National Chains - Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market
The two national chains present in New York City are Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market. Tucked in the city buildings and blending with the architecture; the outside look of these stores is different from what we are used to in other parts of the country. However, the typical assortment of organic and healthy foods is up to the standards.
I visited the W33rd location of Whole Foods and it felt like a breath of fresh air in the busyness of the city.
Wide aisles and lots of lighting the store greets you with a cafe at the lower level and opens a great shopping experience and restaurant area on the second floor. Many local items are completing the nationwide offering and international selection in the store.
Neighborhood Grocers
Westside Market, King Kullen, Fairway Market, Morton Williams, Gristedes Supermarket, D'Agostino's are all chains born in the New York area that grew to address the needs of the neighborhood.
King Kullen is a family owned and operated chain with 29 locations. The Smithsonian Institute acknowledges King Kullen as America's first supermarket.
West Side Market is a family owned and operated chain with 8 locations in NYC "as unique as the neighborhood it serves."
Fairway Market is a 4 store chain that started from a humble corner fruit and veggie stand. Fairway flagship store is on Broadway & W 74th Street.
Morton Williams Supermarkets includes 14 stores in NYC, 1 in Bronx and 1 in New Jersey. Also a family owned and operated food retailer that customizes the offering based on the needs of the neighborhood.
Gristedes Supermarket has 19 locations in the NYC area offering a large selection of items.
D'Agostino or D'Ag has 11 locations in the NYC area operated by the D'Agostino family.
Citarella Gourmet Market is known for it's high quality seafood that you can order not only at one of their 9 locations but online as well. Vitarella Gourmet Markets also provide a large assortment of meat, produce, pastries and groceries for everyone's taste.
Specialty Markets
EATALY - with a limited number of stores in main markets like New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Toronto, Eataly offers all Italian gems from pizza to gelato and everything in between.
Eataly has two stores in NYC where you can dine, shop and discover authentic Italian products.
Mediterranean Foods - specializes in Greek and Mediterranean gourmet foods.
H Mart - is the place to go to for Korean and a variety of Asian products. Present in 14 US states with 97 locations, HMart has three stores in the NYC area and it is the largest Asian supermarket chain in the US.
KATAGIRI - with two locations in NYC, Katagiri provides Japanese groceries.
New York Biltong - a specialty store selling South African groceries
Let's wrap it up with the top 10 NYC grocery stores by store numbers:
National and Regional Chains
Whole Foods - 18 stores
Trade Joes - 9 stores
HMart - 3 stores
Eataly - 2 stores
Local Chains
King Kullen - 29 locations
Gristedes - 19 stores
Morton Williams - 14 stores
D'Agostino - 11 stores
Citarella - 9 stores
Westside Market - 8 stores
Corner stores and Farmer Markets