What’s one thing that any person needs to tackle when moving to a foreign country? Food shopping. While New York City has a great international restaurant scene that is sure to keep you from being too homesick, food shopping is often seen as an annoying but necessary part of life – and for some, more expensive and more of a hassle than it’s worth. By understanding how to shop like a New Yorker, what types of food stores exist, and the services available, shopping and eating can become a simpler act.
Food Shopping like a New Yorker
The fridge of the average New Yorker may well contain more condiments and beer, and less fresh produce, than you would expect. For many New Yorkers, due to space constraints, only groceries that will be used almost immediately are bought. Unlike other areas of the country, New Yorkers don’t tend to stock up on food items.
If you’re lucky, you’ll have one of the larger supermarkets (listed below) located near your apartment, meaning that you’ll be able to make frequent short trips – and will be able to transport a few bags from the store to your apartment with relative ease. Be sure to stock up on reusable shopping bags, or you can expect negative looks from fellow customers and those working at the store for your lack of effort towards environmental movements. If you’re travelling on the subway or have a significant walk to your store, you might want to consider buying a collapsible cart. You’ll find that one of these carts also comes in handy when doing laundry or transporting other goods throughout the city.Another option that many New Yorkers take advantage of is grocery delivery. Due to the fact that food shopping can be time consuming and cumbersome, many find it easier and worth the extra expense to simply have groceries delivered. One such example of a grocery delivery service is Fresh Direct. Fresh Direct offers most of the foods you would find a typical supermarket and offers delivery directly to your doorstep. The cost of shopping at Fresh Direct or other delivery services is going to be higher than your traditional grocery store, but many find that the convenience is worth the expense.
Types of Food Stores
There are quite a few types of grocery stores in New York City, ranging from corner markets to gourmet stores offering only delicatessen products.Any neighborhood in any borough of NYC will have at least one small, family owned market offering the basics – milk, bread, and some produce. While these little shops (or bodegas) are extremely convenient, their prices are usually a bit higher than bigger retailers and their quality of produce might not be as good as you would find elsewhere.
In addition to small local stores, you will find a number of chain grocery stores in New York City. Super Food Town and Compare Foods, for instance, represent your average American supermarket. For organic foods, some of the bigger names you’ll find in New York which are also popular across the U.S. include Whole Foods, a market focused on selling organic and high-quality grocery items, and Trader Joes, a grocery store offering only store-brand products that come with a higher quality, but a lower cost than competitors such as Whole Foods. Any of these stores should offer meat, seafood, produce, and a wide selection of dry goods to fill your pantry. If you have a car and a bit of extra storage room then trips to Costco are well worth doing. This leading big-box retailer offers bulk items at great prices.The top level of grocery stores will come in the form of smaller grocers only offering gourmet products. An example of these stores would be the famous Dean and Deluca. With two market locations in New York City as well as a number of cafes, Dean and Deluca offers some of the highest quality groceries you will find in the city – with prices to match.
International Food Stores
You might be surprised to find a few of the stores you are used to shopping at in your home country are located in New York City as well. One such grocery store is Germany’s Aldi. Aldi has made a name for itself in the United States with its low prices and wide variety of discounted food. With locations in the Bronx and the Upper East Side, Aldi is offering the same food shopping experience to customers in New York City as they are at their other international locations .You will also find a number of ethnic food stores in New York City. Most of the city’s Chinatowns offer Asian markets ranging from Indian to Japanese and every culture between. These markets often don’t have the best quality in terms of produce, but when it comes to finding items specifically from Asian countries or ingredients for a particular recipe, these are often the best places to go. Walking through these markets alone can feel like you’ve been teleported to Asia for your shopping adventure.You will also find a few gourmet locations offering groceries from specific countries. One such location is Despaña in SoHo. The grocer offers gourmet hams, cheeses and fruit preserves any Spaniard is sure to recognize – while also offering a great Spanish wine selection. Another example of such a market would be the Italian items offered by Flatiron District’s Eataly.Although it can be a bit annoying – and expensive – to keep food in your apartment, those who take the time to prepare their food and shop at the right grocery stores will find that they save money when compared to eating out or ordering delivery every night – and likely will eat a healthier diet than their less motivated counterparts. Be sure to investigate the different grocery stores near you to see which ones offer the products – and the prices – that you are looking for, go prepared with reusable bags or shopping carts, and suddenly grocery shopping – and eating – in the city is as easy as it should be.