Kasra Market

Kasra Market has a feeling of an NYC bodega (without the grunge). It’s a five-star Persian supermarket. Prices are marginally higher than larger markets, but when you’re alone, that’s part of the bargain. While it’s a smaller store, there is a lot of quality and authentic items to choose from. They’ve got a great selection of cheeses, spices, fresh-baked bread, dry-cured meats, halal meat, pastries, authentic marmalade, etc. Every weekend you can go here and pick up delicious treats. Some favorites are the cold case hummus variations, the crispy Athenian bread (giant cracker), and never leave without a bag of macaroon coconuts. They’ve got good coffee, too!

You will enjoy walking around the shelves and cold cases. It’s tiny but there’s enough to keep you visiting for more culinary discoveries. It has an incredible variety of Persian products and foods particularly for a location in the neighborhood. It also provides a very good variety of vegetables and fruit leaves. The spiffy check-out with the delivery of email receipts is a sweet touch of a techie.

This place is extremely immaculate, bright, and tidy (tidier than any major market in the chain) and it has a warm neighborhood vibe. The owner is superb: polite, discreet, friendly, and helpful. It is truly the dictionary definition of convenience!

In short, this is a one-stop-shop for almost everything you need to make your mom’s Persian dishes made for you as a kid (provided, of course, that your mom was an Iranian).

During this pandemic, this store is particularly a great place to get what you need to deal with the tough days of lockdown. Especially when looking for products that are sold out, in shops where there are too many customers and there are health hazards or infancy chains that treat their workers badly. You can always buy the canned chickpeas because they are small and tender, the Sadaf white and red vinegar, the Paesano extra virgin organic olive oil, the Rodopa Bulgarian feta, the excellent Abali labneh, any flatbread that’s there, and the choice is big! And last but not least, get your herbs fresh or dry … there’s a huge selection.