Gourmet Island

Gourmet Island is a true gem for anyone who appreciates authentic Soviet and Eastern European food culture. From the moment you walk in, you’re surrounded by an impressive abundance of food, with shelves and counters packed full of options. The variety is outstanding—whether you’re looking for traditional pantry staples, imported specialties, or comforting classics, there’s always something new to discover. It feels less like a quick grocery stop and more like a cultural experience. The deli and fresh food sections are especially memorable. The meat and deli counter offers high-quality cuts and prepared meats that clearly reflect care and tradition, while the fruits are fresh, vibrant, and well stocked. One of the highlights was the bread section: a wide selection of loaves that were clearly just baked, filling the store with a warm, inviting aroma. The freshness and quality of the food make it easy to trust what you’re buying. What truly elevates Gourmet Island, though, is the people. Every worker I interacted with spoke Russian and was incredibly friendly, patient, and genuinely happy to help. Their warmth made the shopping experience feel personal and welcoming, as if you were visiting a neighborhood market rather than a supermarket. Gourmet Island isn’t just a place to buy food—it’s a place that makes you feel at home.

Good day! I wanted to leave a review about the store and its employees. The store itself is fine, but if you don’t pay attention to the fact that it seems like they’re always pushing pro-Ukraine stuff. It feels like all the Ukraine patriots from Ukraine came together and gathered at this supermarket. There’s a lot of political criticism, but most of them don’t really know anything about politics. The director, Fima, is a good person, but some of the staff... well, there are a couple of employees I’ve had serious issues with. Tatyana, who works in the ready-made food department, often lies about the freshness of the food. I bought kebabs in lavash for my kids — chicken and lamb — and the smell was awful. It was like old food, and they just wrap up what didn’t sell. She also speaks rudely to the staff in front of customers. The food is often spoiled. I recently realized that the only thing you could buy safely there were the pancakes. But then she told me there was a huge line for them and they had just sold the last ones, so I had to wait. I stood off to the side while my husband went to other departments. I waited half an hour, and when I asked if I could get my pancakes, one of the girls told me that Tatyana had gone home. Nobody even told her, and she still sold pancakes to other people. That was just awful! I think Tatyana acts like this because she overestimates herself. Maybe she’s on good terms with Fima, I don’t know, but she’s too full of herself and shouldn’t work in such a nice store. Another employee in the bakery department — another Ukraine patriot. He sold my husband and me some old cakes while praising them. He’s always frowning and has this superior look, like we’re asking them for a loan. The cashier — a tall guy, another patriot for Ukraine. He’s always talking about Ukraine and politics. Honestly, it’s scary when someone with no education talks about politics. Every time I go to his register, he talks about Ukraine and politics nonstop. I’m just not interested in what’s happening in Ukraine or anywhere else, to be honest. The meat department — total mess. New workers all the time. One minute there’s a regular employee, the next minute someone new who doesn’t even speak English. When you ask something in English, they don’t answer until someone from the next department comes over to translate. It’s a total disaster. A few months ago, I bought beef tongue, defrosted it at home — it was awful. The smell was disgusting; it was rotten. My husband also bought steaks a couple of times, and they were dark and didn’t look fresh. Sometimes the meat is okay, but clearly, Fima doesn’t pay them enough or the conditions are bad, and that department is just falling apart in terms of quality. There was one really good butcher, though. He was from the Caucasus (I think from Azerbaijan or Armenia, not sure), and he told me he was leaving soon. He also said that the ready-made food department takes old meat that hasn’t sold and processes it for cooking. After hearing that, I’ve stopped buying anything from the ready-made food section. Besides the Mexicans and the cleaner, all the other workers look at you like you’re being judged. I get it, these women are overworked, but they don’t see anything beyond the displays. They look at customers with disdain and jealousy, like they’re judging us for buying from them. The store isn’t great. We started going to a new supermarket in Manhattan, "Tashkent." The quality of food there is better, and the prices aren’t outrageous. I stopped going to this store because it’s just terrible — deceiving and poisoning their own people, even former compatriots. It’s honestly awful, and it’s a shame.

I ordered food for the first time from Gourmet Island on Friday, 09/19, for a Sunday barbeque party. I had heard many compliments about their food quality and decided to give them a try. The minimum order is $150, but the store does not provide a menu or price list. Orders can only be made in person, based on what’s displayed in the fridge. When I placed my order, I was told it did not meet the minimum, so I added more items, carefully specifying the container sizes for each selection. On Sunday, I arrived an hour before the party to pick up my order. Everything was packed in individual bags inside a basket, and I was surprised when the register rang up $261—almost double the minimum. The bigger issue came once I unpacked the order at home: -Several items were missing. - Some items were not what I had ordered. - Others were given in larger quantities than requested. While the food quality itself was good, the incorrect items and excessive portions led to unnecessary leftovers and disappointment. Advice for future customers: if you plan to place an advance order, keep a detailed written list for yourself and carefully review it against what the store prepares. Double-check everything before leaving to avoid surprises.

Rotten food. Bought a Gipsy salami. Good thing I opened it and smell before serving. Otherwise who knows what would happen. Brought it back to the store. They treated it like it's a usual thing. No big deal. They credited my card for it. No apologies, no tax refund. Spending time and gas going there for spoiled food. Be cautious. Not a good store.

Went there for the first time today, was expecting wonderful service (usually when stores just open people are nice) 🙂 but ALAS no way I was getting that. I was waiting for somebody to come and serve the bread as there is no way you can get it yourself. Was waiting there for 10min, at the same time I have asked 2 staff members if there is someone to serve the bread to me, but they just said that they don't know. WOW, "wonderful" service. So I just left everything and left the store, never coming back again. Prices also are high, Netcost cheaper and much better staff.

A fantastic store with a great selection – they have everything you need! I'm especially pleased with the delicious and fresh baked goods. The staff is always friendly and helpful. I highly recommend it to everyone; it's a very pleasant place to shop.

I usually prefer not to buy ready-made food from stores, but I decided to try a few items at Gourmet Island. The "Herring Under a Fur Coat" and stuffed cabbage rolls were quite good. However, the two meat blintzes I purchased for my child turned out to have spoiled meat. Thankfully, my child didn’t eat them, as he said they didn’t taste good. My husband tried the second one and confirmed the meat was bad. This was very disappointing and concerning, especially since many parents buy these foods and give it to their children. I also want to mention that the woman working in that section on Sunday (blonde as I remember) was quite unpleasant and handled the food in a way that made me uncomfortable. On a positive note, the staff in the bakery and at the register were very friendly and polite, and the florist made a beautiful Christmas bouquet and was very kind. Please pay close attention to the quality and freshness of prepared foods — customers trust that what they buy here is safe to eat.