In a Pinch

Snag last-minute items at these San Antonio grocery stores open on Thanksgiving Day

Whole Foods Market will make your Thanksgiving meal a success — even if you forgot to buy all the ingredients ahead of time.

Photo courtesy of Whole Foods Market/Facebook

It’s inevitable. Every year, you plan your Thanksgiving meal perfectly, and then, right before the guests arrive, you realize you’re missing that one crucial thing. We all know that stores like Walmart, H-E-B, CVS, and Walgreens can help us out in a pinch, but sometimes we don’t want to brave the crowds. Fortunately, there are a number of other area grocery stores open on Thanksgiving for your last-minute needs (or, let’s be honest, more beer).

Ali Baba International Market
Specializing in foods from Eastern Europe, Pakistan, India, Iran, and the Mediterranean, this grocery store also has a large selection of produce in case you forgot an essential ingredient for one of your dishes. And you might just find a new spice to kick up your traditional holiday fare.
Open: 10 am-10 pm
 9307 Wurzbach Rd. — 210-691-1111

Arlan’s Market
As convenient as your corner Quickie Mart, Arlan’s is the stop when you need more than just a bag of Xtra Cheezy Cheetos Mix-ups. The family-owned chain offers almost everything you would find in a megastore, without the long lines.
Open:  6 am-3 pm 
340 Old Hwy 90 West — 210-434-0694
 2118 S Zarzamora St. Ste. 436 — 210-227-4197
3614 Pleasanton Rd. — 210-922-2159

Central Market
H-E-B's upscale grocery chain may not be the go-to for Tide sticks when you tip the gravy boat onto your aunt’s new blouse, but they have plenty of other things to make your Turkey Day dinner a success, including flowers and tons of wine. Plus, if you find yourself in a pickle with something you purchased there, you can call the “Holiday Hotline” at 210-368-8607 for help.
Open: 8 am-2 pm
4821 Broadway St. — 210-368-8600

La Fiesta
With a large produce department and all the essentials, La Fiesta is where to go when you totally blanked on Thanksgiving Day. You may not find a turkey, but who says you can’t serve pork?
Open: 7 am-3 pm
Multiple locations

La Michoacana Meat Market
The Texas chain is especially known for affordable cuts of meat. If you wake up to a still frozen bird, make lemonade out of lemons, fire up the grill, and head to La Michoacana for some steaks.
Open: 7 am-7 pm
Multiple locations

Larder
You won’t find aisles of fresh ingredients at this tiny market in Hotel Emma, but you can surely cobble together enough gourmet treats for a celebratory meal. Plus, if you really need a break from family, cocktail bar Sternewirth is just around the corner. When you're late getting home with that extra can of cranberry sauce, just blame it on us.
Open: 6 am-6 pm
136 E. Grayson St. — 210-448-8355

Sasha’s European Market
Located in a strip mall, Sasha’s is also a world away, specializing in the foods native to Russia and Eastern Europe. Try a few cubes of Polish sausage in your stuffing to change things up, and don’t forget to stock up on Baltic beer.
Open: 10 am-2 pm
8023 Callaghan Rd. — 210-348-7788

Shahi IndoPak Groceries
Forgot the brown-and-serve rolls? Head over to Shahi for a few packages of freshly baked naan. You might inspire a new holiday tradition.
Open: 10 am-10 pm
20323 Huebner Rd. — 210-481-2225

Sprouts
The health food chain is stocked with great produce, a sizable bulk section, and plenty of plant-based products which all comes in handy when your vegan brother unexpectedly shows up at your door. Plus, the beer and wine selection will help get you through making the extra meal.
Open: 7 am-4 pm
17700 N. US Hwy. 281 — 210-499-1446
8101 Callaghan Rd. — 210-979-8121

Target
Okay, so unless you are having a late dinner you probably won’t be able to make a meal from a last-minute stop to the retail giant. (After all, a package of string cheese and a handful of spaghetti does not mac and cheese make.) But if you need an extra vase to tszuj up your tablescape before guests arrive, this may be your best bet.
Open: 6 pm to midnight
Multiple locations

Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods has everything you will need to make your Martha Stewart Thanksgiving a reality, but the hot bar is where it’s at. Scoop up some vegetables in the morning and your guests will never know you didn’t break a sweat.
Open: 8 am-3 pm
255 E. Basse Rd., St. 130 — 210-826-4676
18403 Blanco Rd. — 210-408-3110

Too busy to run out for that extra pound of butter or a can of cranberry sauce? Amazon Prime Now will be operating in San Antonio 10 am-8 pm and will deliver any number of goods right to your door.

holidays where-to-shop supermarkets

hottest headlines of 2024

10 most popular stories that capture city life in San Antonio in 2024

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Readers were mostly drawn to data about schools and finance, but tree health took precedent.

Editor's note: At the end of 2024, we're looking back at the stories that shaped San Antonio this year. In the case of CultureMap's City Life section, it was actually the other way around: San Antonians were most interested in gathering data and understanding where the city stands against others nationally. This year, we looked into education, income, and retirement. Yet taking care of trees outshined it all. Here are San Antonio's top 10 city stories of 2024.

1. Texas tree group issues dire warning to San Antonio owners of oak trees. A nonprofit dedicated to trees issued a warning to Texas citizens who own oak trees: Put down the pruning shears to avoid oak wilt.

2. Stellar San Antonio high school ranks among America's best in 2024, says U.S. News. The 2024 rankings put BASIS San Antonio - Shavano Campus at No. 64 nationally. The school also ranked No. 13 nationally among the best charter schools and No. 76 among the best STEM high schools.

3. 3 San Antonio-area companies hailed best places to work by U.S. News. Frost Bank, iHeartMedia, and the New Braunfels-based Rush Enterprises, Inc. made the list, which considered work-life balance, quality of pay, stability, and more.

4. 2 San Antonio neighbors relax among best places to retire in the Hill Country. New Braunfels and Boerne hung up their hats with other small towns with relatively low costs of living, low crime rates, and a variety of attractions.

5. San Antonio university ranks No. 18 among best small colleges in U.S. Trinity University has made the high honor roll. The esteemed San Antonio university ranks among America's top 20 small colleges and liberal arts colleges for 2025 by Niche.

6. 2 San Antonio billionaires land on Forbes' new list of richest Americans. Charles Butt and Eleanor Butt Crook, the chairman and a member of the board of directors of H-E-B, respectively, had estimated net worths of $8.9 billion and $3.7 billion.

7. San Antonio is the No. 4 most educated city in the country, says Forbes. In San Antonio, the bachelor’s completion rate for people 25 and up was 67.30 percent, and 29.56 percent of people in that age group have advanced degrees.

8. San Antonio university ranks No. 3 among best Texas colleges for 2025. Trinity University does it again. The private university performed the best in the category for best admission rates, ranking No. 2 with a 28 percent acceptance rate, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Trinity University aerial shot Trinity University made two appearances in this top 10 list.Trinity University/Facebook

9. This is how much it costs to raise a child in San Antonio. Raising a child certainly isn't cheap. In San Antonio and New Braunfels, annual costs of raising just one child can add up to more than $21,000 every year — and that wasn't even that high compared to the rest of the list.

10. Here's what it takes to be a middle class earner in San Antonio in 2024.According to the 2024 edition of SmartAsset's annual report, middle class households in San Antonio would need to make between $39,215 and $117,658.