Ok this place is SO GREAT. Don't let the reviews fool you…read more It's like the erewhon of nyc and I'm here for that! Not everyone will love it, and that's ok! They have a variety of healthy specialty snacks that are hard to find. The quality of all their fresh food and prepared sandwiches / salads is a 1000000/10. Some of my favorite items: - freshly sliced "healthier" turkey breast - green goddess salad !! - curry chicken salad / wrap - chocolate covered dates (coffee station) - matcha foam over coconut water (coffee station) - protein soft serve (coffee station) - Chinese chicken salad

Happier Grocer left me a bit confused after my visit. I ordered the matcha latte with Okinawan…read moreblack sugar, and while it sounded great on paper, I genuinely could not taste the matcha at all. Even visually, it did not really look like matcha, which made me double check with the staff to see if I had been given a hojicha latte by mistake. It was a bit of a letdown, but I am open to giving it another shot and trying something else on the menu next time.

This is my favorite grocery store in Chinatown. It's small -- much smaller than, say, Honk Kong…read moreSupermarket, with aisles that North-Going and South-Going Zaxes would definitely have trouble navigating. But the long-time staff are far nicer than at all the big supermarkets, products are generally much less expensive, and I'm convinced there is some sort of portal to a different dimension in this store because Grand Century Market manages to carry just about every dry good under the sun and more, despite its small footprint. A few offerings that jumped out at me on a recent visit: sugar free pineapple cakes; sugar free, vegan oyster sauce; honeysuckle tea; frozen rice cakes for savory stirfries in both the cylindrical cut and oval cut; enormous pomelos for a pittance; salted duck eggs; whole tapioca; sesame seed, walnut, and peanut powders; and all the varieties of silken and pressed, baked tofus that make my heart go pitter patter. There's also a good variety of frozen dumplings and dim sum standards in the freezer section, fresh produce towards the front, and lots of toys and candies, which I'm sure are quite a draw for students from nearby schools. (But by far the most interesting thing that jumped out at me: the adorable house tabby patrolling the joint! :) There's no embedded fishmonger or butcher in this market as there are at HK and NY Supermarkets. No complaints in my book as I prefer to visit specialty vendors for those items anyway and there are a number just a block away to the west of the Grand / Chrystie Street stop.

This side of Grand Street is slugfest of competing grocers, all varying just a tad or matching…read moresimilar items in price. Grand Century doesn't stand out much but serves as a solid option when all other places have failed. I've learned that calling ahead of time is a simply a waste of time. Calling ahead doesn't guarantee any items as they don't put a hold on anything, it's first come first serve. I already feel bad for most of the English-only speakers, since only the people in the front can speak it but not without some limitation. One redeeming quality of this place is the fact it's relatively close to the B/D subway. That makes this place a good place for a quick shop and go instead of grocery hopping for price comparisons.

Cozy place filled with natural and organic foods. 4th Street Food Co-Op is located in East Village…read moreon that street obviously. It packs a lot into this small ass place. A lot of good plant based items. The prices are okay and it's good most things are in bulk so you only have to get a little bit of something. Bulk items are how they go. It's got lots of things like dried beans, grains, and more. They are certainly very environmentally friendly, charging a fee for bioplastic bags, so they encourage customers to bring their own. Apparently it's Lower Manhattan's only food cooperative. To be a working member it's a $48 annual fee, and they work a few hours a week. Included are discounts on items. Those not working can pay a $60 annual fee to get discounts on things. For sure there's a lot of healthy stuff in here. It's also good to buy local. The store has tons of environmentally safe products as well as things for vegans and vegetarians.

One of the best food co-ops in the city. They do a lot with the space they have: 2/3 of the store…read moreis devoted to bulk items, unlike the Greene Hill Food Co-op in Brooklyn, half of which is bogged down in specialty gourmet items from UNFI encased in plastic. Training to work at 4th Street is thorough, but someone I know came through while I was doing it and I got to see the diversity of the shoppers.

Great place for fruits and vegetables eggs milk nuts Etc…read more etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

I ventured downtown during pandemic to go to a funeral and had the added misfortune of visiting…read morethis place. They didn't sell plain water and upon exiting, their cute white dog blocked the way and view of a step on the sidewalk. I took a hard fall hurting my knees, twisting my ankle and cracking my phone's screen. My companion went inside the store for help. The woman gave me a large bag of ice as I laid on the sidewalk in pain. The man who was there saw me but said nothing. Just horrible. At least passersby offered to help me up. I had to suck it up to attend the funeral. This happened 3 days ago and I'm home on a nice Saturday because I'm still in pain and don't want to get worse. I hope they do something to prevent this from happening again.

This is one of those Chinese convenience stores that is both a grocery and a 99-cent store. Teng…read moreFei offers a wide (and eccentric) variety of cheap consumer goods in addition to beer, cigarettes, lotto, ice cream, soft drinks, candy, snacks and a selection of typical Asian and American grocery items. They also have umbrellas, wall clocks, socks, school supplies, knick-knacks, cleaning supplies and toys. By the time you get to the back of the store you'll find hardware and electric items just past the tea, dried noodles and jars labeled "Preserved Vegetable". I give them four stars because the folks behind the counter are always friendly and the prices are pretty cheap; saving a buck here is a pleasant experience. Granted, alot of the stuff in this store is utter crap. But if it's midnight and I happen to need a notebook, a bottle of Sriracha sauce, Japanese rice crackers, a six-pack of Tsing Tao or a bottle of the Chinese dish soap I like the smell of THIS is the place I go.

I was in desperate search of fish sauce and they had it. Yay! They also have the biggest bottle of…read moreMae Ploy sweet chili sauce I've ever seen. They had other culinary goodies in addition to your 99 cent store standards, all for dirt cheap.

Great selection of Indian goods in Manhattan. I usually go…read moreback to Jackson heights to pick up goods but after finding this place, I'll definitely be visiting this spot more

Little India Market is a refreshing change from the stores on Lexington Avenue. The aisles are…read morewider, there is a larger assortment of products (where else can you find long-grain wheat mamra?!) and it is just a better shopping experience. Do not expect bargain-basement prices here. You are paying for the convenience. But I only wish all products had prices marked. Some reviewers complained about buying expired products. I have not had that experience. On a related note, I would not buy prepared foods or "fresh" produce from grocery stores that are not turning their inventory quickly. All said, I think the convenience x price x assortment works for me. YMMV.

As far as bodegas go, it's got everything you'd need. Good selection of mostly Latin food staples…read more 5 stars for being exactly what you need when you need it.

A very useful Bodega in the bowery…read more Cans of food and cleaning supplies line the aisles with produce in the rear and a meat counter with chorizo and mexican cheeses alongside traditional boar's head fare to the right. Huge drink and beer selection as well as non-alcoholic latin american beverages. I made a mad smash and grab for a mexican dinner. Here's my bounty: Bag of 8" Tortillas Head of Iceburg Large tomato 2 Limes Large can of chicken breast Valentina extra hot sauce (they had regular too) can of red beans can of black eyed peas 16oz Green Salsa Can of jalapenos All for $14. A true gem for this mexican food monster living in Chinatown.

This shop is easy to miss. It's small, and you have to walk down a set of steps to enter. But once…read moreinside, you can't help but smile -- it feels like you've been transported straight into an Indian bazaar. They surprisingly have a wide variety of organic spices, nuts, lentils, and ingredients you wouldn't even imagine they would have, such as their organic cocoa butter, which we have yet to find at another local shop. It was so much fun just wandering around the store and discovering everything. Everyone there is so nice and welcoming too. My absolute favorite thing here is their Mango Lassi, it is $4.95 and it is perfection. It may be the only lassi better than the one I make at home. If you are as obsessed with mango lassis as I am and want to try one the makes it better than most (if not all) of our local restaurants, then please save one for me.

This store has everything you could ever need. Tea, curry, pani puri, colon cleanse, and much more!…read moreHelpful staff as well