C-Town Supermarket

Needs to step up with the whole foods and the Fair way so close.
very basic selection of pretty average products.

We’ve been shopping here on a fairly regular basis for the past year or so, and its been pretty damn reliable. As others have noted, it can be a little dirty– but I’ve never had a negative experience, and the checkout employees are always nice.
Regarding the issue of keeping expired items on their shelves, to be honest I’ve actually noticed that problem at all the other markets I frequent as well– from Whole Foods to Fairway to Trader Joe’s… so I don’t think its specific to this C-​Town. I’ve just learned to be diligent about checking expiration dates no matter what grocery store I’m shopping at. Also, I try to be very selective about what I’m buying from where: there are certain items that I would buy at C-​Town that I would never buy at, say, Whole Foods– and vice versa.
Long story short, its dependable and affordable if you shop wisely.

I’m not one of those Upper East Siders who can drop $ 40 at Fairway or Whole Foods for a week’s worth of groceries. I like to browse weekly circulars and stock my pantry up with whatever’s on sale. And man oh man does C-​Town have some great deals!
Typical prices:
-$ 1.99/lb for green/​red/​yellow peppers, when on sale green peppers are $.99​.lb (rarely though)
-$ 1.99/lb for tomatoes on the vine
-$.99/​lb for onions and they have spanish, yellow, white
-$ 1−2/bunch for a variety of herbs such as cilantro, parsley, dill, basil
–An astonishing $ 2ish for scallions? :(boooo
–Usually around $ 2−3/lb for chicken breast but there was this one time when it was on sale for $ 1.49/lb! That’s the lowest I’ve seen since 2008. Definitely not organic.
–Whole chickens were being sold for $.89/​lb — great for making stock/​soup
-$ 1.99 for a decently large bag of Domino’s sugar. Their baking section is pretty stocked! Sales are frequent here too.
-$ 1 for Duncan Hines cake mix
-$ 2ish for Jiffy’s peanut butter
-$ 3 for Tropicana OJ
-$ 4 for spam
-$ 3 – 4 for Talenti or Ciao Bella gelato if you wait for the right time (don’t steal my pistachio stash)
-$ 1 greek yogurts
-$ 8 – 9 for 6 pack of beer and they have larger packs available as well. Respectable selection which includes Leffe (love my Belgians), Sam Adams, Blue Moon, Blue Point, Buds, and definitely some seasonals in there.
They carry RonnyBrook milk (skim, whole, chocolate) too. It’s sold in Chelsea market and comes from a local farm in upstate NY, and their milk is delicious! Comes in a large glass (and this is heavy duty glass) bottle. At first the price seems hefty for milk (~$ 2 for whole and ~$ 3 for chocolate), but there’s actually a $ 2 bottle deposit if you bring the bottle back to C-​Town after you’re done! You’re helping the environment and supporting cows who are loved :)
It’s kinda tight in there and you really gotta squeeze in between other shoppers and their carts, but it’s so worth it for these prices! Cashiers are friendly and no matter what time I go, I never have to wait on a line of more than 2 people to check out.

I’ve been shopping at the other grocery stores in the neighborhood, but recently found how nice C town is for quick daily pickups. When things go on sale their prices are unbeatable. True, you don’t get as many choices here, especially if you belong to the vegan or gluten-​free crowd, but otherwise it’s pretty darn good.

When it comes to grocery stores in the city, this place is the closest to prices that you find outside of the city. No doubt, at least 20% cheaper than the alternatives, gristedes, fairway, and wholefoods. They run regular sales on items that I actually buy, which is always a big plus. There is a large selection of fruits, veggies, and basically everything except for meat. The quality of meat is good, just limited selection. You will definitely not find a steak here or a wide range of ground beefs. They do have the basics though, and that is plenty for my standard weekly shopping. It has been rare that I can’t find something off a recipe here, they are well stocked for sure.
The owner and his staff are very helpful as well. The store is super clean and I have noticed updates throughout the years, they definitely take care of the place. Possibly the best thing is that you will never wait more than 5 minutes to check out. Typically, no wait at all.

This is one of the best supermarkets on the UES. Since I moved, I greatly miss this place. The employees are super friendly and knowledgeable. The store isles are wide enough to allow two shopping wagons, which is a major plus in itself for a store in Manhattan. The prices cannot be beat, especially for their fruits and vegetables.

I think C-​Town is a fine grocery. It’s on the small side (maybe not for NY standards), but it does carry most of the things I need. The produce here is ok, not great. I bought some tomatoes and green squash recently, and while both were a great price on sale, I really had to pick through them to find fresh, unbruised veggies. They usually have quite a few things on sale. I recently got boxes of pasta for $ 1, salad dressing for $ 2, and mayo for $ 3. Not too bad. But if you pay regular price here, it can get a little out of hand. The aisles are also a little narrow, so it can be a little tricky to navigate if you come here at peak times when it’s packed.
Just a note: do not buy the off brand paper towels here… they are terrible. They fall apart every time I try to clean up a spill. Yes, they were like 75 cents, but I would recommend spending the extra $$ to get decent paper towels.

Great store and great variety. I felt their prices were great, especially in comparison to others around the area. As a single person, I love how they also offer the option of smaller quantities of their meats (not just family packs).

Giving this grocery store 4 stars as I think it’s the cheapest, most reliable and has the best selection in the neighbourhood. Even has a few luxuries like the same brownies as fairways do, and a good cheese selection. Only problem is the aisles are tiny, there’s always a tonne of people and it’s very hard to get around. If a trolly is going down the aisle, forget trying to go down there and return to it.

Good variety, brand name products including boars head cold cuts, and very fresh produce and meat. After moving to the area I tried every local grocery store but this one is by far my favorite. The layout is a bit awkward and it’s a bit of a trek for me but well worth the trip.

After moving uptown it was nice to have a supermarket with more reasonable prices. Good selection of produce and fresh meats and fishes, but very limited selection of groceries due to the small size of the store. Deli makes good sandwiches for $ 5 and they carry a few Asian specialties like daifuku mochi. I wish they carried more prepared foods like salads and desserts

They have everything, some where.

So I’ve been looking for a descent store with descent prices and hopefully good customer service. Yes, I know but I stayed hopeful. I literally live behind a grocery store on York but I walk out of my way to make it up to C-​town.
The prices are great and they have a large selection of gourmet items.
I love that they always have yogurts on sale. That’s my «go to food «instead of chocolate so as you’ve probably guessed I buy a lot of yogurt. The yogurts are usually for $ 1.00 which is unheard of here in the city.
The aisles are a bit cramp but I’m beginning to understand that’s the norm here in the city. The lay out is easy to remember and it’s clean. I try to go early in the morning so it never seems crazy in the store. I’ve always been able to go in and out of this store without any problems. The best part of this store is that the check out lines are great. They actually move quickly. The employees are helpful and nice.
Don’t expect a perfect store but for me… they have the items that I need for a good price.

decent and convenient… good general grocery store with most of whatya need at ok prices.
if i dont have time to run over to Fairway, this is a good quick stop for most essentials.

A cut above for NYC: fair prices, well stocked, easy in’n’out (despite the tight corners), and friendly staff throughout. I always shop here first.

Line:
— They have 5 checkout lines that move pretty fast
— Bag guy there to help you out
— Never gets «crazy» in this store
Basics:
— This is my go to for basics b/​c they are cheaper here than fairway
— Deli here is good and much less of a circus than fairway
— Has some of the best sales on Fage (right now running a 10 for $ 10 sale)
— Solid hot pocket selection
— Beer selection is OK
Meats:
— Ground chicken, turkey and pork is find here
— Terrible bacon selection
— Chicken is always questionable here, and always leaking out of the packets
— Rotisserie chicken is pretty good
Produce:
— Just awful produce and it is really upsetting
— Constantly have rotten avocados, onions, garlic
— I only buy produce here if I really need something
— Prices on produce are no cheaper than fairway
Other:
— When anything is on sale, you always get the sale price even if you buy one unit (no need to buy 3 mustards to get the mustard sale price)

I came here to gather supplies for a bridal shower and was able to find everything I needed from fancy Izze’s sodas and bags of ice to gluten-​free crackers (they’re back in the maze by toward the frozen section not by the other chips) and a variety of salsas and cheeses.
I am from Tennessee where grocery stores are large and in charge, but honestly, I wasn’t expecting that grocery shopping would be so easy in NYC! Good work, C-​town.

When we needed to do some serious shopping the experts pointed in this direction. My daughter comes here regularly so this is where she sent us.
We almost walked by the entrance because it is inconspicuous, but once inside I was surprised, it is quite large and like many places in NYC, it is a maze. It is obvious that it wasn’t meant to be a large market, but that is of no matter. You just need to try to remember where you came from a la Hansel and Gretel, but without the breadcrumbs. They might not appreciate it.
I found everything I was looking for, even a specific type of cornmeal to make Arepas with. Prices are NY prices, but not bad. My first choice in shopping when in my second home.

I am relatively new to using this CTown since I live over 25 blocks away — BUT, I have been pleased with the fact that this location seems to always have the flyer items available & that with beforehand online perusing you can find some super deals.
The last time I shopped there I got 6 of the low-​fat cream cheese blocks that they had for .99 & I’m seeing 27 oz frozen pies for 1.99 advertised currently so thinking about making the trip. Certainly better prices than anything I find at Gristedes, Food Emporium, DiAgostinos or Whole Foods.

Decent store with decent prices. You wont go crazy shopping and nor will you spend hours browsing through aisles.(Not sure about ya’ll but i spend a lot of time in grocery stores (the ones I love).Somehow the back aisles feel dark and dingy and the aisles are very narrrow and its hard to find a staff around except for the ones at the cashier
Most of the time you will get what you are looking for and you need not go to Food Emporium which have insane prices. They dont carry a wide selection of all items which kinda restricts you to choose amongst the couple brands they carry. Their produce doesn’t look very exciting.
Overall not a bad store and you get your basics without any fuss.