Fine Fare Supermarkets

One of the employees here makes a habit of walking around the store making passive aggressive comments at people wearing masks.

Great shopping experience otherwise.

Tonight was the last time I will shop at this store. It’s not the first time I’ve found expired food in this store, but there’s a lot of items so I presumed it had been overlooked. But tonight I found mold, lots of it, all over the blackberries that were on sale. And then the field roast section had mold all over them and all over the shelving in the produce section. DISGUSTING! There’s always workers visible in the store but clearly they are paying attention to the turnover of product and making sure their refrigerators are working properly. This place needs to be shut down by the health department.

It's big and they have a lot of options but the prices are outrageous. Just about everything is overpriced and if you don't believe me, go to the Key Food on Saint Nicholas and compare. As of July 2023, I paid a total of $9 for a pint of non dairy ice cream and a tub of blue bunny ice cream. One pint of Haagen Daas is $8 at Fine Fare. I get that you pay for the nice exterior but sorry, the quality of the products aren't much better than any other supermarket in the neighborhood.

Two stars for selection, one star for great prices on a (very) few key items (like eggs), but negative two stars due to some incredibly ridiculous prices on a significant number of items (Lactaid milk price 30% higher than most stores). I am not a fan of price gouging, and I feel some of that is happening.

Additionally, it seems clear that the person setting the prices at this location either doesn't understand value (a 4lb pork shoulder was more than 50% cheaper than the milk - that gap doesn't make sense), or thinks they can charge the same prices as stores on the the East Side. This is The Heights.

When your prices are the same as Bodegas, most of my people choose the Bodega - we'd rather support a mom and pop store if the price is about the same. The benefit of a big market is supposed to be better prices than a small corner store. Do better. Also, you may want/need to hire someone with market knowledge of store pricing.

Meat taste like detergent!!!
I purchased beef today for $6.17 at a cost of $9.99 per pound. Unfortunately, I detected a detergent taste from the meat which has happened twice recently. Additionally, the yellow bananas were priced at $1.29 per pound which is quite expensive.

I purchased the Purina Dog Chow on 6/27/22 around 1:30pm with cash. After purchasing this item I went home and fed it to my dog who within 4-6 hours after eating this product proceeded to throw up consistently for hours in addition to consistent popping. I then planned to return the item in exchange for another product from this location. I came to return the product (without my receipt) as I did not expect to return this product in exchange for another - and the manager stated even if I had the receipt I could not exchange it because the product was open.

I conducted a test trail with my pet to see if it was anything else that could cause her to throw up & pop uncontrollably. I went a purchased a different brand of food at a different location and feed that to her about 24-hours later after allowing her to only intake water for a bit to clear her system. After feeding her a different brand of food my pet has no issues and is back to her normal happy, playful self.

I understand that because it is open certain things cannot be done, however due to this product causing an illness that never happened before with my pet there needs to be something else in place especially when it causes harm to another. No the product was not expired. The head cashier tried to assist however her manager who does not speak english told her he was not able to anything due to the product being used/open.

The company purina I’m sure is responsible however so is this fine fair at this location which I will no longer be shopping at. Customer Service, learn how to truly service the customer especially one that is clam and respectful such as myself

This Fine Fare has great selection compared to other supermarkets in area. I just the had better selection in the meats and seafood as well. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Overall it’s well stock when it comes to can goods. They also have a small wine selection which it’s alright. There produce area is well kept and organized.

Updated 2/12/2020:
I was really looking forward to this Fine Fare opening up in the GWB bus terminal. Until now, Key Food on 187th street was the closest option for anyone living on 181st or above.

This Fine Fare is nicely organized and maintained. It's also easily accessible from either the street or the subway.

My disappointment has to do with the selection of products. First, there are few choices of organic or natural food products. Second, the brands offered are generally lower quality, cheaper brands, alongside more mainstream, established brands. There are few unique or specialty products.

Prices are generally competitive with other large supermarkets in the area. Some items, like gallons of water, are more expensive, while other items are about the same.

This Fine Fare does score points for serving drip coffee. They also had a small cafe sitting area, complete with a large fish tank, but sadly those are now gone.

They also have rotisserie chickens and a deli section (no more hot food bar). And the freshly baked croissants are excellent.

Time will tell if the product selection gets a little more varied or stays about the same. For now, I'm sure a lot of people will benefit from having this store in the neighborhood.