Review: Garden Gourmet Market
July 7th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Address: 5665 Broadway, Bronx, NY, 10463
Website: gardengourmetmarket.com (coming soon)
Type: Grocery store
Verdict: Like your own miniature Fairway right around the corner.First, a disclaimer: Garden Gourmet Market is technically in Kingsbridge. However, I feel okay tagging this as a Riverdale Review for a couple of reasons – it’s close to Riverdale, feels like Riverdale, and neighborhood boundaries can be unclear (even the USPS agrees).
I went here on the recommendation of my mother’s friend and fellow Bronxite and boy am I glad I did. I have constantly struggled with where to grocery shop which may become the topic of another entry (or perhaps a series), but Garden Gourmet satisfies a lovely place in the balance of my grocery criteria.
I’d like to comment first on the location. By car it’s just a few moments from anywhere in Riverdale or Kingsbridge. We went late enough (they’re open until 11pm) so that we got to park right out front without any drama. I could imagine, though, that during the day it might be slightly worse to negotiate Broadway’s street parking. Upon arriving one immediately notices the new, clean, and easy to read awning and the plentiful supply of produce displayed outside. I give high marks to the appearance of the inside of store as well. While the aisles can be tight (what else is new for an indie grocery store in NYC?) it is all extremely well lit, bright, and clean. There are no dark corners or mysterious places to negotiate the cart around here.
The selection of food is definitely worth seeing. While its size is decidedly not Super Stop and Shop-like, the number of different products, flavors, brands, and types squeezed into the place is impressive. I give Garden Gourmet points for stocking some more obscure brands and having a good selection of “hippie food.” The produce is quite beautiful and the bins of it displayed outside gives a nice introduction to the store. They have a huge cheese selection – random, but they seem like collectors! Finally, there is a plentiful range of ready made, grab-and-go foods. I was very happy with the ones I purchased (potato salad and a mini cheesecake, yum) and the ones I sampled in the store (homemade hummus and pesto). While they’re a slightly pricier option than making your own, I definitely recommend trying some of Garden Gourmet’s cooking.
I don’t have much criticism of this store, but just a couple of suggestions for improvement. Because of the limited space and all they try to cram into it the organization scheme of the store eludes me a bit. I’m sure by the second or third trip through I would catch on. Also I could see the place getting pretty crowded and difficult to maneuver around at busy times. As I mentioned before there is no parking lot which proves to be troublesome or not depending on the time of day.
All in all, not much to complain about! The neighborhood-y/city feel, interesting and diverse selections, and strong produce departments make this store like a Fairway without the hassle, travel time, and toll. I definitely will be going back and am glad Garden Gourmet is in the neighborhood!
Further reading: Reviews of Garden Gourmet Market on Yelp.
Tags: riverdale reviews
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