Citarella Gourmet Market - Upper East Side

A Food Lover’s Paradise on the Upper East Side! Citarella Gourmet Market is hands down one of my favorite foodie destinations in NYC. If you haven’t been yet, you’re seriously missing out. First things first — the Raspberry Boat cookies. Oh. My. Goodness. These little gems are buttery perfection with just the right amount of raspberry jam — a total must-try. Honestly, I could live on those alone. Their cupcakes and cakes? Absolute heaven. Every bite feels like a celebration. Seafood lovers, rejoice! The oysters are always fresh, briny, and delicious — perfect for impressing guests or treating yourself. And let’s talk indulgence — Citarella’s caviar selection is my go-to for a luxurious Sunday brunch treat. They carry a nice variety, so there’s always something special to try. The cherry on top? Their employees know their stuff! Whether you’re pairing wines, picking seafood, or craving the perfect pastry, they’re always helpful and full of great recommendations. If you love gourmet food (or just really good cookies), Citarella is the spot to be. Go once, and you’ll be hooked!

Fine if you wanna close early after a storm, but at least leave an auto voicemail message saying as much so people don’t schlep all the way over there through the snow just for a rug pull

The fish is always the best here and the prices are more reasonable than some of the other places in town. Very few with this quality though. Extra love for Leon who selected a fresh whole fish for me from the cold storage when there wasn't one at the counter.

Not as fancy as the one in the Hampton. This store is very small and narrow. They are missing the soup area, the coffee area and more. At least the prices are expensive as they are in the Hamptons.

Been going for years and recently bought sole there and it ended up having a parasite in it... they didnt care when we brought it up due to "not having a receipt", check your fish before consuming.

Always and reliably the freshest fruit, vegetables, broad-range of fish, and prepared foods. Their homemade baba ghanoush and hummus are secrets. Yes, not an inexpensive place to shop.

I love this place. I bought 2 lobsters 🦞 and it was a reasonable price. Food is fresh, staff is superb 👌

Loved everything I got except they did sell me expired cookies that when bit into, were hard as a rock…. I was too lazy to take them back, but just beware

I wish Citarella had some competition because there would be more places like this around New York - but "alas," it's either Third Avenue or Broadway (I never go to their Sith Avenue location)... and they're in a class by themselves. Joe carries the best: from vegetables to meat and seafood. Try the Russian tea cookies. I could complain about the prices but prices are high everywhere. And for a bit more $$$ than D'Agostino's you get the best there is. My recommendation is to go with your recipe ingredient list and don't veer too far afield or you'll be tempted to squander your children's college tuition.

this place has gone down hill faster than the democratic party... prepared food full of salt and chemicals....deserts are no longer fresh, customer service....haha a joke....i tied to pay cash for 8 dollar item....cashiers only took debit and credit cards....then finally one took my money and short changed me a dollar....when i questioned it, he complained that he had to re open his register and 'its only a dollar' what!!!!! its my dollar....ok then give me a dollar from his pocket its only a dollar.....he looked at me as if i had 3 heads... plenty of other speciality stores to shop skip this one not good anymore

Couple of times recently bought fish that was not fresh! Didn't realize that until late when the store was closed. For that money, I could buy fish from Whole Foods and it would be more fresh with many more people shopping. Disappointed lately beyond belief

severe case of food poisoning from their crabcakes october 25. anybody else experiencing same?

Very disappointed recently in citarella shopping. The price is higher than most of other grocery store but the quality is going down so much. I bought a couple of pounds of ground pork, after cooked, there's bone grounded in there too almost broke my tooth. Mussels has one third dead and rotten. As one of the favorite store in the neighborhood, I hope the management can pay attention and improved soon before customers stop shopping there.

Just a quick shout-out to Store Manager, Vladimir. Thank you, Vlad, for going out of your way to fulfill my request--as well as for keeping an eye out on store operations, making sure that displays look beautiful and everything is running smoothly! (I was looking for something missing from the produce shelves, and Vladimir pointed out that a delivery truck had just arrived, and if I waited a few minutes, he would actually check the truck to see if it had my item...He found it on board the truck, and I left the store very happy! That's service--and with a smile no less!) Even though this is only supposed to be a shout-out to Vlad, since I'm writing this, I might as well mention my biggest gripe with the store: The prepared foods section. It truly needs a reworking. Nothing ever looks appetizing. Management should take a look at Butterfield's, among others, to make note of their prepared foods offerings, presentation, and service. I'll leave it at that....

My wonderful cooking teacher(early on w/yes! walnuts + no! to plastic wrap) said several yrs ago she felt Citarella had best, freshest seafood + meat & fairest prices. Since my 1st visit, i found it fit my cooking needs..high quality products for many cooking specialties, range of prices, great attention to the shelves and a few sweet extras as you're on line

Delicious, fresh selection, superb customer service. Ambiance is good when not crowded, but some of the customers here present classic "Karen" attitude: racist customers on occasion, I feel bad for the staff having to deal with such psychos.

Great place for fresh seafood, friendly staff that will help you clean and cut your fish as wanted and the best prices in the area. Cannot be happy enough to have such amazing store at walking distance.

Large assortment of gourmet offerings and everything is high quality (with prices to match). What brings me to Citarella is their Smoked Salmon Spread. I haven't found another one that comes even close to being as good as Citarella's. Insider's Tip: You'll find everything you need here for a Central Park picnic. Don't forget the Smoked Salmon Spread!

Horrid service -- go if you have an hour to waste. People working the fish counter have no sense of urgency. And for the prices, we should get service

Best bread best selection. Amazing amazing food that I highly recommend you go to asap if you haven't already!

Citarella is more than just an average grocery store and is great if you want to be inspired to cook at home a bit more. They have a combination of both fancier, more expensive options and also regular groceries that are fairly priced. The seafood counter here is excellent, fresh, and offers many different options. We stocked up for a few nights of dinner last week and tried both the salmon and crab meat--very good! The store is small but extremely clean. Because of the layout inside, you might need to a wait a few minutes to get in, but the line moved quickly. Perhaps take this chance to try something new...use fresh herbs in your dinner (this cost us only $4 total for some fresh basil and dill to jazz up weeknight dinners) or try something different. Bon appetit!

Such a high quality store! It's definitely pricey but I don't shop here for day-to-day staples - I shop at Citarella for steaks, specialty items, an occasional fruit (citrus when I need it to be ripe now & not in 5 days lol). I'm not a seafood fan but they also have an EXTENSIVE fresh seafood bar that YOU CAN'T EVEN SMELL. That's when I knew I was in a high end market. Again, expensive for sure but I've had nothing but great experiences with their food.

Excellent gourmet market on the UES. I remember the original fish market on the UWS before they diversified. The quality of everything is excellent. The produce is really good. Their prepared foods are very good to excellent. My personal favorite is their pork chop Milanese. The staff are uniformly pleasant and helpful. It's an expensive store, some of it nosebleed inducing, but it's high end stuff in Manhattan. It's a step above all of the local supermarkets and not that much more expensive than they are.

Truth is I can't lower the stars because I can't afford to shop here. To me it's rated $$$$$$$. They have stores in the upper echelon communities. I would consider them higher end than Eli's or Zabar's. If you know me, you know I am tempted by a pastry counter. I typically crave their Napoleons! I control myself for health reasons. I would not let the price deter me. Yes, it's that good. If you check out my photos you will see everything fresh and beautifully prepared and presented early in the morning. I'm particularly fond of the gift baskets they sell. Great quality when a gift is needed. Since they are still in business (as long as I've lived here) I figure they're doing something right. The store is always busy. You shop there and form your own opinion......

Relatively small store but is very good for fruits / veg section and has an excellent fish counter. Also does cheese and some other bits and pieces but isn't a full scale grocery store.

Got a block of cheddar cheese here. It was moldy. Gross. Not the first time this has happened.

The UES Citarella makes the best Paella in NYC - the only Paella that was as good was in Toledo in Spain. I have eaten in a number of Spanish restaurants here in Manhattan and Long Island and none come anywhere close in quality and taste or to the recipes of Spain (most are loaded with mushy watery rice and not that much else} with the exception of Citarella. Please have it more often. ml Hennebry

Be careful of deceptive pricing at Citarella's. I went into Citarella's two weeks before Thanksgiving to ask for a catering brochure. I ordered a Filet Mignon platter to be delivered Friday after Thanksgiving. The brochure says that the platter was $269. My platter was delivered and the receipt that came with it said I was charged $449 - $180 MORE than their brochure! I called and questioned this for a week. I was never able to get a manager. All I kept being told was that prices are subject to change. I can understand a $25 or even a $30 increase but $180 on one item. I was only handed this brochure two weeks before. How can one item go up in price $180 in two weeks!! The worst was that I was never informed of this HUGE price increase. Prices in the Citarella brochures obviously mean nothing. Be careful,of ordering from this business as their prices can almost double at any time and they will not inform you before hand or even speak to you afterwards.

I just love looking around the market. It's a little too expensive for my taste but the colors, the cheeses and all are just exquisite! They have sandwiches, sushi, beautiful breads and lots more to choose from. The store is set up so that you have to walk around the whole store to basically walk back to the beginning .(like a "U"). There are plenty of cashiers to help you check out so that's a good thing. Come in to browse!

High prices but excellent quality EVERYTHING! Such nice people working here who go the extra mile. The guy Keith who helped me around closing tonight was so accommodating! What I recommend to buy here that is best in town and reasonably priced: fresh breakfast sausage from behind the meat counter, fresh pasta and sauce from the refrigerator case, mixed greens by the pound up in front, large fruit tart and coconut cupcake that feeds 2 from the bakery department and the legendary grilled chicken!

Quality of the products are great. They should create single-serving garlic hummus for Costco, it's that good. The quality of fish is legendary. Losses a point because: Prices are stratospheric, & the isles are narrow.

I love this market. It's the epitome of what you think a NYC market should be... with the price tag to boot. The esthetics are wonderful, it's always well kept and clean- even with the pandemic, the wait outside was nice, mostly civil and selections are solid. I love to buy produce and the prepared foods are great. It's expensive though..so, I only come on occasion. I do get things delivered on occasion, as well... always great.

Excellent fresh seafood market. Sometimes more expensive but very convenient and guarantees to be fresher than your run of the mill groceries. They also carry my favorite Tom Cat baguette.

Hair in the guacamole, not one but a few! I love Citarella and they have best seafood of any place in NYC but this is unacceptable.

Overpriced and deceptive practices. Juice containers and rotisserie chickens are coded. They number the "fresh" juices ---I was told 1 is for Sunday 2 for Monday etc...but later this coded system was disputed by other employees. Rotisserie chicken sometimes sits for hours evidenced by parched skin pealing off chicken...but lied to and told they are fresh. Asked for homemade turkey but more often then not comes salty and dried out. Turkey meatballs crumble upon touch. Even the guy serving the turkey meatballs said they are unusually mushy. He admitted using a new distributer for turkey ever since some supposed "bird flu"---turkey quality meatballs and slices---have suffered substantially for the past year. Manager doesn't back quality. They frown upon returns.

I came here looking for seafood and was not disappointed. My jaw dropped seeing the numerous varieties of shrimp, and fish. The lobster is live, like swimming-in-their-tanks live. Love it! The produce section had a nice variety, even atypical items like Spanish onions and lemongrass. About the only thing I couldn't find was fresh horseradish. Who even carries that? The store is smaller than I would have liked and my shopping experience was dampened by grumpy shoppers running their carts into mine. The delivery wasn't available at 6 so I took a taxi home. They did help me load 3 large bags of groceries. All-in-all the variety of seafood, meats and produce was wonderful. The customer service was a bit surprising as I had to talk to 4 different people to understand the price and schedule. $10.99 for local deliveries. I didn't find a lot of house items, but am really happy with the varieties of the items they do carry. Definitely a great place to buy fresh seafood.

Just bought matzoh ball soup here and the vegetables in it were completely raw. Def not impressed especially when a small bowl was six dollars

Those stores are big shame . Half of the products have no price or have totally misleading price under them . Management sucks. They don't know how to do their job and they are so unprofessional , no class people with no leader skills and mean attitude . I would go miles to buy product somewhere else so i don't get miserable experience and negative energy while i am buying groceries . I hope someone will send them inspection so they learn lesson. Miserable place !!!

Nothing but gourmet food store emporium love for this place! And the seafood counter alone is amazing! Oh and the CHEESE (swoon) the cheese selection is divine. So, if your on the hunt for that niche product, that obscure condiment, that decadent truffle mustard, that imported jam, that obscure tea, that organic quail egg, local organic Greek yogurt, seven layer coconut dream cake, perfectly ground Tukish coffee, sparkling cocktail enhancer, artesian bread, then this is your new fave spot! Fresh flowers, baked goods, variety of beverages, snacks, crackers, juices, cold cuts, prepared foods, organic, random, hard to find, new, exotic etc. etc. etc.

I really enjoy going to the Citarellas Market on 3rd Avenue. The barbeque chickens are the best around, although they are not so affordable as they used to be, but still worth it! There are many other great items there as well. Highly recommended place to shop!

I bought a $50 prime dry aged steak today that was absolutely tasteless, this is three in a row. Three strikes you're out, last time I asked the man behind the counter are you sure these are aged? he said yes, two weeks to three weeks. This is outrageous, complete waste of money. Also bought stuffed grape leaves, they are hard as rocks and stale. As a loyal customer for over a decade, spending a big premium, I expect better.

I wish I could live here. There's everything you could possibly need. Seafood. Rotisserie chickens and duck. Cheesecake, cannoli, cookies. Vegetables. All you need is money. The steamers we paid $10/lb for were not fresh, smelled super fishy so I am docking a star. Many did not open. For what you're paying for, you should get quality goods.

Even though the prices are on the expensive side, the small grocery store has excellent quality. I came here for a few quick items and everything was easy to find. They also had free samples of some cheese and crackers, workers were easy to talk to, and they had so many different types of cheeses!

Citarella is a dream. What surprised me, though, is how reasonably priced (as in under Whole Foods) much of the food to go is. I bought a pint of pea soup, beets (a pound and so good), and great tatziki (a pint), plus a scrumptious rotisserie chicken, and blinis all for 30 bucks. That is a hell of a lot of food for many lunches. Some stuff is insanely pricey but it's actually an affordable way to avoid cooking as well as restaurants. 75th and 3rd is not around the corner from me but if I hop the 6 to 77th, it's pretty close. Today I walked it on the way back from Mei Jin ramen on 82nd and 2nd. Stopped at Corrado Bakery for cannoli on the way back.

Terrible service here. Be prepared for rude staff. The cashiers are bossy and the fish department has a lot of workers but no one helps. This is surprising since the prices are sky high

Small market, expensive but excellent quality. We're selective with our purchases, sticking to proteins and a few pre-made items. Selection of great soups, perfect to keep in the fridge w/prices comparable to competitors. We love the minestrone and lentil. Our go-to market for fish. Staff is usually pleasant but not generous w/cooking tips or suggestions. Store layout makes navigation difficult.

This store is disgusting...employee centric policies, unions and ignorance are the factors behind this. Meats, hit or miss but always priced to fund union pensions. I ordered a rack of baby backs, that turned out to be rotten, 2 strip steaks that were tough, for $35 each, and some well past it's prime chicken. Cheese, there is no service counter that is manned, but rather a bin of pre-cut very expensive cheeses. A man from the Caribbean, that knows nothing about the product looms about on his smart phone, never offering assistance till asked. Vegetables fruits, figs were 1.59 each, or you could buy a box of lesser ones for 6.99, I did. all were rotten, Or hard, stale and well concealed under a store wrapped plastic box... I suspect the cardboard box tasted better. The lettuce wilted, the fruits semi sweet, the watermelon light pink, and the citrus products overpriced and semi sweet. The antipasti a hallmark of the original Citerella are a joy of the past.... Lots of sub par products no real ITALIAN PRODUCTS at all, just supermarket brands, boarshead And such...don't even think of getting prosciutto $30 a lb, it will be sliced thick, and rubbery.. because it's just easier from an insolent union staff. Southampton and East Hampton offer the same service, just more obnoxious behavior. The sausages are horrid, and tasteless, the chIcken old, and suspect, and the catering prepared foods, a staple of the UES wives that don't cook, are tantamount to CHILD ABUSE. The mealy old pastas, the turkey based preparations, the old dried out offerings could be made for a Spirit Airlines meal service, or perhaps an assisted living facility in New Jersey. perfectly horrid. This is what unions do to a business, and what the Citerella Family, and Graces Marketplace as well did to NY. They decline to a Socialist sub-standard and removed all of our food culture of recent past. Fortunately they will no doubt fold soon, it's just a zombie store now. capitalism will Always prevail, and a better market will one day open. This place sucks, all of them do. buyer beware. You've been warned.

Love their cakes and pastries. They sell the best gazpacho around. Many other good salads and side dishes that I like. High quality foods. I like that the stay open pretty late compared to other markets.

No bread slicer which is annoying - how can you buy a loaf of bread not sliced? Cookie sets make nice gifts. Regular grocery items are grossly overpriced

The last three times I was in Citarella East Side the check out line stretched half way around the store, waiting time was close to ten minutes. Everyone wore a mask, but social distancing was impossible. Customers, many of them elderly, had to stand crowded between the shelves and other shoppers. Unacceptable. I will not be going back.

What a nasty experience I just had I went to buy an opera cake which is expensive. There was only one left and it was clearly lopsided. I asked the manager if he would give me a break on the price. He said no. And I replied that he should find some other sucker. One would figure in a high end gourmet food store they would offer items in pristine condition. But to demand full and high price on an item that looked like it had been stored on its side is outrageous as was the attitude of the bakery manager.

It's not the high prices that bother me, but it is deceptively added fees. We ordered out some stuff for the Jewish holidays and an $8 personal shopper fee was added. This is purely a ridiculous cash grab and is only noted in fine print for the holiday menu where they say that any order may be subject to additional fees, including delivery fees. So basically, either you order to have it picked up as I did and get slapped with a, not $1 , but $8 DOLLAR additional fee or you have it delivered and get slapped with fees that way. Why can't I just pick up what I like from the menu and get slapped with no fees or maybe an extra $1? Also, I had no idea about how much this fee would be until AFTER I ordered. When i ordered by phone, i was told ok pick it up on the appointed day. No receipt, nothing. I asked how much I had spent and was given a round number with no sense of where that amount came from. This is obviously intentional. They could have made this additional fee $25 for all I know and I'd never know until after I had picked up the items. Next time, either provide better transparency (ie telling me how much the additional fee is rather than being vague) or don't charge ridiculous cash grab fees in the first place. I'm sure you make enough money overcharging for your food.

Convenient gourmet market! Perfect if you need some fancy things to spruce up a dinner party (or when you just want to feel fancy!) Huge fan of the cheese/meat and seafood counters! Really helpful employees too. Pretty good selection of produce too. I'm not going to lie, you will pay a pretty penny for your purchases, but some are definitely worth it. I recommend their fresh pasta selections if you want a quick and easy dinner- ranges from $7~12 depending on what it is, but its guaranteed fresh and delicious.

Citarella's, Joe Gurrera, fishmonger has the best freshest fish ever. I order my fish online and it's always delivered on time with wonderful delivery guys. The fish always is packed with ice packs and if there is a change, they call you. This last order I said let me try the Wild Gray Sole. Well, OMG it was the best freshest delicious WGS I've ever eaten. I must say while I was preparing it I ate it all by myself. I then had to prepare the King Crab Legs. Their KCL are so big and steamed so tasty with lemon and butter. You probably will not have sides because you can't stop eating the KCL's. I ordered once the Lump Crab meat and made my own crab cakes. WOW!!! the best. I also love and ordered their Catfish, and other types of fish and never a problem. Mussels,Shrimp OMG again the freshest and the best always delivered with the date and time you requested.i can't wait to try for the first time Wild Lemon Sole. I do hope I can save some for someone else. You could also call them and they are extremely pleasant answering any of your questions. My next order I will order Joes Cookbook now that I'm trying different types of fish. I always cook Salmon and Tuna but they have so many other delicious types of fish that I will try with Joes recipes. Can't wait to make my crab cakes again. Thank you Joe for being the best fishmonger, now I don't have to fly to Positano for good fresh fish. It's just a click away. A. Trottman

What to get here: 1. Pie (blueberry, apple, whatever fruit- crumble OR regular.. or the seasonal pumpkin). They have some of best pies on the UES!! Hands down. It's usually around $19.99 and there is a massive amount of fresh fruit in it. 2. Seafood, but everyone will tell you that! **TRY THE PIE!! This is an expensive UES gourmet market. That amazing truffle cream cheese from that random town in Italy? They will probably have it here.

Truth be told, one of the reasons why we bought our apartment was because of its proximity to Citarella. The seafood is tops. Always fresh and delicious. They sell the whole fish and will filet it for you. That being said you may suffer from sticker shock when you get to the register to pay. The cheeses are so so here. They can be a bit ammoniated. The deli meats are pretty good and the men behind the counter are very nice. The coffee is ok, but I prefer some of the local gourmet shops or Fairway. Their desserts look better than they taste. Their breads are very delicious, especially the olive bread.

This is a great seafood market. Nothing but the freshest and high quality seafood. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. It's best to get there early in the morning on the weekend before long lines start. They are not the cheapest place for seafood, but from my experience buying their sea scallops and lobsters are so delicious. A must go to for a great meal made from top quality ingredients.