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The Red Hook location, while crowded, is not terrible. There are always plenty of cashiers and they are super fast and efficient. The customer service there is great. The slowest place is the deli, but that's probably to be expected. Of course, during a weekday the store is yours for the cruising, but the weekends are when there is a crush. I do feel they have excellent prices on organic foods and the butcher is fantastic. We shop there about twice a month, although I will probably go less when the Trader Joe's opens in my neighborhood.

Red Hook is great during the week, crowded on the weekends. Traffic getting there is a breeze, however when Ikea opens next month not sure how the small Red Hook streets are going to handle all the extra traffic.

Anyone know when the Whole Foods is opening in Brooklyn?

I was about to write virtually the same thing as Matilda. We go to the Red Hook Fairway about once/month. Even on the weekends if we go first thing in the morning its not too crowded. The store is big enough to handle the crowds. We don't have a car and really like that they deliver (for free if the bill is $100) to Brownstone Brooklyn. We take the bus there & back & get the groceries delivered. A couple of times, the delivery guy has been ringing our bell as we were arriving home. I also wonder how often we will go when Trader Joe's opens a couple of blocks away.

Love 75th street for mitchell london's café -- i dream about the pancakes...

I live at 96th/Broadway and have been shopping at the 75th street location since moving to NY last August, and it drives me nuts! It is waaaaay too crowded, and I think part of it is the Fairway management's fault--there is no system for line control and the constant stocking of shelves makes navigating certain aisles impossible. The Harlem location is much better, but it's not convenient for after-work stops. I also think the produce at the 75th street location leaves something to be desired. I've been hitting the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle instead--it can be crowded too, but at least there's a functioning check-out line-up system and the staff is much friendlier. Also, for good, local produce I hit Barzini's at 90th--they've had local rhubarb and asparagus in the past few weeks.

I work above the Red Hook Fairway and the selection is amazing, the aisles uncrowded most times of day. The prices seem mostly good - though they have an interesting habit of putting the same item in several different places in the store to disguise the fact that they also carry inexpensive brands. I really really wish though, that they would consider labeling the origins of their produce, and offering more discounted fruits and veg instead of just throwing out bruised pears - I have nightmares everytime i look into a garbage can in the produce section.

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Well... anyplace is great during the week, and rush hour is a lot easier to take after 9 a.m. and before 5 p.m. But most of us 9-5 mopes will never know. Me, I love the Harlem Fairway -- I go once a week, try to hit it earlyish, and get everything I need. Paper and plastic goods are a bit pricier than you'd find at, say, Target, but the great produce, meat, fish, cheese, etc. make up for it. Plus, crowds or no crowds, there's something to be said for getting in and out of the car with groceries exactly once a week. Fairway has pretty much everything I want. Except birdseed, but if they ever check the suggestion box that I stuff every week, maybe they'll start carrying it.

Every 3-4 months or so, I hop on the bus and go to Red Hook, and while I end up spending at least $50, I'm usually disappointed. I find the store to be absolutely filthy and uncomfortable to shop, and I always forget something in produce which means walking ALL the way around to the front - is there a shortcut??

The "famous" cheese dept is depressing with unknowledgable staff who can't cut a 1/4lb to save their life (i got a .37, followed by a .12). Organic room is kinda cool, except I feel like a health food freak shopping in a separate location, and I find that the bins are often overlooked and depressing.

I understand that the Manhattan stores are older, but a brand new supermarket aught to be a little cleaner and motivated.

I grew up in the 70s a few blocks away, and let me tell you, fairway today breaks my heart. It used to be full of little old ladies (not frantic yuppies) banging into you with their carts, and the cheese guy was great, and the store was much smaller. You went to citarella for your fish and nevada butchers (no longer in existence) for your meat, and zabars (which had one counter) for appetizing. Not like these horrific suburban mega-stores that fairway and citarella and zabars have morphed into. I prefer my gourmet garage downtown only because it is smaller and less overwhelming. How much choice do I need, anyway? In fact, not that much, as long as its fresh and organic. (which gourmet garage is not always, but hell, neither is fairway).

God I hate this place. I don't live anywhere near it, but when I dated a guy on the UWS this was his grocery store. I think people go there to work off their aggression. Oh, the food's good, sure, but it's a freaking war zone. I'm from the LES. We're downright mellow by comparison, and that's saying something.

I'm surprised to hear cheflaura's comments on the cleanliness of the Red Hook store. A trip to my nearby MET Foods might make her recant in comparison.

It is busy on weekends, but not enough to deter me from going. We don't have a car, but we almost always hit Fairway anytime we have a rental car and try to go on a weekday. Even with the crowds, it's a fun time - we love to get sandwiches and sit in the outdoor cafe and then make a stop at Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies to round out the trip.

I don't know where ChefLaura is shopping, cause the Red Hook Fairway is always clean and new looking, and I shop there at least 2x per month.

Yes, the layout is odd, forcing you to walk around the entire store if you need to go back to a passed department, but once you have been there a few times, you figure out how to do it quickly.

The outdoor seating for the self serve cafe is one of the best views in NYC.

The cheese department is hit or miss. Some of the staff is cheap with the samples, while others are knowledgeable and willing to dole out a taste.

Prices are usually fantastic though. Last week, I got live Maine hard-shelled lobsters for $5.99 per pound. We ate good that night.

Honestly, I won't set foot in a metfood or keyfood or ctown. I mainly shop at whole foods, where everything is pristine and clean. I'd rather pay a little more, knowing that the food is less likely being peed on by rats, what can I say? Maybe it's the lighting.. just something feels dingy about the Red Hook store. Whole Foods usually means friendly, passionate staff, all natural food, and a pleasurable shopping experience.

I do agree that the seafood prices are fabulous.. most of my money goes to that dept, although I don't think the quality is that great. Between Fairway, WF and Trader Joes, I always have a stocked kitchen.

And yes, the view is outstanding. I like to lean up against the fence and imagine that I'm my grandparents, coming to America and seeing the statue for the first time. I'm counting down the days for Ikea, trust me.

I thought most of the grocery stores were dirty/smelly/gross in NYC when I lived there and mostly went to Gourmet Garage on 64th when they finally opened up. I'd bring food from LA in my suitcase until it was there. I sometimes would go to Fairway on the UWS and buy yogurt and vegies from the inside and bought one of the greatest gadgets in Zabars--an Italian reusable plastic bag trash holder with adjustable bag size holders plus a compartment to hold the mushed up bags.

I shop at the red hook fairway and it's always good.