Ali Baba Organic Market
“So happy this place exists at the southern end of Chinatown.”
“Just read signs and the fruit/veg labels for the Organic ones.”
“The only headache is they never seem to have the registers under control and there are frequently very long lines.”
Ali Baba Organic Market
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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So happy this place exists at the southern end of Chinatown. It's got an incredible combination of organic and healthy foods set in the style of a laid-back local store, with extremely reasonable prices and situated in an unlikely neighborhood.
Like some others have noted, you can expect to find Whole Foods style stuff here without any of the craziness or crowd. They have a large fruit stand right outside the store and fresh produce inside, much of which is a notch cheaper than the same organic stuff sold elsewhere. The hot food bar isn't as diverse as Whole Foods', but considering the relative scale of the store it's pretty decent. My only complaint is the relative lack of dairy products. The ones they do have aren't really priced competitively. Also, they don't sell any meat or seafood. But I'm so happy I found this store in the midst of an area filled with street vendors or nondescript Chinese stores that don't carry produce of the same quality.
Sadly, there aren't really many healthy options in Chinatown therefore this makes Ali Baba one of the better bodegas in the area. They offer a decent selection at the self-serve hot and cold bar at $7.99/lb. The food itself is so-so, with nothing outstanding about it. You can also create your own super healthy to deceptively fattening wraps, sandwiches, and salads. Not only do they sell produce, they also offer organic items that you'll typically find at Whole Foods. This includes drinks ranging from GT's Kombucha to Harmless Harvest's Coconut Water (best coconut water btw…none of that Vita Coco garbage). All in all, it's good for a quick healthy lunch just a block away from all the madness.
Today I ate lunch with two friends at a restaurant next-door to this place, and afterwards I came here with one of them because she'd noticed their appealing-looking fruit stand and good prices. I was wandering around inside and was excited to discover their hot food bar (yes, pathetically I get excited about things like that) – so naturally I couldn't leave there without bringing home a nice array of food for dinner ($7/pound). Although the selection wasn't huge, it was quite decent – and everything looked very clean & fresh (this place has an "A" rating from the Health Department). The man working there was pleasant and the woman at the cash register was friendly. Also, the food was very tasty. Oh – and if you want to indulge in sheer caloric gluttony, they have lots of very tempting-looking dessert items in the glass case near the register (several cakes plus various pastries, etc.). I managed to exert self-control, however.
As far as bodegas go, this is fairly run of the mill.
I live close by, so I often stop by to get groceries, even though there's a spotty selection and they are slightly overpriced. There will often be a few good deals–I got Luna Bars at 3 for a dollar recently because they were expired. I think that you can definitely find better places, but the people are nice, and they definitely carry food.
Standard fair.
They have a hot food section which is open until the evening, where they make a number of things such as burgers and other standard take away food. They also have a hot food buffet bar which I've never tried but looks decent enough.
People mainly come in here for coffee and groceries. They have a number of selections, but certain things are lacking. For instance, the meats section is lackluster, and is tucked away into the corner of the shop. Because the owners are (probably) Muslim, they don't sell any pork here. There's also no alcohol.
One thing to note is that they have a fairly decent selection of fruit and vegetables, which can be seen from simply passing the store outside. The fruit is not changed too often, but is never terrible.
Credit card minimum is $10.00
Wow. What an Oasis. I live in Chinatown and there is definitely a deficit of quality foods in this neighborhood. A great selection of healthy foods at reasonable prices. Very friendly staff and nice vibe. I will definitely be going to this place a lot!
One of the reviews I read for this place called it an oasis in Chinatown…I understand this sentiment. This store sells some high quality products, some of which I would otherwise have to go to Whole Foods to buy. The prices range from REALLY excellent ($1 for bunch of asparagus) to more expensive than Whole Foods (the Amy's frozen meals are not cheap at all). I have not tried the hot bar, the salads, or the sandwiches, but the produce (if you are careful in your selection), can be good and cheap. One word of caution, even though Organic is in the name, I was unable to find any organic fruit.
By far my favourite market in the Chinatown area.
Almost all of the comforts of Whole Foods, but smaller & without the insane lineups. Prices here are great, too.
Service is always so nice, sometimes a bit of cheeky banter from the younger guys which is a refreshing change from the cashiers at other markets where the cashier doesn't even say hello.
Oh, and it's 24-hours and they make a wonderful pit stop for those tipsy late night walks home!