Central Markets

Overpriced and the produce isn’t fresh. But, the cashiers are always nice; and the market serves my favorite Schofferhofer Grapefruit beer and Pim’s orange cookies. It’s conveniently located and has some yummy goods that are hard to find elsewhere.

Only use this place for absolute emergencies. While they carry most staples that you’d need, it is not a pleasant experience, it’s expensive, and produce is rarely good quality.
Most importantly, the owner/​manager is most nasty and sketchy. They have a very restrictive return policy. Unlike most places where you can return items… there is a bizarre «only after 3 days» rule. Therefore, when I purchased Earthbound spinach that went bad almost a week before its expiration date, I returned it, albeit after the 3 day period. While he did make an exception for me this once, the treatment I received was beyond insulting: «You probably left it out.» «You should have brought it back earlier.» In fact, it was probably not refrigerated well enough BEFORE I purchased it.
I agree that the cashiers are nice.

Oh man If this place wasn’t at this convenient location, it wouldn’t last one month.
The positives are: The CLERKS are some of the best. The lines fly by and all of them are SO unique and charming in their own way. Also, The cleanliness of this store is waaaay better than all the other grocers in the area and they have some one of a kind items that other grocers don’t have.
The negatives are: At ALL HOURS there are at least 3 – 5 workers re-​stocking the shelves and taking up SO much room. I’ve gone at different times during the day to avoid these restocking guys but EVERYTIME they are always there! They take up a whole aisle sometimes and sneer at you when you try to get to an item really fast (salsa). They wheel their carts so fast around the store narrowly missing customers… It would just be cool to shop at a grocery store and not go through an obstacle course. Also, (and this could be just annoying to me) Theres this one restocking guy that likes to whistle every 5 seconds at his fellow restockers and it DRIVES ME CRAZY. I’ll have to go to the other side of the store because that high pitched non stop whistling will make me faint from a rage stroke.
The only reasons i come back is because its by the subway and i live 1 block away. Otherwise BEST MARKET 8 blocks up is way better in ALL aspects…

Very expensive. Better selection of food than the grocery on 104. Wider, cleaner aisles, solid beer selection. When you can find your groceries on sale it’s more affordable but otherwise it’s the expense of whole foods without the quality.
Convenient location, pleasant place to shop, painfully pricey.

lame… no organic produce. in the neighborhood, so there’s always a need for something quick like milk or coffee creamer… but it’s overpriced and the produce i usually see out isn’t very impressive. squishy peppers and whatnot. stuff here is definitely fresh, if that’s what you’re aiming for.
i’ll give them two points for proximity to my home, cleanliness and the fact that there’s really no line holding you back from the rest of your day

I only go to central market out of necessity because It’s the closest supermarket to me.
The prices are very high, expect to pay $ 4.99 for a bag of potato chips. They also have a very limited selection, not a lot of brands. On the up side the produce is fresh.
They don’t carry a lot of personal hygiene products here, but you can always walk to the nearest bodega for soap if you cant make it to Costco.
The staff are the stars here. They are so nice, helpful, and extremely friendly. They’re probably the only reason I don’t walk the extra five blocks to the next store.
All in all if you are in need of a few items It is very convenient, but I wouldn’t suggest this store for a shopping spree.
GO TO BEST YET!

This is my go-​to grocery store because it is just in my neighborhood. It’s over priced but convenient. I really like their to-​go Southern inspired soup! They have nicer cashiers now unlike before. And the friendly Asian gourmet he’s so nice and patient. Three stars because they don’t really have every basic thing you need and very pricey.

One of those narrow, cramped supermarkets that serves about everything, including nicks and bumps to the elbows. I shouldn’t hate, because this is one of the better groceries above 110^th, but man, there is space up here! Act like it, Central Markets!

It’s over-​priced but convenient. I mostly go here for staples like eggs and milk. If you decide to shop here, VERY CAREFULLY CHECK EXPIRATION DATES. They constantly sell expired food. Not only that but they’ll purposely hide the expiration date with «SALE» stickers. This is an ongoing problem. I’ve almost bought expired food from them so many times, and it’s always dairy or eggs, or something that will give you food poisoning if you don’t catch it.

I realized there was something wrong with Central Markets when I saw that some of their products were more expensive than Whole Food’s. It’s way overpriced, go to Best Yet instead.

Still the worst market on the north end of central park. Once again, I bought fruit there out of desperation and the results were a bad apple… pardon the pun! The prices are ridiculously and their fresh food is AWFUL!.’
My last visit I attempted to return a soda bottle for the refund (and yes I purchased it at the store) and they didn’t want to take it because they no longer sell the product. uh yes ya do ~ its on the shelf. WTW. who are these clowns.
I’m pretty done shopping here, even when desperate. its just not worth the hassle.

I’ll give it three stars. Pretty average. Has decent selection for the necessities. Not as expensive as whole foods, but maybe more than some others. Decent and convenient to the north end of Central Park.

I can’t really say I’ve been to many markets in NY. To tell you the truth, I’m a tourist. I found this market conveniently located near our hotel… so we’d come here often for water, gatorade and vitamin water to hydrate ourselves after a long night out. I also became a fan of their Yeung Ling beers. It was $ 2 cheaper here for a 6 pack than another market we browsed in the Times Square district.

This is a fine market. I go here regularly. It is a little more expensive than I would like, and the quality is just okay. It’s biggest plus is that it is located right at the top of the park right by the stops for the M3 and M4. Since that is the bus where I get off and walk to an apartment a few blocks away, it is often a convenient option.
It is a full service large market. There is fresh produce, meats and poultry, cheeses, staples and ICE CREAM (yum). It is definitely a step up from Associated Markets, but you pay for the difference.

Pricey market somewhere in between a bodega and a normal supermarket. It’s cheaper than the markets on broadway but also carry more pedestrian, and sometimes less fresh, produce and other products. For me, it’s a convenient way to pick up one or two things if I’m lazy and don’t want to go to Best Yet or West Side.
They often have specials on OJ ($ 3/​half gal) and Ice Cream ($ 5 or $ 6/​quart) which tend to be reliably better than the competition. But that’s about it.
They give cash back, and ask you how much you want, but they only give up to $ 20 anyway so you might as well just say $ 20.
Like Best Yet, they do not sell wine, but «wine product», which has a lower ABV and is really only suitable for cooking. If you need wine, make the effort to go to Whole Foods’ wine store at 100^th.
Well, it is what it is. I’m glad it’s there.

I was worried that this place would be pricey, because it does come across as a gormet market, but as it turns out, Iwas wrong. Some things are cheaper in other stores, but I did a price to price comparison with some of the items that I buy frequently, and not only did central market beat Dag, West Side and Morton Williams, but it even beat C-​Town in packaged foods, with better selection to boot. The place is clean and well lit, s you know what you are buying, the produce is good for a NY supermarket, and the meat selection, while small, was all good quality. This has become my daily market in the area, and I reccommend it over corner grocers with inferior products.
I did find packaged asian foods to be limited and significantly higher priced than M2M over on Broadway (6.00 for dried seaweed snacks compared to 2.50 at M2M), so keep that in mind.

This review is based on an incident that happened to me this afternoon. My shopping experience had been perfectly pleasant until, on my way out the door with my two full bags of groceries, one of the (male) employees shouted at me, «Don’t eat too much!» in a very condescending tone of voice. I really should have given him a piece of my mind, but I let him off easy with a silent look of death.
I’m sorry, but who asked you, Mr. Central Market Grocery Bagger, to judge and criticize my eating habits? (Never mind the fact that my bags were full of apples, kiwi, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, yogurt, skim milk, pita bread, and vegetable broth; that’s really beside the point…)
The point is, I don’t think it’s too much to ask to be able to shop in peace, without any rude commentary from complete strangers. If you would like to speak to me, I’ll always appreciate a friendly «hello,» or «have a nice day.» But comments like the one I received today are unprofessional, unwelcome, obnoxious, and downright sexist in my opinion. (Since when did men decide they have the right to criticize young women about how much food they should or should not be consuming??)
Someone please alert me when Central Market gets rid of their disrespectful and sexist employees. Until then, I will buy my groceries elsewhere.

I think the best part about this supermarket is the location! It’s got a decent selection and is right next to Central Park. I have found *most* things here that I need when shopping with a few random exceptions.
The good:
— well-​lit, clean, and organized with a good layout. I can’t say enough how much that helps the entire shopping experience :)
— decent selection of organic food. Not that I shop organic that often, but I did notice the aisles devoted to it.
— good and cheap beer selection
— well stocked freezer and baking sections
— reasonable prices
The bad:
— the produce. It is very hard to find really good produce here. I guess it doesn’t move that often.
— the meat selection is very inconsistent. Sometimes I go and find everything I’m looking for. Other times there’s not even a chicken breast in sight.
— they don’t sell my favorite type of yogurt. Okay I guess that’s not really a «bad» point, but more of an «I wish they sold» type of thing. :)
I will continue shopping here as they are right around the corner. If I want produce or meat, I’ll head over to Broadway.

Perhaps this place has seen some marked improvements since the date of the first review (July 2007), but I didn’t think it was all that bad. It helps that it’s literally right down the street from me. Yes, I live ON Manhattan IN Manhattan…*snicker* *inappropriate giggle*…wait, what? What are we talking about again? Oh, right!
So, Central Market…
— Very clean and well-​lit inside. Twas a bit small though.
— Organized aisles that actually have ROOM to move (I’m looking at you Westside Market!).
— *Quality* selection without the «hmmm, this is made where?!?» type of grocery shopping experience.
— Prices are decent and what you’d expect from the area. I didn’t see any noticeable difference in the prices here and the prices at Westside Market over on Broadway. We walked out with two full bags that rang in at $ 38.
— The cashier was very friendly.
Oh, and kudos to the little girl who paid for her mother’s groceries in front of us. She obviously wears the pants in that home…

I’m not sure why everyone’s hating on this place. It’s not the cheapest, but it’s not the most expensive, either (definitely cheaper than West Side). It doesn’t have an amazing selection, but it’s respectable (there’s a whole organic aisle, organic chicken, and organic pre-​packaged deli meats). The produce section is the most lacking part of the store, but it has the basics and they’re fresh. The cashiers have always been polite and friendly to me.
The only complaint I have is that a few times some sale items I bought rung up as full price. Once I told the cashier she fixed it, but I would definitely pay attention or check your receipt if you’re buying things on sale.