Sure, you know Whole Foods — and maybe H Mart and Patel Brothers — when you want kale, melons or okra. But what if you want fresh lychees or whole cloves by the pound?
Not only are the city’s independent specialty markets often just as well stocked, but they may also have better deals — and some of them are destinations in their own right, either because they’ve been neighborhood stalwarts for three generations, or because they’re where you can get hard-to-find Muscadine grapes, lemongrass and breadfruit.
In the fall, look out for deals — influenced by factors including weather and fuel prices — on pomegranates, apples, persimmons, pears, oranges, kabocha squash and pumpkins.
Below is a quick borough-by-borough guide of independent vendors and smaller chains that locals swear by, and are destinations in their own right.
The Bronx
Most of New York’s produce starts its trek in the Bronx. The 233-year-old Hunts Point Produce Market receives millions of pounds of fruits and vegetables and shuttles them into the hands of about 30 on-site merchants who also sell to individual shoppers — but at wholesale amounts and prices. So if you’re hosting a pop-up or a large-scale dinner party, head there.
There are also other options nearby, like Lucero and Reyes. These wholesalers specialize in Mexican produce, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by 10-foot-high walls of crates filled with fat pineapples, verdant nopales, large avocados and plump tomatillos. Ask for manager Gastón Lucero for help navigating the chilled Lucero warehouse since there are no signs or aisles like you’d find in a retail grocery store.
The Little Yemen neighborhood of Morris Park in the northeast Bronx has a few markets that cater to the community. Dar Al Hajar Markets carries various wheat flours, nuts, and spices like cardamom seeds, whole cloves and fenugreek that you can scoop into a baggie and pay by the pound. It also sells chunks of honeycomb and fresh yellow dates. Roots and…
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