Pine Tree

I found this random little hole in the wall sushi spot via Unilocal,and my fellow Unilocalers didn’t let me down! My husband and I were the only two people back in their little sushi nook, and the young man working there made great suggestions including steering us towards a special. The special was some sort of tuna avocado masterpiece that was absolutely delicious!!! The whole meal was perfect from the presentation to the freshness of the sushi. I will definitely be coming back :)

This place has a decent selection of groceries. But they are slightly overpriced by approx. $ 1 on pretty much every item.

Skipped the sushi here on multiple UPS pickup attempts — it’s a nice convenience and the staff are friendly, but the area with the packages is chaotic and very non-​secure, especially because there’s often no staff there to monitor, and they barely even ask for your pickup slip.

Cute store. Lot of organic food/​products and definitely on the pricy side. Came for sushi but it wasn’t open yet. friendly owner. Will try again. I did buy a Yerba mate tea to keep me cool on this hot summer day.

Reviewing the sushi only (I think the grocery store is overpriced for this neighborhood). Fresh, inexpensive, and quick. The sushi chef is attentive and very kind.

This place is so cool and cozy. Spicy Crab Roll is DELICIOUS! Prices are great too and you’re given 8 pieces instead of 6!

Good selection of beers, grain foods, snacks, spices, produce and ethnic food ingredients. Friendly people and a nice clean atmosphere.

Note: Review is on the sushi bar
Came here on a date. He asked did I want to Sushi and I said sure. He says meet me here and I go ok.
I get here and I was about to walk into a martial arts studio. He says no go to Pine Tree and walk to the back of the store. I see a nice sushi bar set up and sit. The guy working the bar, Sensei Ramirez, as we dubbed him. Immediately greets me an ask if I wanted some green tea, it was a cold cold day. I drink my tea and wait for my date.
He arrives and he already knows Sensei because he has been here before. He suggests I try the Rihanna roll but doesn’t let me know whats in it until after I eat it. I ate and loved it… It was banana with eel I believe omg so so good. Actually all the rolls we had were so good!
We talk to Sensei some more and I find out that he has been making sushi for 15 yrs. He was there creating all these things and you can see his love for making sushi an sashimi and all that jazz. Im so happy, I was introduced to the sushi spot in the back of a health conscious store. I will definitely be back!

I had the coziest experience here. I came in here on a crazy rainy day for a late lunch. The sushi bar area was almost empty but the chef behind the counter warmly welcomed me. He offered me a steaming cup of nice green tea that tasted a bit like toasted barley tea.
The sushi is simple and nicely priced. For $ 10, I ordered a mackerel roll and a spicy salmon roll. The quality of the fish was fresh.
The ambiance was on par with the sushi. A waiter wasn’t breathing down my neck and constantly asking «how was my food.» I could sip my tea, enjoy my food and read a book. This place felt like a cozy reprieve from the gross cold rain with its warm service and delicious and no-​frills sushi.

Love Pine Tree sushi! The food is delicious, the service is great, and the presentation of the rolls is beautiful. If you want good quality sushi accompanied by great tunes, this is the place to go!

Cute, neat, and clean organic store with an awesome sushi bar in the back. The sushi rolls were a bit small, but for the price i’m not complaining! Decent gluten-​free selection.

My friend said, «this place is great when the guy gives you a free banana.» Well, I got no such free banana, but I still thought it was pretty cool. I bought some fancy rose lemonade and premium organic beef jerky while waiting for the laundromat drying cycle to be over. I know they don’t manufacture those things, but it’s definitely cool to see such a variety of snacks. I’ll leave that one star open for my potential free banana.

This place has all the random ingredients for Asian cooking that you will need. They have fresh kimchi, soba noodles, mochi, and all the condiments. Also, there is a sushi bar in the back, which I was hesitant about ordering from at first, but the portions are good and the fish is good too. If you get sushi here, get the peppered fish sushi.

Sure, there are cheaper places to shop in the neighborhood, but there was a time when Pine Tree was one of the few specialty places on Franklin Ave. The store is always stocked well. The not-​so-​secret sushi spot in the back is another reason to visit. The sushi is always fresh and the guys making it are friendly. I come here for the fancier items that Compare doesn’t carry, or when I need special ingredients and I don’t feel like heading into the city. The cashier are always friendly as well. $ 10 minimum for debt/​credit, but sometimes they let you slide.

the mini sushi «restaurant» in the back is a simple and cheap option for late-​ish night sit-​down foodage on Franklin. (this street is really limited otherwise other than chinese food (ugh) and bars with things like $ 9 «gourmet shoe strings fries» designed to taste like gourmet shoe strings.
that said, this is a grocery store and i should probably wear a t-​shirt that says «please don’t enrage me by mislabeling your food and prices» so that people will know not to enrage me. if something is labeled $ 4, don’t charge me $ 5 with the fact that «that’s how much it is.» I mean why do you even put prices on things when you just decide what the price is once it’s at the counter? Or at least don’t just say «it’s wrong» and then not even IMPLY that you’re going to fix it. Idunno it’s like people want me to write negative Unilocal reviews.
I know, I know. Stupid entitled idiot problems. Screw me and my need for overpriced kale chips. I get it. I just can’t help it. I’m an American and I can’t handle feeling like I’m being conned. Sigh.
(but the sushi really is pretty good)

I first started shopping at Nam’s in 2008 when the idea of a specialty grocer on Franklin was unheard of. The fact that a place like Pine Tree can not only exist, but thrive here is quite remarkable. I remember when it was almost impossible to find anything outside of your standard bodega fare, I had to shop at the Key Food on Flatbush if I wanted anything remotely decent. With that in mind, I’d say Pine Tree is doing a fine job bringing specialty products to the neighborhood.
That’s not to say Pine Tree is perfect. I’ll admit, there is a lot of room for improvement. Sometimes the gelato is a bit icy, and certain beverages are in short supply. The prices are okay, but not a total bargain and the selection is pretty good by my own standards. Even with the minor inconsistencies, I still think Pine Tree is a great place to shop. In my experience, the employees are quite friendly and helpful. As the neighborhood changes and continues to reinvent itself, I am sure Pine Tree will too.

If you need anything gourmet, healthy, or unusual, Pine Tree is tops. Not the cheapest place to buy groceries, but the selection in this eclectic little store is most impressive. Lots of interesting ethnic foods, as well as vegan and veg-​friendly offerings. Great dairy section: many options in cheese, yogurt, and milk. Their selection of cleaning supplies is also notable: they have Meyer’s Clean Day. Fancy!
However, if you need produce, head to Nam’s Green Market instead. Wasn’t particularly thrilled with the quality of the mushrooms I purchased at Pine Tree. And they don’t carry onions.

Not the cheapest place for groceries, but it’s like a mini Whole Foods right around the corner! I was informed by one of the unhappy Koreans working the counter that once they get their beer license, they will be open 24 hours. That’s pretty awesome news, but I could tell he wasn’t thrilled about it. At all.
That’s the only thing: selection is great for how small it is, but each of the workers there seems to utterly hate his life. Sorry, brah, but I’m totally going to buy beer off your ass at 2am some night.
*$ 10 credit minimum*

Now I don’t live near Franklin Avenue, but I visit often, and over the months I’ve actually been falling in love with this interesting, diverse, and cool neighborhood.
Pine Tree is the latest addition to Franklin Avenue. Something we had been looking forward to for months as we’d see the workers working, the sign go up, the façade get complete, the late night shelf stalking, and then finally the day arrived and Pine Tree opened its doors.
The cold December afternoon didn’t deter us from our adventure. Like bright-​eyed children at Christmas we opened the doors to this new neighborhood addition and smiled at each other.
Stalked from floor to ceiling with all good things. From juices, to yogurt, cheese, meats, frozen vegetables, cereals, sauces and soymilk, Pine Tree just might have everything you need (minus fresh meats).
There is a gelato station, a coffee counter, a sushi bar, and even soft serve ice cream on the way. It’s one souped-​up organic bodega. Although, I’d love to see a brand of Gluten free pasta to match all the other gluten free products it’s pretty much perfect for all big and little organic shopping needs.
The owners of Nam’s Fruit Market down the street are on to something and so is the neighborhood.

One of my guiltiest confessions is that, for all the guff I give little upscale bodegas (read: yuppie markets), I actually really do like shopping in them.
Score a major few points for Pine Tree. Good, eclectic selection that seems all generally high quality, and compared to Nams (is it really the same owners?), the place feels like a supermarket. Just.so.much.space.
As shameful as I feel about saying this — good addition to Franklin Ave.