We already made the case for Mexican soda in our ranking of the best Mexican sodas in LA. This is the rest of the map. Los Angeles is the most international soda city in the country, and our order history proves it: the same Japanese, Australian, Italian, Salvadoran and British bottles show up in cart after cart, week after week. Here is what each one tastes like, who orders it, and what a case costs delivered to your door.
Want the whole world in one order? Every bottle in this post is in our soda aisle right now. Mix cases freely, they all count toward free LA delivery.
Japan: Sangaria Ramune
The bottle with the marble in the neck. You push the marble down with the little plastic plunger, it drops into the chamber, and the soda is open. Kids lose their minds over it, and adults pretend they do not care and then ask for another one. Ramune is lightly sweet, softly carbonated and comes in an 18 pack of 200 milliliter glass bottles.
- Original. A clean lemon lime style flavor, the one to start with.
- Lychee. Floral and a little perfumed, the flavor people cannot describe and cannot stop drinking.
- Peach. Soft, sweet and very popular with kids.
- Orange and Grape. The bright fruit flavors that round out a party mix.
Who orders it: birthday parties, anime night, anyone with kids, and a surprising number of offices that use it as a Friday treat. Each 18 pack was $36 at the time of writing.
Australia: Bundaberg
Bundaberg is brewed, not just mixed, which is why the ginger beer has real bite and the fruit flavors taste like fruit instead of candy. The squat brown 375 milliliter bottle with the pull ring is instantly recognizable. Every flavor comes in a 24 pack at $52 at the time of writing.
- Spiced Ginger Beer, limited release. The strongest ginger on our site. Drink it straight or make the best mule of your life.
- Passion Fruit. Tart, tropical and the flavor Australians get homesick for.
- Pink Grapefruit. Bitter and sweet in the right balance, a grown up soda.
- Traditional Lemonade. Cloudy, tart and nothing like American lemonade.
- Peach and Root Beer. Softer flavors for the sweet tooth.
Who orders it: cocktail people, expats, and hosts who want the drink table to look like they tried. It is also the soda that shows up most in office orders for people who do not drink cola.
Italy: San Pellegrino sparkling fruit
The slim can with the foil top. San Pellegrino’s fruit sodas use real juice, and it shows. They are less sweet than American sodas, lightly bitter from the peel, and they belong next to a plate of food. Each 24 pack of cans was $35 at the time of writing.
- Aranciata. Orange with the peel still in it. The lunch soda.
- Aranciata Rossa. Blood orange, deeper and a little tarter.
- Limonata. Sharp lemon, the one to serve with anything fried.
- Melograno and Arancia. Pomegranate and orange, the pretty one.
- Ciliegia and Limone. Cherry and lemon, the sleeper hit.
Who orders it: anyone with an Italian grandmother, anyone hosting a long lunch, and offices that want a soda that feels a little healthier without being a sparkling water.
Mexico, the second shelf: Sidral Mundet, Boing and Sangría Señorial
Jarritos gets the headline, but three other Mexican bottles have their own loyal following in LA.
- Sidral Mundet Apple and Green Apple. A sparkling apple soda that tastes like actual apple juice with bubbles. Grandparents swear by it for an upset stomach. $38 a 24 pack of glass.
- Boing Mango, Guava and Strawberry. Not a soda at all, a pulp drink, thick and fruity with no carbonation. The mango is the one that disappears first. $43 a 24 pack.
- Sangría Señorial. A non alcoholic sparkling sangria flavored soda. It tastes like the drink at a wedding, minus the wine. $40 a 24 pack.
El Salvador: Cuzcatlan
A newer arrival that sells on nostalgia. Cuzcatlan is the Salvadoran fruit soda in the old fashioned glass bottle, and for a lot of families in LA it is the taste of a specific childhood. Orange and Strawberry, both $38 a 24 pack in glass at the time of writing.
Britain: Fentimans
Botanically brewed, which means they actually ferment the botanicals before carbonating. The result is a soda with real depth and a little dryness. Fentimans Ginger Beer is the classic, Ginger Beer and Muddled Lime is the cocktail version in a smaller 200 milliliter bottle, and Pink Grapefruit Tonic is the mixer that makes a boring gin interesting. $42 and $35 a case respectively at the time of writing.
Japan, the tea shelf: Ito En Oi Ocha
Not a soda, but it belongs in any world drinks order. Ito En’s unsweetened Japanese teas are the bottles you see in every convenience store in Tokyo, and they are the most refreshing thing on our site on a hot day. Unsweetened Green Tea, Jasmine Green Tea, Golden Oolong and Roasted Rice Genmaicha, all 12 packs at $28 at the time of writing.
How to build a world soda order
A good starter order for a household that wants variety without committing to 24 of one thing:
- One case of Ramune in Original or Lychee for the fun factor.
- One case of Bundaberg Ginger Beer or Passion Fruit for the adults.
- One case of San Pellegrino Aranciata for lunches.
- One case of Sidral Mundet or Boing Mango for the family.
- One case of Ito En green tea for the no sugar crowd.
That is five cases, which is the Zone 1 minimum, and five more cases of anything gets you free delivery. Enter your ZIP in the checker at the bottom of any page to see your zone.
Frequently asked questions
Which world soda should I try first?
Sangaria Ramune Original if you have kids, Bundaberg Ginger Beer if you do not. Both are crowd pleasers and both are unlike anything American.
Are these real imports?
Yes. Ramune is bottled in Japan, Bundaberg in Australia, San Pellegrino in Italy, Fentimans in the United Kingdom and the Mexican and Salvadoran bottles come from their home countries. The product page lists the origin and size.
Do the glass bottles need special handling?
No. We pack glass cases so they arrive intact, and you carry them ten feet from the door to the fridge. That is the whole reason to have them delivered instead of hauling them from a store.
Can I order just one case?
Local orders start at 5 cases in Zone 1 and 10 cases in Zone 2, but you can mix any cases you like. One of each of five different sodas is a perfectly normal order.
Are the prices current?
Prices were correct on the day this was written and can change. The product page always shows the current case price with CRV included.
Browse the full soda aisle or jump to all categories to see everything we deliver.
