City Market NW

Look, I know this place may feel old-​world-​Euro-​bougie. But City Market shines in offering a curated selection of goods which are just freakin’ delicious.
For example, today I needed tomato paste for a pizza sauce recipe. CM had two options: San Marzano double-​concentrated paste in a tube or Mutti double-​concentrated paste in a tube. Both imported from Italy. That’s it. That’s how they roll. No Hunt’s in a BPA-​lined can here for you! I chose the Mutti’s and my eventual pizza sauce made me swoon. I personally like this narrowed repertoire: it’s like someone did the research for me and created a collection of the highest quality things.
Other things I appreciate about CM:
— Fresh pasta and a very good brand of dried imported pasta
— Fresh and cured meats from a third-​party vendor that sets up shop inside
— Cheese counter with knowledge cheese people manning it
— A small produce section that’s well-​organized and densely stocked
— A seafood counter (haven’t bought anything from here yet)
For the moment, I’m living two blocks from here so I end up shopping at CM in between major trips to mainstream grocers. I relish my walks to CM and the resulting delights I typically stumble upon. Definitely a gem in the Northwest but worth a visit from wherever you happen to be stationed in Portlandia.

Perhaps it’s just a thrill for the out-​of-​towners, but I find this market bland. The deli choices are mediocre. The prices for fresh produce are ridiculously high (97 cents for one small Roma tomato). Bought a baguette that was air-​filled and tasteless. The only specialty item to buy are the fresh pasta.

City Market is fun to shop in– so many things to look at and learn about. Their selection of imported products is impressive for such a small space. Prices are quite high– for everything. Flowers are some of the best in the city. There’s a good selection of fresh pasta and a great selection of vermouth, if that’s your thing. Parking is difficult though, since it’s on NW 21^st.

An intriguing store City Market sure is. There are lots of things to buy in their medium space. Meat, fish, cheese, bread, beverages including alcohol and packaged foods are just some of their offerings. They do offer samples. Although things may get pricy, it is more than apparent that much of their items are inexpensive, if not underpriced.
With heavy anticipation, I went here. My purchase of some cheese and a medium piece of bread was $ 2.50 combined. Their selection is vast and I could even sample a fish that they turned into a crispy aspect of fish and chips. The employees were friendly and I was happy. My chocolate milk was a mere fifty-​nine cents. They have tables outside.
Just go already.

One of the finest shops on the planet, full of deliciousness and friendly staff:
* probably the best cheese counter in town
* def the best seafood counter in town
* yep, best butcher counter too
* really nice fresh flowers
They also have a fantastic wine selection and gorgeous produce. I love this store and will loathe the vomitous New Seasons even more if they damage City Market’s viability.

Expensive, but amazing. I get giddy when I shop here. Everywhere I turn I’m like, «yep, gimme some of that».
excellent fresh and smoked fish, decent wine selection for a smallish neighborhood store, lovely meat selection from the butcher, small selection but nice veggies, extensive yummy cheese selection that they encourage you to taste, fresh pasta yada yada love it!

Pros: the coolest most convenient store with the most fresh quality food. Free parking. Fresh handmade pasta. Amazing fresh made pâté. Cheese station. Seafood station. Gorgeous flowers. You can sample the whole entire store before buying any of it. If there is an item you cant find this is the market you wanna try.

Love this place makes me want to leave SF and come back to northwest. Foie gras amazing.

Really groovy local shop that marks up their prices in order to encourage a deep sense of exclusivity in their patrons.
Still pretty cool though. I feel exclusive shopping there next to the old ladies and their butlers and s**t.

I am new to Portland and love the quality of produce, meats, fish etc that are available. City Market has a wonderful selection but boy oh boy do you pay for it! I really think I can get the same or similar in other locations for less. But it really wasn’t the cost that struck me as a first time client. It was the fact that hardly one person even said hello or asked if they could help me! I was surprised and dismayed that this occurred. It sure doesn’t make me want to return or buy there in the future.
Customer service is everything guys! I stood there looking at the wine selection for at least 5 min or more and not one person offered to help at all. This is just not acceptable and especially in a small shops such as yours. I may not want a lot of help or advice but at least it should be offered.

Staff are not happy and unfriendly. I get it. I’m in customer service too. Suck it up! I love shopping here only after the butcher had their smoke break and maybe they are a little happier to help you. Now I go over to the cheese counter and I tell Them would like some bread, cheese, and salami. They rolled their eyes and I ask myself «Why the attitude? because you have to get three things for me? But that’s the concept right? You behind counter, I tell you how much to cut and you wrap it and give it to me with a smile and I say thank you and have a great afternoon. How hard is that! New Seasons
Market can’t open soon enough!

I have the misfortune of living one block away from City Market NW, so I spend way too much money here on a very regular basis. I adore the selection and the quality of the products.
If you crave anchovies, look no further. They have Spanish boquerones and salted anchovies behind the counter and probably a dozen different types of jarred & canned anchovies on the shelf.
Some reviews mention snobbiness on the part of the employees, but I haven’t really seen it. However, I think that’s an easy thing to project onto someone if they’re acting indifferent or neutral in a somewhat «premium» grocery store.
There are tables and chairs right outside so you can instantly enjoy your delicious purchases.

Great market in the alphabet district!!! Awesome produce, flowers, seafood, meat, olive oils, wine, bread and accoutrement.

This 5 star review is just because I want to start a Pastrami list and Chop has the best pastrami we have ever eaten (yes, we lived in NYC and LA and understand pastrami) and their giant pastrami sandwich could be the best under $ 10 lunch in PDX for peeps who appreciate great sandwiches. Call ahead and also be sure to check the hours since they close just before some of us stop wanting sandwiches.
Sadly, the tattooed fishmonger guy (love you) moved to Washington and Newman’s no longer has the trout salad, which was probably the best deli fish thingie I’ve ever eaten and I wish to God I knew how to recreate it. I’ll just have to go on living with the memory.
The pasta counter has a great selection of fresh, good, curated cheese and really good bread from Pearl Gakery, Grand Central, and Little T (on weekends only), and those delicious Mrs. Z’s lemon and poppyseed sandwich cookies (these cost $ 1.75 and are about the best bakery cookies you will ever find of the non chocolate variety). The Pasta is very good and they carry Extracto coffee, which is a lovely thing because some days you just can’t make it out to their coffeshop and it would be a shame to have to drink a lesser brew.

I don’t like to shop here because there is so much attitude, I can cut it with a knife. I hate to bother the guys behind the meat counter with my questions about their unusual looking cuts and varieties of meat because they treat me like «how dare I take their time with my ignorant questions». I avoid those guys.
The fish, and especially the oysters, are the freshest in town, and they know it. Because they don’t make it easy to make a purchase, or to even get their attention. They make you beg for their assistance. I f_​_​_​_​_​g hate that.
The checkers always make unnecessary and borderline inappropriate comments to me, either too personal, or just plain odd.
And, here’s something else that really pisses me off, and not only here, but other purveyors of fresh meats do this: Don’t use toxic markers on the paper that wraps my fresh food! I just read this on Alternet:
Markers. Permanent and dry-​erase markers from manufacturers like DriMark, Sharpie, Prismacolor and Crayola are both a favorite tool and toy in many households. But that pungent aroma they might emit can be a hint to their toxicity. Markers are often rich in chemical solvents, including xylene, which is a neurotoxic aromatic hydrocarbon that can leave people feeling sick even after exposure to trace amounts. You’ve probably noticed how it can irritate your eyes, nose, and throat when you first remove the marker’s cap. Other common complaints are headaches, breathing difficulties, dizziness and brain fog after exposure to markers, even those that are labeled as «Non-​Toxic.»
Xylene is a byproduct of petroleum and coal tar. Beyond its use in markers, it’s used as an industrial solvent. It’s also found in gasoline, rust preventatives, and some paints and varnishes. It’s rapidly absorbed by the lungs and enters the blood system almost immediately after exposure.
Long term effects from low-​concentrations xylene exposure aren’t as clear, but it’s recommended that pregnant women should avoid exposure to markers or other products that emit xylene fumes.

Seriously, I’ve never seen a grocery with so many different types of crackers. I was actually so overwhelmed trying to pick out a flavor to eat with my simple cheese that I ended up walking out without buying anything!
But this market is very quaint and neat! The selection is more varied than I would’ve given them credit for, given their proximity to residential areas and their size. They even have fresh seafood (as in live fish and shellfish) available for purchase!
If Boyfriend and I hadn’t already been stocked up on snacks, I’m sure we would’ve walked out of this restaurant with so much more food than we could’ve possibly consumed.

Everything here is fresh and that is why this place is so loved. It has the reputation of being pretty dang spendy, however, that is completely relative to what you are shopping for. Produce for example (all organic) is very similar in price, if not less expensive, than the organic produce section at Fred Meyer.
The seafood department is definitely more expensive than your local box store. $ 19.99/lb compared to Safeway’s $ 9.99 per pound. The quality makes up for the price difference. The cut of fish that I bought last night was gorgeous. I’m willing to spend the extra ten dollars for a 16 oz filet any night of the week.
If you are buying in bulk, this is not the place to go. Get your rice, dried pastas, etc shop somewhere else. If you are making a nice dinner and need to buy the protein and a few veggies. You can’t get better quality than at City Market.

Several, five or six perhaps, purveyors sharing a single, bright butterscotch colored building on NW 21^st in the Nob Hill area of Portland Absolutely top quality produce, butcher and charcuterie, fish monger, fromagerie, pasta, sauces and bread from local bakers plus specialty package goods, a good selection of wine and gorgeous flowers and specialty floral arrangements. This is my favorite little market in Portland, maybe anywhere, and I’ve been shopping here for fifteen years every time I come to town. During this holiday time of year, I also shop here for gifts for hosts of holiday dinners, as well as family and friends because everyone eats. The perfect gift can be found for everyone. You’ll need to go elsewhere for things like paper products and cleaning supplies but otherwise, unless you’re looking for bulk buys, this is a very good place for one stop shopping.
FLOWERS
The purveyor here sells gorgeous fresh flowers that are available by stems, in hand tied bouquets and as centerpieces. During the winter holidays they also have super fresh wreaths of fresh evergreens and winter berries, like holly or juniper, which are beautiful and very fairly priced.
BUTCHER & CHARCUTERIE
Chop has been the butcher here for several years (prior to that Vivande filled this role) and they create everything themselves from smoked meats, to pates, to salumi to sausages as charcuterie. They also are a specialty butcher for everything from duck to chicken to beef to pork. They source their product mostly locally and very carefully. They also create specialty take away items like pulled pork or cassoulet or chicken salad or lamb stew. If they don’t have what you re looking for, with a day’s notice they probably can get it. Try their house made prunes steeped in Armagnac to go with your holiday meats.
PASTA & CHEESE & WINE
Pastaworks is the purveyor that runs the incredible fromagerie here, arguably the best selection of cheese in all of Portland, also includes a great array of olives and specialty deli meats (for example, not just prosciutto but prosciutto cotto, which is very difficult to find). They also sells fresh pastas and sauces made by them, and wonderful bread and Panini from local bakers (like Little T). The wine for sale is also managed by Pastaworks, a good assortment of domestic and imports at fair prices. (For example, the 2012 Patrica Green Willamette Valley Reserve Pinot Noir was priced and $ 22 and their lot was sold in total in just a couple of days.) Half case and case discounts are provided for wines.
FISH
Newman’s is the fish monger providing unarguably among the freshest fish and best seafood selection in Portland and arguably the very best. In addition to the usual suspects, they have fish we don’t see at other vendors, like the skate wing we tried last week. Newmans is the fishmonger for many of Portland’s top artisan restaurants.
PRODUCE
Fresh and varied with fruits and vegetables aplenty, including things not often seen outside Farmer’s Markets like salsify, white baby turnips with lovely greens, beautiful salad greens like escarole and frisee… the list goes on and on. Everything we have purchased here is farm fresh and so good. They also dry some of heir own fruits and if you are a pineapple fan, try the pineapple «flowers» they have this winter. So good, we bought some for gifts. Gilt free sweets!
SPECIALTY ITEMS
Marmalades, jams that include savories (like Cabernet and Black Pepper or Spicy Tomato both from 3 Little Figs), chocolates, seasonal imported sweets like panetonne, Amarone cherries in syrup, all kinds of vinegars, olive oils, dried mushrooms, dried pastas, specialty sauces, gourmet crackers… just a few of the wealth of items. (This inventory may also be managed by Pastaworks). Also fresh dairy products, eggs and so on in a case in the back of the store.
THIS N THAT
1) PARKING: Parking is a nightmare in this part of Portland. So it is a dream that City Market has a very small lot, maybe six or eight spaces, at the back of the store.
2) ACCESSIBILITY: One spot of accessible parking in lot. Door has slightly ramped entry. Level throughout inside. Plenty of room in aisles.
3) VIBE: In addition to the ahhh-​some aromas and beautiful, sparkling interior they always have music on the sound system that makes you want to shop for and eat food at just the right background volume. Some restaurants could learn from this.
4) HOURS: 7 days 9:30 –7 Mon — Sat and Sun 10 — 7
5) NEIGHBORS: Mingo, Bar Mingo and Serrato are all just down the block.

Something about stepping into City Market reminded me of what grocery stores used to be like decades ago: small neighborhood spots with dedicated meat and fish counters, plenty of local produce since there wasn’t any other kind, a small selection of elegant foods like sardines in lemon or salted capers, and gracious service. And everything priced with a tiny sticky tag. Nostalgia meets modernity through fresh pasta and extensive pâté selections…
Cheap? Nope, but actually cheaper than I expected on walking in. I scored some beautiful sausages from CHOP Butchery & Charcuterie (located inside the market) for less than $ 9/​lb, and I know the quality is probably ten times that of any grocery store brand. The canned/​gourmet packaged goods were a bit pricey, but many other sections like produce, wine, and so on were right in line with what I’d expect to pay given sourcing/​quality and so on. Plus there’s a great selection of local baked goods of all kinds, a lovely little flower shop, and almost anything you could need to entertain either yourself or lucky others in fine style. For some of my needs (especially meat, charcuterie, and cheeses), I’d much rather come here than Zupan’s or Whole Foods.
Feeling like you stepped back into a more civilized time — yet you still have all the modern fancy you want — can’t be beat. This is shopping I might turn into an event!

City Market NW is a grocery co-​op in the Northwest/​Alphabet District part of Portland. Here you will just about find anything you would need to make a high quality gourmet meal. I would describe City Market as a neighborhood upscale grocery.
Here you will find quality meat (including charcuterie), produce and seafood. But also other staples like local fresh bread, wine and a mix of local and imported food products.
However, I came here in search of the Pastaworks counter here. I wanted to try some of their pasta. Their location in the Hawthorne neighborhood was a bit far from where I was, so I decided to head to their counter here instead.
At the Pastaworks counter, you will find cheeses in addition to their famed pastas. There is a freezer case full of pastas along with numerous sauces. But more impressively they offer fresh cut to order pasta in different varieties and flavors.
Picked up a pound of rigatoni ($ 4) and a pound of cut to order lemon fettuccine ($ 4). I like that they write how long to cook the fresh pasta on the top of the wrapping paper. Fresh pasta cooks much more quickly than dry pasta so make sure to not overcook it.
I really enjoyed both pastas that I tried. Fresh pasta is just superior. The lemon fettuccine has a refreshing slightly citrusy flavor to it which would pair well with some asparagus and nice grilled meat or seafood. Whereas the rigatoni would be well suited for mac & cheese. When the pasta tastes this good, you can easily think of other combinations that would work well with it.
If you are looking for fresh pasta, I would recommend visiting City Market or the Pastaworks Hawthorne store to try it for yourself. I will certainly make another stop here on my next visit to Portland to pick up more of the pasta found here.