Graeme

I am visiting New York in April from Australia and staying at Belvedere on 48th Street.I have a good map of Manhatten but it does not show supermarkets.Could a helpful New Yorker help me by suggesting a couple near by.I find them very interesting for food and cultural education if you get my drift.Thanks.

Gothampc

Food Emporium 810 Eighth Ave at 49th Street

D'Agostino 815 Tenth Ave at 54th Street

Gristedes 907 Eighth Ave at 54th Street

mj

Graeme,
Don't have specific places near the Belvedere but here's some ideas.

D'Agostino's - http://www.dagnyc.com/ - is the ubiquitious chain supermarket in NYC. Residential areas (generally east of 3rd Ave, west of 8th Ave and east/west of Central Park) have all manner of food shops.

Interested in something like Harrod's food court? Visit Zabar's 80th? and Broadway.

Another option are the green markets:
http://www.cenyc.org/HTMLGM/schedule.htm

Want ethnic outside the obvious Chinatown/Little Italy areas, visit the boros. Here's _only_ a few:
Queens - Astoria for Greek, Jackson Heights for Indian/South-Central American.
Brooklyn - Greenpoint for Polish, Bensonhurst for Italian and Jewish, Brighton Beach for Russian.
hth,

Graeme

Thanks for the help.In Australia,there are basically two large chains,Woolworths/Safeway and Coles.You obviously have more diversity.Actually your suggestions are marked on the map I have, so thanks again.I can be sure I will not stave in Manhatten.

Marissa

Graeme,
If you make the trip to the Upper West Side to Zabar's, be sure to stop in at the Fairway market on Broadway (between 74th & 75th). A walk along Broadway in the 70's & 80's yields other great places as well -- bakeries, fish stores, pasta stores, etc.
Have fun!!!

Anthony

Graeme:
I don't know if you've traveled elsewhere in the states, but if you haven't please understand that supermarkets in Manhattan are NOT necessarly like others you would find in US suburbs or smaller cities. One of the biggest drawbacks of living in Manhattan (which I do) is the high cost of food and the limited selections in the major grocery chains in Manhattan. Because of the high cost of real estate, supermarkets in Manhattan are 1/3 the size of suburban markets. By the same token, the selection is more limited.
What many NY'ers do is shop at the specialty markets. As other posters have mentioned, Zabars, Fairway, Cittarellas, are but 3 of the many specialty markets you will find in Manhattan, and are worth a visit.

There is also an outdoor market that takes places on Sats. and several other days of the week at Union Square, between 17th St & 14th St. There you will find fresh farm produce, baked goods, plants & flowers, and many other things that are sold directly by the farmers, growers, and such. Since you are coming in April, there should be alots of stuff to see at The Union Square GreenMarket, and I highly recommend you take a visit.

olivia

I love the Amish Market on 9th Avenue between 47th and 46th.

JeanG

I live close to the Belvedere. I shop at:

Food Emporium
Amish Market 9th between 49th & 50th
Amy's Bread 9th between 46th & 47th
Ninth Avenue Cheese Market 9th between 43rd & 44th

On the weekend I often go down to Whole Foods (7th & 24th). In my opinion
Whole Foods is the best grocery store in Manhattan.

Graeme

Thanks for all the great responses.I am getting hungry just reading them.Who says that registration has spoilt things?

wealthy_backpacker

I would avoid the likes of D'Agostino. NYC supermarkets are XXXX - they are not good for fresh foods. You have to go to specialist shops for decent quality food. Very few people cook regularly in NY as there is such an eating out/take away mentality. If you want ti see proper US supermarkets take a trip out to Connecticut or New Jersey.

Leona

Whole Foods just opened a new store in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. It's awesome.

nytraveler

Agree that shopping in the City can be a cultural education - just so you realize that this is completely atypical of the rest of the US. We tend to use the market mostly for staples and non-food items - but buy most of our food at the butcher or fishman, greengrocer, bakery, deli, various gourmet shops, etc - that is when we're not eating out or ordering in (we don't cook during the week). Also, be aware that food prices in New York are very high - for many things double what you would pay in other parts of the country - just because real estate is so expensive.

lizbeth

is Key Food still on Broadway - near Wst End Ave? It was there in the 60's when i lived there

Graeme

Thanks everybody but I did the trip last year.New York is the greatest place.

Patrick

That Food Emporium at 49th is certainly a pretty major supermarket and is very close to you. While it may not be as large as suburban supermarkets, they have one amazing amount of stuff and lots of choices jammed into that space. Do yourself a favor and register for their free "club" when you go in. I only stopped in a few times for milk and for juice and the third time I went I discovered I'd be saving almost $2.00 each time I bought a half gallon of grapefruit juice and a $1.00 on each gallon of milk.
Also I second that recommendation for the Amish Market -- really nice. On your way there stop in at the corner of 49th and 9th at the Coffee Pot for a great latte -- best I found in the area. In fact if you're not into major breakfast, this could be your regular morning spot -- less than a block away from the Belvedere.