Raz T.
Yelp
Broadway Market place, whose new catering name is "Broadway Gourmet," is anything but gourmet in my opinion. One star simply for existing. Two stars for having a decent selection of generic "stuff."
I live around the block from Broadway, and while I don't expect to find an student-friendly (affordable) place in the Cambridge market, Broadway Marketplace is ridiculously overpriced for what you get. Think more expensive than Whole Foods, for generic things/brands. Cereal costs *several dollars* more, for the smallest box. Eggs, milk, cheese, produce (non-organic, totally generic) cost 50-200% more than Shaw's, Foodmaster's, or Star Market. A 15 oz can of black beans is 2.99?! $1.99 for a small container of yogurt?! $6.99 for a loaf of generic (Pepperidge Farm) bread?! Highway robbery.
Their food is NOT gourmet - food in the ready-made section looks and tastes stale, dry, and loaded with saturated fats. They often have a Mediterranean bar (akin to a self-serve salad bad), which is a huge dissatisfaction to grape leaves (totally flavorless), tabbouli (unbelievably salty!), hummus (bland), and very randomly - fried chicken (which is always cold, always dry). I go to Broadway for the occasional produce and carton of milk. Otherwise, you're better off (for health, taste, and affordability of your groceries) to walk an extra bit to Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, or the new Market in the Square on Church street. The fact that anyone would call this place "gourmet" or "upscale" is laughable. Granted, Broadway has been around longer than I have in this neighborhood - perhaps it was once "gourmet." In no way should the two be used in the same sentence today.