Mani Market Place

Pros:
(+) Staff are super helpful
(+) They sell fresh potted herbs (basil, mint, thyme, rosemary, etc)
(+) Near the train (1 & 2)
Cons:
(-) None
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I came here specifically for their potted herbs. I picked up a beautiful pot of fresh basil and mint. I was surprised they even carried curry and lavender which I picked up as well.

I love this market. I recommend only buy fruit and vegetables from here because they are a great price and have a great selection! Other items can be a little pricey and just watch what you are picking up. Service is great and line always moves fast.

I just moved from 94^th and Columbus, and I’m really gonna miss this place. Filled literally to the brim with quality selection, convenient location (well, it was for me!), great sandwiches and coffee, nice reasonable folks (Taki is the Mayor of the mid-​West 90s, it seems), and well, I always really dug the incidental jazz music playing. Fare thee well, Mani Market.

This review update is for the deli counter/​sandwiches. I don’t know why it took so long to discover them. The sandwiches (especially a fresh turkey — dark meat only — sandwich) are great. They also have really solid salads which change daily. The soup is really good and it’s all really cheap. An Italian sub is only about $ 6.50. The counter isn’t super quick, as everything is made/​cut to order, so if there is a line, it will take 10 – 15 minutes. The staff are always friendly.

We used these reviews as recommendations and me were not disappointed! The sandwiches were excellent & the fruit was delicious. My 7 year old loved the crab cake! Thank you for being so patient w all of us as we decided what to get!

Great place – lots of fresh produce. They also carry organic food, gluten free crackers, exotic teas, and cleaning products that are good for the environment. No need to walk to Whole Foods.

In addition to all the other comments re: family owned by two charming Greek brothers, really friendly staff, very well priced deli counter and fresh produce, they have anything and everything you’d ever need to buy (and if they don’t Taki will try to track it down for you). But the thing I love the most is the music. There is always the most amazing, eclectic mix of mostly Jazz music that you will ever encounter in a grocery store. Truly delightful and truly amazing. I defy you to walk in there and not emerge in a better, more hopeful mood. This place is a genuine neighborhood treasure.

This place is the best. The owners are always there — as in EVERYTIME I’VE BEEN THERE — and are friendly with the customers and happy to answer questions about, say, when they expect more pomegranate juice. The produce selection is top of the line, and the prices are much better than anywhere else in the neighborhood. Also, they make some of their own stuff, so if you’re hankering for a soup or a dessert (or, in my case, sundried tomatoes that they made in the back and don’t cost a fortune), you’re in luck. I love this place.

Wow! I recently moved to the area and these guys are special. A neighborhood gem with high quality, reasonably priced groceries and the best deli counter I’ve been to in Manhattan. They do twice as much with less space, and fewer options than the Whole Foods nearby.

Best people in the world. Like family to me for 8 years. Buy from them when you can. Always helpful and stock high quality, organic, whatever you want.

Good store for light grocery shopping and they move the lines quickly. Their packaged snacks are really good too!

Mani is a special place. The prices are reasonable and the selection is great. The owners and staff are so helpful and friendly. It’s the kind of store that unfortunately there are less of these days, but the kind that you wish every store could be like.

I never thought I wouls give 5 stars to a deli. But this place makes the most incredible sandwiches. I don’t know what it is, but whether a coldcut sandwich for lunch or an egg sandwich for breakfast, it tastes MUCH better.
A neighborhood market with owners that care. They go out of their way for their customers.
The only thing I wish they had was delivery and telephone orders. I know they own Mila’s across the street, but it does not come close in taste and quality.

Let’s start with the fact that I am visiting for 6 days from out of town and have never been in the store before today. It is true that they have an excellent selection of amazing produce. What I found troubling was that I spent over 30 minutes trying to buy things like oatmeal, butter, milk, brown sugar, and crackers. There is absolutely no rhyme nor reason to how the store is laid out, and if you do happen to wander to the right area, what you want could well be behind stacked boxes of other, totally different types of items. It’s difficult to negotiate even without others in the store — it’s impossible when there are to other people in the aisle. Except for some produce, I won’t go back. My time is more valuable than that.

I simply didn’t have the experience that others (presumably local regulars) did here, and don’t see myself returning to Mani, but can see the merit. It’s a cozy place with an efficiently organized selection, but a 5 is reserved for something phenomenal, and that wasn’t my impression of the prices nor the staff here.

Fresh brew iced tea. Owner is super friendly! Prices are reasonable! Definitely coming back!

The reason for all the 5 star reviews below, and for this one, are as follows:
— This is a family owned, old school market that cares about it’s customers, the neighborhood, and the local produce they sell.
— The prices are right. Much cheaper than Fairway or Whole Foods.
— The owners are decent people who look out for the customers. If you lose your job, try buying food on credit from Whole Foods.
— Everything at the deli counter is fresh, and home cooked.
You white, yuppie idiots will love the wide selection of craft beers!

This is a beloved neighborhood market. Great produce, above-​average baked goods and unusual imports, along with grocery staples, all at fair prices. They also have coffee beans and a grinder, a nice cheese section, drinks, beer, snacks, a delhi with excellent sandwiches, imported candy like Cadbury and Kinder, and a diverse section of pre-​packaged bulk nuts, snack mixes, dried fruit and sweets.
Prices are extremely reasonable on all perishable food, and average on non-​perishables, though brand selection tends toward organics and imports. Also, produce is WAY better quality than grocery store offerings. They go out of their way to get good stuff for their customers. Exotic fruit sometimes appears, including fresh figs, lychees, noni, quinces and tangelos. At Thanksgiving, they have pies. In the summer, potted flowers. At Halloween, pumpkins. Look for the Orchards of Concklin brand apple cider that is UV-​treated instead of pasteurized. It’s the best.
The market is owned and operated by, I think, two brothers. Taki is the friendly, silver-​haired and mustached gentleman that you will see working hard at almost any hour, unloading boxes and chatting with customers. Shop often enough and he’ll say hello whenever he sees you. Likewise, the cashiers remember faces and are upbeat and friendly.

I found it to be just like any other grocery store, don’t know what’s going on with all the 5 stars. May be a wider selection of produce.

We went here because the reviews were very high. But it was a bit of a disappointment as a deli. We ordered the pastrami sandwich. They didn’t have any sort of sandwich menu; you just have to know what you want already. It’s very crowded and small so you bump into everyone when you’re looking around. Because of this we ordered the sandwich in a hurry. He asked if we wanted cheese but didn’t ask which kind. So we ended up with American cheese which was gross on a pastrami. It’s my mistake for not specifying, but I didn’t know the options since no menu was posted, and I thought it was a given not to use American at a real deli.
The market place is good. There’s a nice selection of good looking fruit for decent prices. The red grapes were delicious! I dropped some on the floor on accident but the employees were incredibly nice about it.
Overall, it’s a nice place to pick up some things for a picnic in Central Park. But I’d be prepared with what you want ahead of time.

Perfect local grocery
Great bagels & bread selection
& lovely warm service