Official Ridgefood Grocery Shopping Guide!

Ridgefood Grocery Shopping Tour

Last summer we hosted the legendary, once-in-a-lifetime Ridgefood Grocery Shopping Tour. Here, finally, is our long-awaited roundup of all the places we visited. The good news is: since we waited almost a year to write this post, it’s summer again, which means it’s the perfect time spend a leisurely, sunny Saturday afternoon checking out all these amazing places!

(See below for the Ridgefood Grocery Shopping Tour Map)

1. Ridgewood Youthmarket

What it is: Farmer’s market
Location: Ridgewood Remembrance Triangle (Myrtle & Cypress)

Ridgewood Youthmarket

Ridgewood Youthmarket

The tour group—including me (Mollie), occasional Ridgefood contributor Ari, guest Instagrammer Alaina, and special guests Anne and Stephen—met at the Ridgewood Youthmarket, a seasonal farmer’s market that sets up shop in the Ridgewood Veterans Triangle every Saturday. Last year at the market, we scored kohlrabi, orange & yellow carrots, and kale. The market is open from 9am–3pm, now through November 22nd.

2. Mt. Everest Grocery & Deli

What it is: Indian & Nepalese market
Location: 5609 Myrtle Avenue (between Cornelia & Cypress)

Mt. Everest Deli

Inside the freezer at Mt. Everest Deli

Next, we headed to Mt. Everest—a quintessential Ridgewood establishment in that it looks pretty mediocre/shady from the outside, but then once you get inside you’re pleasantly surprised by what it has to offer. Ignore the cat-pee smell and explore the aisles; the Indian food is in the back. And be sure to check out the freezer, where you’ll find homemade momos, paneer, and other Indian & Nepali delights.

Stuff we bought: frozen roti (Stephen), cilantro chutney (Ari)

3. Fancy Fruit

What it is: Fruit & vegetable market featuring Italian and other European products
Location: 56-11 Catalpa Avenue (near Myrtle)

The group quickly cruised through Fancy Fruit, an indispensable and uber-cheap greengrocer just off Myrtle Ave. I stock up on produce here once or twice a week and rarely spend more than $15. Also, check out their impressive dried pasta selection (and their simple and excellent Mamma Lombardi’s tomato sauce is a staple in our house).

Fancy Fruit

Fancy Fruit

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Aneta Deli: Cheap Eats on ‘Whimsical Window Row’

Aneta Deli

Stuffed bass and fixins from Aneta Deli. Also pictured: potato pancakes ($1 each when they have ’em).

A typical low-key sunny day for us involves a trip to Rosemary’s Playground and a food stop somewhere nearby. Aneta Deli, situated a block from the playground on Woodward and Palmetto, stands out among Ridgewood’s Polish steam-table joints for a few reasons.

The first thing you’ll notice as you approach the deli is the amazing window art, like the singing, dancing lipstick- and heels-wearing trio of ham, turkey, and cheese — it’s part of a zone we’ve dubbed “Whimsical Window Row” (see below for more photos of WWR). Inside, Aneta is a standard Polish deli, selling staples like jars of pickled beets and celery root, berry syrups, interesting pretzels and cookies and puffs, and frozen pierogies. Near the back of the long deli counter you’ll see the steam table where they keep the hot food. Go here.  Continue reading