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Fresh Garden
Rating Details »
- Nearest Transit:
-
Lafayette Ave (C)
Fulton St (G)
Atlantic Ave-Pacific St (2, 3, 4, 5, M, N, Q, W, R, B, D)
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
11 reviews for Fresh Garden
I was shocked to see some of the negative reviews here, I love this place, and I come at least once a week.
Head and shoulders the best fruit and vegetable selection in Ft. Greene. Everything is fresh and delicious and they have just about everything. (Belgian Kumatos anyone?)
Also , a pretty amazing selection of grocery stuff, wen you consider the size of the store - particularly on the Asian and healthy/organic side of things. Their stock boys must be great at Tetris, they use every inch of space without it seeming cluttered or messy.
Lovely flowers, too.
This is basically a spruced up bodega. (think Sunac at the Lorimer stop) Many of the old fashioned bodegas are "rebranding" in an attempt to accommodate their affluent clientele. Apart from organic milk and a few token "gourmet" offerings these places are more or less unchanged, but with a bit of a cosmetic makeover (i.e. you can still buy electric-blue roses out front). Fresh Garden is unique in that it is open 24/7. However, the staff have all had lobotomies and the prices are SKY HIGH. Like laughably so! And here's the kicker, the icing on the proverbial cake; they have a $15 minimum on credit card purchases. You can walk about 20 paces down the block to Green Grape and they A) know the difference between carrots and squash, B) are pleasant and bright, C) have NO minimum charge and an ATM with the staggeringly low transaction fee of $1. Fresh Garden is for suckers and is to be used only in the most desperate of circumstances.
It's a fine addition to the neighborhood with organic fruits, veggies and groceries, as well as regular deli fare. It's got deli prices, which are higher than standard grocery stores, but that's expected.
The quality on the produce is often quite good, and the prices for fruits and veggies is about the same as the local green market.
I find the staff to be very sweet and helpful. And its 24 hours, which is a big plus for me.
This is my go-to spot after a late night at the gym for fresh produce when all other places in my neighborhood are closed. The store is a little tight and some of the prices are a little steep, but for your odds and ends, its ideal. I wouldnt count on it for all of your grocery needs.
I like discounts. On the other hand, I hate paying extra.
Maybe it's because I'm Korean. Or because I'm from the 'burbs of Seattle, digging around Marshalls or TJ Maxx with the Old Lady. Perhaps because the Old Man is a penny-pincher, I've some of the same tendencies. Maybe my big nose is a beacon for the aliens when they come to deliver us free organic groceries.
Well, one way or another, I'm still paying, it seems, extra, for all the "good" stuff. And yes, living in New York, I'm talking about "good" as in "not rotten." Wait, why is it that there seems to be shortage of fresh groceries in Brooklyn? Do I really have to settle with The Assos http://www.yelp.com/bi..., C-Town, and f'ing Dimensions http://www.yelp.com/bi...? Sure, and they always have to rub it in by calling themselves SUPERmarkets. Yeah, real super, bitch.
Sure, one ends up opting for Fresh Direct, but do I really have to wait until they can deliver it to me? Why can't anything live up to its name? Why can't they deliver my food to me directly, as soon as I click "Submit"?
Okay, enough complaining. But really, though, it's been nearly four years since I've stopped cooking red-meat at home and eating salad without actually looking at the withered greens. I don't think I've ever seen a fresh green pepper in the entire state of New York - okay, fine, I do have to admit the Wegmans in Ithaca was a pretty damned good grocery store, so, read "state" as in "five boroughs," you cursed stickler.
Finally, to the point: Fresh Garden makes it seem okay to pay a bit more extra. I'm not entirely sure how they do it in that tiny-ass space of theirs, but I have to admit, I enjoy shopping there immensely more than the aforementioned misnomered 2nd-hand food vendors.
You don't have to wipe off dust from their merchandise. Other shoppers smile at you when your eyes meet - damn it, I deserve to be smiled at! You don't have to dig around for a semi-presentable red pepper. Most importantly, you don't feel dirty.
I shop here pretty often at least once a week for fresh fruits veggies and milk, especially when I do not want to walk 3 1/2 blocks to the big Pathmark store.
The prices here are a bit higher, but I know it is because of the rents in the neighborhood ($750-$1200 for apartments avg) are going up, I can just imagine the store rent/leases.
Fulton has a lot of improvements going on right now. Up and coming.
Well, this market has a lot of specialty food of which you can't easily find else where, gourmet foods, cheeses, and fresh made juices and smoothies right in the store. They also have a big frozen organic food section, imported beers and ales, and breads. They offer health apothecary stuff behind the counter, as well as often hard to find brands of of natural and organic cigarettes (healthy, Not).
They have a nice variety of fresh cut flowers and are open 24/7.
One can find some of their Asian food much cheaper in Chinatown, but this can save you a trip over the Manhattan bridge, of which they have a nice variety. One thing that lack is fresh fish and meat, but you can find that few doors down at the "Green Grape Provisions," of which I also wrote a review. Even with it high prices this market is a nice addition to the neighborhood.
The only thing I really do not like beside the prices is the narrow aisles. They try to pack so much into the small space that they are so narrow, only one person can go down an aisle at time.
The selection here is terrific, by Brooklyn neighborhood grocery standards, but every single time I shop here (which is reasonably often) I'm amazed at how much my bill came to. I'm sure that cost goes to gentrifying rent, the super selection and the labor involved to run a nice shop, but if I stop by and pick up a few things for dinner, I end up spending as much as I would on delivery. I suppose it's more affordable than Union Market at least!
Fresh Garden sells only organic products, and charges a competitive price for them. The problem is that there are two organic grocery stores on the same block, and no place to buy regular items. I get irritated when all I want is a can of beans ($2.39!) and a can of diced tomatoes ($2.69!), for example. A can of non-organic beans sells for 79 cents at Pathmark. I have no problem with a business making money, but can't they stock some non-organic products also? The problem with this place is the merchandise. There's like three different brands of organic canned tomatoes. Throw us a bone and offer one non-organic brand. Also, their prices went up recently. A bag of organic Garden of Eatin chips was $3.49 a few months ago; now they're $3.99. That's a 13% increase. WTF?
Slightly more expensive than you want it to be, but not as bad as other Fort Greene gourmet groceries like Elly's. Excellent selection of vegetables, fruits, and fresh herbs for such a tiny place. All sorts of ice creams for you in your time of need. The staff is friendly too!
A recent addition to the Ft. Greene neighborhood, Fresh Garden is an exceptional example of a grocery store/market that strives to keep shelves filled with organic and natural products.
The space is small but busy. One can buy organic products ranging from shampoos & homeopathic medicines to organic wheat & flour. A clean, healthy feels emanates from the store's walls.
Produce exceeds what you'd find at Pathmark and is far more fresh (duh) and exotic than one would expect from a local deli. The cheese selection is good for the store's size - as is the entire dairy section. Cleaning supplies are non-toxic (Simple Green, etc.) but don't include the impressive (& addictive) Mrs. Myers line.
Sometimes I feel like it's a little hindered by its small, tidy collection of vendors (there isn't a butcher, for instance) but shopping at Fresh Garden keeps me conscientious and healthy. Just keep in mind that you're shopping at a specialty store so you won't get a bang for your buck. But - on the up side - the staff is friendly and conversational - they'll even give you reusable grocery bags to help conserve waste.
PS - the ice cream section ROCKS. If I had an amply-sized freezer, I would go absolutely crazy with the ice cream pandemonium.
Oh. But no home-delivery.
I friggin LOVE this place. Yes, it's a little expensive but their fruit bowls are amazing! They have the most awesome selection of Asian products that I've seen in this neighborhood or anywhere that isn't an actual Asian market. It's a nice specialty store and basic store but not somewhere to buy all your food since you can easily spend $20 on 4 things. Their organic ice cream is yum!
