Major Noms: Citarella Gourmet Market + Liquor Shop Opens in Greenwich

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Months ago we saw a little sign come up on a building (600 W. Putnam Avenue) that’s just a few blocks from our house and was being worked on for months: Gourmet Market. Gourmet Market? We searched, we Googled, we tried every single term, but we had no idea what it could be. But, we were excited, especially because as a part of that building there would be a liquor shop! Months after that a sign went up: Citarella.

Oh hell yes. Turns out that Citarella is a market based out of NYC with Upper Westside, Upper Eastside, and Greenwich Village locations as well as out east on Long Island including East Hampton, Southampton, and Bridgehampton. They developed quite the reputation for producing and selling high-quality food and offering a great variety of fresh products, so we knew that having Citarella by us would be a game changer . . . especially because the market is just a short walk away for us. We can literally walk for a few minutes, grab some choice-cut meats, some killer produce, and a few other ingredients then head home to make a legendary meal.

Well, we are so excited to announce that Citarella opened yesterday after a series of delays. And, after stopping by and strolling through the store a few times, we have to say that we’re impressed and that it will most likely live up to our expectations as being a game-changer. Here are a few reasons why:

1) The produce, meats, and seafood here are top notch. Fruits and veggies are arranged in beautiful rows as you enter and different cuts of meats line the refrigerated section in the back of the store. The butcher section, in particular, is pretty amazing with any kind of meat and cut that you could imagine, including beautiful aged prime beef. But, the thing that we are most excited about is the extensive seafood section that has mussels, clams, oysters, calamari, octopus, fish . . . actually, anything from the ocean it seems. As far as we’ve seen, this is the biggest seafood monger in a market in the area.

2) The food to go is where it’s at. When you enter there are salads and other freshly made options. Then, near the cash registers, there’s a bigger section of salads, sandwiches, and other items that you can just pick up and purchase. In addition, there is an olive bar, salad bar, and even a hot food station. And, what kind of market would this be without a killer deli? Lucky for you that this deli counter is huge and has a ton of great options! 

3) Food can be made right on the spot for you! First up, there are dueling brick ovens that are pumping out pizzas, calzone, and other Italian classics like chicken parm! Then, across from that is a sushi station where fresh rolls are being made all the time. Also, there is another food station that we have a feeling we’ll be using a lot: they have breakfast, sandwiches, burgers, panini, and a full service cafe with espresso drinks. And, there is also a fresh squeezed juice station where you can order any combo of juices made there, right on the spot. This hasn’t been set up yet, but in the meantime you can buy bottles from their NYC spots. You can get whatever you order to go or you could take it around to their cafe, sit, eat, and relax.

4) Fuel your caffeine fix. Right before you leave, you’ll see an island full of coffee and tea choices. And, the thing that’s super cool: there’s plenty of iced coffee there, too!

5) And everything else food related is here. While Citarella doesn’t have items like medicine, soap, and paper towels, they have everything food wise that you could ever need. In addition to what we’ve mentioned, they are selling freshly baked breads, have a great cheese selection, have a nice dairy and frozen section, and lots of sides prepared by Citarella. 

6) Complete your food purchase with some liquor. Right next door is Citarella’s wine and liquor market which will open next week.

Citarella is definitely a great new market for Greenwich and we think it’ll be very successful. There’s parking in front, to the side, and there’s even a parking garage just for the store, too. Expect Citarella to be open 7 days a week from 7-10, but also be aware that there are still a few spots in the store that need to be filled in which should happen soon with their next few deliveries.