Zara’s Lil’ Giant Supermarket & Po-boys

This is an awesome neighborhood store!
My first introduction to Zara’s was when my best friend/​brother, Dennis, brought me here bc he raced about their sandwiches. Now before I knew about Unilocal,Dennis was my NOLA food guru so I trust his food choices implicitly. And he didn’t steer me wrong!
Now I stop by this store when I’m in the area every few weeks or so and get snacks or some prepared food. I’ve had their sandwiches, muffalettas, meat pies, and other prepared foods and it’s tasty! Apparently I showed up early enough in the evening one night when there was prepare hot food you could choose and it looked tasty!
Like my Unilocal friend, Charles, said they have a free loyalty program so if you frequent this place often then definitely sign up for the loyalty card! And no sweat if you forget your card bc they can look you up based on your phone number.
The staff that work here are pleasant, friendly and helpful. Like any neighborhood store it may be a little pricier and a smaller selection but you definitely get treated nicely here!
Happy food shopping!

Simply put– this place is great. I live pretty close by and it’s my No. 1 place to shop because they usually run discounts on certian proteins, vegies/​fruits are good, cheeses are great, wine/​beer selection is good. And the people that work there are all nice.

Great market!
I was surprised to see that they have mostly everything considering the small size.
I loved my shrimp poboy!
Reasonable prices. Friendly staff! And they also have a rewards program which I think is great!

LOVE the chicken salad here.
For late night booze/​drugs/​snacks, I’m at the CVS across the street waaaaaaay more than I care to admit but never wandered into Zara’s before. After reading a glowing review of their chicken salad and its nutritional content (thanks Charles H!) I decided to give it a try on french. This chicken salad had a great flavor and was not drenched in mayonnaise, like so many other chicken salads I’ve tried (and subsequently thrown away). They also make another chicken salad with pecans and fruit and it is mmmmmm good.
They also have a good selection of groceries at very fair prices, as well as a great selection of prepared foods (Steak tips anyone?). As one might expect, the selection of local products is great too.
Definitely another great spot within walking distance of my house. Love it!

PERHAPS THE PUREST CHICKEN SALAD IN THE CITY
My buddy at the JCC recently turned me on to deadlifts to strengthen my core (I’m an old man, apparently it’s important!) Problem is that deadlifts greatly tax protein levels, wear me out and make me ravenous. Zara’s chicken salad is my goto after-​meal. Being almost 100% shredded white meat it packs about 70 grams of Protein, just 8 grams of Fat and 0 Carbs per cup.
IT’S AN HOURS LONG PROCESS,
But that yields its addictingly sumptuous, chicken broth flavor. Lou has been making this recipe for decades. He starts by boiling the birds with simple spices and chopped vegetables. The chicken is then shredded (the key to its moistness) and very little mayonnaise is added. The healthiest version has a sparing amount of apple and diced green onion. Currently it’s priced at $ 6.99 a pound (that’s 2 quality meals for just $ 3.50 each!)
ZARA’S OTHER NOTABLES:
— their housemade Better Cheddar is better and spicier than Langensteins
— they usually have at least a 2:1 filling-​to-​bread muffuletta ratio
— wine specials are often less expensive than Breaux Mart or Rouses
— the large array of packaged entrées and sides are all made in-​house
— it’s not cheap but Zara’s has a rewards program and weekly ads.

They advertize «overstuffed» po-​boys, while this is not the case, they are regular sized with your average amount of fill, and they are very, very good. This is my #1 go to place for a quick bite. While in New Orleans, I never do «fast food», that said, Popeyes is not fast food, it’s the best red beans in town (the #1 hang over food as well).
Back to Zara’s, great selection of your higher end cheeses and meats. Roast Beef Po-​boys are great. They oyster is a good price, but I prefer Parkway Tavern for that.
Their pre-​made muffuletta is GREAT! Pre-​made mac and cheese is very (zesty) and good as well.

I was hesistant in writing about their poboys because I would hate to have people find out they are the best in the city but I can keep this secret no longer. I love their poboys, not like a «yeah you’re cool we could make it». It’s like get off a plane, take the cab to Zara’s and order 2, one for the 2 minute ride home and one for when I’m at home. This isn’t to say they’re poboys are small, I can just put down some shrimp cloaked in bread. The staff always says hey because me and my wife are in there all the time, we catch up on each others lives and its just a great place. Poboys, they got it. Chicken wings to go, they got it. Zapps, they got it. Brie and every sort of wine and beer to wash it down with, THEY GOT IT. This place is a one stop shop, all you need to get you thru breakfast, lunch, dinner, the week, the month, the freaking apolocalypse people. Stop in there, you can thank me later.

My absolute favorite grocery! Highly recommended.

I really like this little Grocery store. Popped in for the 1^st time on a Sunday morning for some breakfast necessities. Just one pleasant guy working the front register with his Saints jersey on. While this grocery is little, it still seemed like they have at least one of anything you would need. Next time I’ll be stopping in for a po-​boy or something… a supermarket that has served this city for 70yrs must be doing something right!

I LOVE this little market. It’s so small, but seems to have everything I could need, including fresh seafood! The staff are always cheery and ask how your day is going; and the store is always clean and fully stocked. The prepared foods are also excellent, and usually fresh. It’s crazy how they pack so much into such a small area.

This is a friendly, small shop with more than you would imagine would be inside. There is a nice wine selection, po’ boys, typical grocery store needs, and a section for pre-​made food that’s pretty good… the tuna wrap was very tasty. It’s a good idea for days when you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to make yourself anything. I appreciate how quick everyone is to offer assistance and even make sure you have the proper bag and ask whether you’re walking back home so they can double up for you. I usually walk but I’d rather make the few blocks trip here to get what I need than drive to a bigger place unless I absolutely have to.

Zara’s is small but packed with more than you could imagine, with everything from emergency cat litter for when my kids forget to tell me we ran out to the cheapest 4-​pack of Nola Brewing Hopitoulas we’ve found. The produce leaves a lot to be desired, but if you need an onion or tomato it works. The prepared foods section is aces and a good alternative to pizza or fast food.
Obviously some things are going to be marked up, but that’s a bit of the tradeoff to support small business. Just do it… and try the meatloaf.

Let me start by saying I absolutely hate going to the grocery store. It’s just a bunch of little things that make me feel that way. I have been known to ‘grocery shop’ at Walgreens. Its a little more (but not too much) than a regular grocery store. They are limited but I don’t care. At least I didn’t have to go the grocery store. But I digress. I went to Zara’s and was pleasantly surprised. It is actually smaller than Walgreens. That is a plus. They also have a better variety of things. It is also closer to my house. I think I may have found a new place for makin groceries. Thank you Zara’s

Not all po’boy’s are created equal. This one is quite boring, in fact. Skip it for somewhere else! We got 3 different po’boys here and none particularly stood out as great. Also, they took way longer to make than we expected.
Get their Crawfish Marion instead. Much better.

As a supermarket, Zara’s is just okay. The prices are along the lines of a convenience store, sadly, but they’ve got just about anything you want for one of those quick trips.
The real unexpected gem here is their deli. You wouldn’t expect Zara’s to make some really good poboys to rival a few local sandwich shops. But they do. I used to work a block away, and I couldn’t help but frequent their shrimp or smoked sausage poboys. So, if anything, visit them for that. Otherwise, it’s your standard family grocery outlet.

I just ran in here one day to grab some water. It is really tiny but it seemed to have all the staples. I didn’t eat anything from the kitchen but it smelled good.
Everyone working was friendly and helped me find what I needed. It’s close to my house but I can’t see myself doing my regular grocery shopping here because they wouldn’t have everything I need. I can see myself going back when I’m trying to cook something and realize I’m out of that one key ingredient like milk or butter though.

This is a nice little locally owned grocery that has a good selection of local items and some things you don’t generally find at other area stores. The size of this place limits the selection but they generally have most of what you need if not everything you want. They have good prepared foods focusing on local dishes and decent to good po boys that are very generous on quantity. The roast beef po boy is probably one of the sloppiest gravy drenched examples I’ve ever sampled. This Zara’s location is more pleasant to eat at than their other location on Prytania and they have much more seating. This is definitely a very unique New Orleans shopping experience that reminds you more of a place in the French Quarter or Europe than the larger grocery stores ever could.

So, of the two Zara’s I think of this one as ‘Big Mama’. She has everything you need: food, booze, kind service, a hot meal and easy accessibility. I just wish her ads were easier to read…

Still my go to market for a quick trip. When I just need a couple of things, I can be in and out of the store in 10 minutes. And really isn’t that worth 4 stars?
You have to check the produce carefully but the dairy cases seem to work better these days.
They still have butchers on site for shifts during the day but not all the hours that the store is open. Call if you need something special,
Their prepared food are good but are more downhome than fancy. A good place to stop for quick sandwich or hot lunch.

This is the little grocery store around the corner from our house; as such we stop in pretty frequently. It has a very convenient location for our needs and usually has most anything we’re looking for, but prices reflect the convenience, and it isn’t open long hours.
The short of it — Should you go out of your way to come here? No. Are you nearby and need something fast? the yes, stop by.