Directory
Eastern European shops in the South of France
Eastern European groceries are genuinely available in the South of France. Nice has 5 shops, Marseille 2, Toulouse 2, Montpellier 2. If no shop is nearby, katucha.fr delivers nationwide. Always check opening hours before making the trip.
Shops by city
Only verified locations are listed here: addresses confirmed across Pages Jaunes, Mappy and official directories. Opening hours change — call ahead or check Google Maps before visiting.
Nice
Nice has the densest cluster of Eastern European shops in the South of France — a legacy of the Russian community that has lived here since the reign of Tsar Nicholas I.
| Shop | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kazatchok | 105 rue de Roquebillière, 06300 | Affordable ready-to-eat options; Mon–Sat 10:00–20:00, Sun 12:00–17:00 |
| Avrora | 29 rue Arson, 06300 | Riquier quarter; groceries, books, DVDs, sports gear; daily 9:00–22:30 |
| Matriochka | 10 bd Tzarewitch, 06000 | Standard range: caviar, canned goods, sweets |
| Kalinka | 12 rue d’Angleterre, 06000 | Jarred borscht, pickles, Eastern European juices and sweets |
| Gastronomie Russe | 6 bd Gambetta, 06000 | Near the cathedral; frozen pelmeni, varenyky, kvas, mors |
Montpellier
| Shop | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| La Belle Russie | 29 bd Louis Blanc, 34000 | Near Gare Saint-Roch; caviar, smoked salmon, vodka, Moldovan wines, Saint-Petersburg porcelain; Mon–Sat 10:00–19:00, tel. 04 67 63 47 38 |
| Épicerie d’Europe de l’Est | 14 rue Rondelet, 34000 | Eastern European range; near the city centre |
Marseille
| Shop | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Anahit | 9–11 bd de la Liberté, 13001 | Armenian-Russian grocery near Saint-Charles station; 7 days 9:00–20:00; also a second site: 165 bd de Pont de Vivaux, 13010 |
| Diana | 5 bd Louis Salvator, 13006 | Eastern European speciality shop; 7 days 8:00–22:00 |
Toulouse
| Shop | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Suzanna Épicerie Russe | 143 rue du Faubourg Bonnefoy, 31500 | Mon–Sat 10:00–20:00, Sun 10:00–19:00; tel. 05 61 49 82 88; caviar, smoked salmon, cheeses, charcuterie |
| Mixt Market City | 49 av. des États-Unis, 31200 | Mon–Sun 9:00–20:00; tel. 09 53 61 37 53; Balkan, Russian, Romanian, Armenian products |
If there’s no shop in your town
Most towns in the South of France — Narbonne, Perpignan, Avignon, Nîmes, Arles, Agde, Sète, Béziers and around 380 others — have no dedicated Eastern European shop. Three routes that work:
1. Mainstream supermarkets
Carrefour and Auchan hypermarkets stock:
- Sarrasin décortiqué (buckwheat): in the grains aisle.
- Kéfir: dairy aisle.
- Filets de hareng fumés (smoked herring): fish aisle, Carrefour Classic’ own brand.
- Fromage blanc: tvorog substitute.
- Pumpernickel / dark rye: Lidl carries it regularly.
2. Turkish and Maghrebi grocers
Every southern French town has at least one épicerie orientale or épicerie du monde. You’ll find sarrasin, halal charcuterie, cheeses, dried fruits, pulses, and sometimes dark bread — often cheaper than specialist shops.
3. Group trips and shared orders
People in the “Vibe South of France” chat regularly organise group outings to Nice, Marseille or Toulouse with shared shopping runs. A great way to stock up and meet people at the same time.
What to find in mainstream supermarkets
| Product | Where to look | French name |
|---|---|---|
| Buckwheat | Carrefour, Auchan (hypermarket) | Sarrasin décortiqué / Kasha |
| Kefir | All large chains | Kéfir |
| Tvorog substitute | Everywhere | Fromage blanc |
| Smetana substitute | Dairy aisle | Crème fraîche épaisse (30%) |
| Smoked herring | Carrefour, Intermarché, Lidl | Filets de hareng fumés |
| Dark/rye bread | Lidl, Aldi | Pain de seigle, Pumpernickel |
| Sunflower oil | Everywhere | Huile de tournesol |
| Sauerkraut | Canned goods, Aldi/Lidl | Choucroute crue |
Tip: a full-size hypermarché (with a car park, open until 20:00–21:00) will have a much broader range than a city-centre Carrefour Market.
Online delivery across France
katucha.fr — online shop based in Metz. Daily Colissimo shipping to all of metropolitan France (up to 20 kg per order). Range: canned goods, grains, sweets, tea, sauces. Frozen items: pick-up only at their Metz address.
lamaisonrusse.com — Russian delicatessen and gifts. Ships across France and the EU; free delivery to a relay pickup point on orders over €75.
slavmarket.fr — widely known, but delivery covers only Paris and Île-de-France. Not useful for the South.
Practical tip: for a first online order, stick to dry goods and canned items — the delivery risk is minimal. Fresh and frozen products are better collected on a trip to a physical shop.
The community is the best directory
Addresses are a useful starting point, but real-time information — what’s actually on the shelves right now, which shop has closed, where a new one has opened — lives with people. The “Vibe South of France” chat brings together several hundred Russian-speaking residents across the South, who share exactly this kind of practical detail.
Join here: Vibe South of France community chat on Telegram — shops, relocation and life in southern France
See also
- Insider’s guide for the South of France — doctors, churches, translators
- Relocating to the South of France — housing, paperwork, first steps
- Nice: community, housing, shops
- Marseille: guide
- Toulouse: guide
- Montpellier: community and relocation
- Perpignan: guide
- Avignon: guide