There are a number of similar names for this small, but mighty, establishment floating around on…read morethe internet: Ninth Avenue International Foods, Ninth Avenue International Market, International Grocery & International Food, Ninth Avenue International Grocery, or just what's written on the sign: International Grocery. Whatever the actual name, it seems that this Mediterranean specialty store has been open since 1947, run first by the Smitsis Family, and then the Karamouzis (including brothers Sotiris, Dinos, and Panayiotis). The Karamouzis moved it a few doors north to its present location in 1983. The neighborhood around the store has evolved a great deal over the years, but inside, old world charm persists. Everywhere you look there are bulk bins, barrels, and sacks brimming with: - Spices: all the staples needed for Mediterranean, Indian and North African cuisines, including za'atar, dried tamarind, cloves, allspice, rock salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, red pepper, black mustard seed, etc... - Dried fruits: pineapple, apricots, raisins, figs, diced orange peel, dates, etc... - Dried nuts: cashews, macadamias, almonds in every form, walnuts, pistachios, etc.. - Grains, beans, lentils, and flours - Coffee I love that International Grocery has stuck with bins and barrels for all these years. Bulk bins were the norm when the store first opened and are so much more environmentally friendly than the ubiquitous single use plastic packaging we see nowadays. Environmentally conscious folks are increasingly coming around to appreciate bulk bins and I wouldn't be surprised if they became the hot "new" trend in coming years. If you stick with something for long enough, it comes back into fashion, right? The wonders don't end with all those glorious bins, however. Far from it. Improbably, all of the following (and more) also neatly fit into a store the size of a suburbanite's two-car garage: - Olives -- about 10-15 kinds by my last count, but I've seen even more varieties at times. I love my crisp, green Castelvetranos and black Kalamatas; the Progeny loves her pimento-stuffed Manzanillas. - Antipasti (mushrooms, artichokes, giardiniera, gigantes plaki) and preserved lemon peel - Feta (Bulgarian, Greek) and other cheeses - Tzatziki and other spreads - A variety of fresh and packaged pastries (baklava, kourabiedes, koulourakia) and halvas - Olive oils, pomegranate molasses, carob molasses - Pita breads and pasta - Rose water - Amardeen (an apricot leather used to make a Syrian drink of the same name) Prices are quite fair and the owners + staff are kind, generous, gentle and gracious. When my 10-year old privately expressed interest in the orange peel to me, one of the owners overheard and offered her some to try. They didn't look at all askance when she delightedly opened various bins to sniff the beautiful aromas within. (I did teach her to waft the smells to her nose by hand a la chemistry lab, instead of sticking her head into each bin.) As much as I detest the areas around Port Authority -- it's one of the dirtiest, smelliest parts of NYC -- I do go out of my way for International Grocery and will for as long as we're both around.

Absolutely love this place! First found it when looking for some spices I'd never heard of before…read morefor a Palestinian dessert. International Grocery had these and many other spices, grains, nuts, flours, everything you can think of, from multiple cuisines from many cultures around the Mediterranean. They also have fresh halvah, and delicious spanakopita, freshly made! I got into the habit of buying several generous servings-- one for now, several for my freezer. What a great find!

UPDATE--I have since located the additional parking-located on the side of the store, thus I now…read moreshop here more often than I already did. Tripe for menudo? pork for Pozole, beef for bbq or birria tacos--- THIS is the place to go... I also love that they have most of the hispanic spices and brands that my Nana used when cooking for delicious meals for us growing up. Tamale season is fast approaching and this is my place to shop for all my cooking and baking holiday needs, masa, cheese, husks, meat, chilis and spices. Alos, I am lazy and do not want to bake my own pan dulce until Christmas time, so I buy it here!! Take the time to look around and shop, you might even find new items to try out.

Los cajeros deberían tener retroalimentación hacia como tratar a los clientes ,sobre todo con los…read morellamadas telefónicas, son malcriados y no responden amablemente. No es posible que te cuelguen la llamada bruscamente, hay muchas personas que desean trabajar y tienen experiencia en atención al cliente.

Amazing Balkan spot…read more 1) This spot specializes in Balkan items from Albania, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria. 2) I got this banana chocolate from Croatia, which was unique. 3) Drinks from Albania and Ossetia, which were great. 4) Also got Ajvar, which was delicious. 5) The prices here are very reasonable.

Great food market! I was shopping for some Arabic seasonings! And they helped me make my selection!…read moreThank ema for the great shopping experience! @travelingfoodguys

Again, why I didn't write my review sooner is beyond me- it was in my notebook, but no check mark…read more Anyway- Small store by some standards, but I found that it had everything I needed to restock my pantry of items I had used up over the year. I usually wait to buy my supplies before winter hits. I have a very hard time finding the Chinese sausage the Kam Yen Jan brand, not sure why it's hit and miss at stores, but it is, not sure if it just not popular in the east coast as much as it is in the west coast where I could buy it at any Asian market. Thought and suggestions on where I could purchase, would be greatly appreciated, because when I do find it, I usually buy about 10 packages. Super nice staff, the hot food section was a nice surprise. Produce area was clean and I didn't have a problem navigating the aisles for what I wanted.

Recently got to the area and am impressed and happy to have found this place. The selection of…read moreAsian groceries was fantastic. I found a wide variety of fresh produce, including unique Asian vegetables and fruits. The quality of the produce and other products was excellent. Everything looked fresh and well-maintained. You can see employees prepping and bagging/wrapping fresh produce. The meat and seafood counters were well-stocked. There was also a traditional chinese BBQ counter with things like Char Siu and crispy roasted pork which was a great and welcomed suprise to me. The aisles were filled with a good range of spices, sauces, noodles, and other pantry staples from different asian cultures that I stocked up on. You can tell the store was a little older and gives your traditional Asian supermarket vibes so if that holds you back, I would say give them a chance anyway as it is clean, well-organized, and reminds me of my childhood stores. I found the prices to be very competitive.

Meh. These spots usually offer good value, you're not getting Whole Foods quality but pay a lot…read moreless. Here it's second/third quality, but not dirt cheap.

Love this place best produce meat and seafood in area. Wonderful fresh produce and wonderful staff…read more Got the cross cut spare ribs yesterday outstanding

Went shopping to prepare for a lunch gathering at home. I was a bit nervous going in, because it…read morewas my first time visiting and was immediately intimidated by the food labels in Russian/English. I started asking one of the attendants about the ingredients when she gestured to get someone else to help in English. The lady that came over was so friendly, patiently explained any dishes I had questions about, gave me samples to make decisions, and gave me candid recommendations on the entrees and desserts. She spent a total of 15-20 minutes with me just to plan a small gathering for three: three types of salad, Hungarian chicken, lamb samsa, and two types of deserts, which rang up to $70. The salads were instant home runs, so fresh and tasty, and everyone raved about it. Most customers speak Russian with the attendants, and it looks like most attendants can provide at least minimal assistance in English. I see myself coming back regularly to try other goodies.

The most unfriendly food store. Ask for help the lady looked right at me and didn't say anything…read morejust looked down at whatever she was reading. I ask someone else behind the meat counter no answer. So maybe they are friendly to some people but not all. It's ok because we have a bunch of international food stores of different ethnic food all of the place. Never again here.

Always great customer service, and we always find what we need. Prices are good and always able to…read morebuy our European snacks! They have different types of frozen Burek. Granted fresh ones always taste way better but this is the second best thing when you get that crave.

I worked at Euromarket in Astoria, Queens, New York for 8 full days. The owner, Panayiotis Menikou,…read moretold me to bring two forms of ID and said we would complete the paperwork later. After I left for personal reasons, he initially avoided paying me -- not answering calls and not showing up to work when I came by. I eventually went to the store late one night to speak with him in person. After arguing for about 20 minutes, he only paid me half of what he owed me. During my time there, I also witnessed serious food safety issues. The store was selling expired products -- including pantry items and drinks -- and instead of discarding them, employees were instructed to erase expiration dates using rubbing alcohol. Several customers even complained about expired items while I was there. Please be aware of these practices before supporting this business.

Great friendly service. One of the few places you can get very good Pihanha steak like at the…read morechurrisca restaurants. Be sure to get a special salt..

Great staff, fantastic meats, just a very nice place to shop. Everyone is so friendlyread more

Been going for about 1 year now and the food is consistently excellent. Service is quick, staff is…read morefriendly. Just love that charred taste. Try it, you'll be hooked. Wayne

Been looking for a good gyro since the Greek restaurant next to Costco in Brick closed. Most spots…read morewe have visited recently no long have the spit and are giving you a version of a souvlaki sandwich and calling it a gyro. The Greek Spot with 3 locations at the shore has the meet on the spit, makes your gyro to order and allows you to choose your veggies and sauce. Though not as convenient for me in Brick, it was worth the trip to Ocean.

It is good to find a halal butcher with such a nice selection of lamb. On the down side, you must…read morewait a long time for attention at the butchery even if no one else is there, which is frustrating. I think this is mostly if you are a woman. Cashiers are very nice. The grocery has some very good Turkish products. The bakery is average. Prices! This is an expensive market. For example, Cafe Najjar is $16.99 at Istanbul Grand Bazaar. This is more than twice as expensive as it is at Balady in Bay Ridge. I was shocked. For the prices alone I will shop elsewhere.

Amazing store! Great variety of products, fair prices. The meat section is superb. Impressed by the…read morequality and variety of meat. Lamb and steaks are excellent! Produce is great as well, large variety of cheeses. They sell goat milk, 20lb bags of flour. Their desserts are fantastic as well, large variety of Turkish delish. All in all, everything I need is there :) highly recommend.