Milano Market

The sandwiches are supposed to be great and everything looks tasty, but I have one major gripe: $ 10 minimum for credit card purchases? Are you kidding me? In 2016?
This is totally out of touch and a huge slap in the face to customers. We’re increasingly a cashless society, you can pay for a cab ride, a cup of coffee, a magazine, nearly anything with a credit or debit card WITH NO MINIMUM.
This was my first visit and I will definitely think twice before returning as long as this petty, condescending policy is in affect.

The Italian sandwiches behind the counter are some of the best in the city. The sandwiches are thick (but not Carnegie-​Deli-​style-​heart-​attack-​inducing, don’t worry). I always make sure to grab one when I’m in the area. The rest of the market has standard fare — drinks, deli salads (e.g., egg salad, tuna, salad, seafood salad, cheese, etc). The dessert section is ok, though I’d note that they only have dry Italian-​style biscotti/​shortbread-​style cookies. Really though, come here for the sandwiches.

Stopped in here while driving up Broadway this morning. The store window claims to have the «Best Heros». I love a good hero! Well, I was not disappointed. The sandwich I had was solid! Eggplant and chicken. It was one that was pre-​made. Delicious. I would go back and try the others. The sandwich was $ 9.75. A bit pricey but it is the Columbia area, so I guess it’s priced accordingly for the area. There is a minimum to use your card. Which is a bit ridiculous considering the sandwich was $ 9.75…so I need to buy something else to make it a $ 10 purchase!?! I got a coffee, but I didn’t really want a coffee. Despite that, I would return for sure.

I’m a huge sandwich lover, and this place has some of the best sandwiches in the area. They’re on the more expensive side (Milano Market is in general) but 1) they’re so big stuffed with meat that at least you get what you pay for! The toppings are also fresh and plentiful. And 2) they’re INCREDIBLE. My roommate and I sat on the floor of the Columbia library during finals inhaling the Parma and El Paso sandwiches! Great pick when you’re craving an amazing sandwich.

Haha, they have good salad (eggs and eggplants are my favorite) and sandwiches. Sandwiches are huge in size! Cheese cake here is too heavy for me.

Discovered the Chicken Parm sandwich this year. Definitely my new favorite when I want something heartier than the M3. Runs you about $ 11, but definitely enough food for two meals. I love the sesame seed bread that they use for this sandwich!

Contrary to other reviews we found staff terrific but the food tasteless (sandwiches and salad v reasonably priced but also very so so)
Lots of exotic expensive stuff to buy here too.

The Italian sandwiches, especially the (weekday?) lunchtime specials, are incredible! They recommend you get a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar on them, which really intensifies the flavors. I tried the prosciutto, mozz, tomato, and basil sandwich and it was delicious. They will also warm certain sandwiches based on their recommendation so just ask.
Overall, the market is clean, has a good variety of foods and drink, and they carry Chinotto, my favorite (Italian) soda, so I am pleased! I just wish the sandwiches were a little bit less expensive. Still, overall worth it.

Very wide selection of sandwiches to choose from and a great place to pick up a meal. Don’t miss out on number 41.

I was with my son and wanted to pick up lunch, he wanted famiglia pizza and I decided to go to this market instead which i regret, the men serving are obviously whispering to each other and you feel rushed and no one seems to care. My sandwich was hard and dry. I was unsatisfied. I could have got a reasonably priced gyro with a smile. Ugh

This review is mainly for the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. I just thought it might be useful to know that of the 3 times I got a pint here, each time it had the icy crystal consistency of ice cream that had melted substantially before being re-​frozen. Just walk a few blocks down to Westside (or maybe even just Duane Reade) for your ice cream needs.
I’ve also gotten pasta and a sandwich here at some point. Decent-​tasting, but they were really oily/​fatty. The salad bar was like any other salad bar. Overall pretty pricy.

Well air-​conditioned… that’s about it.
This is the essence of gentrification: pretentious products of no greater quality, marked up indiscriminately and sold to wealthy people (or in this case, the recipients of their trust funds).
Some prices are moderate and others ridiculous, like the over $ 7 for service station-​quality sushi. But what really irked me was that they price their potato salad et al. in QUARTER POUNDS. That is not a good sign.
They also have a $ 10 minimum for credit, which is unusually high by any standard, strange for a medium-​sized store, and unnecessary when they are already making plenty off their products.
If I was so concerned about getting authentic Milanese goods I would go to Milan, not a college neighborhood.

Very, very rude staff. Not helpful. When you approach them, they give you an attitude like you are inconveniencing them. A staff member pushed me out of the way, and this is what has «pushed» me to write this review. I always thought their employees were rude, but never actually came on Unilocal to write about this.
Food is better than a lot in the neighborhood. Nonetheless, I ordered an arugula salad the other day and it was very soggy. Soup is consistent but they should have a price in the soup station to make it clear of how it is sold by price.

There are so many words that I can use to describe Milano. But the one that I will choose is: standard. It is a decently-​priced market where you can go to get all of your cooking (and eating) essentials.
I am IN LOVE with their salads. They are huge and you can customize them yourself for a low price! It’s always super quick service that will always make you smile.
The workers there are always so friendly. They’re cracking jokes, making fun of each other, and genuinely care about their customers’ satisfaction with their products.
Some of the other items like milk, hummus, pasta, etc. are fairly overpriced but like I always say, «you win some, you lose some.»
P. S. I would suggest getting something from the dessert bakery section. Always SO GOOD! I’d go with the mini red velvet cake or a cannoli!

Let me preface this by saying that I am a HUGE FAN of Jersey Mike’s. I even follow them on Instagram. Well, I had just arrived in NYC with a hankering for an italian sub and my friend took me here since our subway stop was nearby. I got the Milano Special which has all your typical Italian meats and also sampled my friend’s sandwich, something with eggplant in it. The actual cuts of meat and cheese were of great quality. The sandwich was bigger than my head and must’ve weighed at least 2 pounds so you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.
My complaints: The bread was SO hard which totally ruined the sandwich eating experience for me, they skimp on veggies, the oil and vinegar dressing (I asked for extra) did little to impart any kind of special flavor. Call me ignorant, call me a country bumpkin, but what I’ve learned from this experience is that there’s very little that compares to Mike’s Way!
Disclaimer: I didn’t even bother eating more than half my sandwich (despite not having eaten the whole bus ride up there!) and left the remainder in the fridge for my friend. Two days later he says the dressing soaked through the bread and it was still quite good! He also rolled his eyes at my love for Jersey Mike’s. Whatevs.
The market itself is cute and fun to browse. Although, I’m sure you’ll be paying a premium for all the imported goods. They do have a lot of prepared foods that looked decent, including boxed sushi if you were looking for variety!
PRO TIP: There is a minimum for credit card usage. Your total has to be more than $ 10 I think?

Close to Columbia University main campus this place caters to all your bougie market needs. They hold a lot of major brands for snacks and also have a salad, sandwich, and dessert counter.
I’ll start with dessert because that’s the way the world should be – I tried a slice of their raspberry cheesecake (huge slice for ~2 $). Wow. YUM. Large slice and decadent. I recommend.
Later I tried their Brie and turkey sandwich. Good Brie, turkey, and bread with mustard. It’s a pricey sandwich but it’s filling and good ingredients. The staff is fast.
They take cards but they have a minimum.

I MUST give Milano 5 stars, because the seeds of my Unilocal career began here. Milano Market inspired me to start writing comically long-​winded culinary reviews a mere three years ago, and it is because the sandwiches here are truly magical. After biting into my first Milano sandiwch, I decided to embark on a «quest» to try every Milano signature sandwich (there are 73 in total) whilst in my junior year of college. While I only got through 23 during my time at Columbia, I can still pick up where I left off anytime (as I should — I still have my chipotle/​cream cheese/​mustard– stained Master Menu stowed away somewhere). I rated the sandwiches on a scale from 1 – 10 and tried some of the oddest ones first. Of the one’s I’ve tried, here are my recommendations:
–No. 38: Buffalo Chicken with pesto cream cheese, avocado, on toasted tomato focaccia
–No. 45: 45. Jambon De Paris Ham brie, tomato, red onion and honey dijon mustard
–No. 9: Roast beef w/​horseradish cheddar, sauteed onions, tomato, chipotle on toasted focaccia
–No. 43: Cuban: roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, Dijon mustard
More notes about Milano:
–This place has it all. The sandwiches are obviously the highlight for me, but they have a superb gourmet prepared foods counter as well. They specialize in Italian food, but there’s also a sushi counter (with decent sushi, I might add — at least from a college student’s perspective). To the right of the sandwich station is a fully-​stocked salad bar. The motto here should be «Size Matters». HUGE sandwiches and equally huge salads. So while Milano Market is a bit pricey, you can make several meals out of a sandwich or salad, so in the end, it’s worth it.
–They have Diet Dr. Brown’s Cream Soda, which is my all-​time favorite soda. A few years removed from college and I still remember that.
–The guys who work at the sandwich counter are awesome. I don’t know if Milano has changed hands since I stopped going there frequently, but I can’t imagine that they’ve hired all new employees. Always a fun time talking to them.
–Finally, I’d like to note that you don’t need to get their signature sandwiches (or any of their other sandwiches for that matter — they have hot sandwiches, veggie sandwiches, etc. etc., as well) in their entirety. By that I mean you can of course specialize your order. I just chose to order the sandwiches as is for the authenticity of my quest.

Quick service. Consistently good food. Just had a number 53: mozzarella, broccoli rabe, prosciutto di parma, tomato, basil, olive oil and vinegar on old fashioned hero. $ 10.95. SO GOOD… But the menu is too big to cope with, and many of the items are essentially identical but for slight variations, so I’ve noticed that most people build their own sandwich rather than ordering off the menu.

A great, slightly upscale Italian deli and mini marketplace. Most popular for their huge menu of hot and cold sandwiches and a decent salad bar. They also have a wide variety of other things like pasta, soup, meat and cheese sections, a mini bakery/​dessert section, candy, snacks, drinks, etc.
Staff always prepares the food well, is always super busy, and is occasionally curt with customers, but the food is quality and delicious.

Milano Market is in a convenient location, right on Broadway. It has a nice variety of gourmet foods.
I’ve come here multiple times, mainly for their sandwiches! They have a zillion sandwich choices. Plus like 5 types of bread you can choose from including foccacia bread. I might be biased b/​c I love sandwiches from italian delis but it is just so delicious. Although the sandwiches can be a bit pricey, they are massive so I usually eat it for 2 meals.
Watch out during peak lunch hours, this place is super crowded