Santo’s Farm

joe and sue just got a new kitten named cheetah. he is so cray cray and adorable running around the place. i love it!

Friendliest neighborhood grocers I could ever hope for and a great selection of my favorite foods.

I really have no idea why I bookmarked this place, but they were friendly and the selection was fine.

Joe is the reason that I shop here. Possibly the friendliest shopkeeper I have ever met. He always cheery and polite and takes time to ask how you are. This is in stark contrast to Gormet Fresh a few doors down — which is apparently run by surly teenage girls that don’t even look you in the eye let alone engage in conversation (that’s another review altogether).
People of Carroll Gardens — give Joe your custom, he deserves it!

I feel lucky to have a nice little store like this in my neighborhood. The folks here, husband & wife, are friendly and helpful. The produce is very solid and mostly organic. They have what I want! I’ll continue to go here for my eatable essentials until I leave the neighborhood.

Joe is the most helpful guy! I came in on crutches today and he helped me get everything I need. Simply the best!

The people that run this grocery store are as disgusting, unethical and dishonest as they come. They charge sales tax for food and don’t refrigerate food. They are rude and nasty when you critcise them openly on Unilocal they try to deflect their horrid behaviour by calling you «racist». Guess you feel right to yell and threaten your customers. You can dish it out but you can’t take it. Maybe you shouldn’t be operating a business in new york city since you don’t hate people and don’t refrigerate food and sell second hand goods.

The Unilocaler who commented about unrefrigerated hummus and milk cartons turned around must have been mistaken and reviewed the wrong shop. I shop at this store religiously not because of the fancy setting or A+ treatment, but because they have the cheapest prices in the neighborhood for the QUALITY.
After reading Brooklyn G’s review, I went in and took pictures of the «unrefrigerated hummus and milk cartons turned over» to prove that that review was either written out of hate or meant for a different store. This shop doesn’t carry much things that one would find at Pathmark so I wouldn’t see any incentive for anything to be resold from Pathmark to be resold here. Also, the «fabulous italian market» next door closed down. I’ve shopped at all 3 stores on this block of court street and can assure you that the stuff you would get at the Italian market next door and at Sue’s is completely different. You can’t compare the two. This place is more for produce and natural/​organic/​gluten free/​vegan alternatives to food. Next door was more for cold cuts, italian specialities, and processed junk. Comparing the two and saying one is superior doesn’t measure anything about the vendors, but one’s taste in food.
Aside from that, I genuinely feel that this place is run by decent people trying to make a living as well as provide good food for people who have some dietary restrictions. Its kind of on the shabbier side, like dunkin donuts compared to starbucks but I can get the cheapest organic milk here (@$ 4.29/half gallon), my favorite bag of popcorners (@$ 1.99/bag), succulent fruit (which they sometimes have organic options for), and a gorgeous bunch of flowers for the windowsill (cheaper than what I get at the flower district!). I’m more on the price conscious side so I’m the type to actually go out of my way to find a better deal on items depending on my time. I’ve done my research and although its not fancy, this place is saving me buttloads and I’m grateful they’re still around. Give it a shot and you won’t regret it.

Rude. Unrefrigerated food. Some food bought from Pathmark. Milk cartons always turned around so you can’t see the date. Recently, I spotted them buying food in the Gowanus Pathmark, which means, you are too. Apparently Santo’s Organic Farm is in the Gowanus. Maybe they just do this when they run low, when Pathmark has a sale, who knows. Or maybe… you’re not getting the organic you pay for.
But many yuppies like the cute, fake-​smile mom-​and-​pop feel, so they go. i stopped going years ago. i would politely remind them that hummus needs refrigeration, but the old man responded by freaking out when I gave him a 5-​dollar bill for a tomato, and snatching the tomato off the scale. There aren’t many bills smaller than a five, but that didn’t matter. I guessed he was really annoyed because in the past he had spotted me fucking with his money by turning a few milk cartons around, and my outrageous suggestion to refrigerate the hummus. Dammit now people aren’t going to buy our expired milk!
Not accepting that five dollar bill years ago has cost them well over $ 10,000 in business from me and my neighbors who also avoid the place on my recommendation. As it should be. Unilocal — and make a difference. it seems others avoid the place as well, and we vote with our dollars, so bravo, fellow Unilocalers, for standing up to this kind of poor business behavior.
By the way I’m curious to know if hummus is still left on an unrefrigerated shelf, and if milk cartons are still turned around with the dates facing the back of the fridge. But obviously, I don’t go in anymore. Somebody check and link. If they’ve cleaned up their act, I’ll update. Clearly, from other reviews, their large-​bill conniption still lives.
In comparison, the Italian market next door is fabulous. if they are out of stock on a sale item, they often let you pick a substitute. Fresh, warm, mozzarella made daily. Homemade roast beef, and always polite. Go there instead. Support honest, polite businesses. Out the bad ones on Unilocal.
–Lifelong Brooklyn resident
*UPDATE: Sadly, the Italian market next door has indeed closed. Some say a bank will be going in, who knows. So GourmetFresh on the same block is now my go-​to place when I can’t make it to Trader Jeezy’s.
*Just saw R.P.‘s review on the place, who claims with some photos that they now face milk forward and refrigerate hummus. R.P. incorrectly concluded that this means I was speaking about the wrong place, or being hateful. Nope, and nope. He forgot a third possibility: Because of complaints from insistent people like me, they changed. Which if it’s true, R.P., you’re welcome.
If this is the case, wonderful. However, I would still say it does not mean that one should support a business where people have to be shamed into not cheating you, and who make up disputes to chase you away, like say, angrily not accepting a five dollar bill for a tomato, which, however funny as it sounds, struck me as indicative of their discomfort at having been outed for being unhealthful and deceptive.
So no, I am not mistaken. And yes, they were reminded numerous times about the need to refrigerate hummus, and ignored it. And yes, I would often turn all the cartons around so people wouldn’t absent-​mindedly buy old milk, which they noticed, appeared to resent by glaring at me, and indeed attempted to sell for your consumption often. Having said that, yes it was years ago. Yet we all vote with our dollars, and if saving money means more to you than not supporting sketchy grocery owners who put profit before their customers health, happy eating.
To me they’ve lost credibility, and have demonstrated they don’t care about their customers, only their wallet. Not for me.

They were charging me sales tax for a bag of oats, and I thought it wasn’t right, and they charged anyway, and next thing they yell at me for asking why they charge sales tax.
Stay away.

The woman «Sue» who works behind the counter is one of the rudest human beings I’ve ever encountered. I’ve given this store so many second chances, now I’ll no longer shop there and I encourage you to do the same. Every dollar you spend is a vote, and I ask you not to support this store.
Spend your money at Good Food, the grocery store next door, it’s been in the neighborhood for a long time and the cashiers and owners are very polite.

I love that everyone who comes into the store knows the owners by their first name. Great healthy selection of foods in this small store… with an awesome family neighborhood vibe!

This smallish natural/​organic grocery store reminds me of my former life in the North Carolina mountains. They have a pretty decent selection for the amount of space, and the owners are the sweetest ever. Their kitty is adorable, and their prices are pretty typical of a natural grocer. I go here when I’m picking up a few things – generally if I’m doing a larger-​scale grocery run, I go a couple of doors down.

I’ve been going here for years to support local business.
Recently I bought soup in the refrigerator section that had gone bad and brought it right away to exchange for something else. Sue put it back on the shelf and when I told her it was bad and I put a spoon in it, her husband became agitated and said the store was closed.
There’s enough other local business to support.

This place is overpriced and obnoxious. I tried to buy some vegetables I only had a $ 20. The lady behind the counter grabbed them and started screaming at me like I was stealing from her when I when she saw Andrew Jackson. What a complete maniac. I understand on some level, but I had no smaller bills. And after that outburst, she sure as hell is never going to see me spend any of my money there again.

Best bodega in Carroll Gardens by far. Super friendly, honest, warm people, great selection, organic, good prices.

It’s not big, but you can find just about everything here and it’s always nice to chat with Sue (she & Joe seem to work 24 hours a day). My friends (who live above the store) & I refer to it as «Sue’s» actually. Terrific fresh fruit & veggies, plus some beautiful & affordable flowers everyday. Posting a piece on them this week on my blog, if you want to see more photos.

I seriously don’t know what I would do without this place. I stop in several times a week and I was utterly beside myself when they were closed for a few days. Sure, everyone is entitled to a vacation now and then, but I could have starved! Nice fruits and veggies, healthy snacks, organic dry and canned goods all make this a must visit destination on my walk home from the F train.

A corner store that beats Pathmark and rivals the health food store for organic and natural food selection! They have Quorn tenders, the first place I’ve found that does. While they do have a fairly limited selection of fruits and veggies, they are usually priced competitively with grocery and health food stores. Organic dairy products and frozen foods are slightly more expensive, but 40 cents will save you a five block walk to the healthfood store.
Comparing Santo’s to the ‘supermarket’ next door, Santo’s is very healthy and veg-​friendly, while the store next door has stale dry goods and a huge selection of italian meats.

LOVE IT!
An asian bodega that specializes in organic food — only in New York!
Its properly bodega — fresh fruit and ramshackle shelves, the selection is even what you would find in a spanish bodega in SpaHa — expect its all good for you. Amys pizza, mozzarella from the Italian market, tofu, pita and hummus.
5 STARS!