Key Food

Okay, so one of the perks of living in Astoria is the proximity to Manhattan. It’s a 20 subway ride to Steinway street or or 30 minute bus ride from 59^th and second Ave to 30 ave. Not a bad commute at all.
I used to save big money on grocery food here and that was a savings but not so much as I learned this afternoon when I stood outside Key Food and had to mentally calculate my receipt in awe.
Please view the photo because it’s really not a lot of items. In fact there is no
Milk, Bread, Meat, Ice Cream, Fruit or Produce in my purchase. The kind if items that you would expect to buy and spend on. Actually I was just getting some staples for lunch and cold
Cuts. That’s it. Eleven perishable items to be exact. With a grand total of $ 55.20!
I’m sure that my cold cuts are good quality, but it’s still only Swiss cheese and turkey people! The Deli department is very organized and the staff is attentive but great service is what I expect. The prices here at this Key Food are astronomical and unless you want to splurge I suggest you shop at C-​Town on 28 ave instead.

They have good deals occasionally but a lot of the items are overpriced. They have a decent selection and you can find pretty much all of the basics, which is the reason for the 2 stars. Most of the employees, however, are rude and don’t even acknowledge you except to ask «credit or debit?» when you’re checking out. I’ve also been overcharged several times and either had to get my money back or didn’t notice until after I got home, so always check your receipt.

I never EVER write reviews. I’m in the service industry so Unilocal is basically the bane of my existence. (Seriously, I hate you, Unilocal.)
But I felt compelled to make my cashiers day better because OH MY GOD the people in front of me AND behind me were the biggest assholes I’ve ever witnessed. You had the fat ass in front of me (who kinda cut me me but whatever) that had the balls to raise his voice to this poor girl about how misleading the 2 for 1 sign for his precious ice cream was. Like he really needed free icecream. And then you had the two b*tches behind her buying stuff to make nachos. She accidentally rang their napkins up under my (huge) order (honest mistake) and they were like «omg we said that was ours like 3 times» and laughed at her loudly and pointedly. I don’t know what compelled these people to be so fucking indecent to a perfectly lovely and well mannered stranger. She is just a young girl trying to make an honest living and these people made the conscious decision to be rude to her because they are small. So I’m cancelling it out by writing my first and only legitimate Unilocal review. Martha, you were a peach– keep your head up, girl. Don’t let them get ya down.

I am mostly writing this review so I can get these photos off my phone, and at the possibility that this Key Foods will get over-​crowded. Anyway, this is the 2^nd Key Foods on 30^th Ave — this one is past Steinway.
It’s clean, decent produce (although my friends aren’t impressed), not too crowded (for now!), refrigerated beer, decent aisle of toiletries/​home products, natural foods (but no Puffins). Also, it wasn’t until I was in this Key Foods that I realized that Key Foods has its own radio station. If the grocery store closest to you is shitty, like mine, try this one.

They are more expensive than C Town and less stocked. Rude employees. Twice (few months apart) I found a mistake on a bill — basically random item appearing on the receipt but not in my bags. I got money back but that was it — oops we charged you for an invisible grocery — too bad you caught it. I only go there now if I must otherwise I will go to any other place even if it makes walking longer.

I don’t usually review grocery stores, but I love this key foods! Like another reviewer said, the aisles are wide enough for your cart and/​or multiple people. They have a large selection of fresh fruit and produce, as well as healthy deli and organic options!

Terrible selection if your looking for organic stuff.

I really want to like this place because it’s so close to home, but I’m just not a fan.
Three times now I’ve had produce and meat go bad within a day of purchase – all three times the «sell/​use by» dates were several days into the future yet.
This place is good in a pinch if you have more money than time and you don’t need fresh food.

Decent supermarket if you’re in the area. Beer wise, they’re no Foodtown, but still have a nice selection and prices here are great for produce/​food and deli stuff.
Good selection of Spanish products which always makes me a happy chica, but I probably wouldn’t come here if I needed fancier stuff to make a fancypants culinary meal… but if I needed simple basic things like bread, pasta, rice, beans then yeah, this is your place.

I like this Key Food. It’s clean and the staff is friendly. They always have about 3 cashiers so there is almost never a line.
Every week they have different items on sale and it’s always something that I actually need.
Don’t know what else to say, it’s a supermarket, can’t write a long review on a supermarket…

I have such mixed feelings about this grocery store. On one hand, it’s always there, very close and convenient. On the other hand things that I personally would consider basic (almond milk, strawberries, I know it isn’t basic to everyone but it’s a staple in my diet) the prices are jacked up on. $ 3.70 for a carton of almond milk «on sale»? $ 6 for non-​organic strawberries? This store is great when you’re in a real pinch, and something incredibly basic.

Not bad — decent produce section, and a good variety of organic stuff. This market is fairly orderly, and is cleaner and better stocked than some of its local counterparts.

Average Queens grocery store with narrow aisles stuffed full of items. The organization was sort of haphazard. Some categories of food existed purely on the end caps. The produce looked like it was on its way out.
The staff was helpful when we needed help reaching a cooler at the very top of the shelf. The cashier was friendly and actually smiled at us. Unusual here!

They offer a variety of different breads, organic vegetables and fruits, with sales always running on coffee and juices. I always find the honey roasted almonds there, my go to yogurt place, chobani 10 for $ 10?! What a steal! Only store that has Carolina BBQ Utz potato chips, simply the greatest chip on the planet!
I am always greeted with a smile, the clerks and cashiers are always helpful.

2 years shopping here, and they know me by name. And they know my groceries when I check out, and also ask If I’ve forgotten anything. That’s service when it comes to a grocery store.
Not as big as the other Key Food on 30^th Ave., but were they are small they really pack it in. They always have tons of basics on stock, and their deli area is really comparable to a lot of local small run delis. Next to Trade Fair, this location has the largest amount of international food I’ve found in Astoria.

This supermarket is soooo much better than the other Key Foods near the N/​Q 30^th Ave stop. But it’s no Whole Foods.
I’m not even a Whole Foods snob. I don’t even like that place, but in NYC, all supermarkets should emulate Whole Foods in terms of cleanliness, variety, and freshness. This Key Foods is actually pretty decent. I learned that all Key Foods are franchises and that the owner of this store between 42^nd and 43^rd is pretty on top of his supermarket. I don’t know what the hell the other guy is doing between 31^st and 32^nd.
The aisles are a little cramped, but it seems that the food is much fresher here and the prices are reasonable for the neighborhood. I always feel ripped off at the other Key Foods near the subway. I like the bread selection here more, and the very neighborhood feel of the overall store.
I would walk to this store over the other Key Foods ANY DAY.

I’ve gotten my groceries from here many times. I like this store a lot because it’s never overly busy and there is a lot of space to move around and you don’t get stressed trying to look for your stuff (compared to Trade Fair around the corner). They have a lot of different types of food and items that I haven’t found in the other supermarkets in the area.
The meat products seem to be fresh and of good quality, but the price is often too high for what it is. I compare the general items I always get when I shop and compare to other stores in the area, almost all of Key Food’s products are more expensive. I mainly come here because it’s more calm than other stores and they have a selection of groceries I can’t find elsewhere. It’s also very clean in here.

I have been a fan of Key Food Supermarket since I was a kid. It is a great place to shop.
Prices are competitive. Great selection of items. Bread always fresh. Excellent produce. Deli very good. Meats always fresh.
Overall a clean well stocked market. You won’t go wrong shopping here.

I pass Key Foods daily on my short trek back home from the N/​Q stop at 30^th Ave. I wandered in the other day during a torrential downpour, and was amazed that I had never ventured in before. Amazing selection of products — especially for those who are dieting. Was thrilled to see a clean and organized produce section, as well as their selection of cheeses and Greek products in their deli area.
This place is not necessarily a cheap option, but it is so nice, I’d even go as far as to say I like it better than Bravo on 34^th Ave.

I feel fortunate to live fairly close to a supermarket, especially one that carries a lot of different international foods and organic options.
What I don’t like is never knowing if I’m going to find good produce. I often have three recipes in mind in case, say, the eggplants look terrible or there are no onions left.
The prices are pretty much what you’d expect in Astoria. I appreciate that they carry my coffee options, but they do not have CPK frozen pizza, which makes me sad.
All in all, it does the trick, but when I have a choice, I go somewhere else for quasi-​specialty items and produce.