Monday, September 2, 2013

Health Smart Murray Hill

I was surprised at the vehemence of the couple of sour apples in with the mostly good reviews..makes sense,  people who frequent a place like this take their health very seriously on the whole

Healthsmart of NY

3.0 star rating
11 reviews Rating Details
550 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10016
Neighborhoods: Midtown East, Murray Hill
(212) 532-9300
Nearest Transit Station:
33 St. (4, 6, 6X)
Grand Central - 42 St. (7, 7X)
Grand Central - 42 St. (4, 5, 6, 6X)
Hours:
Mon-Fri 7 am - 9 pm
Sat-Sun 10 am - 9 pm
Price Range:
$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
4.9 Miles from Healthsmart of NY
Cassandra B. said: "Great selection of vegan and vegetarian products, including lots of fake meats and bulk nuts, seeds, and beans. Many teas, vegan cheese, and frozen products. The…" read more »
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11 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 14 friends
    • 54 reviews
    ASTORIA, NY
    3/3/2012 33 check-ins here
    I've had nothing but good experiences at this store. I will admit that some of the produce prices are high but hey, it's midtown Manhattan. Don't act so surprised. This shop is walking distance from my job so I usually go for the juice bar and to grab some snacks (fruits, veggies, etc.) to keep at work. If I had to do all of my grocery shopping here I'd definitely be annoyed (the same organic strawberries that I get in Queens for 4.99 cost 6.99 here) but it's nice to have a place near work to grab a few organic things when I forget to bring them from home.

    The juice bar is outstanding.  I've been to other organic juice bars and periodically gotten some pretty crappy juice (I suspect because the produce was not good, just "meh").  The juice here is consistently great-tasting. If you order a juice with some serious greens (chard, kale, spinach, etc.) beware you may get some pulp in your juice.  I think it has to do with the type of juicer they use.  But everything else i've ordered (mostly some combo of carrot, apple, beet and parsley) has been close to pulp-free and delicious.  Lulu who usually "mans" the juice bar on weekdays is a sweetheart. If you call ahead she'll have your juice ready and waiting for you.  They also have a frequent juicer card - 10th juice is free - and I can confirm that they honor that.

    PS - This place offers free delivery on ANY sized order.
  • Review from

    Brooklyn, NY
    7/25/2013
    Great place for Green Juice and hot foods.  But dont buy supplements here.  I just got a bottle of vitamins here on Tuesday July 23,  and the product was fully 11 dollars more than it usually costs at Willners,  to make matters worse I discovered when I got home that the bottle had an expiration date: "August 2013"   For this price it had darn well be good for more than a week!   At willners, it would have been in the half price bin already starting six weeks before the expiration date.

    I have tried calling them to let them know I am going to return the expired product.  Nobody picks up the phone.
  • Review from

    • 49 friends
    • 169 reviews
    Jersey City, NJ
    7/20/2011
    Don't let the size of Healthsmart fool you: this shop packs way more organic food/green lifestyle into its four walls than stores twice its size. The selection of supplements is mind-boggling, with not just the known, big natural brands lining the walls, but many smaller manufacturers, herbs, and niche brands and products. There's great health & beauty stuff, and it goes on sale, often. Why buy sunscreen laden with chemicals for $12 at Duane Reed when you can get natural stuff here, on sale, for $8.99? They are practically encouraging you to go green/organic/safe!

    The prepared foods in the back are AMAZING. Sold by the pound, every day there's a different grain, green, non-meat protein, and organic chicken dish. They also make a mean miso soup, and of course, all the juicing you could want, along with wheatgrass juice. Great variety of gluten-free foods as well.

    Staff is helpful and knowledgeable, and the store is clean, bright, and well organized. They even have a frequent buyer card for juicing. I'm a fan!
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    8/29/2012 1 check-in here
    Really nice, albeit expensive, health store. I've lived around the corner for 1 1/2 years and just checked it out this weekend! I got a green juice, and was pleasantly surprised when the employee walked over to the fresh organic produce section (like, where a customer would go to buy his produce), and picked up the ingredients for my juice. They seem to have a large selection of health products & healthy foods, which I want to check out another time. They also have a reward card you can ask for at the register. I'll be back!
  • Review from

    • 6 friends
    • 20 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    3/9/2011 First to Review
    I love this store! The service is outstanding & I always feel welcomed.  They have a great gluten free selection & a great variety of organic foods.  Their sandwiches and smoothies are delish and always fresh. They have a nutritionist on staff that is soo informative and help full - he is giving a free lecture on Thursday.

    Overall - great service, great products, good food.
  • Review from

    • 3 friends
    • 7 reviews
    Los Angeles, CA
    7/11/2011
    It's an absolutely great place with extremely friendly staff, they offer a wide variety of organic food. I came there especially to get organic fresh squeezed juice, (it was not easy to find an organic juice bar on entire 3rd Ave) and got very surprised with their reasonable prices considering the prime location.
    Highly recommended place!
  • Review from

    Brooklyn, NY
    9/24/2011
    According to the manager on duty at 11:22 AM on 9/24, it was the owner, Meena's idea to offer "sale" and "regular" prices to offset the cost of the Groupon. Luckily Althea A.'s review saved me a trip into the city and an in-person argument with a manager, which is never very much fun. I understand that sometimes companies decide they aren't that happy with the way a social buying deal has gone, but pulling a switcheroo on the customers they're trying to attract is pretty scuzzy.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 12 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    2/6/2012
    Healthsmart has a special place in my heart.  I'm a closet health nut.  Or perhaps a curious and floating one.  I've tried raw, vegan, no-soy / gluten...I've found something in the middle that is working for me: eat mostly non-processed foods, eat all my fruits and veggies before reaching for other savory things, go organic when I can help it.  I know, it's not very impressive and mostly common sense, but I give myself a pat on the back  for trying because I love to cook and make outrageous dishes that vegans and those with dairy-soy-nut-gluten allergies would cringe at.  I cycle between both worlds when it suits me and Healthsmart helps me do this :).

    I'm not a Groupon-er so I didn't have the negative experience some other users had.  And I honestly have nothing but nice things to say about this place.  The people who work there always greet me and ask if I need help.  I was having trouble sleeping for a stint of time and someone helped me pick out a brand of melatonin (worked wonders!).  When I feel like binging on something naughty, I go to their cookies and chocolate section and pick out something.  In fact, I bought a bag of chocolates and came back the next day for another bag, and the person behind the counter was the same person who rang me up that day before.  She humored me and laughed when I said "Don't judge!  It's just one of those weeks!"  On a healthier note, I also go there for an organic kale, cucumber, celery, and apple pressed juice.  Their produce can be on the pricier side since it is a smaller store so I go elsewhere, but in general, it is a good place to see up and coming brands in the health food sector and try things out for fun.
  • Review from

    • 161 friends
    • 705 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    9/23/2011
    Shady, shady, shady!

    I went here with a Groupon for $10 for $20 worth of merch. Shopped around, filled up my basket. Before I went to the counter, I was planning on giving the place 3 stars and noting that it's more of a place for catering to specialized diets, such as gluten-free, than an all-around healthy-foods store. It does have a good selection of gluten-free products, although their prices are high. I would have recommended it to people I knew who are gluten-intolerant.

    However, now I will recommend it to NO ONE.

    While I was shopping, I noticed that the price tags in the store had one price in large numerals, and another in tiny numerals. I assumed that the tiny prices, which were about double, were the unit price (per pound, or per quart, etc).
    However, when I went to the cashier, the guy started ringing up the merchandise at the higher prices. I thought he was making a mistake, and pointed it out.
    He said no, the higher prices were for Groupon customers. I'm like, "what?" And he said, "Well, you didn't pay full price for the Groupon, so you have to pay a different price."
    I said, "No, that would completely eradicate the POINT of buying a Groupon, if I wasn't actually going to get a discount in the long run."
    A second cashier arrived to back him up, saying "Well, this is what the boss told us to do."
    I said "No, you can't do that."
    More arguing ensued. The two cashiers were very disrespectful and rude.
    The two cashiers went to get a manager.
    The manager told me that the large numeral price was a "sale price" and the higher price was the "regular price," and that Groupons couldn't be used for sale-priced items. He pointed out a couple of items in the store which had different stickers on them, which weren't "sale items."
    I wasn't buying this, because:
    #1. At least 85% of the items in the store had the "sale" stickers.
    #2. The "regular" (bullshit) prices were ridiculously high. For example, I buy Santa Cruz Organic lemonade frequently. At many different stores. I like it. It is pretty much  ALWAYS $1.99, where ever you buy it. Here, $1.99 was listed as the "sale" price. No, sorry, that is what it costs.
    #3. Sometime Groupons specify that you can't use them on sale items. This particular Groupon did not. It did have special qualifications (not good for fresh produce, etc) Nothing about "sale" items.
    #4. The first cashier didn't say the prices were "sale"  and "regular" prices. He said they were prices for Groupon customers.

    The manager was courteous and willing to listen to reason and logic. (Unlike the other two cashiers, who remained surly.) After A LOT of debate, he gave me the proper prices, admitting that the coupon said nothing about "no "sale" prices."  However, I am sure that a lot of people got ripped off by this place.

    And, to add insult to injury, the blue corn chips I bought had a "Save $1 Now!" coupon on the bag that they didn't honor. At that point, I wasn't even going to keep arguing over $1.

    All this was, was an attempt to get people to come in with a Groupon and NOT actually give them a discount.

    NOTE: I notice that one other review that complains about this SHADY, ILLEGAL behavior got filtered because the reviewer isn't a regular yelper. I know it's not yelp's fault that sometimes valid reviews get filtered - but it's worth looking at.

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