Best place in the city for produce, quality and price can't be beat. Bulk goods are good too
Yvonne C
The bulk tofu here is more affordable than packaged tofu anywhere else in the city! I love the bulk noodles/pasta, bulk oils, flour, and friendly people. I plan on coming back to refill on maple syrup.
E M.
Great place for organic nutritious ingredients. However, other than ringing me up, the clerk was focused on looking at and scrolling on a smart phone.
Akiko I.
One of the best food co-ops in the city. They do a lot with the space they have: 2/3 of the store is devoted to bulk items, unlike the Greene Hill Food Co-op in Brooklyn, half of which is bogged down in specialty gourmet items from UNFI encased in plastic. Training to work at 4th Street is thorough, but someone I know came through while I was doing it and I got to see the diversity of the shoppers.
Daniella Alaxander
Best bulk bin offerings in Manhattan I've found yet. There is a large selection of beans, grains, nuts, dry fruits, and other ingredients at a good price.
Roya N.
Loved this little coop. I so appreciate that they pretty much sell everything through bulk. So you buy as much or as little as you like at lower prices than buying pre-packaged. They offer paper bags to make bulk purchases at a nominal cost 5 cents to 15 cents or so. I would assume that one can bring in their own bags but then you would need to weigh them before filling. I also loved that I find organic spices by bulk which I have had a hard time finding in the NY area. So I can refill fill my spice jars at a fraction of buying a new jar ...which also creates unnecessary waste by throwing out/recycling perfectly good jars. I highly recommend this little shop that is PACKED with lots a product. Selling by bulk seems to allow them to pack out in a smaller foot print.
Noah Henyon
The best selection of bulk grains and dried beans, and other ingredients and spices and olive oils that I have yet to see in NYC. Located just East of 2nd ave on 4th street. I often purchase whole grain hulled barley and black beluga lentils which are difficult to find at any other organic grocery stores, where few if any whole foods stores even have these bulk items in bins. You are encouraged to use your own container or charge to save on packaging waste, and you don't have to be a member and can still receive discounts in some cases. The prices are very fair. The members that work as staff are unusually friendly and patient. If the store is crowded or there is technical error, it can be a long wait, but it is still a better store than other grocery options. Almost all of the bulk items and fruits and vegetable are organic and locally sourced (not as local as the union square greenmarket, but sourcing from local Lancaster Farms in many cases from PA), and some items such as apples can be sourced from the NYC greenmarket, at one time from the only NY State organic apple orchard.- Be careful of the hours, as the store is only open later in the day on Wednesdays when they are re-stocking, posted on their website, and regularly opens after 12pm on most days of the week and weekend. You can conveniently call the store to confirm they are open, and confirm if anything that you want is in stock, which I often do before traveling to the store when stocking up on grains and dried goods.
Brandon Hall
Got charged way too much for the Irish Moss. The tare was 0.50, the weight of the moss was 0.06, but was calculated as 0.56. The pictures include my receipt, in which I was way over-charged. The mung beans were 0.61 pounds, slightly more than 1/2 a pound, but the sea moss does not even come close weight wise, and is not anywhere near 1/2 a pound. I tried to tell them that I did want it, asked if I could put it back, but they said no. I felt very awkward, embarrassed, and uncomfortable, so I paid and left, now feeling like I should have just left my containers there and walked out.
Emily Wang
Best bulk bin offerings in Manhattan I've found yet. There is a large selection of beans, grains, nuts, dry fruits, and other ingredients at a good price. I'll continue making the trip to refill my essentials. Oh, and the person working was nice and told me about the student discount.
Char L.
I really love this place!! I have been shopping here for many years. A place that's by the community, for the community!
Awesome little shop. Rare environmentally-friendly low waste/low impact store in Manhattan. You can bring your own containers and buy not only grains, dried fruit, and spices in bulk, but also teas, honey, oils, vinegars, and syrups (coconut, olive, sunflower oils, balsamic, rice vinegars, and maple syrup, etc.). They also sell bulk castile soap, dish soap, and laundry detergent (powder and liquid). The inventory changes slightly by week, which I find kind of fun. You can bring your own containers, buy containers there, or just put everything in paper or biobags. Sometimes people even donate old, clean glass containers that you can take for free. You can avoid generating the waste typical of a regular grocery store, and also buy only as much as you need (perfect for small NYC kitchens). Staff are all volunteers so are pretty friendly.
I-Chun Liu
One of my favorite shops in the world.
Poundie
This is a tiny, cramped food coop, non-corporate with a bunch of organic food in bins and friendly people ready to chat. If you live in the area, you'd be a fool not to check out this place--it is hard to beat for those interested in healthy food. For those who are just visiting the area, corporate mega-stores admittedly do have certain advantages, but it is great to know that a place like this exists.
Andrea
I love coming to the 4th st food co-op. They are very friendly and comply with safety regulations against covid. When you go in you must leave your bags/carts in the entrance and go into the back of the store to wash your hands; only 4 people allowed inside the store including staff. Their prices are reasonable and products are great quality. A little far from me but it's always nice to make the trip and buy something from them. ?
Baruch Tabanpour
The 4th Street food coop has some of the best and most affordable produce on the whole island of Manhattan. Much smaller than the Park Slope Food Coop but packs a similar punch. Get the family yearly membership to save an extra 8% on produce. Bring reusable containers to reduce waste. I highly recommend you do all of your grocery shopping here. Enjoy!
Best place in the city for produce, quality and price can't be beat. Bulk goods are good too
The bulk tofu here is more affordable than packaged tofu anywhere else in the city! I love the bulk noodles/pasta, bulk oils, flour, and friendly people. I plan on coming back to refill on maple syrup.
Great place for organic nutritious ingredients. However, other than ringing me up, the clerk was focused on looking at and scrolling on a smart phone.
One of the best food co-ops in the city. They do a lot with the space they have: 2/3 of the store is devoted to bulk items, unlike the Greene Hill Food Co-op in Brooklyn, half of which is bogged down in specialty gourmet items from UNFI encased in plastic. Training to work at 4th Street is thorough, but someone I know came through while I was doing it and I got to see the diversity of the shoppers.
Best bulk bin offerings in Manhattan I've found yet. There is a large selection of beans, grains, nuts, dry fruits, and other ingredients at a good price.
Loved this little coop. I so appreciate that they pretty much sell everything through bulk. So you buy as much or as little as you like at lower prices than buying pre-packaged. They offer paper bags to make bulk purchases at a nominal cost 5 cents to 15 cents or so. I would assume that one can bring in their own bags but then you would need to weigh them before filling. I also loved that I find organic spices by bulk which I have had a hard time finding in the NY area. So I can refill fill my spice jars at a fraction of buying a new jar ...which also creates unnecessary waste by throwing out/recycling perfectly good jars. I highly recommend this little shop that is PACKED with lots a product. Selling by bulk seems to allow them to pack out in a smaller foot print.
The best selection of bulk grains and dried beans, and other ingredients and spices and olive oils that I have yet to see in NYC. Located just East of 2nd ave on 4th street. I often purchase whole grain hulled barley and black beluga lentils which are difficult to find at any other organic grocery stores, where few if any whole foods stores even have these bulk items in bins. You are encouraged to use your own container or charge to save on packaging waste, and you don't have to be a member and can still receive discounts in some cases. The prices are very fair. The members that work as staff are unusually friendly and patient. If the store is crowded or there is technical error, it can be a long wait, but it is still a better store than other grocery options. Almost all of the bulk items and fruits and vegetable are organic and locally sourced (not as local as the union square greenmarket, but sourcing from local Lancaster Farms in many cases from PA), and some items such as apples can be sourced from the NYC greenmarket, at one time from the only NY State organic apple orchard.- Be careful of the hours, as the store is only open later in the day on Wednesdays when they are re-stocking, posted on their website, and regularly opens after 12pm on most days of the week and weekend. You can conveniently call the store to confirm they are open, and confirm if anything that you want is in stock, which I often do before traveling to the store when stocking up on grains and dried goods.
Got charged way too much for the Irish Moss. The tare was 0.50, the weight of the moss was 0.06, but was calculated as 0.56. The pictures include my receipt, in which I was way over-charged. The mung beans were 0.61 pounds, slightly more than 1/2 a pound, but the sea moss does not even come close weight wise, and is not anywhere near 1/2 a pound. I tried to tell them that I did want it, asked if I could put it back, but they said no. I felt very awkward, embarrassed, and uncomfortable, so I paid and left, now feeling like I should have just left my containers there and walked out.
Best bulk bin offerings in Manhattan I've found yet. There is a large selection of beans, grains, nuts, dry fruits, and other ingredients at a good price. I'll continue making the trip to refill my essentials. Oh, and the person working was nice and told me about the student discount.
I really love this place!! I have been shopping here for many years. A place that's by the community, for the community!
Restaurantji Recommends
Awesome little shop. Rare environmentally-friendly low waste/low impact store in Manhattan. You can bring your own containers and buy not only grains, dried fruit, and spices in bulk, but also teas, honey, oils, vinegars, and syrups (coconut, olive, sunflower oils, balsamic, rice vinegars, and maple syrup, etc.). They also sell bulk castile soap, dish soap, and laundry detergent (powder and liquid). The inventory changes slightly by week, which I find kind of fun. You can bring your own containers, buy containers there, or just put everything in paper or biobags. Sometimes people even donate old, clean glass containers that you can take for free. You can avoid generating the waste typical of a regular grocery store, and also buy only as much as you need (perfect for small NYC kitchens). Staff are all volunteers so are pretty friendly.
One of my favorite shops in the world.
This is a tiny, cramped food coop, non-corporate with a bunch of organic food in bins and friendly people ready to chat. If you live in the area, you'd be a fool not to check out this place--it is hard to beat for those interested in healthy food. For those who are just visiting the area, corporate mega-stores admittedly do have certain advantages, but it is great to know that a place like this exists.
I love coming to the 4th st food co-op. They are very friendly and comply with safety regulations against covid. When you go in you must leave your bags/carts in the entrance and go into the back of the store to wash your hands; only 4 people allowed inside the store including staff. Their prices are reasonable and products are great quality. A little far from me but it's always nice to make the trip and buy something from them. ?
The 4th Street food coop has some of the best and most affordable produce on the whole island of Manhattan. Much smaller than the Park Slope Food Coop but packs a similar punch. Get the family yearly membership to save an extra 8% on produce. Bring reusable containers to reduce waste. I highly recommend you do all of your grocery shopping here. Enjoy!