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This is the best market I've ever been too. I really love a blend of international foods and this place has a little more than the rest.
It is a pleasant place to shop and cleaner than your average international market.
You cannot find a better deal on meat or Fish. I would go here just to buy there steak . We get two beautiful 12oz Ribeyes for around $8
There pastries are just like I remember when I lived in Eastern Europe.
Everything seems top quality and fresh and at prices that keep me coming back.
Here's the sitch: so yesterday I was in a bind... I needed to buy cevapcici for my friend's BBQ and being Sunday, my go-to meat dealer (Lincoln Quality Meats) was closed. I know-- procrastination makes for a terrible game plan. But thanks to a keyword search on Yelp I found City Fresh Market. And off I was on a little field trip to Devon and Kedzie!
As I was walking up, I was surprised to see the store is a.) a good size and b.) has a somewhat modern facade. And, they've got a small parking lot and a larger one directly across the street.
The insides... oooh the insides. How do I love thee, let me count the ways!
1.) Fantastic + FRESH produce selection... and everything is cheap!
2.) An extensive selection of imported world food items-- cheese, Euro wines and liqueurs, spreads (found my Ajvar!), chocolates, etc.
3.) An awesome bakery with made-daily pastries and ethnic breads including lepinja (Bosnian bread).
4.) It's organized well and so very clean.
5.) Super meat/deli counter. If you want it, they got it. Though, beef feet? Really?
6.) Cevapi (uncased sausage) in various blends-- beef/lamb/pork, beef/pork or just pork. And fresh, never frozen.
7.) Did I mention that everything is much cheaper than Jewel or Dominick's? Like, crazy cheap.
8.) Everyone is nice. Everyone smiles.
9.) They play Bosnian music. Yep, that was me dancing in the aisles.
What a find... I'm putting City Fresh on repeat!
This place is not far from my house, but I don't get here as often as I should. Stopped today to get some salad dressing and bread. The produce and items are very nice, fresh and reasonable. I should shop here more often than I do, but many times when I pass it, the parking lot looks like a bumper car venue and I keep going.
I am going to try and overcome my parking lot phobia and shop here more often. It is well worth it.
You know how Jewel and Dominick's basically sells overpriced deli meat and cheese? Well, there's this place by my parent's that supposedly sells cheap deli meat and cheese. My friend and I ventured there last night and scored the following deals:
1/2 lb of turkey breast: $3.50
1/2 lb of muenster cheese: $1.26
1/2 lb of provolone cheese: $1.50
No, really. Seriously. I was super excited!
They also have ready made roasted chicken ($6) and meat pies ($4), eight skinless drumsticks ($5) and a TON of awesome freshly baked goods. Grapefruit was on special this week - 10 for $10 as well as red apples (69 cents/lb)! There's a ton of random ethnic food, too, like sardines, falafel mix, Asian noodles, ramen, pitas, philo dough, tortillas and Turkish coffee. Oh, and I forgot to mention the HUGE wine and cheese section.
Other staples (eggs, milk, yogurt) might be a little pricey here, so save those items for another store. Parking in the lot is a little insane, but you can also use the lot of the restaurant right across the street.
This place just keeps getting better and better. We fed 5 people (with the combined appetites of more like 6) a complete dinner, from apps to dessert, for around 50$. We had cheeses; grilled 2 different cuts of lamb, asparagus, crimini mushrooms, and okra; fresh lupina bread; and for dessert a variety of slices of cake from the bakery as well as pineapple and plums to grill. And there were enough leftovers for another couple of meals as well as cheese and desserts left.
Sure you can watch your budget, but why suffer as well? I believe all these surprise warm days we are getting are just an excuse to fire up the grill and throw something on it. And vegetable or meat, I have not run out of things here. Just save yourself the hassle of parking and park across the street in the second lot.
I like the fruits and veggies selection; they have the basics we all know and love (and some we know… Read more »
I have to admit I live in the neighbourhood and drive by this place all the time. I have always been put off by the parking situation - it looks like a total nightmare. Today I braved the cold and walked there to pick up some fixin's for chilli and was pleasantly suprised. The store is clean and seems to have a large stock all items, fresh fruits and veggies as well as an awesome dairy section, meats and wine (yay!). I bought 2 pounds of fresh ground beef for $6!! They did have some crazy ethnic music playing but it kind of added to the overall experience and is better than Muzak no? They had a lot of interesting ethnic items that I would love to try. I'll definately be stopping by here again, especially when the weather is nicer and I can walk without freezing.
This is one of the cheapest markets around. Its a higher quality than Aldi or Food for Less. The value is awesome, but.. you can guess that all the food is franken food. Genetically modified goodness. I'm just guessing this. No chance they would charge $.49/pound for Organic green & red peppers the size of a small puppy's head.
You can get 12-15 chicken legs for under $4 bucks. No, its not rotten meat. Its franken..
They've got lots of the awesome Polish chocolates, assorted wines and alcohol's. Try this Yugoslavian Plum brandy, name is something like, Slivovitz, but its alc content is way up there.
This is the best place to get stuff for a dinner party or bbq. Like the Queen said, under $20 bucks in and out in a jiffy.
I love this place! It's has the freshest and cheapest produce around. I'm not so sure about the frankenfruit that Jacob speaks of. But they do manage to have the most colorful fruit, even in Feb. I get food here for the night. Not really a stock up store. Almost no one speaks English. Seems like when I'm here, I'm the only American. The music over the PA system is usually some ethnic stuff. They are generally very nice. Try the whole roasted chicken, buy it right out of the roaster for 4.99. Same thing costs 6.99 at Dominik's, and is tasteless and dry.
If you go here park across the street to the east. The lot nearest to the store is useless and packed.
For some reason, there's always hot looking ladies in this place. Maybe that's why I like going there...
The 'frankenfood' comment that one Yelper made is unfair - just because something is not organic does not make it genetically modified, for heaven's sake! But I digress...
Great selection of fruits and veggies, all a step above the freshness of the big local chains - and cheaper, too! Also an ample selection of cheese, dairy, meats, and staple items.
Think of it as a smaller, leaner Lincolnwood Produce. With less parking!
Good values - good eats - nice people!
I call it "my market." In and out in 15 minutes if you're not waiting on a butcher. Typical trip thru my market:
Grab some oranges, grapes, bananas, apples...fresh cilantro, flat parsley, basil, cubanell peppers at 55c a pound regular price, 5 kinds of tomatoes to choose from. Dried fruit from ripened stock at 1.79/lb, greek pasta, an entire selection devoted to redpeppers - pickles, creamed, roasted, oiled, watered, whatever you want - its there! Worldly selection of teas, small selection of grind-your-own-coffee. About 50 different brands and flavors of honey - small toiletry selection(but we know we all go to target for that stuff) Around the other side of that isle you find eggs, a million types of cream, yogurts, K & M dairys, cheeses up the wazoo! And then you reach the packaged sausage: Bobak's and other major Chicago brands - from sidepork to chorizo. The Chicken selection is constantly emptied by customers and refilled by the staff. Perfectly butchered redmeats and pork and I just picked up a pack of lamb&beef cevapi that was absolutely outstanding! Their sirloin is cut in about 6 different styles and all sold at very low prices.
Turn around after selecting your meats and the butcher's will provide you with sausages and roasts and chops and more.
Very beautiful and helpful staff.
Beautifully butchered meats.
Awesome fresh veggie and fruit section.
All the 'worldly' goods this super-chef looks for: Misko Pasta, Asparagus@99c a pound regularly, Import beer section, section for oils and peppers.
I'm moving a few miles away - but even if I moved to the other side of the city - I'll always shop here.
In and out in 15 minutes? For under $20 a carload? I think I'll stay!
If I could give this place more than 5 stars I would ! This fruit market is hands down, my favorite. The parking lot in front of the store can be a hectic, but there is one across the street as well. They also recently remodeled it, prices still have stayed the same CHEAP! The key to city fresh is all in its name.. everything is super fresh here!! This place is also very ethnically diverse. I can get my stuffed pepper spices from the polish aisle, my kalmata olives and feta, challah, fajita meat, etc, etc.. I love seeing the little babushka's and yai yai's who all make their recipes from scratch still. Great baklava too! The also have long hours to accommodate the different clientele of the neighborhood.
I'm sorry, I can't give a five star rating to an establishment which tries to pass off blatant rudeness for ethnic custom. While I agree the store does carry a unique variety of produce and cheeses, the prices are average at best.(of course it's higher quality than Aldi Jacob. Aldi is Aldi.) The main parking lot is good for amusement purposes only, and should you be in need of the local weather report, try returning some foul smelling chicken purchased less than 24 hours earlier. As I stated I will not stand for rudeness at any establishment I choose to spend my dollar. In my eyes they can keep their "frankin" food, there are too many more deserving stores in the area.
I have been shopping here since they opened their doors, not to mention they are minutes away from my house!! The quality of the produce & meats is incomparable! You could definitely tell that they have at least first and second pick of produce which is very hard to find these days!! The meat is fresh and very well priced. My favorite part is the organic beef that they sell that is the best priced in Chicago hands down!! They have fresh baked goods, breads & pastries every day!! My bf happens to be european and they offer plenty of wonderful euro dishes, pastries & breads every day! They have a huge deli & cheese section that is always a plus & because they are so busy the produce and meat doesn't sit on the shelf and discolor!! The only downside to this is the parking situation, they have a very small lot but plenty across the street!! Also give you a free two liter of soda whenever you shop over fifty to a hundred bux!! Other than that definitely a place to do your everyday shopping!!
Yesterday I went to City Fresh Market for my headcheese fix (otherwise I would have to travel to the Northwest Side for it). I also bought 2 lamb chops for little over $3 (Dominick's and Jewel both charge double). I especially come here to buy meat because it's super - fresh. At CFM, it's pink; at the large chains the meat is grey in colour, not very appetizing.
Chicago, IL
Category: Fruits & Veggies
Chicago, IL
Category: Grocery
Chicago, IL
Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Category: Grocery
Chicago, IL
Category: Bakeries
I work/attend uni in 60625 and I used to live…
