Gristedes

I came I saw I conquered… I came in on a search for sweets — donuts that is, GLAZED DONUTS… This supermarket tends to have a little bit of everything, even the baked goods so I wasn’t surprised at the small selection… It was like it was a sample sale, a little of this, a little of that, only in one size or color… but I quickly found my donuts upon entering and made my way to the register. I haven’t really seen too many lines in a Gristedes and if there is, it’s because they usually have only one cashier or the second one is pre-​occupied. So during my visit I had the pre-​occupied experience, because the cashier was so engrossed in her conversation, not even facing the line that I couldn’t tell for sure if she was even open… Then when two people jumped in front of my on her line (cursing under my breath), she barely stopped her conversation or looked at any of the customers.
But it’s whatever, I’m not a frequent shopper because there prices are INSANE, I mean $ 6 for one bottle of Tropicana!!! (I can make fresh squeezed juice for less!!!) Plus their selection of goods is limited and tailored to the neighborhood (no ethnic seasoning, spices, ingredients, etc.) so I wouldn’t be in there unless it’s a last minute necessity that I just can’t seem to find anywhere else!!!

I brought my 18 month old here to pickup a few things for her as I didn’t want to make a long trip to whole foods or trader joes.
The prices are a bit high for some things but overall about average for Manhattan. However the quality of everything is quite low.
Juice packs are about 30% higher than average, frozen veggies about 20%, and so forth.
I went to grab grapes for my daughter and all the red seedless were old so I chose green instead. The green grapes looked alright but ended up not being sweet, they were slightly bitter.
I also went to grab her a bag of oranges, the oranges are in a nettes bag which aren’t tied so when I grabbed them, about 8 oranges rolled all over the place. The oranges ended up being old and the day after 4 of the 8 were showing signs of rot.

Probably one of the worst supermarkets I have ever been in. Fruit and veggies are old and meat and fish selection is almost non existant. Wholefood prices for the worst quality.

Not impressive. I’ve been to others and they all offer a far better selection! The one near union square is much nicer, although I use trader joes the most. This gristedes seemed a bit more expensive and there was not much food variety! It was pretty small for a supermarket.

The disturbing, though not new trend these days: some uncaring, acquisitive real estate juggernaut forces out, and closes the smaller stores, gloms the spaces up, and replaces them with gleaming steel, high rise glass, people-​averse entities. I mourned the loss of Missing Sock Laundry — now a ‘walk in care center’.and BTW their waiting room is empty every single time I look in the window! (So much for generating your higher rent nut, eh?) Met Food, natch is now also history — a shell of its former vibrant, funky self, its windows sometimes tagged with graffiti. I’ll bet the farm Warshaw Hardware is probably now on borrowed time, as well. Gristede’s First Avenue is one of the last holdouts in the Stuy/​Peter Cooper area. The elderly are forced to trek blocks away to shop (unconscionable move… by any landlord’s standards) Trader Joe and Whole Foods are swell, but all the same, a shlep to get to. Jane Jacobs in ‘Death and Life of Great American Cities” said it best, decades ago, «as the street life goes, so goes the neighborhood.» Grocery and small stores top the list of essential to street life places. And, while I am pleased Gristedes is hanging in, I am not fooled: I predict in five years this part of town will be unaffordable, unappealing, unrecognizable, and, unlivable… if you are a working class, moderate income or elderly person. The financifiers will have won. Huzzah! Hey, what’s that sound? Must be Miss Jacobs — turning over in her grave.

Watermelon I bought today tasted like cleaning chemicals or soap.
Overall a small section of fresh food and not a great selection…

The worst supermarket ever. Only 1 – 2 cashiers max, smells funny, supposed to be open until 12am on Sundays & now there is no sign or anything but don’t try hoing ay 11:45pm on sundays bc it’s closed. I only use it when I have to because it’s the closest supermarket to me & I’m 3 avenues away (Stuy Town). I feel bad because the ladies working there are always nice, but the manager isn’t. I have given this place too many chances bc I was too lazy to travel farther.

Bought fresh cut fruits from the store and they all taste of nothing but over loaded preservatives. NEVER do that to yourself. I just threw it all off. Rest, it’s a regular grocery store!

Associated, Key Foods, D’Agastinos
Cover you better than Gap chinos
Pickles and produce, tasty chicken
selection so fly, they keep us tickin
But oh not you, Mr Gristedes
Why should we go?
Can’t find no Wheaties
Convenient and close dont help you none…
best off going to Gracefully son
I hope this helps

The food is okay, typical of a supermarket. Their fresh produce selection is limited, although they have a lot of frozen foods and a lot of everything else.
I come often (out of convenience) because I live in Stuytown and the walk is literally a 3 – 4 minute one. The food is overpriced, so I try my best to go to Trader Joe’s in Union Sq.
The staff can be temperamental — sometimes they’re helpful and friendly and sometimes they are most definitely not.

Straight up dirty, I would not eat anything here that is not sealed off. Went in to pick up a few things the other night, only thing I felt comfortable eating was sealed clamshell of salad, the meat looked nightmarish and old. Avoid this place.

Not good. This store is near my apartment so I shop there from time to time. As with every other Gristedes I’ve been in, this place needs a LOT of work. There have been gaping holes in the ceiling for over a year now. Every time it rains, water pours in all over the food and the floor. Unsanitary and unsafe. Most of the food seems like it’s past its prime and you have to check the expiration dates on everything as the store staff doesn’t remove expired items from the shelves. I wrote an email to the store yesterday regarding the holes in the ceiling and he said «I hope to have it fixed today». Yeah right. It’s been like this for over a year and you miraculously are going to fix it the day after I write to you? Bottom line is NYC apparently doesn’t care that grocery stores are cess pools as this location is one of many that stores that I’ve been to where the sanitary conditions resembled that of a 4^th world country.

Most items are extremely overpriced. Sometimes they have deals on beer. Staples like rice and canned goods aren’t outrageously overpriced, but forget buying meats or cheese. You can get cheese cheaper at Gracefully, the gourmet store down the block.
Produce is gross and expensive. Produce is cheaper next door at Sweet Olive on the corner of 20^th, plus it’s fresh.
Horrible layout to the store. Although it was updated sometime in 2010, there is little rhyme or reason to it.
Check the expiration dates on EVERYTHING! I have found dairy items that are weeks past their expire date and once bought a frozen pizza that was expired for almost a year.

The Clash once sang «I’m all lost in the supermarket. I can no longer shop happily,» they must have shopped at this Gristedes too!
As a resident of Peter Cooper Village Gristedes is one of the closest neighborhood grocers, therefore, I frequent the 1^st Avenue location out of sheer approximation. Being an avid home cookI shop a lot and unfortunately have been left with a sour taste in my mouth (literally!) on more than one occasion after a trip to this store. (I have found sour milk, rotten garlic, moldy raspberries YUCK!)
Not only is the stores appearance somewhat grungy and drab, the layout is hard navigate and the staff is very unhelpful. Often times I find myself waltzing around boxes and stock boys cluttering their already narrow isles, only to find the item I am in search of hidden behind them. When asked for help, their store employees appear clueless and uninformed. The produce section is unpredictable, sometimes plentiful while other times appearing parched and shriveled. In addition to the already cluttered feeling of this Gristedes «Mega Store», the movie rental machine located in the foyer area makes for a difficult entry and departure.
I love to go grocery shopping and think of it as a somewhat relaxing activity, but this store turns my joy filled stroll down the aisles into a disoriented shuffle. I will continue to go here on occasion because it’s close, but I will not enjoy my stay.

When you shop here (If you really have to) you NEED TO CHECK THE DATES ON EVERYTHING. The cold cuts they put on sale are most likely past their date, I bought mortadela that was on sale they posted a sticker saying the date and had used TAPE TO TAKE THE REAL DATE OFF! That is disgusting and unhealthy! I have also ended up buying frozen food that was over 2 months past its date. This place is definetly no deal and like I said when something is on sale be SUSPICIOUS! I am so grossed out by this place, what they are doing is ILLEGAL!

Most of these reviews seem to be outdated. Gristedes isthe best Supermarket I’ve found in the area. I’m a vegan and when I moved into my new apartment I usually traveled down to 14^th to the Trader Joes which was consistently mobbed and generally a hectic environment.
I was pleased to find Gristedes had an ample selection of vegetarian and vegan food for a «regular» supermarket. Yes the freezers are in 2 different isles, but once you know that it’s hardly a crisis. The cashiers and generally nice people and are quick to return a smile. I cannot speak greatly of their produce selection as it is considerably smaller than the Associated down on 14^th. The prices are average for NY, nothing outrageous. Perhaps this isn’t perfect for everyone but for those willing to sacrifice some variety in produce for a calm and otherwise well stocked shopping experience this is the best I’ve found yet.

Gristedes disperses cereal among like three different aisles. The freezer section as well. As if I wasn’t scatter-​brained enough…
And it’s late and I may not be thinking straight but I think I saw Reeses Puffs for like almost $ 7.

boo gristedes, on numerous occassions i’ve been suckered into expired promotions only to have my heart broken at the register. i thought that was illegal too, advertising something for one price then charging another. i also thought it was illegal to keep old promotions signs up. forgetting is just lazy for a company that made the owner a multi-​billionaire.

I can’t decide weather I love Gristedes or hate it. It’s dirty, the staff is surly, everything is overpriced, it’s impossible to find anything, they have terrible produce, the cooler with the veggie products is always broken, and I once saw a mouse running around in the bread aisle. On the other hand it has a lot of charm and character. The ladies at the front never hesitate to make remarks about my questionable food choices «people actually eat this?» and everyone seems to know everyone. I guess it’s the only choice in town so no one cares if I like it or not.

In April of 2006, Metropolitan Life (former owners of Stuyvesant Town untll the big sale to TIschman-​Speyer) closed the D’Agostino supermarket on 20^th Street, just steps from my apartment. While not the most comprehensive food market on the face of the planet, it had everything you’d need and a decent variety considering the size of the store, and for many on the side of Stuyvesant Town that I live on, the location couldn’t be beat. Furthermore, it was a place where the elderly residents on that side of the complex could actually get to (there are some older folks here who aren’t able to walk over to 1^st Ave. to this Gristedes). Closing the D’Agostino was one of the most contemptuous moves I’ve ever seen by a landlord. It disconnected a large number of residents, many of whom had been living in Stuyvesant Town or Peter Cooper Village since it opened in the 40’s, from good access to food. Their replacement in the space where D’Ag was? A fitness center, soon to be opened now by Tischman, called «Oval Fitness». It’s a tiny gym, and not nearly adequate for the community, but they use it to attract new, younger residents, even though it will be so overcrowded as to be completely useless. It’s a ruse; a community of 25,000 and a teensy gym that might accommodate 50 if the place is packed. Nice move!
All of this introduction is by way of saying, there’s no decent food store option proximate to the north side of Stuyvesant Town/​Peter Cooper Village since D’Agostino closed. It’s really a disgrace. This Gristedes is the only sizable full supermarket within 6 block radius. This particular store was almost closed by the owner a few months ago, even in the wake of the D’Agostino closing. I have been told by others that it had been cited for numerous health violations over the years. Friends of mine who have lived here longer than I told me not to buy meat there, that it was old. The place used to be kind of dirty; I’d go here when there were no other options.
I’ll give them this much at this store: they’re trying. Since they decided to remain open, the store is cleaner and seems better run. They just put a new debit/​credit payment system in and the meat seems pretty fresh. Produce is half-​decent, selection-​wise and seems fresh. Variety in general is kind of mediocre. They have very few specialty items and their international foods section is pretty weak, except for their pasta sauces. The place is ok, but just seems that given the size of the community, there should be something better. Union Square has Whole Foods AND Trader Joe’s. I’d warrant that we’re a more densely populated area than Union Square and yet our only option is this supermarket, which is mediocre at best. Hopefully we’re on an upward trend with this place, and it’ll continue to get better. Right now it’s the only option.