There really aren't any traditional grocery stores within the neighborhood, but there is a tops and wegmans not far north of it, maybe a mile or two. They're both on, or not far off, the 20 bus line. The Lexington Co-op is in the neighborhood, though (imagine a very small version of Whole Foods- organic/natural stuff, pricier than normal stores, but very nice). No delivery, Whole Foods, or Trader Joes, either, but when you see Wegmans you'll understand why- a lot of chains seem to avoid this area just so they don't have to compete with them. They're legendary.
There's a Price Rite on Elmwood between North and Summer, which is right on the dividing line of the Elmwood Village and the Allentown neighborhood. It's cheap, but there's a pretty limited selection, both in the kinds of foods and in the brands they carry- very heavy on the boxed and processed stuff. Lots of stuff is their house brand which can be so-so... not as good as the Aldi store brands, and not even close to as good as the Wegmans ones. It's one of those pay for bags/bring your own, bag your own stuff/no frills places. Decent basic produce department, though.
When neither my roommate nor I had a car (we live in Allentown, which is next to the Elmwood Village, and this was before price rite opened) we'd take public transit to the store and a cab back. The under $10 cab fare twice a month was worth it not to have to buy the tiniest sizes of everything so we could carry it home. The savings on, say, getting a club-size pack of meat for under $2 a lb versus just a one pound package for almost $4 just about made up for it alone. I did the cart thing for a while but banging it up and down the steps on the bus when it was too heavy to just plain lift it wrecked the wheels on two of them.
So in short, yes, grocery shopping when you do not have a car can be a royal pain in the ass. Fortunately there ARE stores in the area should you just need a loaf of bread or some milk or something, but they're IMO way too pricy and/or restricted in selection for everyday shopping if you like to cook.
The cab thing sounds like it will be very do-able. It's just going to be me, a kitty, and the boyfriend every now and again.
Another question - are there any ethnic groceries in the area? Asian/Latino/Indian? Or am I going to have to resign myself to Toronto to find specialty stuff?
There are definitely some Latino places on the West Side. Italian on the West Side and North Buffalo. Middle eastern/Halal here and there throughout the city. There may be an Asian place on the west side, the Vietnamese population there isn't insignificant, but I don't know of any offhand. Maybe by UB somewhere, too, since there's a substantial number of foreign students from Asia studying there. I don't know of any Indian place in the city, but there are some in the burbs. There was one near Sheridan and Eggert I think.
There's a large Asian grocery on Sheridan and a good sized Indian market across the street from there. There's another Indian market east of there too. That's going to be a bus trip, though, but the stores are good. Wegman's has a decent international section but the ethnic stores are cheaper.
There are Asian grocery stores all over buffalo-- unfortunately nothing as exciting as you'd find in Flushing or Chinatown. There is one on the 20 line in Kenmore called t&ts. There is also an Asian store (Ni Hoowa) and an Indian grocery store on Sheridan drive. There is also an African market somewhere, too and several halal Arabic grocery stores near Hertle ave. You should talk to Potter, he knows where all the hole-in-the-wall ethnic stores are:
The Lexington Co-op is in the neighborhood, though (imagine a very small version of Whole Foods- organic/natural stuff, pricier than normal stores, but very nice). No delivery, Whole Foods, or Trader Joes, either, but when you see Wegmans you'll understand why- a lot of chains seem to avoid this area just so they don't have to compete with them. They're legendary.
There's a Price Rite on Elmwood between North and Summer, which is right on the dividing line of the Elmwood Village and the Allentown neighborhood. It's cheap, but there's a pretty limited selection, both in the kinds of foods and in the brands they carry- very heavy on the boxed and processed stuff. Lots of stuff is their house brand which can be so-so... not as good as the Aldi store brands, and not even close to as good as the Wegmans ones. It's one of those pay for bags/bring your own, bag your own stuff/no frills places. Decent basic produce department, though.
When neither my roommate nor I had a car (we live in Allentown, which is next to the Elmwood Village, and this was before price rite opened) we'd take public transit to the store and a cab back. The under $10 cab fare twice a month was worth it not to have to buy the tiniest sizes of everything so we could carry it home. The savings on, say, getting a club-size pack of meat for under $2 a lb versus just a one pound package for almost $4 just about made up for it alone. I did the cart thing for a while but banging it up and down the steps on the bus when it was too heavy to just plain lift it wrecked the wheels on two of them.
So in short, yes, grocery shopping when you do not have a car can be a royal pain in the ass. Fortunately there ARE stores in the area should you just need a loaf of bread or some milk or something, but they're IMO way too pricy and/or restricted in selection for everyday shopping if you like to cook.
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The cab thing sounds like it will be very do-able. It's just going to be me, a kitty, and the boyfriend every now and again.
Another question - are there any ethnic groceries in the area? Asian/Latino/Indian? Or am I going to have to resign myself to Toronto to find specialty stuff?
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http://www.yellowbot.com/latinas-grocery-store-buffalo-ny.html
I'm sure there are asian markets along Elmwood or on the west side.
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http://faerieboy.livejournal.com/profile
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