Lee’s Fruit & Vegetable

This is a great place to pick up healthy groceries. The owners are very kind and will help you with anything. Their produce always looks fresh.

I love Lee’s. This is my go to place for produce and to avoid the chaos of Shop-​Rite. Prices are very reasonable and produce is fresh.

Best grocery place in JC! If you need fruits or vegetables, forget the shoprite. Support the local stores. Come check this place out.
By the way. Try out the ‘Tate’s cookies’ they are carrying. Those things are da bomb. Don’t see them being carried in many places. Plus the people have always been super friendly to me. Five stars!

Good fresh fruits and vegetables and selection of assorted can goods and bread
Decent prices but cash only unless you spend ¹⁵⁄₂₀ so bring cash of only picking up a few things

Open early and fairly late its a good place to stop for last minute supplies.
The line can be long at times and theres a credit card minimum. The prices are a bit expensive compared to supermarkets but its not too surprising since it’s a private business.

I am updating my previous review because I have seen a huge difference in the quality of the produce being sold at Lee’s; no more spoiled fruits and veggies! Conveniently located on Grove Street a block from the Path station, I often stop here on my way home to pick up fruits, vegetables, eggs, yogurt, etc.

This is a great bodega for your fruits, vegetables, breads, flowers, and other random items. The produce is fresh and reasonably priced. The basil leaves are some of the nicest and freshest that I have ever seen. They’re open unitl 9pm seven days a week. The owners are sweet and the woman gives me a free banana or piece of chocolate if I bring my own grocery/​shopping bags. While the indoor space isn’t big, they’ve taken advantage of the high ceilings and stacked their many items up high!

I love this little bodega. I’m of no relation (nor Korean) to the owners by the way and absolutely agree that it’s small and a bit pricey but… aside from paying for convenience, this is prime real estate for bodegas in JC so imagine what the rent must be. Why the four stars? I doubt there’s anywhere else in JC where you can find brie cheese, fresh baguette and artisan breads, Pocky sticks, Japanese curry, and Korean Bibimbap sauce ALL in one place. Think of it as a Whole Foods and H-​Mart fusion – crammed into a TINY 400 sq foot space. You’ll find a huge selection of yuppy (yours truly not excepted) paleo-​organic-​non-​gluten flours kitty corner to crunchy granola trail mix goodies. Certainly there are items they don’t stock but what I love about the owners is that they really try to run a tight ship and have a soft spot for folks trying to find ingredients to make Korean foods (the owners are Korean). A case at hand: I wanted to make Zaajeongmyon a few weekends ago and they didn’t have black bean sauce in stock. The owner asked if I could come back the next week and she’ll remember to put it in her next inventory. I said that… I’d really like to make it that night (it was like 12 degrees that night, and a piping hot bowl of noodles would’ve been perfect). For anyone who knows the dish I’m talking about, there’s no way to make this dish without the sauce. So what happened? She had her husband get some from the kitchen for me, and I got myself a thankful piping hot bowl of Zaajeongmyon that night. TIP: If you happen upon anything that’s less than fresh in the store, take it to the owner.

I love this little grocery store: it literally carries everything I need. In particular, it has loads of fruit, vegetables, and herbs; plus all kinds of organic foods and little luxuries. I stop in three or four times a week on my way home from the PATH. If I were a meat-​eater, I would have to go to a bigger store from time to time, but Lee’s is perfect for me as a vegetarian. Both of the proprietors are lovely people — Mrs. Lee is especially friendly and helpful.

I live close to Lee’s, so I am certainly a little biased. BUT it also says a lot that I’ve been to the other bodegas in the historic downtown area, up and down Newark and Grove, and still find my way back to Lee’s.
The selection is good, and my main sustenance is their homemade kimchi, which is spicy and delicious.
Dairy can be hit or miss, I’ve had a few things that went on to expire before their sell-​by date, I’m assuming because their refrigeration system is not great, but I’ve also experienced this problem from Tender Shoot Farm and the grocer next door.

Mom and Pop shop, good quality and selection of produce, lots of asian groceries difficult to find in the area. Highly recommend!

This is just around the corner from my apartment, so I usually stop in at least once or twice a week — usually for soy milk, rice noodles, and some assortment of fresh veggies. Occasionally we’re feeling too lazy to go to a proper grocery store, and will also pick up some canned foods, potatoes, etc. For the most part, I’ve always been able to find what I need. I love that the woman at the counter sneaks in a banana to your bag sometimes!

Of all the bodegas we have in downtown JC this ranks probably somewhere in the solid middle. Not the best and not the worse.
Has a decent selection of the essentials — OK produce (some stuff was on its way out) and basic groceries.
All of the stores are small — but this one made me feel a bit claustrophobic.
The people there weren’t really chatty — but gave enough of a friendly mom n pop vibe that I’d stop in for a last minute thing — or am too lazy to walk farther since this is the closest store to me.
$ 10 minimum credit card and the lady always gives you a free banana.

This is a serious mom n pop shop, I see the owners at the store all day every day.
So I’m definitely a fan of this place, their produce is fresher than Pathmark and I can get more of a variety sometimes.
I like that they carry some a wide variety of chocolate and snacks. It is a little bit more expensive but it’s actually not bad as far as prices go. You can get a nice bouquet of flowers here too.
I wish they took amex, but they only accept visa/​mastercard. There seems to ALWAYS be a long long line around 6 or 7ish when the rat racers (me included) get off of work. Perhaps they should get another register and checkout person.

Lee’s is a decent option for if you are in the area, and just need to pick up an item or two. I don’t necessarily think it is any better or worse than most of the other bodegas in the area. It is on par.
As you would expect, it is rather small, and if you stop by in the evening while people are on their way home from work… it will be cramped. You will also spend a little time on line, so bring your patience.
The produce is decent, but inconsistent. Understand that if you make a special trip in here one night because you absolutely need bell peppers… it’s may not go your way. I prefer to shop at this place when I am in the mood to pick up some fresh fruits and vegetables, but not locked in on what I need. I usually leave having had a better experience.
As others have mentioned $ 10 minimum on the card.

One of the better stocked bodegas downtown. If you don’t see what you’re looking for ask – they might have it.
My go to spot for last minute ingredients for dinner or when friends drop by unexpectedly.
Do be sure to check your produce well before buying as well as the expiration dates on the dairy and meats. I’ve never had a problem but I’m always careful.

Whenever I stay my friend’s place in jersey, I tend to go here for some grocery shopping. Well this is very close to my friend’s apartment, so it gets an edge over the Shop rite.
The store carries are the necessary stuff, though it is bit cramped. Specially during the evenings expect to wait in the line to get to the cash counter. Don’t expect the produce to be fresh all the time. They accept credit card only above ten dollars.

Since I have recently discovered the wonderful world of Fresh Direct, I no longer shop at any super market, but there is always that moment when I have every ingredient laid out ready for me to transform into something that hopefully half reassembles the pictures in the recipe book, I forget one thing and have to run somewhere and get it, to Lee’s I go. The Korean couple that owns this place are generally nice, the workers are really helpful. I once needed major help when picking out a ripe avocado and pathetically asked one of the guys to help, he didn’t hesitate at all and I enjoyed a fresh guacamole that night for dinner. That said, the only annoying this is if you go in there after work like everyone else does, then be prepared to wait on a long line while you «dance» around other shoppers who are trying to reach over you to grab some bananas.
Note: Credit card over 10 dollars only.

The 5 star review is subjective because it is within the scope of related stores in the neighborhood. Simply, Lee’s is one of a few Korean owned fruit & vegetable delis in the immediate area and they excel at a few things.
The produce is always fresh and well kept. The dairy products are never passed their expiration dates and I’m never worried someone left a yogurt out that was then put back in the fridge.
There’s always baguette, which is surprisingly hard to find in downtown Jersey City.
But the other Korean owned delis are just as good in respect to the above. Lee’s stands out with the variety of «hidden» stuff. Every shelf, top to bottom, is always filled. You should really look around to see what they have. They seem to have an entire supermarket hidden in those shelves. For example, say it’s late and you want to bake a cake and Shop Rite is just too frustrating to go to. Go to Lee’s, they’ll have not one, not two, but many cake mixes. Say you want kimchee, or dried fruit, or Pelligrino, or cut up mangoes. Yes, yes and yes.
They don’t take American Express and the credit card minimum is $ 10, but if you’re a regular they’ll give you an exception every now and then.

Let’s think about our average bodega and then let’s think about Lee’s Fruit and Vegetable. I mean, it’s like apples to oranges.
For anyone that does their Full Blown Grocery shopping here — dumb! Of course some grocery store items are expensive, you’re not at a grocery store.
For anyone that picks up last minute things for dinner, like potatoes, bread, herbs, or milk — smart thinking!
I love this place, and their homemade kimchi is the bomb. Viva la Korean owned ‘bodegas!’