Online grocery shopping services for remote workers in Rome!

Whether you’re planning to come to Rome to work from the Eternal City for an extended period of time or you’re already here and finding your way around town, there is one thing you should know about the myriad of supermarkets and grocery stores in the center that you see around your new accommodation: they’re convenient, but they’re really only there for essentials!

Under normal circumstances, these fall under the “lifesavers” category, in that they cater mostly to office workers looking for a quick lunch break, or to tourists staying in the city center who are after basic ingredients for their self catering needs.

The great dilemma: where do locals go for groceries?

After Covid-19 hit, these small shops (many of them including nationwide chains like Coop, Carrefour or PAM), have proved insufficient to satisfy the needs of most other categories, including some of the locals living in the city center.

Right! Locals! So where to they go for their groceries?

Street markets represent one of the available options, but they certainly don’t carry all the items one needs as they mostly have fresh produce and that’s about it.

What about bigger supermarkets or malls? Indeed, they would be the place to go, but one would need a vehicle to reach them, on account of where they are located (which is outside of the city center). So where does this leave us (and them)?

Online, is the answer!

Apps and websites to get groceries delivered

A growing number of web services is targeting users who are too busy, too far away from big supermarket locations or even just stuck at home with their remote jobs so as to help them with their grocery needs.

Said web services work through an app or a dedicated portal and for the most part they offer a contactless delivery (if it seems like they don’t, you can always choose to mention this in the instructions you leave at the end of your order!), which means you can have your shopping delivered on the landing of your Roman apartment, which is the common way to go as most places in central Rome do not have a backyard that can be used for this purpose.

For those who have a hard time with technology, most chains of supermarkets will be happy to arrange a local delivery for you, but be warned that apps and the like are here to stay so again, a growing number of the aforementioned chains is opting to direct their customers towards those.

That said, these are some of the most common apps/websites for your grocery shopping online!

Glovo

Glovo is, of course, the very same app which represents of the main food delivery apps available in Rome (and Italy). As part of its features, it also gets your groceries (or medications!) from any of the stores that are near your location (all services we mention either ask you for your zip code or rely on your GPS being on to do so). At From Home to Rome, we find it slightly easier to use the Glovo website version rather than the app, but maybe it’s just us! Note that you can rely on the service having an English version.

More information is available on their official website.

Everli

Everli is not a supermarket per se but relies on a network of participating stores through a system that’s similar to Glovo’s, in that you’ll have a list of supermarkets available to deliver your groceries among those that are in your immediate area.

While we love this service, it’s not ideal for first-time expats in Rome as it doesn’t come in different languages, so you’d better have someone who speaks Italian near you as you prepare to shop on this website! All Everli personnel will come with their own vehicle but they will be recognizable through a badge (among other things). Pro-tip: when a delivery guy from Everli calls, the number will appear as starting with 045 on your mobile phone.

More information is available here.

Esselunga a casa

Esselunga a casa is the popular delivery service by supermarket behemoth Esselunga, with just a handful of shops in the Rome area. This website/app also comes only in Italian and the online shopping begins by asking your Roman zip code. To find yours, you can go here (this is pretty self-explanatory: just type in the address for your accommodation). If the zip code matches an area where Esselunga does deliver, you’re good to go. Otherwise… you’d better try some other shop! Note that Esselunga also does store pickup (but locations may not be convenient for you, so double check!)

From experience, Esselunga is basically mobbed by users, so if you do get to use it, don’t be disappointed if your delivery can’t happen right away but is offered to you on the following day – this is pretty common. On the plus side, Esselunga also lets you pay by PayPal.
Note: delivery personnel from Esselunga wears a uniform and drives small orange trucks with an extremely recognizable Esselunga logo.

More information here.

Easy Coop

Easy Coop is the dedicated online portal for popular supermarket chain COOP. The website works literally like Esselunga, by having you type in your Roman zip code to locate you. Also like Esselunga, the website is in Italian and accepts Paypal payments on top of major credit cards. The last time we used this, the website even sent in the picture of the employee tasked to deliver our groceries (so as to avoid any confusion!). Nice touch.

Find more information at this address.

Amazon Prime Now

Of course Amazon does grocery shopping, too! And delivery for some areas of Rome is guaranteed within the hour. The portal works like Easy Coop and Esselunga, therefore by punching in you zip code. The actual shopping is done at PAM/Panorama or Unes stores, as well as at Amazon itself and is available only to Amazon Prime clients.

You would think that Amazon would provide a version of this portal for English-natives, but alas it doesn’t.

Find the service here.

More online grocery services are here!

Conad online

One more major supermarket store, again with an Italian-only website. Depending on your location, it will give you the chance of ordering online or picking up from the closest participating store.

Information is here.

Eataly

The world-known food hall also delivers your groceries, but be warned that they don’t have any cleaning supplies or any non-food items, for that matter! Also be aware that while the food at Eataly has stellar quality, it also is extremely expensive. One more website that works by putting in your local zip code.

Official page here.

Zolle

One of many similar services working to get you fresh produce (and meat, cheese, eggs). You basically subscribe to the website and receive a crate of high quality products handpicked from over 80 farms. You can select vegan or vegetarian options, and decide to have them delivered at your door every day or every week, depending on your needs.

Here’s their official website.

General information on online grocery shopping: how do these websites work?

Finally, here is some information on the way these services operate, on average. This is intended for those who are not familiar with online grocery shopping, and may feel overwhelmed by the fact that these websites are largely intended for Italian-speaking audiences.

• Registration: works as on any other website. Don’t feel weirded out if you’re asked for your mobile number: an employee will call if any of the requested items is out of stock, or to let you know of any other issues. This will also be used to send you notices (delivery will be delayed, etc.).
• Choosing your items: type in what you’re looking for or browse the different categories. For any item, you’re typically asked to accept an alternative if the product is out of stock, or to have someone call you with available options (Everli is particularly good at this). You can always double check what you’ve bought or your settings by clicking on your cart, or right before ok-ing your purchase.
• Time of delivery: with all of these services, you choose a timeslot for delivery that is convenient for you. If you’re in a hurry and need your groceries as soon as possible, you will pay extra.
• Costs incurred: most services will offer free delivery for shopping over a certain amount of money. Some websites, such as Glovo or Everli, will offer you a premium service that works as a yearly subscription so as to cut delivery costs.
• Payment methods: you can always pay by credit card or with cash upon delivery. A minority of websites does accept PayPal.

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