Where are the supermarkets in New York?

This title may seem somewhat strange and the answer may be obvious to many people. But I always get so many questions about supermarkets in New York, people saying that they didn’t see markets here, people questioning how we live without Walmart, that I decided to write a post to say that yes, there are supermarkets in New York! The point is that they are not superstores like Walmart. But there are several chains with many locations throughout the city, super complete, that meets 100% the need for any person. So I decided to talk a little about the chains that I know.

Trader Joe’s – my favorite one! Trader Joe’s is loved among New Yorkers and if you visit one of the locations you will need patience, since there is no trick: they are always crowded and there are always lines at the checkout. But I guarantee that the wait is worth it. Trader Joe’s works with own products and one of its greatest advantages are the prices, which are great – do not forget we’re talking about New York, a super expensive city! It is one of the only markets where prices of fruits and vegetables do not cost a kidney. I love walking the halls and explore the varied and differentiated products that the market offers. Trader Joe’s is so cool that occasionally some website on the Internet do a list of products that are a must – you can check out one here.

Fairway – my second favorite one! Not the best place to buy fruits and vegetables, but it has a very complete bakery with fresh breads, cakes, cheesecake, cookies and cupcakes. The butcher has several options, with many cuts of meat and seafood. The cheeses are amazing! There are gluten free products, several healthy options, ice cream, beer and so on. It is a very complete market and prices are ok too!

Whole Foods – It is a market with healthy appeal and this is also reflected in the prices, which are quite expensive. It has many organic and natural options and several different things, such as machine to make your peanut butter, a machine to grind coffee and even a natural cosmetics department. Another highlight is the buffet, perfect for a healthy lunch and a fair price. To be honest, I don’t think Whole Foods is very unique – more of the products with natural / healthy appeal / organic / vegan I find the at Fairway.

Gristedes – I included Gristedes on this list to make it clear that it should not be your grocery option in New York. It works 24 hours, so it will be very useful if you need something very specific late night. Otherwise, Gristedes is not for shopping every day, because the prices are expensive.

Key Food – It has cheaper prices than Fairway and Whole Foods, but is a more basic market – means it will not be so easy to find something more specific – mainly talking about gluten-free, organic products, etc. It is not that it doesn’t have such products, but the range is smaller. Now the rest of the categories, it well meets the needs. But I don’t like the way the goods are arranged – it doesn’t  make much sense to me.

K-Mart – I include this on the list because it is the favorite of many Brazilians, but I can not talk much about it because I don’t go there. The advantage is that it is located in a very central area – very convenient for tourists.

Obviously, these are not the only supermarket chains that exist here, but I preferred to talk about what I know. There are other networks such as Dagostino and Food Emporium. For those who are coming to live in NYC, I suggest researching the options in your neighborhood, after all, a market has to be close to home, right? For those coming traveling and want to go to a market, I suggest doing the same and search near the area. Use an app like Yelp. Now that you already know some names, it is easier to recognize and even look for some of them.

To complete the post, I decided to talk about a few more things that can be useful both for those who come to live or a curiosity:

– Fruit stands –  it will be impossible for you to walk the streets of New York and not see at least one fruit stand. They are located through a lot of corners in the city, offering fresh and seasonal items. Enjoy! These fruits and vegetables are cheaper than those sold in supermarkets and have great quality.

– GreenMarkets – these are open air markets that offer fruits, vegetables and local products, purchased directly from the producer. They are fresh and also with a much more affordable price. One of the most famous happens at Union Square every Saturday from 8am to 6pm. Here, you can check the addresses and times of greenmarkets throughout the city.

– Drugstores– No, you didn’t read it wrong. American drugstores are true convenience stores. In addition to medicines and vitamins, they offer cosmetics, some cleaning products, food and beverages. You can buy milk, beer (yes!), Cold meats, juices, chocolates, cookies … they usually don’t have the best prices, but it can be helpful and sometimes there are great deals. Look for chains such as CVS, Duane Reade, Rite Aid and Walgreens. There’s always one near you, you can be sure.

– Walmart –  this was a tip from a friend and I think it’s great for those who live here. I buy hygiene and cleaning products and some processed items at Walmart. If you buy $50, delivery is free, so I buy everything I need and the price is much more affordable – you don’t want to know the price of toilet paper in New York, hahaha. But not worth buying in a hurry, because the delivery takes up to a week.

– Costco –  is a wholesale supermarket. People say prices are great, but you must be a member (the membership costs $ 50/year) and you also need to have space at home to store everything.

– Target – Target is a hypermarket – almost the same style as Walmart and also think it can be a great option for those who live or who are visiting. In Manhattan, there is a location in Harlem and another, more compact, in Tribeca. There are other units outside the island as well.

You can check out all the addresses of the markets that I mentioned earlier on the map below!