Can Anyone Give Insight on Grocery Stores In/Near Downtown?

[jpbollma]

I will be moving Downtown in September and was hoping that someone may be able to offer some guidance as to grocery shopping. I have visited the city probably around 15 times this year already and spotted the Eve's store Downtown, a grocery store in Lafayette Park, and Honey Bee. I would assume in the Spring/Summer/Fall I would do a lot of my shopping at the Eastern Market. Any information on the quality of these three or other stores I may have missed?

On a side note, here in Saginaw we have a Mediterranean Grocery store. I love the energy down in Greektown, but I am pretty surprised there isn't even a small grocer down there selling things like components for making gyro's, humus, grape leaves ect.

[Detroitnerd]

University Market on Warren near the Lodge.

Hamtramck has some excellent small grocers and markets, such as Al-Haramine [[Yemeni) and Bozek's [[Polish)

[jpbollma]

Great, thanks for the advice!

[trotwood]

I'd make a point of visiting Lafayette Foods.

http://www.lafayettefoods.com/

[jtf1972]

I really like Honey Bee. Just don't try the guacamole... or you will hear it call you to buy more. It's like crack.

[laphoque]

Little Asia Mart some good South Asian [[India, Sri Lanka, etc.) options. They moved north of Warren next to the Jimmy John's but I'm not sure of the exact new address. They're still open til like ten which is nice.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/little-asia-mart-detroit

[jpbollma]

Little Asia Mart some good South Asian [[India, Sri Lanka, etc.) options. They moved north of Warren next to the Jimmy John's but I'm not sure of the exact new address. They're still open til like ten which is nice.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/little-asia-mart-detroit

great, thanks! I had never heard of this place. I guess, living Downtown I will be able to easily avoid this "food desert" I hear so much about.

[DTFellow]

Is Evie's Gourmet still open in the Detroit City Apartments / Washington Square / Trolley Plaza? Depending on where you are residing that'll likely be walking distance. I usually drive out to Honeybee or Lafayette Foods for quality and ease.

[Wheels]

It's a little further [[maybe 5 miles) but Super Greenland at Warren and Miller is an awesome store!

[jtf1972]

And next year there will be some store on Mack & John R that everybody hoping for the failure of Detroit is sure will fail simply because they would never go to the city and shop there.

[downtownguy]

I really wanted to support Eve's when she first opened. I overlooked the bad pork tenderloin I got early on chalking it up to her low traffic and lack of turnover. But when she finally got her liquor license, I spontaneously picked up one of those 4 packs of 187ml bottles of wine out of the cooler. I was surprised when she charged me a deposit on the bottles. I asked her about it and she said that, indeed they get the deposit, too. Without my reading glasses nearby, I couldn't read the fine print and accepted her explanation. But a few weeks later when I took the bottles back, she insisted there was no deposit. I suspect, with business practices like that, they are hanging on by a thread and I wouldn't be surprised if they soon cut their losses and sell out to someone else.

On a happier note, you can't go wrong with Lafayette Foods, Honey Bee, or if you want to trek a bit further southwest for some more Mexican flavor, E&L or Ryan's on Vernor near Livernois. Also, when you're at Eastern Market, be sure to check out all the vendors inside Gratiot Central Market, too.

[ismoakrack]

Mmmmm Honey Bee's guac is soooo delicious. So is there cereal, ice cream and candy selection : )

[jtf1972]

Downtown... I hope after arguing how she charged you a deposit you said something to the effect of "well if you're going to rip me off for 40 cents you can expect to never see my face in here again, and I WILL tell EVERYBODY I see about your business practices!" and then promptly drop the bottles on the floor. "Oops. My that's awful. Must have just slipped."

[socks_mahoney]

Honeybee's is good, but in my opinion a bit overpriced.

If you're into the whole mediterranian scene I would advise making your way over to Hamtramack. There's a grocery store there called Al Haramain, I'm not sure which nationality the owners are but they have the gamut of mediterranian foods from Tunisian dried dates to an awesome, no I mean, AWESOME, olive bar complete with all kinds of olives and feta cheese and really good creamy hummus.

There's also a pretty stellar bulk section where you can get rice, lentils, bulgur and other dried goods as well as most spices.

If you're a meat eater there's a hallal meat counter. The wife is vegan so I don't get to make it back there much, but it all looks fresh, and they'll cut it any way you please.

They are open super late too 7 am to midnight every day.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/al-haramain-...oods-hamtramck

The kicker is the prices. The produce is all really fresh and inexpensive. I've never spent more than $60 there and my wife and I only go shopping about 2 times a month.

[DetBill]

All the above recommendations above are good, I have lived downtown since 1990 and have never understood the grocery wasteland charge verbalized by so many, expecially people who dont live here.. The selection is better than ever now. Personally, between Eastern Market and Honey Bee there are very few grocery items I need to go anywhere for, and the best thing is I walk to eastern market on saturdays with my canvas bag,,, Infact,, those two places have things I cant find at Krogers and other suburban grocery stores... This allegation of living in a grocery wasteland has always had me confused.

[downtownguy]

Downtown... I hope after arguing how she charged you a deposit you said something to the effect of "well if you're going to rip me off for 40 cents you can expect to never see my face in here again, and I WILL tell EVERYBODY I see about your business practices!" and then promptly drop the bottles on the floor. "Oops. My that's awful. Must have just slipped."

Other than taking the bottles with me, that's what I did. She knew me as a regular 2x a week customer, and if she doesn't feel my business is worth 40c, then neither do I feel she warrants my business.

Incidentally, they never give you a receipt. When I asked about the deposit when I made the purchase, she provided me the adding machine tape they use to tally everything. I didn't bring it back with me, but again, I didn't expect to be challenged on such a small amount.

[jpbollma]

Wow, so avoid Eve's. Sounds like the woman running it has no idea what she is doing, and I will never shop somewhere again if I get rotted food. That should be any grocery stores number one concern.

[ScienceFair]

I second, third, whatever about Honeybee, Lafayette, and Eastern Market.

I would also like to add that Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe is about a week away from a soft opening. I know it's been a running gag to speculate about the opening, but the shelves are almost completely stocked and they're just waiting on some site work.

[poobert]

All the above recommendations above are good, I have lived downtown since 1990 and have never understood the grocery wasteland charge verbalized by so many, expecially people who dont live here.. The selection is better than ever now. Personally, between Eastern Market and Honey Bee there are very few grocery items I need to go anywhere for, and the best thing is I walk to eastern market on saturdays with my canvas bag,,, Infact,, those two places have things I cant find at Krogers and other suburban grocery stores... This allegation of living in a grocery wasteland has always had me confused.

I never understood it either, at least applied to downtown.

Until very recently I would say it would have been much truer to call most of the suburbs "food deserts" compared to downtown. Farmers Markets becoming en vogue and the hip thing to do is very recent. Eastern Market has always been popular but now everybody and God all of a sudden has to go and be seen there. The chain stores that populate the suburbs used to have pretty mediocre produce until recently, too. I had been shopping at the mercados and EM for years before they became the hip gringo thing and mini farmers markets began popping up like chicken pox in the suburbs.

[DetBill]

I never understood it either, at least applied to downtown.

Until very recently I would say it would have been much truer to call most of the suburbs "food deserts" compared to downtown. Farmers Markets becoming en vogue and the hip thing to do is very recent. Eastern Market has always been popular but now everybody and God all of a sudden has to go and be seen there. The chain stores that populate the suburbs used to have pretty mediocre produce until recently, too. I had been shopping at the mercados and EM for years before they became the hip gringo thing and mini farmers markets began popping up like chicken pox in the suburbs.

So funny what you said about Eastern Market,, we have been walking over there for years and getting great food/groceries and delicacies,, and many of my suburban friends kept telling me how I must be starving downtown.. Now, since they have been reading articles in hour detroit and the newspaper are now telling me I should " discover what they have and shop at Eastern Market"

Geesh, seem we cant win. <gg>

[webband1]

There's a little Mediterranean store among the businesses on the east side of Eastern Market. Also, any and all meat and cheese should be bought at Gratiot Central Market, south of Eastern Market.

I live near the DMC and do quite a bit of shopping at Food Pride at St. Antoine and Warren.

[cmubryan]

I lived in Lafayette Park from 05 to 09 and shopped a lot at Harbortown Market on E Jefferson. I haven't been there in about a year but last I was there, it was still a decent place. Surprised no one has mentioned this one.