Eating out on long trips is expensive and, if you choose fast food, it’s unhealthy. Sure there’s a wide selection of AirBnB’s with kitchens, but who wants to cook and clean on vacation?

Gourmet food certainly sounds expensive, but take a look at the growing list of gourmet supermarkets, many with in-store seating, for just the right combination of healthy and affordable 😉👍

Gourmet supermarkets are healthy, affordable dining — This is just one of many sections at Whole Foods, across the street from Bryant Park.

Fortunately for travelers to NYC (and many other cities around the world), the list of gourmet supermarkets with dining areas, like Fairway Market and Dean & Deluca, and Eataly is growing fast. The first Eataly Gourmet Italian supermarket we ever visited was in Istanbul!

Gourmet supermarkets in-store dining — This Whole Foods Supermarket gives diners a beautiful view of Bryant Park. Although not shown in the photo, there is table seating, too.

Find the nearest gourmet supermarket to your current Manhattan location 🗺 :

Whole Foods Market with in-store dining: Google Maps – or – Apple Maps

Eataly Italian Supermarket with in-store dining 🏆 Aixa’s recommendation (but restaurant prices if you get table service): Google Maps – or – Apple Maps

Green Apple Gourmet Market (great food to go): Google Maps – or – Apple Maps

Balducci’s Gourmet On The Go (great food to go): Google Maps – or – Apple Maps

Dean & Deluca (great food to go): Google Maps – or – Apple Maps

Eataly is an Italian gourmet supermarket with several sections for in-store eating, and even a section with table service and a bar!

3862C5D9-1547-4B5B-97E8-702BB7A23214 — Rotisserie chicken and prime rib at Eataly 😋

☝️Did you know there are Dean & Delucas in Singapore, Japan, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Philippines, Thailand, Macau and (soon) London?

89EC1E06-F6C1-4A44-9CDC-2878F9E60ED4 — Gourmet pizza, of course 🍕

☝️ You will find Eataly Italian in Istanbul, Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, Monaco, Tokyo, Seoul and Sao Paolo as well as through Italy?

☝️Of course, all major cities have gourmet supermarkets where travellers can skip a restaurant and buy prepared food. The trick is to find them.

Two questions for you: How do you find places to eat when you’re away from home? Do you have any gourmet supermarkets where you live? Let me know in the comments.

Aixa’s Reading Recommendation 😉

Is NYC Street Food Sanitary???

Street food, like street art and street music, is exciting for its quality and for the feeling of discovery. Many food trucks now have restaurant-quality food but with even more creativity in its presentation.

Street food is convenient, fast and inexpensive, but before you buy that pretzel on the street corner, maybe you’d like to know how sanitary your food is…

On May 30, 2017, NYC mayor Bill DiBlasio signed a law requiring food trucks to post the same letter that NYC restaurants are required to post, a NYC Department of Health alert about the cleanliness of the establishment. Restaurants receive an A, B or C with the complete findings of the health inspector available to everyone with just a couple of taps on their phones.

See for yourself

Type in the name of a restaurant here:

www.NYC.gov restaurant inspection look-up guide

The NYC Department of Health inspects food carts once a year without notice to the vendors. What do they look for? Spoiled food and a water-supply for the vendors to adequately wash their hands.

Look For These Warning Sign Not To Trust The Food Stand:

Also, NYC recommends you, the customer, keep an eye out for these three warning signs:

Food handlers:
must wear hair nets and clean gloves
must never use the same tools to serve both raw and cooked foods
must never touch ready-to-eat food with bare hands or dirty gloves

One last thing…

Vendors pay between $250-$300 a month to garage their carts and trucks at night. This fee includes hosing down the cart every night.

So would you eat street food in NYC?

Let me know in the comments…

Aixa’s Reading Recommendation 😉

Dining At Gourmet Supermarkets In NYC & The World