Old Castle Fresh Farms

This place is very convenient since its right by the 40^th St. 7 station stop and Its open 24 hrs. They have cheap prices for vegetables and fruit which is pretty much the only reason I come in here.
Not everything is always fresh maybe that’s the reason for their cheap prices so just make sure you examine whatever it is you are buying.

Call me lazy but whenever I don’t feel like walking a few extra blocks from my apt over to Key Foods or Met Foods, I come here to pick up whatever I need for the day. However, their produce are not the freshest. I came here several times trying to find some decent vegetables but they look like they have been days old. The best part was when I desperately needed scallions (I don’t know why). Of course, lazy me, I came here and was disappointed that their scallions were already turning yellow and withered. They were still selling it at 2 bunches for $ 1.00. Presentation– wise, they just put in a plastic bucket filled with water as if hoping they would turn fresh again. I stared at the scallions and had a moment of silence. Well I think I learned my lesson. Whenever I’m in desperate need of something, the most convenient store is probably, after all, not the most convenient. With all due respect, the people who work here are nice and humble. But I think they could improve on how they run their produce business. I don’t think they realize that they could reap in much more business since there are not that many fruits or grocers on Queens Blvd. Location-​wise, they are right off on the 40^th st stop and they can certainly attract everyday commuters.

Look, this place is practically impervious to your grumbling Unilocal reviews. Take your complaints about moldy yogurt and withered asparagus to a more reputable grocer. These people don’t care.
What they do value, however, is moving fruits and vegetables off their shelves at the LOWEST prices I’ve seen anywhere in New York. Sure, it’s a gamble, but that’s part of the thrill. I can buy two bags of fresh produce here for under $ 10. Their selection is surprisingly varied. And I don’t begrudge the management if my papaya goes soft after two days on my kitchen counter-​top. With Old Castle goods, you’ve got to eat it or freeze it. Immediately!
Produce isn’t the only game that keeps me coming back to Old Castle. They’ve got a decent selection of beers, cheeses, fancy packaged deli meats, and smoked fish. Under the cashier counter, you’ll find excellent dolmas (4 for $ 1) and Bulgarian feta ($ 4.99 lb), plus a variety of fried or honeyed European snacks.
I wish they would expand their stocked goods to include fresh poultry and meat. But the small bodega is already so brimming with slash-​rate produce – wilted in the summer and bruised in the winter – that I suspect they’ve already calculated the risk with regard to adding vacuum-​packed beef into the equation.
If you’re a thrifty customer who can confidently discern quality avocados (3 for $ 1), this place will serve you well. But if you haven’t the patience to ALWAYS squeeze your persimmons before you purchase, you won’t necessarily be pleased with Old Castle’s offerings. In that case, I recommend Beer World or Key Foods.
Oh, did I mention Old Castle makes good smoothies? Yeah, and they’re open ²⁴⁄₇.

Small bodega with decently priced fresh fruits and vegetables. At the counter, they sell Greek pastries. Their Barek Spinach is not that great but their almond pudding is pretty awesome. Very friendly cashiers. One of the few stores I’ve seen that have Applegate products. It’s not a big selection but they have turkey bacon, turkey breast and a few others which is nice.

Reasons why I love this place: Open 24 hours, down the street, a neighborhood staple, a great name that makes me feel like I am in the countryside rather than the the most populous city in the country, great fruit smoothies, and wonderful service with a smile
Why I didn’t give it four stars: The flies, $ 10 credit card minimum (I wish it was $ 5), so so produce quality, and not the cheapest

I bought yogurt yesterday from here. I came home and opened it to find there was mold. wtf is wrong with these people– they’re so inconsistent…

This place is horrible!
It’s looks nice from the outside with heaps of fresh produce on stalls outside; which on first sight can be very inviting… but hold your horses don’t be fooled by the mounds of fruits and veggies at cheap prices. The real reason there prices are so cheap is because the produces is of such low quality. I bought a bag of cherries and a few tomato and they were rotten within less 24hrs.
DON’T SHOP HERE!

This is a super convenient deli, open 24 hours. It’s actually run by Turks and they have a lot of Turkish groceries. Not the BEST Turkish deli in Sunnyside, but pretty decent.
Positive Highlights:
–24 hours
–MMM delicious Turkish packaged cookies!
–Produce is usually good
–Cheap ATM! I think the fee is only $.99
Negatives:
–Beer selection is pretty awful. Pretty much just Coors/​Bud
Overall, I think this is the best deli open 24 hours on Queens Boulevard

I dig this 24 hour spot, although it’s not too convenient for me unless I am coming off the 7 train a stop early and need to get beer to bring over to Dana’s crib. I likes it. Plus, they have this amazingly good eggplant spread stuff with these silly corn crackers that are great for dripping on and grinding into Dana’s rug. Oh, also, it tastes good.
Extra star for the nice guy at the counter who told me since I had a neat total ($ 21.21) I should go play the lottery. He didn’t have any tickets for sale, but he told me where to go. I didn’t win, but if I had, he woulda gotten a cut.

Old Castle Fresh Farms just recently added fruit smoothies and fruit juices which they run on the outside, but of course you could always just go in. They don’t at all skimp on the amount of fruit they put in, so it’s pretty succesful and I enjoy it. They also got these corn snacks which I never got around to trying even though I’ve never heard of it before. It’s basically a cup of flavored corn off the cob, which I can imagine sounds pretty tasty.
Anyways, the more prominient reason why I like the place is much more immature. Imagine it being 3am on a Wednesday night. For some reason you and a friend/​spouse/​whatever are awake and restless. You turn to your acquaintance and say,
«I’m bored. Let’s take a walk. Let’s go to the Castle.»
Anywhere else an expected answer would be, «Are you drunk? What the hell is this Castle place you are referring to, and why would it be open at 3am on a Wednesday night?»
However, in Sunnyside, an expected answer would be, (brace yourself for some bad-​assery) «Okay. Which Castle?»
Sunnyside is so raw that we have two Castles, White and Old, that are open 24 hours. I would put up an inflatable Castle Bounce on Queens Blvd, but that would probably push Sunnyside over the edge, and we’d erupt into a feudal war-​state.

24 hour establishments hard to come by on this section of Sunnyside. After midnight, the only thing open other than McDonalds (
) is Pete’s Grill (
). It’s one thing to be a 24 hour diner, but a 24 hour grocery store /​convenience store? We’re talking life saver here.
The business name is misleading to me for a few reasons, but namely because it’s neither a castle nor a farm. It’s a convenience store that happens to sell fruit and some organic products. Prices are decent but the organic stuff usually has the heftiest price tag. Another thing worth noting is a $ 10 minimum for credit cards but sometimes the polite staff will overlook it if the amount is close enough.
Overall this small little is nice but I have to say the produce seems a little suspect at times, especially when it’s 4AM and still sitting out. And believe it or not, even at 4AM, there can be lines to get the register. Sunnyside needs more 24 hour grocery stores and stat.