CART CHRONICLES
Move over, Erewhon — LA's new luxury grocery obsession
The most fashionable thing to do in LA right now isn't shopping, it's the grocery store. I meant to sit for ten minutes and ended up staying three hours with a smoothie.
Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.
Key points
- The hot bar is surprisingly great: fresh, not greasy, no food coma after
- The made-to-order pizza is very California thin crust; the sushi goes clean
- Small downside: grab-and-go isn't wild enough yet, and the only cold-pressed juice is orange
- Inside it's like a boutique hotel lobby; the patio is perfect for pretending you're in a meeting
- Vs. Erewhon: one says 'I live here,' the other says 'Look at me'
- Flexing used to be about the bag; now it's about what's in your smoothie
- LA is already so over the top; this place is just right
Full text
More extra than Erewhon? Unboxing Laurel Supply (cover)
Move over, Erewhon. LA's new luxury grocery obsession: from smoothies and fresh pizza to a 'my life is currently resetting' vibe, the most fashionable thing to do in LA right now isn't shopping; it's the grocery store.
Walking into Laurel Supply: Good People. Real Food. California Culture.
Self-love, but make it expensive. The air smells like 'I should really quit seed oils.' Not a grocery store, a lifestyle alignment.
The biggest surprise: the prepared food is legit good · the hot bar overdelivers
Not the 'healthy but tastes like cardboard' punishment meal; it's genuinely fresh, not greasy, seasoned just right, and no food coma after. It's like a really good LA organic mom packed your lunch. I meant to sit for ten minutes and ended up staying three hours with a smoothie.
Pizza, sushi, smoothies · a very California lineup
The fresh pizza is very California: thin crust, fresh ingredients, like a creative director firing up the backyard pizza oven on a weekend; the sushi goes clean and light; the smoothies are short and curated, not Erewhon's whole functional universe. LA people fear inflammation more tha…
Current small downside: grab-and-go isn't wild enough yet
Not quite a biohacker convenience store yet: the only cold-pressed juice is orange. But that also means less wellness-Disneyland excess and more real neighborhood-market everyday life.
Indoor & outdoor seating · extremely LA
Inside it's like a boutique hotel lobby: wood beams, lots of plants and natural light; the outdoor patio is 'the best place to pretend you're in a work meeting after Pilates.' Sunlight, smoothies, soft Wi-Fi. That's the agenda.
Laurel Supply vs. Erewhon · the ultimate trendy-grocery showdown
Erewhon for people who think Erewhon got too mainstream. A head-to-head across vibe, crowd, hot bar, smoothies, seating and core attitude: one says 'I live here,' the other says 'Look at me, I'm luxury.' One is a grocery st…
Paying for an illusion · Healing is expensive, but cheaper than therapy
Flexing used to be the bag; now it's which adaptogens are in your smoothie and which farm your olive oil comes from. Laurel Supply was never just selling groceries; it's selling the luxe illusion of 'I'm becoming a better version of myself.' $210.24, accepting wellness in…
Bonus: the design inside and out + a section-by-section tour
A six-section tour: produce, hot bar & pizza, sushi, organic butcher, health & beauty, café. Minimalist wood architecture, tons of plants, it feels like a boutique hotel, but it's a seriously great grocery store. LA is already so over the top; this place is just right.
Places in this story
In this series
- Why is everyone photographing a grocery store that never advertised? What we're really buying is a place we want to linger
- Laurel Supply × Erewhon
Read it with the slides →The illustrated version on the LA Guide →
An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).