One of the benefits of living in a city as diverse as New York is that no ingredient you need, no matter what you want to cook or eat, is more than a few subway stops away. Whether you’re looking for hard-to-find fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, sauces, baked goods, prepared food, frozen meals — or you just want an inexpensive way to briefly experience another culture and see a new part of the city one afternoon — here are some tips (from around the globe and around the city) to begin your culinary adventures.
Indian — Patel Brothers, 3727 74th Street, Jackson Heights, Queens (nearest subway stops: E/M/F/R (Jackson Heights – Roosevelt Avenue), 7 (74th Street – Broadway)).
Patel Brothers is a nationwide chain of Indian supermarkets, and this location is one of three in the city (the others are in Flushing and Bellerose) — but for food-savvy explorers, this location puts you right in the heart of Jackson Heights, filled with Indian snack and dessert shops, authentically-spicy Thai restaurants (like Ayada, at 77-08 Woodside Avenue), and South Asian shopping of all kinds. If it’s mango season (June), Patel Brothers is one of the few places in the city to stock up — and the varieties they import can’t be compared to the sad-looking specimens at your corner bodega. If it’s not mango season, the canned pulp might have to do the trick; you can get everything you need to make your own mango lassi. Whether you’re hoping to cook an Indian feast, or just need an excuse to treat yourself to some kulfi (Indian ice cream), the trip is well worth the subway fare.
(creative commons, attribute to jeff~)
Vietnamese — Tan Tin-Hung (121 Bowery, Manhattan — nearest subway stops: B/D (Grand St.), R/N/Q/J/6 (Canal St.)).
Just north of Manhattan’s Chinatown is a tiny storefront most people walk right by without realizing the treasures inside. From freshly-made Vietnamese desserts like sweet, sticky rice balls in ginger syrup (Che Troi Nuoc) to noodles, fish sauce, and a selection of hard-to-find fresh Vietnamese herbs, Tan Tin-Hung is South Asian culinary paradise — and at reasonable prices. Plus, you’re just blocks away from Chinatown, and all the restaurants, dumpling shops, and bakeries you can imagine. Try, for instance, the pork buns at Mei Li Wah Bakery (64 Bayard Street) and the egg custard tarts at Golden Manna Bakery (16 Bowery).  Wash it down with bubble tea at Ten Ren (79 Mott Street).
(credit to Nhã Lê Hoà n)
Italian — Calabria Pork Store, 2338 Arthur Ave., Bronx) and Casa Della Mozzarella, 604 East 187th Street, Bronx (nearest subway stop: B/D (Fordham Road), or take Metro North to the Fordham stop).
Arthur Avenue in the Bronx is the real Little Italy of New York, and certainly a worthy place to spend an afternoon eating, exploring, and then eating some more. Although the Arthur Avenue Retail Market — with restaurants, pastry shops, butchers, pasta makers and more all under one roof — is geared largely toward tourists, real New Yorkers know there are still some quality gems to be found on the surrounding streets. For sausage and cured meats of all kinds — but especially the Soppressata hanging from the ceiling — Calabria Pork Store is the right stop. And for freshly-made cheese, Casa Della Mozzarella is also worth the visit. A New Yorker can spend his life in the city, and visit the Bronx for a Yankees game, and maybe the zoo — but Arthur Avenue is a worthy next entry on the list of Bronx trips worth making.
(credit to Gary Soup, creative commons license)
Russian — Acme Smoked Fish, 30 Gem Street, Brooklyn (nearest subway stops: L (Bedford Ave.), G (Nassau Ave.)).
We’re cheating a bit here — Acme Smoked Fish may have been started by a Russian immigrant, but foods like lox and whitefish have infiltrated the city, available in every corner bagel shop or deli. But this list wouldn’t be complete without including Acme, supplier to high-end stores like Zabar’s, Barney Greengrass, and Russ & Daughters. One of the city’s most delicious open secrets is that Acme sells its wide variety of smoked fish products — including jars of herring, half a dozen varieties of smoked salmon, whole smoked trout and whitefish, and much more — to the public at wholesale prices every Friday from eight in the morning until one in the afternoon. If you crave a bagel and lox — and who doesn’t? — a visit to Fish Friday at Acme has to be on your bucket list.
(credit to goodiesfirst, creative commons license)
Japanese — Mitsuwa Marketplace, 595 River Road, Edgewater, New Jersey (shuttle bus from Port Authority Bus Terminal, Gate #51).
Yes, a supermarket in New Jersey finishes up this New Yorker’s list. But Mitsuwa is not just a supermarket — it’s a trip to Japan, twenty minutes by bus from Manhattan. A food court with the best ramen in the city, mass quantities of high-quality sushi and sake at prices that won’t break the bank, raw sushi-grade fish to make your own, and a calendar year full of festivals that bring the different regions of Japan right to the suburbs. You are not a true food-loving New Yorker until you have taken a trip on the Mitsuwa shuttle and come back with more sushi than you can fit in your refrigerator.
(credit to LWY, creative commons license)
These five markets are just the beginning. From Chinese to Korean to Polish to Mexican to British to Senegalese, if it’s on the map and the people eat, you can almost definitely find it somewhere in New York City. Happy eating!
