxembourgish-owned. They tend to be on the expensive side, however the product quality is very high.

Mid Price

Otherwise there’s the mid-priced options – Delhaize, Match, Auchan. You can also order your groceries online and pick them up from one of the Auchan Drive locations across Luxembourg.

Discount

The discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl are in Luxembourg, but for even cheaper prices many Luxembourg residents visit Perl across the border in Germany. DM, the German drugstore chain, offers beauty products, toiletries, nappies etc for a fraction of the price in Luxembourg.

If you prefer your shopping al fresco, there’s a farmer’s market in the Place Guillaume (also known as the Knuedler) every Wednesday and Saturday morning from 7am.

Specialised Supermarkets

For ex-pats homesick for their favourite foods, Little Britain in Capellen stocks UK and American delights, while Eirelux in Howald keeps lovers of Irish products happy.

There are a number of Asian shops in Luxembourg city, including Asia Market on Rue du Fort Elisabeth, and ManGoo on rue de Strasbourg. They stock a large number of Asian ingredients and tend to open on Sundays.

Grand Frais, a French supermarket chain, specialises in fresh produce and international ingredients. There are several locations close to Luxembourg.

La Provençale is a wholesale store that stocks more unusual international products that you may struggle to find elsewhere. On your first visit you will need to sign up – you will be given a temporary card with a permanent to follow in the post.

Shopping Centres

Shopping malls include Auchan in Kirchberg (which is vast), Belle Etoile in Strassen and City Concorde in Bertrange. Some supermarkets open later on Friday nights, and some are even opened Sunday morning. Opening times are on their respective websites.

Food Stores

Many Luxembourgers still buy their food from local, specialised shops. Most towns and villages will have butchers, bakery and grocery shops; most places close for lunch so it’s an idea to take a note of their opening times so you’re not caught out. In bakeries and butcher shops, take a ticket from the machine if it’s busy (Queuing in an orderly line is not the done thing here, which is can be downright horrifying to people from the UK and Ireland). The majority of supermarkets are closed on a Sunday, but chances are your grocery shop will be open Sunday morning. Otherwise many petrol stations have a decent stock of food and bread.

Bakeries

Luxembourg bakeries tend display their bread behind the servers and their pastries and cakes in the counter in front. The available bread tends to run out near the end of the day so the earlier you get there the better. Loaves come uncut; “couper” means to cut and incurs a small charge. Most bakeries also sell a range of pre-made sandwiches.

Butchers

Again, look out for the ticket machine if you don’t want watch people who arrived after you being served. Some butchers do cooked sausages and hamburgers in rolls at lunchtime.

Yvonne Reilly

Yvonne Reilly is a freelance copywriter and editor for hire. Her mission is to make boring business web copy and blogs sparkle. She loves working with businesses to plan and create high-quality content that attracts and converts their target audience. Raised in Dublin and Luxembourg, she considers herself a professional Eurobrat and spends her free time sniffing out travel deals. Contact Yvonne or visit her website for more information on her services and to view her portfolio.