Tucked into the chili-pepper-lit neighborhood known to most as Curry Row is a serious Indian market with spices, rare fresh herbs, and a beer selection vast enough to make even jaded East Village shoppers pay attention. More
This West African market distributes Senegalese food and ingredients all around the country, but it's worth stopping in for a visit to learn more about a cuisine that doesn't get much love in New York. More
The aptly named Moscow on the Hudson right off the 181st Street stop on the A train feeds the Russian community of Washington Heights. It's not Brighton Beach, for a lot of Manhattan residents, it's a closer-by market for Russian staples. More
Miami transplants Jeremy and Luis know how to press a good Cuban sandwich, and they'll press one for you at their bright-teal-and-hot-pink Cafetería La Mejor on Suydam in Bushwick. More
The sloping, tree-lined Victory Boulevard that crisscrosses Staten Island's Tompkinsville neighborhood offers visitors a spectacular view of Manhattan. But it's more than a pretty residential street with views that would make a Brooklyner rethink their rooftop: it's also the heart of the Sri Lankan community that's taken hold on Staten Island (with some great restaurants to boot).
It's also home to Lanka Grocery.
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The first hint that you've entered Argentinean/Uruguayan territory is the telephone pole on the corner of Corona Avenue and Junction Boulevard. It's painted blue and white, the colors of the flags of both countries. The second hint? El Gauchito: a butcher/restaurant. Don't be fooled by the seemingly small spot. Inside you'll find enough Argentinean goods to make any hardened expat or recent tourist ecstatic. More
In the bizarre and expensive world of New York real estate, it seems counter-intuitive to move from Brooklyn to Manhattan in search of a bigger spot, but that's exactly what the Bedford Cheese Shop did. In July 2012, they opened a second—larger—location on Irving Place, in Gramercy. More
Look close under the green and white awning and you'll notice, in the window, brightly painted signs advertising dried fruits and nuts, homemade salads, and more. Welcome to Carmel, a tiny but wonderfully stocked Middle Eastern grocery in Forest Hills. The products are fresh, the staff is friendly, and the affordable prices can't be beat. More
It's easy to miss the block-and-a-half-long Stuyvesant Street in the East Village, and more, to miss the neon sign marking the entry to Sunrise Mart. But through those doors and up one story in a small elevator, you'll find a gem of Japanese market—tucked away in plain sight. More
Despaña has one of the best selections of Spanish ingredients and prepared food in the city. Take our tour before you stock up on your next trip. More
To many, the bucolic tree-lined neighborhood of Glendale, Queens is known as 'Little Germany,' although, as is want to happen in New York, it's changing. "You used to walk the streets here and everybody spoke German, old ladies scrubbing the stoops outside, that kind of stuff," Werner Lehner recounted one recent Friday morning outside Stammtisch Pork Store and Imports on Myrtle Avenue. If you're looking for that old German feel (and flavor), Stammtisch is where you'll find it. More
For 39 years, Caputo's Fine Foods has occupied a tiny sliver of space—just enough for wall of shelves and a butcher counter—at 460 Court Street. In that time, it's become an institution. Lines for fresh mozzarella are long on weekends, and many a restaurant, like Buttermilk Channel, make a weekly trek to buy mozzarella in person. More
St. Mark's Place might seem an odd location for a kosher Middle Eastern market, what with its sidewalk vendors hawking colorful socks, spiky jewelry and gothic ware. Then again, Holyland Market—with its Hamsa emblem, its oh-so-New-York history, and Haran, its super-friendly, super-knowledgeable Latin-music-playing employee—seems very much at home among its neighbors. More
The sign crowning the awning of Eagle Provisions—whitewashed plywood with hand pained lettering in orange and black—seems like it's been there a long time. And it has: 34 years, an eternity in the gentrifying neighborhood south of Park Slope and north of Sunset Park. People come to Eagle Provisions for two reasons: its house-smoked kielbasa and its staggering selection of beer from around the world. More
Today, Astoria's "Little Brazil"—the stretch of 36th Avenue around the N/Q subway stop—is a different place. "Most Brazilians have gone home [to Brazil]," says Ricardo, owner of Rio Market. I'm just one of the last places left selling Brazilian goods." Take a tour of the aisles for mate gourds, cassava snacks, and lots of cheesy bread. More
It's easy to walk by this adorable West Village shop, but you'd be missing out on a British expat's dream come to true. Take a tour of Myers of Keswick, which has been selling packaged goods and hot-from-the-oven scones to Brits for decades. More
Like a trip to Flushing, where English signs are hard to come by, a stroll down Lee Avenue in Brooklyn's South Williamsburg—home to the Satmar Chassidim—uncovers a community conducted (almost entirely) in Yiddish. Shwartz Kosher Supermarket, which has served the community for over 50 years, can help with the translation. More
Chinatown can be wonderfully chaotic, and often a mere stroll along Mott or Mullberry will turn up a serendipitous find. Sometimes, though, you need a little bit of guidance to navigate the exhaustive maze of pan-Asian grocers. If you're looking for Thai ingredients, and some know-how for what to do once you find them, then head deeper south, past the crush of Canal Street, to the otherwise nondescript Mosco Street, where you'll find the Bangkok Center Grocery. More
Like the immortal gods of strength and stamina (descendants, no less, of Earth and Heaven) from which it borrows its name, Titan Foods is a giant among Greek grocers. Take a tour of this Astoria giant, which sells about a dozen varieties of olives, some of the best feta in New York, and everything else you'd need to cook and eat like a Greek. More
Despite its small size and appropriate name—Mini Market—the impeccable Midoriya stocks an astonishing number of products. From Hello Kitty chocolates to garlic shrimp chips to frozen smelt roe, both native (and adventurous) palates and newcomers to Japanese cuisine will be satisfied by its offerings. More
On a quiet side street off Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside, Queens, there's a cartoony wooden cutout of a maniacally gleeful butcher (with unnaturally blue eyes), grasping a red cow. Then you notice the shamrocks painted on the window behind him. And the bold red letters hinting at other treats inside: boiling bacon, corned beef, black and white pudding, rashers. Welcome to The Butcher's Block, one of NYC's few Irish grocery stores. More
Polish groceries are common in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood, but if you're looking for Polish baby food, or Polish laundry detergent, or those Polish candy bars you fell in love with the last time you were in Warsaw, you need to go to The Green Farms Supermarket. More
The sausage is definitely the draw at Emily's, which has been serving the Italian community of East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for 35 years. (Now it's where the chef at Motorino buys his sopressata.) But there's plenty more to be found on the shelves. Take a tour with us and meet owner Jerry Alperti. More
It would be a mistake to write off The Angel's Fruit Market as just any other produce stand. The aisles are treasure troves of hard to find, esoteric ingredients from Central and South America and from much of Mediterranean Europe. Take our tour around and prepare to get inspired. That dish you're planning to cook will take on new meaning. More
@bkfoodie131: empanadas to go and to stay at El Guachito!
@janav: medialunas across the street at Río Plata bakery!
Hummus (and the rest) will run you >$3 and I don't know what goes into the Romanian eggplant (which is a spread and excellent on the Queens Bakery pita) but I assure you it's delicious.
@Farro: they do have genuine wasabi root! Though not every day and it's expensive (though otherwise as tinybanquetcommittee notes, prices are definitely good). Call ahead to check!
@AndrewCoe: Sausages are from Forest Pork Store, in neighboring Ridgewood. It's on the corner of Woodbine and Forest, but they no longer do retail. I've been assured they're "German to the core" and from the looks of them, I'm sure the weisswurst won't disappoint!
yeesh. typo morning. thanks @metaphora
@Otis: No Tim Tams when I was there, though it is possible they were sold out at the moment.
@Greenlass: Thanks for the interesting updates. Also, I'm always looking for new markets to cover, so if you have some tips for good spots to get Arab and Palestinian food, do send them my way!
@HungryDan...I stopped in at their mid-afternoon lull, so they didn't have fresh ones on hand but they definitely make bacalhau daily. No shrimp pastels, just chicken!
@PhillyRay...no Cachaça unfortunately. But you could ask them if they can recommend liquor stores in the area that carry their favorite brands? (How's your Portuguese ;))
I'll add to the mix that the bakeries in Chasidic Williamsburg are some of my favorites in NYC, and Flaum's has its own outpost on Lee Ave with all the smoked fish you could want. There seems to be a division of labor among stores, which makes sense given the small, close knit community in that particular neighborhood.
@rodalpho: Not insulting! Just curious. And hey, Brighton Beach's not too far, just don't know where to go. So again, suggestions always welcome :)
@rodalpho: always taking suggestions for better markets. Send them my way!
I sense a new dinner party theme in the making.
How long will the homemade extract keep in the fridge, you think? Indefinitely (ish) if the plant solids are well strained?
@thesteveroller & @saria, thanks for the clarifications! (and recs!)
Cones! Argentinean style gelato...the corn with cinnamon is fantastic. And the white chocolate!
In NYC you can find all of these and more at The Butcher's Block in Queens! Worth the trip! http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2012/07/the-butchers-block-irish-deli-market-tour-sunnyside-woodside-queens.html?ref=title
This place is fantastic. Not sure how I first came upon it - it's a real hole-in-the-wall - but it's worth it. Also a great place to pick up Mexican ingredients, especially dried chilis!
quince! cooked down into succulent blocks of red paste. mm. nostalgia in a spoon.
to izzy's mama...if you are choosing between countries, note uruguayan yerba blends tend to be considerably more bitter than argentine blends. of the argentine blends, as the argentinean roomie, my personal favorite is cruz de malta. however, rosamonte recently came out with a new "suave" version which has all the awesomeness of regular mate but again, is less bitter...not that less bitter is better.
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What?! This is amazing. Popcorn is one thing I always have on hand. Will try this my electric coffee grinder (now reserved for spices) and report back!