Howard’s Market & Deli

I’ve been to several events in the last few months that were catered by Howard’s Deli. The food was hit or miss. Two of my favorite dishes are chopped liver and spinach dip. At a Christmas party the chopped liver was so bitter that I couldn’t eat it. Apparently I wasn’t the only one because nobody else was eating it either. The spinach dip was mostly sour cream with very little spinach. It was very bland. The cubes of bread that came with the dip tasted stale. They had a pretty good cold cut and cheese platter and a delicious fresh fruit platter.
At another party the spanakopita was delicious but the Swedish meatballs tasted terrible. The stuffed mushrooms weren’t any better. They had no flavor.
Last week I went to a lunch and learn at a rehab facility. This time the food was better. A delicious salad, pasta with marinara sauce, and chicken Parmesan. The food was really good. For dessert there was a fresh fruit salad and cookies. I was about to take a bite of a cookie when my husband stopped me. A long hair had been baked into the cookie and was hanging out the side. Not very appetizing.

I have been ordering catered lunches two or three times a week for sixteen years and I have used many different companies. When I choose a catering vendor, I have very specific criteria. Of course the food has to be good, but I have other needs that are equally as important:
1. The caterer has to be on time. I have had a couple of caterers with very good food, but if they are late more than three times they are done. My customers have a specific lunch hour. If lunch is late, not only do I look bad, but I cannot conduct my business.
2. Ordering has to be convenient. I want a set menu with items to choose from (salad, main, side, dessert) with a set price. I want to be able to call, text, or, e-​mail until at least 5:30 pm the night before to give my order.
3. I want receipts emailed but I also want a copy sent along with the meal so I can expense immediately.
I have been using Howard’s Market regularly for several months now and they have delivered on all my needs. They offer several «catered feasts» for lunch. I always pick the «build your own» for $ 12.50/per person. There are many choices but I usually choose the same two meals. The first is an Italian theme: Caesar Salad, Chicken Piccata, Penne Pasta with Tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella, & Marinara Sauce. Unlike other caterers that use pre made chicken strips, Howard’s Piccata is made with fresh chicken breasts and is delicious. I absolutely love the pasta! The second meal I usually order is a Garden Salad, Grilled Chicken Breast with Asian Veggies, & Teriyaki Glaze, and Rice Pilaf with Garden Veggies. The chicken is a good dish, even though the teriyaki glaze is a bit strong. I do enjoy the rice which has lots of veggies and is nice and sticky.
Dessert and accompaniments are even more yummy than the actual meals. For all the catered feasts, Howard’s adds fresh bread and whipped butter. It is so good, it is dangerous. They also provide fresh fruit salad, something I have never seen their competitors do. Dessert is always a cookie platter,…a variety of fresh baked cookies, always delicious. The lunch also includes canned soda, bottled water & ice, and disposable table service. Overall, the lunch is a great value.
So far my orders are taken politely when I call and they are on time. Most important, customers are are happy! I think I will be using Howard’s Market for a while.

I really like this place!!! Great neighborhood market. They have some really good cuts of meat and nice looking seafood. The deli has a lot of good stuff in it too. I go here almost everyday for something. It’s a little pricey but it’s worth it not to have to fight the publix crowds.

I LOVE their freshly cooked split pea and lentil soup as well as their cakes. I did try their sliced cantaloupe and it tasted horrible, I could get the same groceries at publix or even walmart for the same price or cheaper. Moral of the story, I don’t come here for groceries but the items that are cooked IN STORE are great.

I live down the street from Howard’s, and visit at times.
The butcher shop is great, and they’ll help you out as much as they can. The produce is OK, but on the pricey side. The pre-​made cold salads are good, but again, you’ll pay heavily for them. The hot foods are fine, and sometimes delicious, but the only bargains are after 8pm when they’re half price.
Otherwise it has the feeling of being old and tired. Old Howard was a wonderful guy to deal with, his son gives you the feeling you’re intruding on his time and space if you ask him anything. Sometimes the food stays on the shelves too long, and we’ve seen indications that it was spoiled when we got there.
For something quick it’s fine, or if you need some good beef — otherwise, go to the big guys and get far better prices.

This market was run much better when Howard was alive and its gone downhill since his death. The salmon today was just fine, or it can be a hit or miss-​one never knows. Thankfully, one of the employees went into the back to get the fish monger or else I’d never be served. When I went to pay it was a joke. It was like they were being bothered. Two employees were carrying on a conversation as if I wasn’t there. The place is run so very poorly… its an absolute pity.

Quite the crappy market! I went based on the reviews looking for some type of fresh baked birthday cake or pastry for someone very important on a weekday at around 2 p.m.
had no time, so I put my trust in this place, and was shocked/​upset that there was almost nothing in the bakery section except these cupcakes that looked like crap, but I was forced to get them anyway. I asked a lady at the counter for help but she didn’t seem to care and was rushing to get to another customer that needed some very important bread loaves.
I looked around thinking ugh.. what kind of place is this. and saw that many other shelves were bare too nowhere near closing. Fact: this place blows.

I was in the area for a dentist appt. so I decided to see if anything is different at Howard’s since my last visit in August. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. It looks like it did before. Very neat and clean with shelves mostly full and neatly stocked. Still no prices or descriptions for the prepared salads but service was great. I will be back.

Didn’t get a chance to taste the food but had a great taste of attitude. My friend had said the food was wonderful so I thought I’d stop for a late lunch. It was about 2:30. There’s an entrance on the side with a sign that says order food here and eat on the patio so I went in and ordered a burger. After a good 20+ minutes I asked about my food.
Turns out the grill was off and it would be another 10 – 15 minutes because the grill was off and had to be restarted. The answer I got from the cook was that he could give it to me raw but it should be cooked. I’m sorry, if the area is open until 3:00, the grill should be ON until 3:00! No one bothered to say a word! I said I wanted my money back. I paid right there but nooooo I had to go to the front register. Could the young lady there help me? Noooo. Gotta get the manager. Want to ask me about his attitude? Don’t bother. Better still, just don’t bother going!

I miss those days going to Howard’s with my cousin. He used to live across the street in the Charleston Place. He had a great house in that area. I went today because I went to dinner across the street at Outback and I needed some groceries so I went here the staff was friendly and store is really big I miss this store so much.

We love Howard’s. This is a great place to grab your daily items but what is pleasantly surprising is that a lot of the items are priced in par (and a few significantly lower) with the big players.
Great fish. Excellent wine selection. Prepared foods are great. Fresh produce is quality. Employees are helpful. And the owner is always around making sure the place is well run.
I shop there almost daily and love it.

Good fish selection and the hot foods look promising. The produce department was sad, very small selection. Cut up veggies and garlic are nice though. I got a package of cut strawberries and they were spoiled. I might come back to try the hot foods but everything else was so-​so. Would rather go to Joseph’s.

The meat department, wine department and deli counters are still great. The grocery section, not so much. There are many items in the displays with no prices listed anywhere. There are stocking carts and cardboard boxes left standing in the aisles, and grocery shelves only ¹⁄₃ full in some places. It NEVER, EVER looked like that years ago!
The ice cream cooler looks practically empty, like it would at closing time on a summer holiday weekend, but it’s that way constantly! What a shame this great neighborhood institution has slid so far downhill!

Drove by here to pick up a couple things on my way to work. I remember this market from many years ago and although I never shopped here regularly, I was a little surprised when I went inside today. I’m not sure what has happened to the place but literally ¹⁄₃ of the shelves had no product which made me feel immediately like anything I bought there would be overpriced. Turns out I was right… unfortunately.
Although I didn’t get any of the things that I actually went in for, I did end up with a medium sized granny smith apple and a single orange which cost me $ 3. I thought the price on the orange was «per pound» not per orange… maybe it was when the shelves were stocked? Who knows…
I waited until I actually ate the orange and then I decided to write this review. As you can imagine it was not worth the money I paid for it. The only reason I won’t give them one star is because I did not try anything else in the market and it looks like they have a bakery and fish department. However, I don’t ever plan to return there.

Howards is a small grocery store. I usually end up here for 2 reasons, one it is super close to my place and two it is never really ever crowded so I can get what I need and get out really quick. Most of if not all of my visits here are like that, I come in for a couple items usually something I forgot or I just don’t want to deal with a mess of lines at Publix. The selection of shelf type items is small and I wouldn’t really come here for my «regular» shopping type items.
Howards is a place you come to get fresh meats and fish and the deli and bakery are amazing. They have a small produce section but what I really like about it is they prepackage many of the vegetables into single serving sizes so someone who is like me usually cooking for one or two people can buy just the right amount of what I need or want and not end up paying for more than I will not use. I am talking about specialty items not tomatoes or onions. Same goes with the meats. It is very similar to a Doris’s but much bigger and not all Italian. The staff is always very friendly and helpful which is nice and there is always plenty of parking. Many of the shelves are actually empty.

What a great place… everything you can need in such a tiny place. And everything is so fresh too.
Their deli has a great selection of stuff and not just sliced meats. They have a huge case full of all sorts of salads and yummy stuff. I love the chicken salad, any of the pasta salads, potato salad and the list goes on and on. Plus they have items in the case that are prepared and all you do is heat them up like teriyaki salmon, stuffed chicken and quesadillas.
Their seafood section also has a great selection. Fresh clams and lobster and all the fish you can think of.
Other sections they have area a flower area which always look colorful and fresh. There is all the typical grocery isles and cold refrigerator area. They have a hot case which is so convenient for those days you don’t want to cook but want a fresh hot meal and if you come after a certain time they discount the leftover food.
But my favorite area is the dessert area. Everything looks so good and its all made fresh. Its right by the coffee counter so its really easy in the morning to grab a muffin in the dessert case and grab a cup of coffee and off to work, so easy and so yummy.

I have not been inside this store… but the catering meal we had at work was outta this world. the whipped butter made me wanna spoon that stuff in my mouth, cholesterol and all. the grilled chicken breast with the julienne veggies in the lemon herb sauce was so delicious, penne pasta with marinara, fresh salad, fruit salad. i dream of the butter! gotta visit this market in person stat!

Wish I lived in Boca just so I could shop here daily. Great variety of stuff. Got fresh oysters here the other day and a delicious birthday cake for my sister in law. Good selection of Fresh Flowers with arrangements starting at just $ 9!
I love you HOWARD’s and when you decide to come to the 305, please let it be in Miami Springs!!!

Great neighborhood market with excellent customer service.
Too bad Howard passed away as he was ALWAYS here and friendly. I remember he was open immediately after the hurricanes of 2004 – 2005 when everyone else was closed.
His son is now running the place and he continues the same tradition of great service.

Great quality. Everything is fresh and tastes great.
Prices on some items can be a bit high but worth it since you definitely feel that you’re eating something healthy/​good for you, without sacrificing taste.
You will find all types of salads, vegetables, fruit, fish, chicken, tuna. you can also go for sandwiches or hot food. And if you want dessert, they have a bakery there too.
They always pack everything to go but they have some tables outside if you want to eat there.
Service is always good, and they are always friendly.