I see people BLOCKS and blocks away with their Fairway bags....because of the prices.
The thing is, while I guess an awful lot of people in Manhattan will splurge for a night out an expensive restaurant now and then, when it comes to just buying their everyday groceries, they are as price conscious as people anywhere else in the country ( look at the success of Trader Joe's, which I recently reviewed on its place on the Upper West Side).
I always thought Fairways was based in California...it is a real newcomer to NYC as far as I know...let me see what I can find on the net..
Well, Wikpedia warns you that its article "read like an advertisement" and so I will just to to Yelp for the Fairway here in Kips Bay..ON THE WHOLE, people love it..
PERSONALLY, I like the values but I DO NOT find it a pleasant place to shop..too busy and too noisy and old ladies always almost always coming THAT close to being knocked over by someone speeding through...sort of bedlam atmosphere at certain hours.
Also, unions have complained that Fairway employees get substandard wages and benefits.
Fairway Market
542 Second Ave
New York, NY 10016
Neighborhoods: Midtown East, Kips Bay
New York, NY 10016
Neighborhoods: Midtown East, Kips Bay
Inappropriate?
Announcement
Now Open!
- Nearest Transit Station:
-
33 St (4, 6, 6X)28 St (4, 6, 6X)
- Hours:
- Mon-Sun 8 am - 11 pm
- Price Range:
- $$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
61 reviews for Fairway Market
Review Highlights What's this?
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"produce is FANTASTIC - i love mushrooms and I can pick my own." In 14 reviews -
"This place is the best thing to happen to Kips Bay." In 13 reviews -
"I have been living in Murray Hill for 5 years, and the Fairway..." In 8 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
61 reviews in English
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Review from Rich W.
- Elite '13
- 391 friends
6/7/2013
The new Manhattan Fairway supermarket is such an awesome addition to the Kips Bay Towers shopping plaza. This store is just close enough for me to walk to from my office!
The market is located in the basement of the shopping complex. Only the floral section is on the ground floor level.
There are escalators, elevators and stairway to get down to the base.
Everything you want and need is available here.
The prices are reasonable and the selections are fantastic.
The staff is well trained and friendly.
Just like the Fairway I normally go to in Red Hook Brooklyn and Douglaston Queens in has a bakery, olive bar, amazing coffee selection and olive oil sampling. (I saw one guy made a whole meal sampling all the balsamic vintage & bread.
Checkout section is configured differently to save space and can be confusing at first. The space is a little tight but reasonable. The weekends are probably crazy crowded.
Parking is metered and there is a Citibike station nearby.
The M15 downtown bus is at the corner of 30th St & 2st Ave with the M15+Select bus stop located on 33rd St & 2nd Ave.
The closes subway is a hike to Park Ave. #6 train.Listed in: The Yelp 100 Challenge: NYC… -
Review from Tiffany T.
- 77 friends
7/2/2013
Wow... No rotting fruit? No flies? No dirt on the floor? No long lines of people waiting to check out?! When I first stepped into Fairway, I noticed all of these things right off the bat. The store is a huge and brightly lit with an expansive produce section, deli, fish market and organic section. They really do offer everything under the sun and the prices are quite reasonable for the city.
I've since moved away from Murray Hill but when time permits, will travel uptown to go grocery shopping at Fairway. It's that good. If you're in the neighborhood, skip Gristedes (or "Gross" tedes as I've heard it sometimes called) and the long lines at Trader Joe's and stop by Fairway instead.
Service isn't always that great but the supermarket outweighs the service.
3 stars for service. 5 for the actual supermarket and its offerings.Listed in: Foodie Heaven -
Review from Kim L.
- 27 friends
5/30/2013
This Fairway is an awesome addition to the neighborhood ! I'm in and out of here quickly..well, nearly every other day but that's the way I shop in general.
A lovely balance of everyday items and brands alongside the fru-fru, organic-ish that I adore :) -
Review from Jessica C.
- 0 friends
7/12/2013
As a southern girl, Publix has always had the number one spot in my heart as the best grocery store out there. Fairway has definitely dethroned good old P. The produce section is unbelievable, I have never met a rude employee, and I could wander the aisles for hours discovering new things and sampling everything. Everyone is so friendly and they seem to actually know a lot about the products. Check-out is quick and so easy. I will never shop anywhere else! -
Review from Randy Y.
- 0 friends
6/30/2013
Without a doubt the best location for food selection. HOWEVER, after 10+ visits it has become very clear that the customer service here is just horrendous. The workers behind the deli counter are laggards; they follow instructions correctly but could not care less how long it takes to do it. The cashiers often seem preoccupied and impatient. I've had a stocker scoff at me for accidentally blocking her way. I guess what I'm trying to say is: they make me feel unwanted there. -
Review from Tora D.
- 51 friends
5/10/2013
Secretly wish you were a Food Network Star?
Think you can be a better Iron Chef?
You call yourself a Foodie?
This underground MEGA supermarket will definitely challenge you in more ways than one!
If you have never been to a Fairway Supermarket, then you are in for an eye opening experience. Eye opening because this place has almost EVERY food stuff imaginable from the local New York apple to the exotic French black truffle. Eye opening because you won't believe some of these luxury prices. Eye opening because you have to watch where you are going otherwise you will run over one of the many staff running about restocking or moving items, the gaggle of yuppies that frequent this place, or the myriad of baby strollers being pushed by nannies and Au pairs.
This supermarket definitely blows Whole Foods out of the water when it comes to variety but Trader Joe's has still has better prices. I must admit though that the fresh produce here is quite reasonable but don't go looking for a sales circular. They don't do that. Aside from eye opening, this place will tantalize (or assault) your olfactory senses with fresh coffee beans from around the world that you can grind yourself to the vats of cured olives to the exotic cheese section (want to know where it is? Just follow your nose).
The meats are VERY expensive IMHO as well as the Dairy and Juice Departments (but hey, they have to pay the high rent somehow) but you will find a lovely assortment of fresh made pastas (lobster ravioli and pumpkin ravioli being my favorites), dried aged steaks, and whole prosciutto.
Need black truffles to shave on your wild mushroom risotto? Got it!
Need a Black Forest Cake for dessert? You'll find it in their bakery.
Don't know how to cook but want to fool others to think that you can? They have a prepared foods counter here too!
Single and looking for a wealthy date? You just might find one here!
They also carry a huge line or Bob's Red Mill products for the home baker as well as a candy, dried fruits, and snacks area where everything is dispensed in bulk.
Don't believe me that his branch is awesome? Just wait until you take the LONG escalator trip down underground. The bird's eye view is enough to make your jaw drop! -
Review from Allie S.
- 1 friend
6/27/2013
I live in the Murray Hill area and was super excited in December when I heard that Fairway was opening only one block from my apartment. I had never been to a Fairway, but I heard that it was far superior to the regular supermarkets, so I went to check it out the week they opened.
I was pleasantly surprised! It was like a combination of a regular supermarket, an organic/health foods store, and a specialty food store. I was able to find everything that I was looking for, and was happy to know that my food shopping could now be done in one stop instead of having to go to the local supermarket in addition to Whole Foods every week.
So, since then I have been going at least once or twice a week to do my general food shopping, but lately I have been very disappointed. I have noticed that the quality of their offerings has significantly gone down, especially in the produce section.
They also do not have the best customer service here. Every time I am in here there are always workers in the produce department and in the aisles that are restocking/cleaning. That is great, but they all appear to have an attitude in my opinion and they make it seem like you are getting in their way and are a bother. Recently there was someone restocking the yogurt section and there were big boxes piled in front of the brand that I wanted and I was clearly struggling to try to reach my flavor, but the worker did nothing to try to move them he just said he would be done soon. I gave up and decided to get my yogurt somewhere else.
I also have major issues with the deli counter. They have the tickets with numbers on them that you take when you get there, but the problem is that half of the employees use them and half don't. For example, this weekend I went over to the counter and I was number 15. When the next employee was available he called number 14 and she was being helped, so I was next. But, someone else who was at the other end of the counter simply disregarded the numbers and asked who wasn't being helped. Since he was at the other end and couldn't hear me, he helped someone else (and this happened twice before I got helped by the same person who was actually using the numbers). This has happened to me numerous times, and it is very frustrating because they should either use the numbers or not, but they shouldn't do it halfway.
Overall, I am hoping that the quality goes back to the way it was when they first opened. I have started to return to Whole Foods to do my weekly shopping because I can't deal with the frustrations anymore, but the prices here are much better than anywhere else and on average they have more options, so I really want to love it here. -
Review from Evan R.
- Elite '13
- 112 friends
4/16/2013
I am scared of this place, its like some secret underground government facility, it must stretch under twenty city blocks, I'm not kidding. And they seem to have about two thousand employees, who are always in the way. They are always restocking and moving massive amounts of stuff around. And they actually do not have Entenmanns but they do have five thousand teas.
The staples here are well priced, but the idea here is to overwhelm you with ridiculously expensive food items that you never knew existed, and have you blow your budget. Like if I see someone buying a jar of some condiment from North Africa, and it's say $15, I buy it also. And I only came here to save fifteen cents on milk!
Fifty checkout counters, and a really really long escalator, like from my girlfriend's nightmares. -
Review from Lady N.
- 5 friends
6/23/2013
A special shout out to Anita in customer service. Amazing. She helped me out with a problem with ease and just made my life so much easier. -
Review from Paul H.
- Elite '13
- 1241 friends
3/26/2013
I came here twice in one day, that shows you how good Fairway is.
Decor:
-totally didn't expect it to be on the lower level and its very large. I would say at least four Union Sq Trader Joe's!
-Very clean, fully stocked most of the time and shelved
-Prices are fairly competitive compared to Morton Williams and Gristedes
-Darrell Lea's Licorice!! Strawberry is the best followed by Mango and Green Apple
-Pickles in a barrel, Artisan cheese and a large Meat section!
I love running up the stairs instead of taking the escalators for a nice quick workout!Listed in: The Yelp 100 Challenge -
Review from Erni M.
- 17 friends
6/1/2013
What an amazing gem for manhattan. Not a lot of options like this for such great prices! The cheese section has the most helpful staff that recommends new and rare cheeses and insists you try them. -
Review from Andrea B.
- 1 friend
3/23/2013
5-star Customer Service: I purchased some items on a Tuesday and somehow ended up bringing home only one out of 2 bags. I came back on Thursday to request a replacement, they saw me promptly, made no fuss at all about it, did not require all sorts of proof, etc (I did have my receipt, but I had also taken photos of the items I had taken, in case they asked for it). They actually had a record of the exact items I had left behind, and just let me pick up everything again. The clerk was very courteous and understanding.
GREAT JOB Fairway Kips Bay,Thanks for making a customer supper happy and appreciative!
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