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Food shopping for newbies in GWH, SSP and SPS — Brooklynian

Food shopping for newbies in GWH, SSP and SPS

lostingreenwoodhts
lostingreenwoodhts
edited November -1 in Greenwood Heights and Sunset Park
I recently authored an e-mail for a new neighbor to Greenwood Hts. (23rd St area) who moved to my block about where to shop for food, both big stores and smaller mom & pops bodega-esc. Totally my wife's and my POV. :)

While this is certainly NOT and total comprehensive post of all the places in Greenwood Hts., Sunset Park, South Park Slope...heck even Windsor Terrace, I wanted to start a discussion about these stores and others.

The favorable response lead me to post an excerpt of the e-mail. I'd love to see a broader discussion of adding places to the list, especially in SSP and a wee-bit of opinion on what's good and not so good (but let's try not to redo the Steve's C-Town thread on the Park Slope Board from earlier this year :!: ).

And away we go (some are a hike, but we like to walk :) ):
darkred wrote: Larger grocery stores:[/color]

Steve's C-Town: 9th St. btwn 5th/6th Aves
(great all around store. Good veggies, deli, fish, meat [though my wife and I are vegetarians], etc.... a wee more pricey, but worth it, and of course, a walk from 23rd St., BEST in the area)

National Grocery: 25th St. at 4th Ave
(Closer, but not as diverse of a selection. Definitely scaled for the Latino population, though the selection is improving. Better veggies as of late. VERY inexpensive, depending your needs)

Eagle Provisions: 17th St at 5th Ave.
(one of the last remaining Polish hold-outs in the 'nabe. If you eat meat, they smoke all their own stuff in house. Great Polish fare, excellent beer selection, veggies are so-so...have heard the new organic market up the block is good. A very unique place and still family owned and run).

Pathmark-Gowanus: 2nd Ave and 13th (next to Lowes)
(big chain supermarket BUT really only accessible by car. Food selection is what you'd expect from a major chain. Only plus for the haul, Big J's Liquors next door. CHEAP prices, depending on your habits)

Smaller grocery stores (a step up from Mom & Pop bodegas):

MET Supermarket: 5th Ave btwn Prospect and 16th St.
(OK. Veggies not great, but for a smaller grocery store, not bad. A lot of our friends in the South Slope shop there)

La Dolche Vita: Corner of 15th St and 7th Ave
(upscale Mom & Pop, but good essentials, full deli, decent beer selection. A bit pricey, but better selection than what's in the 'nabe Mom & Pops)

Big Apple Produce: 5th Ave btwn 18-19th Sts.
(veggie stand only, freshness depends on the time of the week, even day. Supliment to Eagle)

Small shops (Mom & Pop stores):

Guerrero Grocery: 23rd St @ 5th Ave
(100% Mexican. Good Mexican beer selection and lots of authentic spices, food, etc. Very specific)

K&H Grocery: (or K&M, can't remember) 6th Ave and 20th Street
(another Mom & Pop place, a step up from Greenwood. We hit it for OJ, veggie soup, cards, snacks, beer, etc.)

Greenwood Grocery: 7th Ave @ 20th St.
(Mom & Pop place, little bit of everything. Supposedly decent sandwiches, but more for beer and Lotto)

And then there's a million small Mom & pop bodegas places on 5th Ave as you go North and a few places on 7th Ave once you cross the Expressway. Obviously the farther North you walk into the Slope, more you find and more upscale.

Then there's farther South in Sunset Park with Mexican, South American and Chinese, not our expertise. Then there's Fairway in Red Hook. Not been there yet, but rave reviews. Need car :( (NEED INPUT HERE FOLKS)

Unfortunately we do not have a decent green grocer in the 'nabe, though there is this HUGE place on 3rd Ave and 26th Street, Rossman's (UPDATED). Only been there once, have to go back!

Again, unfortunately no decent drug stores close by. For Drug stores, we use , Health Aid Pharmacy at 7th St and 7th Ave., which for the walk is good (right next to Methodist Hospital). Very busy place, but they deliver. There's a smaller place on PPW, right off the circle, Oak Park Pharmacy, OK, but we have used it once. For chain stores, there's a CVS on 9th Street, up from Steve's C-Town and a Eckard on 5th Ave and 9th Street.
Let the discussions begin!
«13

Comments

  • reader
    reader
    My favorite pharmacy is Ansonia Chemist on 7th Ave, between
    10 & 11th. 718-965-0565, they deliver. I've been using them since they opened in the 80's and have never had a bad experience.
  • filmlover44
    filmlover44
    There is an associated on 17th and 5th that is actually very decent

    There is also a decent Health food store a couple doors down from Eagle Provisions (Which I think is on 18th St?).
  • belzjm
    belzjm
    they are opening a union market on 7th and i believe it's 14th street.

    should be opening in the fall.
  • brooklynjack
    brooklynjack
    For big supermarkets I go to Fairway in Red Hook or the Stop and shop on McDonnald and I
  • amethyst
    amethyst

    Subject: Huge produce market

    There's also a HUGE and very cheap produce market on Third Ave. at 26th St., as long as you don't mind crossing under the expressway.
  • joanjettofarc
    joanjettofarc
    I find that the National Grocery on 25th and 4th smells like chemicals. You can taste it in the food. I just can't shop there anymore.
  • magic1
    magic1
    The National on 25th street does have that "scary grocery" smell, like a rancid old floor mop or something. I only go there.....well, never. Eagle is fine but they should be open longer hours and the produce section is pathetic. And NEVER buy anything there without checking the expiration date. :shock: Big Apple does have stuff besides produce: milk, eggs, canned goods.

    Also, what is going to happen to the Eckerd now that Rite Aid has taken over the chain, and there's already a Rite Aid one block away? I was just in the Rite Aid this morning and they are renovating, so I'm guessing the Eckerd will close eventually.

    We really need a good, big supermarket on the southern part of 5th, to service all the new condos. C Town will be a bit of a shlep.
  • rtraindweller
    rtraindweller
    JoanJettofArc wrote: I find that the National Grocery on 25th and 4th smells like chemicals. You can taste it in the food. I just can't shop there anymore.
    i do most of my grocery shopping there since its only 3 blocks away and it's cheap as hell. i've never noticed the chemical smell. was it a one time thing or something that's been getting worse over time? my nose is also always stuff so i never notice smells that everyone else does...
  • lostingreenwoodhts
    lostingreenwoodhts
    rtraindweller wrote: [quote=JoanJettofArc]I find that the National Grocery on 25th and 4th smells like chemicals. You can taste it in the food. I just can't shop there anymore.
    i do most of my grocery shopping there since its only 3 blocks away and it's cheap as hell. i've never noticed the chemical smell. was it a one time thing or something that's been getting worse over time? my nose is also always stuff so i never notice smells that everyone else does...

    Depending on the time of day, National is a potpourri of smells, depending on the time of day you are there. I have smelled cleaning solution when they clean their floors (quite often, it seems...not a bad thing, right?), garlic, fresh tortillas, peppers and even "over-fresh" veggies that need to be tossed. Spin of the wheel, but worth the savings! :)

    they used to have a great outdoor stand along 25th St when we first came to the 'nabe in 2003, but it was moved inside.

    Anyone been here longer know why it was moved in? The City? :roll:
  • kikintina
    kikintina
    There's Rossman Farms on 26th and 3rd. It's similar to Three Guys and Circus Fruits in that it's cheap, but you have to use what you buy SOON because it's ready to go. The nuts and dried fruit are good, too.

    Also, it's open 24 hours a day. You can shop and then take in some of the 3rd Avenue antics as you stroll home.
  • lostingreenwoodhts
    lostingreenwoodhts
    You can shop and then take in some of the 3rd Avenue antics as you stroll home.
    You mean the hookers, Johns and perps under the Gowanus ? ;)
  • kikintina
    kikintina
    Actually, I meant the freelance workers, video watchers, and independent pharmacists. :cyclopsani:
  • jilluary
    jilluary
    I will definitely check out that giant fruit stand on 3rd... I still love Big Apple for fruit and such, more for the conversation with the owner than the food, which is touch and go. tomatoes are looking ugly lately.

    i think the $14R/T car to fairway is worth it, especially for a big trip. We stopped shopping at Eagle because of the outrageous prices ($8 for a jar of roasteed red peppers!?!) and a bout of food poisoning from chicken.

    For the in-between, i hit K&H because it's so close, and Tuniservice on 18th and 6th. The owner is especially nervous when people mill around, but he runs a clean store and is honest. He actually stopped me from buying really old brown sugar the other day that had hardened into a rock.
  • veets
    veets
    Eagle has outlived is flair for me as well. They often don't remove out-dated food from the place. I am not suprise you got food poisoning from the chicken!

    Shop elsewhere!!
  • lostingreenwoodhts
    lostingreenwoodhts
    veets wrote: They often don't remove out-dated food from the place.
    That goes for 85% of most grocery stores, big and small.

    I'd not beat up on Eagle too much. :( Had to toss stuff from C Town and PathMark on occasion. Always read the label.

    best to say that Eagle has very specific items they are good for...Polish fair, good beer selection, etc.

    My 2 cents.
  • southofsouth
    southofsouth
    God I feel old, I shopped at C-Town when it was a Met, and Tuniserve when it was basically a pool hall in the back with Bud in cans offered if you couldn't find what you were looking for. Rite-Aid was just an empty lot, and you could still bank where Eckerds is.
    But the point of the post is that you who are newcomers should remember that you have moved into a neighborhood that has existed long before you arrived, and although you may have a specific idea about convenience and variety, there are some of us who have lived here who aren't that interested, or even capable of, paying your Manhattan prices for items on your wish lists.
    Neergaard is a great pharmacy and been in the area for many years. Brooks is another that is local. Eagle is family run, and why should their lives suddenly be altered to for your younger lifestyles?
    Another grocery that I like is the Met on 5th and 16th st.
    Remember, the beauty of living in New York is that you DON'T have to succumb to the One-Stop-Shopping-Mantra.
  • lostingreenwoodhts
    lostingreenwoodhts
    southofsouth wrote:
    Remember, the beauty of living in New York is that you DON'T have to succumb to the One-Stop-Shopping-Mantra.
    That's the ticket! :)
  • jane_birkin
    jane_birkin
    thanks for all this info!!! i've been a little stuck for options becuse i tend to get home between 8 and 9, and everything is closed by then. i'll try Rossman's when someone can accompany me for the walk.

    and those who have never been to Fairway are missing out big time!! it's overwhelmingly large, but the selection of healthy foods is second to none. go there when you need to stock up on things-- and get their fresh pickles!!
  • rtraindweller
    rtraindweller
    jane_birkin wrote: thanks for all this info!!! i've been a little stuck for options becuse i tend to get home between 8 and 9, and everything is closed by then. i'll try Rossman's when someone can accompany me for the walk.

    and those who have never been to Fairway are missing out big time!! it's overwhelmingly large, but the selection of healthy foods is second to none. go there when you need to stock up on things-- and get their fresh pickles!!
    fairway is amazing! i sadly enough went for the first time this past weekend since a friend with a car just moved to the neighborhood and we stoked up for a BBQ that night. Wow what a selection. Of course now that I have a friend in the neighborhood with a car I'm now moving to a different part of Brooklyn nowhere near Fairway =
  • onthegojoe86
    onthegojoe86
    i don't understand....i thought this forum was for sunset park/GH NOT south slope/park slope proper- how most of the replies have been....i'm talking about sunset park PROPER here which means KEY FOOD on fifth ave in front of the park! - definitely decent and not expensive, although i wish they had a deli section, although you can always go across the street on the north corner of the park and find a decent selection....it's kind of annoying that people that live in the 20's think they live in sunset park, bc its park slope when it comes down to it folks, c'mon!
  • lostingreenwoodhts
    lostingreenwoodhts
    onthegojoe86, part of the discussion (see my original post) was to take what I KNOW (and have recommended) and put it against what other's know...mainly YOU! ](*,)

    I said I was devoid of SSP spots, so please, start a list. That's what this thread is for :)
  • lostingreenwoodhts
    lostingreenwoodhts
    And PS. the entire website is about BROOKLYN, regardless of the board you may post on :)
  • jane_birkin
    jane_birkin
    by the way, onthegoejoe, you might want to know that most native brooklynites still consider the 20s Sunset Park, because that's what it has been most of our lives. but before it was Sunset Park, it was "South Brooklyn" when it was dominated by Polish immigrants and my parents' best friends grew up there.

    it was only about 10 years ago that people conceded that 9th street was Park Slope.

    my point isn't to argue about neighborhood boundaries, but to point out that the boundaries are in flux so let's not argue abut them. the neighborhood of Greenwood Heights is just emerging with its own identity and personality, so let's see how it shakes out. :)
  • onthegojoe86
    onthegojoe86
    i just feel that there's a world of difference twenty blocks away from my place, is all...
  • lostingreenwoodhts
    lostingreenwoodhts
    You are correct :), So write about it. I'd love to know some places you feel folks should check out in SSP.
  • puckey
    puckey

    Subject: Rossman

    jane_birkin wrote: thanks for all this info!!! i've been a little stuck for options becuse i tend to get home between 8 and 9, and everything is closed by then. i'll try Rossman's when someone can accompany me for the walk.
    I am a young female who lives on 26th Street right by Rossman. I know this area is ugly and seemingly unsafe with the "video" stores and the expressway, but I'd just like to say that I feel completely safe walking around at night. I have never been bothered by anyone. The scariest part is the smell that comes from the live poultry place across the street from Rossman.

    Just my thought about the area I like to call "Greenwood Flats." It has a nice ring to it, right?
  • lostingreenwoodhts
    lostingreenwoodhts
    "Greenwood Flats." :cheers:
  • onthegojoe86
    onthegojoe86
    There's also Puebla Mini Market on 39th and Fifth with all this amazing, crazy Mexican stuff and some produce, as well. They even have Squirt- my favorite soda! This place reminds me of Gurerros' on 23rd and Fifth, but not quite as extensive. Puebla also has a a little grilll on the back where they make tacos, quesadillas, and some of the best tortas I've found nearby.

    Also walked by PH Grocery & Supermarket (forgot exact name) on 36th and Fourth Ave. Didn't go in, but the fruits and vegetables they had outside looked quite plump and delcious. This place is basically right outside the subway steps if you you exit the train Gowanus-bound.
  • filmlover44
    filmlover44
    Did anyone mention the Greenwood Heights CSA? I think that they take food stamps too.

    http://www.greenwoodheightscsa.org/
  • kikintina
    kikintina
    Thanks for the Puebla info. I'm going to check it out.
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