Eli’s Market at Grand Central
“They have a good bit of variety of loaves and rolls and they will slice it for you.”
“Now, they have a wide variety of things from fresh baked breads, to pastries, to cakes, so, it was a little tricky for me to even decide.”
Eli’s Market at Grand Central
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
8 reviews
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Prices are a bit high. Bought a healthy whole wheat long roll for $1.95. So delicious! They have a good bit of variety of loaves and rolls and they will slice it for you. They also have cookies and other pastry treats. I loved the load I purchased and might find my way back over. Sad the prices are a bit more than I'd like to pay but I guess that's literally the price you pay for something fresh and yummy'
When you think of old school, classic New York, you might think of delis and bakeries. Well, decades later, Eli Zabar is still a staple in Manhattan with more cheeses, meats and snacks than ever. With a few locations in NYC, you'll be sure to find one, or, you can go to Grand Central, which I did as part of my Grand Central Tour.
Since I'm a bakery connoisseur (at least I'd like to think so), I had to go that route and focus on all of the treats they had to offer. Now, they have a wide variety of things from fresh baked breads, to pastries, to cakes, so, it was a little tricky for me to even decide. But, my eyes finally settled on something I don't usually see in most places.
I got their Hazelnut Meringue Shell. Although its about the size of my hand, it's light as can be. I've made my own meringues before, but none as festive and decadent as this one. It's light, and the meringue itself melts in your mouth, but the flavor is rich with caramel woven throughout and pieces of hazelnut folded in.
I tried the chocolate chip cookie. I thought it was good but not as good as the chocolate chip cookies at Jacques Torres.
Eli's has a fairly wide selection of breads and pastries considering it only occupies a small corner in the grand central terminal market.
I tried the pistachio macaron which was the biggest macaron I've ever had. It was less soft than most macarons I've had. Also, it was quite pricy at $2.95 for a single macaron.
I like the business and kinetic energy of Grand Central. Eli Zabar's location in Grand Central was kind of quiet, but it was still difficult to get help to ring up items. Finely priced items, but service needs improvement.
Like the real Zabars, but a much better bakery (IMHO). With beautiful breads and rolls, and desserts, I grabbed some olive and sourdough rolls to pair with my cheese from Murray's down the aisle, and also a black and white and large coffee macaron to go.
If the layout is appealing, the quality is even better. My husband loved the black & white, and I ate the macaron over 24 hours after I got it (with a cappuccino) and it was fantastic. The coffee buttercream was sweet and the actual macaron was a bit more bitter. A perfect pair!
Having gone gluten-free, the giant (palm) sized macarons were calling my name.. but, we dropped by to quickly grab a birthday cake for our boss. We usually go for Zaro's, but I was getting sick of how thick Zaro's cakes were… left a gross taste in my mouth.
Eli's "Happy Birthday" cake was a mix of vanilla with layers of raspberry jelly. It was good. It wasn't fantastic, but it served its purpose.
I remember picking some items up here and thinking, "this is way overpriced, even if it were to be the perfect pastry." Especially in NYC? You can get better deals at local bakeries all over town – I have no idea how much their rent is, but the price was obnoxious for some of their bakery items. The pricing on the cake seems par to norm.
You can't miss it – it's the first store to your left when you're walking in from the street side of the market.
I LOVE THE GRAND CENTRAL MARKET!!!
I was starving and didn't want to pay $$$ for airport food, so I quickly ran around the market looking for items to make a sandwich.
fresh burrata? check.
prosciutto? check.
bread… ?? CHECK!! Thanks to Eli's! For a little over $2 we got a really generous (pick it yourself) Grand Central Market bâtard (short baguette). It's the bread that has two spindly ends … don't let the hardy crust decieve you because right underneath that is some gorgeous, chewy and light mie/crumb (inside of bread). mmmmm….
We cut it open, put in the meat and cheese… and wow. HEAVEN. Never had such a delicious sandwich for so less. =)