Cornerstone Market and Produce

This place died a slow and painful death. It was sad to watch. It’s too bad they weren’t able to overcome their adversities and had to close. I don’t think the neighborhood was ready for them, they were ahead of their time. I used to work not too far away and would stop in to grab a drink or a snack. Despite all of their shortcomings, I still liked the place. I kinda miss it.

Actually reasonably priced groceries for being in Northern Liberties/​Fishtown area. The guy helping us out (I think one of the owners) was friendly and didn’t rush us to pay or anything as we sat and enjoyed our Tarragon Chicken Salad sandwich (I recommend the whole wheat and it has small carrot chunks!) and Buffalo Chicken Wrap (try it with bleu cheese chunks), read the magazines and NY Times. We chatted with him a bit after the rush of customers. I hope this place lives through this recession. It seems valuable to the neighborhood to get last minute groceries and snacks. Too bad it closes at 7pm, though!

I bought a Groupon worth $ 30 for this place, which sounded alot better in Groupon’s write-​up. The groceries are so overpriced that all it took was a few items in my basket to hit my target amount. The produce looked over-​the-​hill for the most part. The container of egg salad that caught my eye was dated 5 days previous. Does that mean it was made on that date or was meant to be sold by then? Either way — EEK! But the piece-​de-​resistance was found in the basket of baked goods by the coffee machine. Tempted to buy a few of the little cakes & pies I discovered that most of them had enough mold growing on them to supply a penicillin lab! In all fairness I didn’t try any of the sandwiches that some reviewers have praised but with the careless attitude toward freshness I’d be afraid to. So to sum up — I think we can safely assume that the Pathmark being built across the street will be the death knell for Cornerstone Market. Which is probably a good thing.

Like many other reviewers, I really wanted to like Cornerstone. It would be so wonderful to have a grocery within walking distance that sold the things I need to make dinner on the fly. Occasionally I find what I’m looking for here, but when I say occasionally I really mean hardly ever. I just feel like if you’re going to call yourself a «market» then you should have a little more to sell in the way of fresh grocery items.
The only foods I’ve eaten from Cornerstone are their breakfast sandwiches, and they were very yummy. I would be down for trying one of their other foods, but I’ve never been there at lunch time.
If you need nuts and dried fruit you’ll be happy. They’ve got plenty! But if you want some veggies, or lemons, or a cheese… well you’ll probably just be disappointed and wind up getting take out.

i may have been a little fast to write off cornerstone as a novelty place.
i went in yesterday morning for something to eat before work. i knew i wanted something fast, something to go, on my route to work, and not mcdonalds or a snack from Trax. Cornerstone was the first to come to mind.
They were pumping the jams really loud in here when i got in (maybe obnoxious to some but i sort of was digging it, and for those who dont like loud music, that’s the only time i’ve been here and it was like that so no worries). the guy was someone i hadn’t seen working there before (not that i go in more than once every other month or so) and he was super friendly. he basically got my morning off to a good start.
they were out of roasted vegetables but he grabbed some fresh veggies from the produce cooler and threw together thee most amazing veggie wrap i’ve ever eaten in my entire life. seriously. the best. it was probably somewhere around $ 6, but like i said… THE BEST. sprouts avocado cucumber lettuce tomato american cheese. oh man heaven. i think this veggie wrap alone completely changed my view of this place.
and yes, some of the products are pricey. but also i realized … CORNERSTONE IS WORTH SUPPORTING. and the stuff here you can’t get at trax or penn treaty market.

I adore Cornerstone, and here’s why:
1. It’s home to what might be my favorite sandwich of all time: maple ham, muenster cheese, red onion, lettuce, tomato, and jalapeño mayo. Yeah, jalapeño mayo. This sandwich is perfection.
2. Other awesome sandwiches, like the BLT+A (vocado). Some of them are a bit pricey – other reviewers have mentioned $ 8 sandwiches – but come on, people! It’s 2010. Hoagies cost $ 7 – 8 everywhere! Get over it.
3. Cheap spices. I now live at 5^th and Wharton, right by the Oriental Market that sells crazy cheap spices, but when I lived in Fishtown I bought a ton of spices at Cornerstone. (Their selection is dwindling though, I believe because they’re having some financial difficulties. Also the reason that they’re often short-​staffed.)
4. ½ price side with any sandwich! Hummus and tuna salad and grilled veggies, oh my!
5. The staff couldn’t be nicer.

Nice place with a variety of fresh produce, good coffee and a small area to enjoy a sandwich or a cup of coffee. Friendly staff, limited variety but reasonable prices considering the small size and its location.

what a BUMMER!!! i really wanted to like this place.: (
i walked there the other day for lunch where i ordered a sandwich. there was only 1 person working… which means he had to run back and forth from the register to the deli. not only does this not seem unsanitary but it is inconvenient, time consuming and confusing for patrons (especially new ones not used to the procedures).
anyway, i was happy to see a variety of items and also a nice menu especially options for vegetarians. so, i ordered my sandwich and decided to purchase a few produce items and canned goods as well. i was not in a hurry, so generally didn’t mind the wait.
at the register it turns out that all my little items were expensive… but so be it i thought. my sandwich (mozzarella & artichoke hearts on multigrain) was actually quite good… but again a bit expensive.
they didn’t have bags so i had to use the bags for produce for all of my canned goods, etc. i mentioned that i walked… so this left me walking over a mile home hoping that my items didn’t spill all over frankford ave. what really bothered me was that he told me there were no bags and then literally the person after me he said, «we are out of bags but i have this brown paper bag with handles». WTF?!
the raisins i bought for nearly $ 4 were ROCK HARD and inedible. also, the blueberries, while they looked good… actually tasted terrible and gritty. I chucked both to the trash.
Bummer… don’t plan to go back.
A complete disappointment overall.

I always kind of disliked this place for two reasons:
1) It usually smells awful. I don’t know why.
2) It’s stupidly over priced.
But it’s between the El and my apartment, and the staff can be really nice, so I would still stop in every now and again. Not after today though. Today I went in and bought some cream for my coffee. I realized after I got out of the store that it didn’t feel that cold. I got home, opened it up, poured it into my coffee, and saw chunks. So i dumped it down the sink only to find that it was so badly curdled chunks couldn’t pass through the spout. So yeah. Stay away from their dairy case.

Cornerstone Market, I’m on to you. Your free coffee Mondays from 7 – 9 am are really an evil plot to guilt me into buying more things from you. Well, it’s working.
At first I was wary of this place. Something about those overpriced specialty stores with nothing but the fanciest of fancies really bugs me. But in small doses, it can be really great. Their coffee is surprisingly awesome (you can get iced coffees at the deli counter, too). And it’s perfect for picking up odds and ends during the week, especially since this area is lacking in the grocery department.
One word of advice: Check the expiration dates! Bought some milk without looking, only to find that it expired the next day.
Things to buy at Cornerstone: Italian bread, sundried tomatoes, lunchmeat, cheeses, coffee.

Living a few blocks away from Cornerstone Market is fabulous, to say the least. A few steps away from awesome made to order hoagies, sandwiches & breakfast sandwiches. What more could a girl want?
Oh. another bonus. They have regular market items (basically anything you would really need) and a ton of other stuff you might not know you need, but you do.
The staff is always friendly and helpful. The store is really clean and organized. Not a TON of stuff, but all the basics. Makes shopping a delightful experience. especially when you don’t feel like driving to Thriftway (UGH) or ShopRite (DOUBLE UGH)
Thanks for the memories. Thanks for the hoagies.

i love this place… too much, actually! i can easily drop a lot of money just walking through the aisles and tossing things in my basket willy nilly. and the cheese selection is excellent! they’re not cheap, so you need to appreciate your cheese, but they do let you sample anything just to play it safe. at least once a week, my boyfriend and i have a meal of cheese, baguette, fancy crackers, fancy spreads (including a vegan pâté for the veggie heads like me). the staff is also über friendly. never have had a bad experience! check them out!

This place is great! My girlfriend and I stop here after work and pick up all different types of yummy cheeses, breads, crackers and different spreads and then go home and have a little feast. Everything there is fresh and everyone is super nice and helpful. They will let you taste anything from behind the deli before you choose. They also have yummy made to order sandwiches.

This is a cute little market between the El station and Johnny Brendas. It’s got a few of the essentials — a small produce selection, baking items like flour and sugar, ice cream and snacks, a deli counter. It’s not big enough for you to do your food shopping for the week, but if you need to pick up one or two items that you’ve run out of at home, this is a good place to check. It also seems like a nice place to stop for breakfast and coffee on the way to the El for your morning commute, if you are so inclined.
The few times I’ve been in there, it’s always been pretty well stocked (albeit with limited selection) and the employees are always very nice. The prices seemed decent enough — no ‘bargains’ but not unreasonable.