Fairway Market

So much fresh produce, breads, cheeses, and huge organic choices .
Well worth the price for freshness and taste

I’m pretty sure this is where I went. Amazing selection of produce for starters and then great rolls in the back but I do have to add that it’s a little weird that almost all the bread has raisins or something else inside it, I’ve been told that is a thing around here. Don’t get me wrong it’s good I tried it just not used to it so props! Yum

Very torn about this star rating because the food selection and quality is excellent. The prices, too $$$$. I like the apothecary section. Hate that I can not reach most of the products I’m interested in. Some have prices on the items, most do not. Of course when you ask for a price the employee looks at you like you have horns on your head. (not the first time this happened too me)
There are always ladders in the aisles with workers to accompany said ladders. It’s difficult to navigate because they are narrow.
The bakery department is a challenge. Standing at the counter waiting for help is tiring. I once waited two minutes to get bread. But the employees behind the counter didn’t take notice. So I left.

The Pelham Manor store is usually a great place to stop for a quick lunch but I needed some catering in a hurry for Shiva and called the number associated with kosher catering. When I picked up my order at the store it was clearly labeled correctly but when I arrived at my destination and opened the box it not only was not what I ordered, it was nothing like it and because of that no one was sure if it was even kosher. It may as well been pork products! When I got home I called and all I got was gee, the box must have been mislabeled, we’re very sorry. A 10 minute phone call netted me nothing but frustration.
Use them for catering at your own risk!

You ask the fish people for something and thru act as they do not speak or hear 20 minutes after they are supposedly open. The bagels are ready after 8:15 am. The store opens at 7 am but no one seems to work until after 8:30. Watch out for the spoiled fruit.
Good overall selection

I used to visit this store weekly but have stopped doing so.
The quality of the produce in the Paramus store seems to have declined since Fairway became a public company. Pressure to increase margins, perhaps?
Once a month, or so, I’ll stop by with a list of items that are difficult to find elsewhere. But, I’ve been finding sweeter strawberries and raspberries elsewhere, at lower prices.
My happiness meter has gone down from 5* to 3* at this store. Oh, well.

I have shopped Fairway over many years in NYC and have spent more than my share of $ in their stores, but the Paramus location is a disaster IMHO.
The final straw came a few days ago when I stood and waited on line patiently in their deli dept. When my number was finally called, the very first item I ordered;one which was a special that day, I was told was sold out! It was ham for goodness sake! I asked the worker why they don’t take that item off the menu board and he said «go speak to the manager– you want anything else?» I did register my annoyance at this with customer service at the front end but highly doubt it went any further than that.
On top of that, the place is plain filthy, overpriced and unkempt. Much rather stick to the Whole Paycheck at Bergen Towne center. At least the workers are knowledgable and always courteous. As far as it being better than Wegmans– you’ve got to be kidding me.
I think that once Danny plops a Wegmans down in Montvale, all these markets will feel the crunch. There’s nothing quite like Wegmans.

Love this place. They have an awesome selection of organic teas, and gluten free foods which is a big deal for me as I am gluten free. They also have a number of things like raw honey and supplements that are MUCH more affordable than my local vitamin store so I save a lot by coming here.
Really nice produce section, and I love getting coffee here too! Great atmosphere everyone is friendly and helpful. Lines never get too crazy. Shop here all the time now!

I love Fairway and I’m super excited it’s now on my way home from work. They have a crazy selection of conventional, gourmet, organic, and allergen friendly foods.
The prices are all over the map, with some things better cheaper than other stores while others are prohibitively expensive.
The layout is confusing as hell, with the same type of product located in 2 – 3 different places depending on whether it’s a special, organic, or conventional. Will probably need to study the layout for awhile before I can successfully shop without backtracking through the store a couple times.
As others have noted, fresh stuff seems to be of variable quality– I’ve had produce go bad sooner than it should have.
I’ll only stop shopping here when the Wegmans opens in 2017 (supposedly).

Ehhhhh… Came here to check it out. Some say it’s better than wegmans. Really?
Place feels crowded to me. Aisle is narrow and some people don’t move. Price is similar to wegmans, but I didn’t see any family packs available?
They have an assortment of olive oils. I think a whole aisle dedicated to that.
The produce is in its own room
There was only 2 cash registers open, and everyone wanted to check out at the same time lol as usual

To new management at Fairway: This used to be the regular market for my family. Between the produce and the allergy friendly products in one stop, it made it easy for me to drive approx 15 miles each way. We used to be able to find everything under one roof.
The last few months have taken a tremendous step backwards. You seem to not to care about the being unique anymore. You’ve cut back on many gluten friendly and vegan products and no longer seem to be worth the trip for us. It is a shame because there was no place like you before but now you are the same as others. That’s no longer worth the weekly to bi weekly trips for me. It’s a shame and I hope you find your way back to what made you folks one of a kind.

Wow! This place is so awesome. I honestly can say this has been the best food store I’ve ever been to. First off, its huge and they literally have everything. I mean everything. The produce department is so clean cut and organized. It makes picking out your veggies/​fruits fun. They have an awesome cheese section, literally every type of cheese you can imagine, an awesome olive bar, a huge oil section, with a tasting bar! I can’t forget to mention there huge fresh seafood selection. This seafood department honestly puts Shoprite and A&Ps to shame. Not only is the selection huge, it all is presented nicely and is very fresh. Also, the meat section is out of this world. You can find fresh cut steaks (any style) huge homemade specialty burgers.
Honestly if your into cooking and food in general, Fairway is definitely the place to do your shopping. This location is somewhat on my route home from work, probably 5 – 10 minutes out of the way but so worth it. Also, the staff seems to be really pleasant and helpful, which is always a plus. They also offer a 6 for 60 program. If you’re 60 years +, you’re able to sign up for a Fairway card and every Tuesday & Wednesday you get 6% off your entire purchase. I may have my Dad get one and drag him along on my shopping adventures :)

I don’t want to like this market, but I do. Food-​wise — it has the widest selection in the area. The offerings are more meager when it comes to non-​food household items. Less trendy and pretentious than Whole Foods or Kings (and cheaper btw) with many more choices than Trader Joe’s or Stop & Shop. Sort of a Wegman’s lite. The best in the area for fruits and veggies (second only to the markets in Paterson like Corrado’s or Brothers) with a large stock of arcane specialty foods and useful stuff that is hard to find elsewhere. If you want to make dashi — they have the kombu and bonito flakes for you. Need 20 different kinds of tinned anchovies, its there. Need kosher anything — it’s in there. Want to buy coffee beans that were roasted in front of your eyes, sampled from a dizzying array of burlap bags — its in there. Want a thousand different kinds of ice cream, gelato, sorbet, etc., (from gourmet to everyday) they have them (seriously). Their newest gig is booze and they have an impressive selection of spirits, beer and wine. The extensive, store branded olive oil and vinegar aisle, with samples and dipping breads is cool, but is it necessary? Their cheese selections are vast, but pricey. Regrettably, their meats/​poultry are meh in quality (I have returned spoiled meats before their expiration dates too often — as others have noted). Seafood is fresh and the selection is decent but again — pricey on most days. Dairy aisle is well stocked with lots of the usual suspects on most shopping lists. Nice health foods/​supplement section, and as others note — their bagels and sourced breads are excellent (e.g. nice artisanal loaves like those from Bread Alone). The other bakery selections are forgettable (especially dessert) as is their prepared foods section (except possibly for their nice variety of smoked fish including their house brand). I like their revolving weekly sale items (e.g. fruit, yogurt, cereal or seafood) which feature high quality at great prices. The biggest drawback for me is that the store itself is not very user friendly (kind of like Costco). Signage is poor (read: too busy and distracting), aisles are narrow, staff is indifferent and they keep relocating stuff randomly to different places making navigating the place a nightmare, especially on weekends and holidays when parking is an adventure. Hence, my love/​hate relationship with the place.

Similar products with whatever is being sold at Whole Foods, but slightly less priced and minus the good customer service

WOOW, Just WOOW. After hearing friends rave about Fairway for years now, and just being an A&P guy who then goes to the Butcher shop in town for his meats, TIMES HAVE CHANGED…
Made my first visit yesterday and good lord, it was amazing… Picked up Yams, Yellow Peppers, Orange Peppers and sweet Onions for a roasted dish I make. Came out phenomenal and you can surely taste the difference in product.
I always did like to venture over to Fresh Market in Montvale for their butcher and fish market, but this place was that on steroids…
I picked up an 18oz Sushi Grade Red Tuna Steak and Seared the F*ck out of it! Olive oil, crushed sea salt and a pinch of pepper… Splashed with Soy sauce and sesame seeds at the end… The finished product was that of a top restaurant. Pictures Attached!
Also did a Salmon fillet, heat the oven to 450, sea salt, pepper, olive oil, half a lemon. Little over an inch thick, took 13 minutes. Apply the second half of lemon when taking out.
Already eyeing my next feast from fairway!

Insulting and discriminating service by the Sushi Roll Sampling Lady.
She ignores and refuses to communicate to Asian customers and yet talks friendly to caucasian only. She rolls her eyes and dismisses you as a customer and yet talks so friendly to the next White customers. She offers her California rolls to caucasians customers tells them where to pick up one. Yet to Asian customers, she doesn’t even say a word but just stares at you. Yeah good luck with that.

I’m a fan. Would I go here for everyday items or fresh produce? No. The price is a little high. My boyfriend swears by their cold cuts — to the degree that he will sit in heavy Paramus traffic to get his lunch meat for the week. It’s not super close to us, but close and convenient enough to make occasional trips. The store is meticulously arranged — clean, orderly and well labeled. The lox selection is well priced and fresh, fresh, fresh. Much better then your local bagel shop. I would make the trip just for the lox. The atmosphere reminds me of whole foods but less stuck-​up. Certainly worth a try.

I loveee Fairway. It really is like no other market.
As an avid olive lover, my favorite part about this place is the olive bar. They have a couple dozen tubs of any kind of olive you could ever dream of and more. Chile stuffed, carrot stuffed, and caper stuffed are some of the more unique ones I’ve seen. There is a sign that says «no sampling» but I’ve been known to break the rules once or twice O:) They also have amazzzing marinated artichokes in the same section. Seriously, I could eat a whole tub of these things in one sitting.
What I love about this place is that it caters to so many different foodie genres.
If you’re a coffee lover, you’ll smell their coffee section from a mile away.
If you’re into the gluten-​free thing, they have a whole aisle just for you.
Italian? They have a section just for sampling olive oil and vinegar.
If you’re a vegetarian like me, their faux meat selection outshines even Whole Foods’. Yesterday I bought breaded «shrimp» appetizer that I’m excited to try. And their prices on this kind of stuff are great. For instance, Amy’s Organic entrees are only $ 4.29, and when they’re on sale they’re only like 4 bucks a pop.
Speaking of prices, fellow Unilocalers have had mixed reviews on whether Fairway is cheap or expensive. My conclusion: both answers are correct.
Their prices are good, for certain items. Like any specialty grocery store, the stuff you find in regular stores is marked up quite a bit. So if you come here for a bag of Tostitios it’ll cost you like $ 4.50. But those fancy organic, gluten-​free, low carb, no salt chips that are usually like $ 6 at Pathmark or ShopRite? $ 4.50 at Fairway. That’s exactly how it works.
Yep, so Fairway is awesome. Come by and check it out for yourself. But just a warning: if you come with a list, you’ll end up with a lot more.

Pros:
Large selection of items, regular brands and «healthy» types.
Large produce section… I was not as impressed with the organics… I love Whole Foods.
Cons:
Disinterested and unfriendly employees. No hello, thank you… a grunt, would have been nice.
Its pricey.
Personally I like Whole Foods for my organic produce and meats. Fairway’s organic section and selection were not as good as WF’s. I spend a lot when I go to Whole Foods but I ended up spending even more at Fairway… it is not cheap here. I venture out from Stop and Shop and Shop-​Rite because I have found their produce and meats to be of poor quality. I think I would probably stick with Whole Foods because of the superior organic produce selection and their meats and seafood.

They have revamped this location over the past year. They did the renovations without too much hassle for the customers, which is not easy, so kudos to them.
I loved the old store too, but this is indeed better. The prepared foods area is larger with more choices. Most people don’t come to Fairway for this section, an it does not compare to Wegmans for example, however, I have eaten from it often and its definitely good. They moved the oil tasting area around and I am not sure it’s an improvement but have to say it does cut down on the congestion in the area. So for the store it’s probably better. Their oils and vinegars section remains fabulous.
They have a great coffee section which they left alone. Tons of different kinds of coffee and flavors for coffees. They will give you beans or grind it for you, specific to the coffee maker you have. This is a great thing.
The organic section is large and very well represented. You will find whatever you want here.
Fruit and vege section is very good. Fresh. Easy access. Clearly marked.
Bulk section is very interesting. Tons of choices an options. Something new to try every time.
Overall this store is great. Easy parking I you come the right time too.