I’m currently on a spiritual quest to find the best grocery store rotisserie chicken in the world, which I have dubbed “Chicken Wars.”
Next up is Western Beef, and a whole tissi ran $9.99. It ended up landing at 4/10, which currently ranks it 39th out of 40 grocery store birds I’ve currently tried. It was just hella dry, bone dry, swallowing a cactus dry.
I’m working on a website for the rankings to live, so stay tuned on that.
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Just a few things to take home, mainly that which I don't typically find uptown. Speaking of which, I'd always thought Western Beef was more of a Way Uptown sort of thing. But I'm glad it's here!
Good selection for a very tightly packed store . The cashier refused to call the manager when she determined that my Medicare food card wouldn't go through , her and the other cashier ( in Spanish ) determined that none of the food I was buying was covered by my form of payment then I slid the card a little slower and what do you know $46 of my $52 bill was covered by my food card she told my I owed $6 and change went on to the next customer leaving me to bag my
own grocery while continuing her conversation with her fellow cashier in Spanish ,which I understood and it was rude
I brought a $24.99 pack of beef ribs on Tuesday from here. I took them out to thaw and clean. I noticed when I took them out that was a lot of bone and fat and really no meat. Once I seasoned and cooked them it was apparent that there was only a very small amount of meat on each rib. I have never seen anything like this before. I will never buy ribs from here again.
Thanks for nothing !!!!
This supermarket is located at one of the many junctions in NYC of TMI (Too Much Income) and TLI (Too Little Income), next to a housing project while blocks from an Apple store. It isn't a fancy place, and is often crowded. The crowds can be understood, however, when you realize it has the best prices for literally MILES around. And those are just the day-to-day prices. Factor in the frequent sales, and you will make this your go-to site for food shopping, and not just for the eponymous beef, but other meat lovers' go-tos: pork chops, sausages, lamb, veal, etc., kept in one of those refrigerator-as-a-room. I would estimate prices average 20% cheaper than almost every place in Manhattan, and beyond. Just don't go there looking for a good price on some chi chi artisanal bread or cheese. 100% whole wheat and Cotija, respectively, are the upper limit here.
I'm giving a 2 because it always seems dingy and the price for the reusable bags is outrageous at $1.49 without any cheaper options available, so don't forget to bring bags
Don’t like to disparage local businesses but the meat is no good. Started to smell in my fridge shortly after purchase. And the staff are miserable which then makes the shopping experience miserable :(
Staff is highly Ill informed, incredibly rude, and generally uninterested in lending a hand. They seem to forget that they are being employed there, and think it’s a hangout - the kind of people that feel they’re doing you a favor, instead of realizing that they are being paid. Everyone of them wears a sad face, (the deli staff is the worst), and no matter how hard one tries to say something nice to anyone of their staff, you are brushed off and treated as if you are the insane one for trying...
Incredible grocery store, with a walk in refrigerator that is filled with fresh meats, dairy, eggs and all sorts of yummy items with a butcher on-site. They are very friendly and helpful.
Extremely expensive, old food, spoiled food. Smells, workers don't care, owner doesn't care. Always dirty, no one speaks english. Good Workers quit, too many young and dumb workers that don't know what they doing and don't care. Did i mention old molded food and overpriced.
(Update january 31st) still the same bull, now they mixing old meat with new meat and charging more. Don't buy here please.
One of cashiers spoke with me Spanish, and start to manage line who has to go first. This is some king discrimination. We are in America and first language is English. And if every cashier will manage line instead to do her work, will be big problem for the stor.
I found this store randomly, and towards the end of my visit. Good prices compared to pretty much anything in the surroundings. I found the products to be good quality compared to the high end stores.
I do not live there. I used to and I never had exquisite experience in the supermarket. West Beef, my mom still goes there almost every other week and every other week and every other week. I get complained from her about the people they work there. It is the worst place because they are people. They are who are prejudiced and not very polite is sad. We're in the 21st century. We're still dealing with this.
Western Beef used to be the one place in Chelsea poor people could afford to buy food. Now their prices are worse than Trader Joe’s, on par with Gristedes (which has always been a ripoff) and as bad or worse than Whole Foods. There’s no longer a reason for this store to exist in NYC.
I like this grocery store but yikes prices have gone up. Same with Big Apple Meatmarket on 42nd. Prices are no different than other grocers. Don't blame anyone for making a living but geez. Even the weekly sales are not great.
This WB is pretty good on being stocked up but the aisle space is narrow. The store has an outside can and bottle recycle machines.
They have decent prices, less than Gristede's, D'Agostino's and Eately but they have gone up since inflation hit. Clean, neat and usually well stocked.
I had to return items because I didn't have enough money. The young lady was very polite and didn't make me feel bad even though she had a long line. The staff have a outstanding attitude.
Buyer beware
Prices listed in flyer is not what you will pay. I don't mind crammed store and what not but do mind being cheated.
4 years later... I figured avoid the rush ...go shopping early. Mistake ... BIG mistake, Management You Are FIRED.
Apparently management wants to stop theft.
I live in Chelsea but apparently management believed I was a risk and I was profiled. Went into the meat dept. looking to buy BULK meat $$$. Noticed I was under surveillance by 2 people watching my every move Not including cameras one on each exist.
Call me an elitist POS but I refuse to be treated like this.
Not buying anything and being followed out of the meat dept I went eye to eye with one of them and said not to worry that I will steal anything because you won't be seeing me buying anything here ever again. Someone needs to be fired or trained. I don't really care I'm not invested in their business.
Great Supermarket. Convenient and affordable. Very friendly Staff and they are very professional. Vegetables are fresh and their meats are fresh and reasonable. I wholeheartedly recommend this Western Beef to all New Yorkers. Definitely giving this Supermarket 5 Stars
Store is great but it's this young girl.in there named leslie. She Is very disrespectful and needs to be fired from that place immediately. Very disrespectful to customers and others around her. She def needs to get fired or transferred because the store is way way way better without her problems that she is causing. And rumors of her stealing has been going around
Known for their low prices, they do provide that. Their house Brands (WB) are less costly than similar name brands and mostly of equal quality. Pork products are of good quality and well priced. Beef products such as higher-priced steaks are not the best quality for the value! Overall, a good shopping experience if you buy wisely.
Horrible customer service. Every time I go in there, the staff has the worst attitudes- especially female employees who make it a habit of rolling their eyes at anyone who has a question. On two occasions, I saw an employee at the deli counter physically threaten a customer. The space is congested and not well ventilated. Just horrible and NOT worth the low prices.
This is a great place to find groceries for a reasonable price.
It's a small grocery store compared to others but it's manageable. During the holidays you'll find many people rambling through the aisles to take advantage of the good deals.
They have a separate cold room for meats and dairy. It really males a difference! The meats are fresh and many are priced fairly.
The fruits and vegetables are decent. There's a deli for the cold cuts as well.
Conveniently accessed by train and bus.
If you're looking for a deal to save a few dollars and have quality items then check this place out.
this is the worst Supermarket ever! the prices are ridiculous. The people that work there don't know what the hell they doing. not enough cashiers and the lines are ridiculously long. it's run by a bunch of teenagers. that smoke marijuana when they take a break behind the project buildings. this place should be condemned and or closed. the meat is old. the chicken is always rotten. and the place is so small you have to go outside to change your mind.
This store is one of the few remnants of the old West Village and Chelsea. It was located on 14th Street, but was moved to 16th Street to not be an "eyesore" to the new residents and the *chic* meatpacking district. It has the only semi-reasonable prices in the area for groceries and the meat is outstanding. Their staff is largely Hispanic and have always been very nice to me. Of course they are not going to be super happy as a Trader Joe's employee is about their jobs; they aren't well paid and work in busy, difficult conditions -- including an upscale bar next door whose drunk patrons often drop in. The store largely exists to serve the nearby housing project residents and the older population in the area. Their products are fine; don't go there expecting upscale products. If you have money by all means go to the more expensive stores which admittedly probably do have higher quality products and better service. For people who need to save money and eat safe, good food, this is the place to go.
I just moved here from the Southwest, so their logo caught my eye. I thought I might find some good familiar food here and stopped in. To this day, I regret it!
Gross! Their meat section is like a salmonella factory. Leaky packaging, so there's bloody juices on the shelves. Thanks Western Beef, for helping me get one step closer to being a vegetarian.
The isles of the rest of the store were so narrow, you can barely get a cart in. If there's one cart in the aisle, you can't walk around it. And I only weigh 100lbs!
All I ended up buying was a bag of cane sugar. And I had to wait in line forever, as people bought huge cartloads of junk. That's not so bad (although were I come from, every grocery store has express self-checkout) except that when it was *finally* my turn, the cashier just stood there, because the lady in front of me had forgotten her credit card or something? Anyway, I waited there at least 15 minutes for it to get sorted out, and he never even apologized for the inconvenience or whatever. I know, it was only 15 minutes, but it was stupid and rude. I wish I had just walked out instead of bothering to get anything.
With the Manhattan Fruit Exchange right around the corner, I'm amazed anyone shops here at all.
I stumbled across this place randomly, I didn’t need anything, but decided to check it out anyway. I didn’t like the whole layout and some of the products didn’t have labels (not a fan of shopping without knowing the costs of what I’m buying). The fridge section was very cold so you definitely have to dress appropriately once in the area, or make it a quick trip if you know what you’re going to get. Overall, the prices were decent so I probably would go back if I’m in the area. One of my criticism- when I got on line to pay, one of the cashiers started to wipe her conveyor belt and counter. The cashier light was still on, but she paid no attention when I asked if the lane was open. She ignored me and spoke to another cashier. It was rude and inconsiderate…I took my things to another cashier.
125 W 3rd St, New York, NY
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