Food Universe

This might just look like your average small grocery store in manhattan, but it has become a very useful pit stop between the subway and off to work.
It’s pretty clean and well stocked every time I go in there and I think it deserves a Unilocal shout out!
Most importantly, it has great prices and sales for what I need!

Food Universe really took me by surprise. There is nothing aesthetically pleasing about this place; between the horrible fluorescent lighting and the very divey interior, you may be turned off at first. That being said, the prices here is what keeps me coming back. I would say that everything here (specifically produce) is on par or below that of surrounding supermarkets. I usually come here on my way back from work as it’s right by the 96^th st subway station, and some of the products run low in stock in the evenings so it may be worth coming in the mornings if you work or live nearby.

I have almost always been able to find what I need here and the quality has been just fine. I go to Fairway or Whole Foods for fresh meat and deli items, but for most produce, dairy, and canned or packaged food, the prices here are really good. I get avocados for $ 1 each– so much less than I’ve found anywhere else in the area. The staff have been friendly and helpful whenever I’ve asked questions, and just today the cashier reminded me that an item I purchased was buy 1 get 1 free and she suggested I go and grab another one while she waited. The negatives that others have said are true (feels run-​down, narrow aisles, they always seem to be restocking), but for the prices and convenience I seem to find myself here more than anywhere else and I plan to come back often.

This store is now called Food Universe. Someone needs to change the name on Unilocal.
Yes, I agree this store is old and small. I’ve learned to only shop for one or two items at a time. It is difficult to navigate the narrow isles.
I found that their prices are very reasonable for this neighborhood. Even when the items are not on sale you pay much less. I realized I was paying a couple dollars more each item for some products at Gristede’s.
Some reviews are correct that you are limited in available brands. I find myself going there for only particular items and elsewhere for frozen vegetables, coffee, etc.
As far as the employees, the front end managers by the cash registers can be rude. They may think some of their comments are funny, but I don’t. In the end they have solved any issues I had with price or product availability. The stock employees are the most knowledgeable. They can tell you when to check back for out of stock items. They also help you find things with no problem. I have never had a problem with the cashiers. They speak very little, show no emotion, and just do their job. That’s fine with me. I’m not there to make friends!
If you travel to work in this neighborhood, this store is right at the 96 Street Subway. You can also catch the crosstown, or down town buses at either corner in front of the store. Works for me!

Ugh! The perils of grocery shopping in New York City! I frequent this grocery store only because it is half a block from my apartment but I think I will have to start making the trek to the much nicer AND much cheaper Super Fi up on 104^th. The owner of this store seems to treat not only his employees but his customers poorly. On a recent trip I saw him berating a delivery man. Variety is minimal as typical in many NYC grocery stores and the aisles are so tight that you will continuously feel like you are in everyone’s way. They stock shelves during rush hour which is an awful strategy as there is so little room already. Only silver lining is that most of the checkout people are fairly pleasant. I think I may have already shaved 5 years off my life from the stress of this store. Avoid!

I was really confused. I thought I couldn’t find this place bc in fact the sign says Food Universe not Associated. Then inside there are multiple items with Key food brand. It’s really bad compared to the Associated I used to go to in Astoria.
This place is small, ugly looking and has sad selection of things. The search for a decent supermarket nearby my place continues…

Maybe you should judge a book by its cover. When canned tomatoes and other non-​perishables are thrown together to suffice as the store’s window display, you can’t expect much. Considering the cramped aisles, they must be using the space as extra storage. During my visit, a shelf-​stocker who said «ma’am» to me several times while I flattened myself against the wall to clear the aisle, only to eventually realize I was standing against the shelves where he needed to stack boxes against (use your words!) Also, many sales are displayed on the outside windows that don’t exist in the store. There are several exceptions to every sale. I felt dirty just being in there.

The few times that I’ve visited this store was only our of pure convenience — only to walk directly to another grocery store.
There is very little variety and even less quality to the «fresh» food in the store. There are multiple items in the refrigerated section that have gone moldy and were not removed on the shelves during today’s visit.
Moreso, the staff is dismissive and unknowledgeable about anything in the store. Even after showing a cashier a sale price, she refused to correct my order.
Take yourself down to C Town on 1^st avenue instead, it’s worth the walk.

Like many of the other reviewers, I don’t really love it here, but it really is the only grocery store that is close enough for me to not completely avoid it forever.
Do I feel like some of the stuff is unclean here? I guess. Their vegetable/​fruit produce section makes me want to avoid it at all costs unless it’s packaged. It doesn’t exactly seem clean to me as in all the rotten stuff is on the bottom, with the few fresh items covering it.
And yes, the aisles are very tiny. As in tiny enough that only one small drag-​along-​cart can go through each one. Annoying, especially when the guys are re-​stocking.
I can’t really help but a lot of their stock also comes from unfamiliar brands that make me feel strange. So does their generic branded items. Don’t know…
The cashiers are nice, I guess. They’re not like rude or anything, but theyre like not over friendly either.
There are some good sales going on here sometimes like with pasta sauce and yogurt. Got a good deal for Sabra hummus (2/​$ 5) once. I do love sales (AND HUMMUS), so 2 stars it is!

Possibly one of the worst grocery stores I’ve ever been to. I’m convinced they run a credit card theft ring here, since both my bf and I have had our cards stolen after shopping at this location.
The selection is crap, the store is unclean, the aisles are narrow and the cashiers are surly. Do I need to add more? It’s amazing this place stays in business… I suspect its because of its convient location at 96^th and Lex.

This place is pretty much the cheapest supermarket within a few blocks of me, so it’s my go-​to when I’m running out to grab something to cook.
It’s a little gross and the aisles are tiny and I sometimes can’t find what I’m looking for. I also have trouble finding people to help me find what I’m looking for — everyone looks too busy stocking shelves and I don’t know who is delivering and who is an employee.
They also have a wall of polaroids of shoplifters, which scared the bajeezus out of me when I was a kid.

Not a fan of this supermarket. At all.
It’s super close to my aunt’s so I used to tend to come here if I forgot something on my list, but after my last visit, I’d rather trek down to the Key Food on 92^nd. I needed lemons so I decided to run out and pick some up. Unfortunately, my hands got really gross because they had rotten lemons in with the fresh ones. GROSS. Please please PLEASE check for any rotten produce before throwing in fresh produce.
I used to really like the sales they had here, since they tend to have amazing deals, but that rotten lemon experience ruined the store for me. Until they get better lighting and clean the place up (a lot), I’m definitely not coming here for any last minute shopping needs.

Not the best shopping in Manhattan but it’s the darn closest to home. They can have some pretty great deals too for the things that are on sale. I love the Bailey’s Coffee Creamer and it was on sale for $ 2.99 and usually is almost $ 6. Aisles are tight and you will bump into a lot of people if you come in after work around 5 or 6pm. The weekends and early mornings are best.
Beware the meat counter guy, he can be a little social and interesting. Overall the staff is friendly and helpful at times. Watch for the great deals if you plan on stopping in to shop.

This is my go-​to spot for groceries because I live so close by. The food is generally cheaper than most grocery stores in Manhattan and they have great sales. There are a lot of downsides though, and I feel like you just have to know what you’re getting into. The aisles are very narrow so it always feels crowded, even if there are only a few people in the store. You need to be picky with the produce, but most things you can find and they are fine. I wish they would improve the quality of their produce and meats, but I guess you get what you pay for!
Management is nice and friendly if you go there often.

tl;dr
Overpriced a lot of the times (for the quality) other than sales. Crappy meats, decent produce department. Everything else is average. Tends to be crowded and smells a bit funny.
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When you should come to Associated:
–When they have sales on pasta sauce and other similar canned goods.
–When they have crazy sales sometimes on some random produce that they overstock like cucumbers or pineapple ($ 2 pineapples! :D)
–When you need some onions and Gourmet Garage is too expensive.
–When you need ginger and Gourmet doesn’t have it for some reason (??? lol why Gourmet doesn’t carry ginger still perplexes me).
Things to avoid at Associated:
–Meat or fish. I’ve had several boxes of their meat and I haven’t died yet, but just FYI their meat does go bad after just 2 days or so in the fridge. There’s definitely something strange going on.
–The Associated brand of frozen vegetables. I know the $ 1 sale is tempting, but it tastes like chlorine!
–Most oils and seasoning products, other than canned goods or pasta sauce. They’re WAY overpriced (it’s ok, Gourmet is overpriced too, but that’s why you have Chinatown).
It’s kind of cool that they have random Asian products (like Asian thin dried noodles, ginger, bok choy, and even sketchy-​looking kimchi) because the owners are Korean (did you know this? but they are!), but the quality of Associated is generally too low to be used as a one-​stop supermarket.
I usually shop meats and fish at Gourmet or Fairway, vegetables and seasonings from Chinatown, and only use Associated when I need produce really quickly for something I’m making or juices/​yogurt (I’ve never had a problem with them, but Fairway is sometimes cheaper — it’s just a bit far to carry home).
The best way to sum up Associated is basically a Chinese supermarket that’s priced like an American one, so I don’t know why it still exists. It’s like the worst of both worlds.

Until you experience a store like Associated you will never appreciate grocery shopping in a normal grocery store in the suburbs or even Fairway on 86^th street. This place feels busy with three people shopping and that isn’t an exaggeration. But even though it is insanely cramped with a small selection it is convenient to my apartment and when you only need a few items I still shop here.
But beware, the meat department is seriously scary. I would never purchase any of their meat products. Also this is not the cleanest store so I always stick to packed and canned goods.

AVOID THIS PLACE! Always crowded, cant use the shopping cart because its always packed with mexicans putting products away, people constantly behind you or in front of you repeating excuse me every minute. Went here 3x and each time theres a black person on food stamps with 5 kids all beating eachother up.
And each time I forget at least 3 things because i’m always being asked to move. Just go to the associated on 2^nd and 101^st, or key food on 2^nd and 92^nd, or even pioneer on lex and 91^st i think. Same prices and deals, no point in dealing with long ass lines and having to rush through each narrow aisle.

Super cramped, narrow aisles, and small supermarket in my neighborhood. Kind of like shopping in a shoebox. Lines at cashiers can be long but they are normally friendly. Kind of like the no-​frills generic supermarket in the area. Very hit or miss whenever I come here. It seems like there is stuff packed into every nook and cranny in here. Only good if you live close but not one of the better ones in the area.

I’ve been going here for a few months because it’s close to my apartment, but today I found out that they do not honor coupons whenever they feel like it.
There was a coupon, get two boxes of cereal up to 19 ounces, and they refused to honor it even though it was clearly printed on the coupon and it was in the valid date range.
The store is cramped and dirty, and the people who run it are jerks. Avoid.

This place is as full of contradiction as the Calvin Klein perfume.
They take food stamps, but charge $ 5.29 for a half gallon of organic milk. Shit, it’s USDA organic, not liquid gold. Fuck!
They have government issued flour and canned spaghetti sauce, but they also have authentic instant Ramen (the GOOD kinds), anchovies wrapped in capers, and a pretty good selection of beers, nevermind that they are at room temperature from sitting on the bottomost shelf for hella days.
Their boxes of crackers and cereals are dusty and look stale, but their bags of spinach and packs of pre-​peeled garlic are get the job done (and I don’t want to know where they’re from).
The lines are slow, but the cashiers are actually pretty friendly and expedient.
And this last point isn’t a contradiction, but worth adding anyway: in the winter, they bring out a see-​through extended exit to keep people warm and save heat from spewing out the doors. That’s a nice touch.
Everybody comes here sometime to grab a jar of marinara sauce, a six pack of Bud and four pack of tiny Clamato cans, or any enriched starch product that’s seen (by the likes of Whole Foods and Bristol Farms) as too unhealthy or cruel to market to humans in higher echelons of society. For a place so tiny, it certainly is the Noah’s ark of common foods, featuring at least two of just about anything out there.
Warning: stay AWAY from the microwaved «Asian Noodle» dishes boxed in a Chinese-​style to-​go parcel. Not ANY part of it is food.