Kinokuniya International

A high-​end supermarket with over 100 years of tradition, located in the basement floor of AO building.
Kinokuniya started as a fruit market in 1910. They were a pioneer of the western style supermarket in Japan, opening their first one at this location. This flagship store certainly changed their appearance since the old days, as it is now located in the basement floor of a futuristic AO Building in Aoyama. I LOVE this store. It is one of my favorite groceries store in Tokyo.
Key high quality grocery stores near me:
KINOKUNIYA International (Aoyama)
Premium Precce (Tokyo Midtown)
MEIDI-​YA (Hiroo)
National Azabu (Hiroo)
Nissin International (Azabujuban)
Each of these supermarkets has pros and cons. As for Kinokuniya, I really enjoy buying their vegetables and fruits. The quality is top notch. Just 100 meters away from the store is United Nations University where they have farmers market during the weekends. I have had better experience buying fresh produces from Kinokuniya than farmer’s market. Can you believe that? Sure, prices are quite expensive, but so are the prices at the farmers market. Lettuce at Kinokuniya is one of the best.
They bag your groceries. Call me spoiled. I really prefer that the store bags my groceries. My bagging skills are terrible. These professional baggers perfectly assembles my purchases into a paper bag as if they are Tetrix pieces. Beautiful.
WINE: They often have free tasting in their wine section. If you stick to their sale items, they have some good buys.
CHEESE: Awesome. Not too pricey and they have a very good selection of quality cheese.
INTERNATIONAL STUFF: They are not as equipped as National Azabu or Nissin, but they carry a pretty good selection of good for foreigners. They also usually have an English speaking employee. She does not look Japanese, so you can easily spot her out.
CP: Expensive, but for a reason. I purchase all the basic stuff at a discount store online and get them delivered. Therefore, when I go grocery shopping to Kinokuniya, I am looking for veggies, fruits, and things that are interesting. This way, you are not buying all your daily necessities from this premium store.