As the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world, Queens is home to some of the best international supermarkets. In Long Island City, for example, Food Bazaar (myfoodbazaar.com) now sits in the place of what once was Pathmark.
The founder of the store, Francis An, was born in Korea and lived in Argentina for many years before migrating to New York.
Upon arriving in the city, he found that there wasn't a large variety of products in local supermarkets. Although An enjoyed Latin American cuisine during his time in Argentina, he couldn't acquire the necessary ingredients to recreate it in New York. He quickly realized that minority needs were largely being ignored by large businesses.
In an attempt to remedy the situation, An opened his first supermarket in 1988 called Bogopa (Korean for "Yearning for You").
Food Bazaar, located on 42-02 Northern Boulevard, has come a long way since then. While most stores carry a limited amount of items, Food Bazaar is stocked from ceiling to floor with an unusually large array of products — from soursop (guanabana) fruit to canned quail eggs. Wandering through the 75,000 square-foot store is almost like a global treasure hunt.
Although there are other Food Bazaar locations in NYC, none compare to the one found in LIC. In order to organize the stock, the aisles are divided by region and by country. Products, like mac-and-cheese and brooms, are also individually highlighted on signs.
Because there are so many options, you never know what you will come across. Luckily, it’s open 24 hours so we can explore while we shop.
