Note that many ordinary New York City grocery stores, especially in neighborhoods with substantial Jewish populations, carry at least a small selection of kosher, Jewish, Israeli, and Middle Eastern products, even if they are not dedicated kosher or Israeli markets.

 

Always check the international-food, kosher, snack, candy, cereal, frozen-food, and specialty-condiment aisles. You may find Israeli favorites such as Osem Bamba peanut puffs, Bissli, Elite chocolate, Klik candy, Achva tahini and halva, date syrup, Israeli pickles, olives, amba, schug, matzah, kosher grape juice, challah, and holiday products. Selection varies greatly by neighborhood and individual store, so it is worth browsing whenever you see a well-stocked supermarket near an Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Israeli, Russian-speaking, Bukharian, Persian, or other Jewish community.

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Morton Williams is a particularly useful example. Several of its New York City locations carry kosher and Israeli products, including Osem Bamba peanut snacks; The chain has also historically promoted Israeli goods, including Osem products, Beigel sesame pretzels, Wissotzky tea, Israeli dates, and Yavne preserved peppers and olives. Availability is not identical at every branch, so consider Morton Williams a worthwhile “look in the international snack aisle”.

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For a quick hotel-room or picnic snack run, also check larger branches of Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, ShopRite, Fairway Market, Key Food, Food Bazaar, Stop & Shop, and neighborhood supermarkets in Jewish communities. They may not have the depth of a kosher supermarket, but they often carry enough bagels, hummus, tahini, halva, smoked salmon, kosher snacks, Israeli peanut puffs, chocolate, and Jewish holiday foods to make an unexpected discovery.

 

But here are some Israeli / Jewish grocery shops:
 

Manhattan

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Tomer’s Gourmet Market

1201 Lexington Ave, Upper East Side, Manhattan
tomersgourmetmarket.com
A compact Upper East Side kosher grocery with a strong Israeli and Mediterranean emphasis. It is a good place to browse for tahini, halva, Israeli chocolate, Bamba, Bissli, Osem snacks, Israeli crackers, olives, pickles, dips, hummus, frozen foods, kosher wine, dairy items, and prepared grab-and-go food. Chabad’s Midtown kosher-supermarket directory lists it as a kosher market.

What makes it special: This is one of the easiest Manhattan locations for building an Israeli-snack tasting bag without traveling to Brooklyn. Look for Elite chocolate, Klik, Kariot cereal, Osem Bamba, Bissli, Achva halva and tahini, and Israeli pickles.

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Ouri’s Market

 

1160 3rd Ave, Upper East Side, Manhattan
ourismarket.com
A fully kosher Upper East Side grocery that is useful for packaged snacks, kosher candy, pantry goods, Israeli products, prepared foods, and quick grocery pickups. Stunning market. Ouri’s is included in the Chabad Midtown kosher-supermarket directory.

What makes it special: It is the kind of small Manhattan kosher market where you can find practical Jewish pantry staples like matzah year-round, challah and holiday goods in season, kosher candy, snacks, spreads, tea, drinks, and imported items without entering a major supermarket.

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The Kosher Marketplace

2442 Broadway, Upper West Side, Manhattan
thekoshermarketplace.com
A kosher grocery destination for packaged foods, specialty snacks, Israeli products, kosher meats, dairy, frozen food, Shabbat essentials, bakery items, prepared foods, candy, wine, and holiday merchandise. It is listed by Chabad Midtown among Manhattan kosher supermarkets.

What makes it special: Go here before Shabbat or a Jewish holiday to see the Jewish grocery ecosystem at full intensity. It is especially good for: challah, grape juice, rugelach, hummus, Israeli salad, dips, kosher candy, matzah products, soup mixes, and imported Israeli snacks.

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SIX 60 ONE — Kosher on Amsterdam

661 Amsterdam Ave, Upper West Side / Morningside Heights, Manhattan
six60one.com

A kosher market with groceries, prepared foods, bakery options, meats, dairy, snacks, drinks, and specialty Middle Eastern products. It is another reliable Upper West Side stop for packaged Jewish and Israeli foods.

What makes it special: This is useful for visitors staying near Columbia University, the Upper West Side, or Central Park who want a real kosher grocery experience rather than a restaurant meal.

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Zabar’s

2245 Broadway, Upper West Side, Manhattan
zabars.com
Zabar’s is not fully kosher, but it is one of the city’s great Jewish-food markets. It is a must for smoked fish, bagels, rugelach, babka, Jewish cookies, coffee, cheese, pickles, herring, whitefish salad, preserved foods, gift tins, pantry products, and New York food souvenirs.

What makes it special: It is the best place to assemble a classic Upper West Side Jewish-food picnic. Buy bagels, nova, cream cheese, whitefish salad, pickles, rugelach, coffee, and a few shelf-stable gifts. It is less Israeli-specific than Tomer’s or Ouri’s, but much stronger for historic Jewish appetizing and edible souvenirs.

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Russ & Daughters

179 E Houston St, Lower East Side, Manhattan
russanddaughters.com
Russ & Daughters is primarily an appetizing shop, but it belongs in a grab-and-go guide. Buy smoked fish, caviar, bagels, bialys, babka, rugelach, halva, candy, pickles, herring, dried fruit, specialty pantry items, and gift boxes.

What makes it special: It is one of the best places in the world to create a Jewish-food take-home spread. The shop is especially strong for foods that travel well for a same-day picnic or hotel-room breakfast: bagels, smoked fish, cream cheese, herring, packaged sweets, and specialty preserves.

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Kossar’s Bagels & Bialys

367 Grand St, Lower East Side, Manhattan
kossars.com
Kossar’s is mainly a bialy and bagel bakery, but it is a key grab-and-go Jewish-food stop. Buy onion bialys, poppy bialys, bagels, flagels, babka, rugelach, smoked fish spreads, cream cheese, and Jewish bakery goods.

What makes it special: It is the best place to bring home a bag of bialys, the less common, onion-filled Jewish bakery cousin of the bagel. Ask for a mixed bag of bialys, bagels, and flagels so you can compare all three.

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Moishe’s Kosher Bake Shop

115 2nd Ave, East Village, Manhattan
moisheskosherbakery.com
A rare surviving kosher bakery where the whole point is takeout. Buy babka, challah, rye bread, rugelach, cookies, black-and-white cookies, hamantaschen in season, and traditional Jewish baked goods.

What makes it special: This is less slick than newer bakeries and more important as a food-history visit. It is a good place to buy edible souvenirs that feel connected to the older East Village and Lower East Side Jewish bakery world.

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Brooklyn

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Holon Foods / Holon Middle East Grocery

527 Kings Hwy, Gravesend, Brooklyn
holonkosher.com
One of the best dedicated Israeli and Middle Eastern kosher grocery stops in New York City. Holon says it has served Brooklyn for more than 40 years and specializes in Israeli and Middle Eastern foods, including imports, dips, pastries, prepared meals, pickled vegetables, snacks, and pantry goods.

What makes it special: This is a serious Israeli-snack and pantry treasure hunt. Search for Osem Bamba, Bissli, Bisli Grill, Elite chocolate, Klik, Kariot cereal, Achva halva, tahini, Israeli olives, pickles, date products, bourekas, frozen malawach, frozen jachnun, pitas, amba, schug, zhug, za’atar, couscous, spices, and Israeli candy.

Notable snack finds reported in its product listings include King David fried beans, Israeli-made Elite fruit chews and hard candies, marzipan “candy challah,” kosher Israeli Mentos, halva, olives, and Israeli snack foods.

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Hatzlacha Supermarket

744 Bedford Ave, Williamsburg / Bedford-Stuyvesant border, Brooklyn
hatzlachakosher.com
A major kosher supermarket with groceries, produce, prepared foods, bakery items, deli food, sushi, frozen products, snacks, beverages, household goods, and a substantial selection geared to Orthodox Jewish shopping.

What makes it special: Hatzlacha is where you go to see the scale of a real New York kosher supermarket. It is especially worthwhile before Shabbat, when the bakery, prepared-food departments, candy shelves, drinks, cakes, challah, and packaged snack aisles show how extensive Jewish grab-and-go food culture can be.

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Schwartz Kosher Supermarket

120 Lee Ave, South Williamsburg, Brooklyn
schwartzkosher.com

A South Williamsburg kosher supermarket with produce, snacks, packaged foods, grocery staples, holiday items, and neighborhood-oriented Jewish food shopping.

What makes it special: It is part of the real Hasidic food-shopping landscape around Lee Avenue. Go in the daytime and browse for kosher candy, chips, cookies, challah, Jewish holiday foods, prepared foods, drinks, and pantry products that rarely make it into mainstream supermarkets.

Important note: This is an active Orthodox neighborhood. Be respectful of shoppers and staff, do not photograph people without permission, and remember that stores close early before Shabbat and are closed on Saturday.

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Southside Food Plaza

428 Bedford Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
southsidekosher.com

A compact kosher grocery with a reputation for an unusually fun snack selection, ice cream, packaged foods, and quick neighborhood shopping. Shoppers specifically mention hard-to-find treats such as Klein strawberry ice-cream pops.

What makes it special: It is one of the best smaller-scale places to hunt for kosher snacks and novelty foods rather than doing a full supermarket run. It is useful for a Williamsburg snack crawl.

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Certo Market

1274 39th St, Borough Park, Brooklyn
certomarket.com
A kosher supermarket in Borough Park’s historic Thirteenth Avenue Retail Market, a market complex built in the 1930s in the heart of one of New York’s largest Orthodox Jewish communities.

What makes it special: The setting matters as much as the shopping. You are visiting a historic neighborhood market structure built around Jewish retail life. Buy kosher snacks, candy, bakery items, produce, pantry goods, Shabbat products, prepared food, and specialty grocery items.

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The Market Place

1202 Avenue J, Midwood, Brooklyn
kosherfamily.com
A large kosher supermarket serving the Midwood community, with online ordering through KosherFamily.com. It is a strong option for snacks, candy, kosher groceries, bakery products, prepared foods, beverages, meat, dairy, frozen food, and Israeli imports.

What makes it special: This is a useful place for a full Jewish-and-Israeli snack haul. Its online catalog indicates broad availability of candy, snack foods, frozen foods, and specialty kosher products, including brands and items that can be difficult to find in ordinary New York stores.

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Pomegranate

1507 Coney Island Ave, Midwood, Brooklyn
thepompeople.com
An upscale, polished kosher supermarket that is almost a food-tour destination in itself. It is known for an extensive prepared-food department, bakery, fish, meat, cheese, grocery aisles, candy, snacks, gift food, wine, and holiday foods.

What makes it special: If you want the most visually impressive and comprehensive “kosher supermarket as a food experience,” Pomegranate is a leading choice. It is excellent for giftable Israeli snacks, elevated kosher pantry items, bakery goods, prepared Shabbat foods, and unusual desserts.

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Gourmet Glatt / Boro Park kosher markets

Address: 1274 39th St, Borough Park, Brooklyn
certomarket.com
The broader Borough Park grocery district is worth treating as a snack-and-grocery destination. The historic market at 39th Street is a good anchor, but the surrounding neighborhood has kosher bakeries, candy stores, pizza shops, fish stores, butcher shops, Judaica stores, and specialty markets.

What makes it special: You do not need a restaurant reservation. Buy challah, rugelach, babka, candy, chips, snacks, dried fruits, pickles, drinks, packaged holiday products, and kosher specialty items, then make your own tasting picnic.

 

Queens

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A To Z Glatt Kosher Supermarket

72-20 Main St, Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
atozglatt.com
A Queens kosher supermarket known for a large selection of kosher groceries, produce, bakery goods, prepared items, candy, snacks, and Israeli products. It has been described as carrying Israeli and Jewish products that are hard to find elsewhere.

What makes it special: This is one of the best Queens stops if you want packaged Israeli foods but do not want to go to Brooklyn. Look for Israeli cereal, cookies, chocolates, chips, condiments, pickles, tahini, halva, frozen foods, and holiday snacks.

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Taster’s Market

Address: 68-02 Main St, Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
tastersmarket.com
A large kosher supermarket in Kew Gardens Hills with grocery, bakery, produce, prepared foods, snacks, drinks, meats, and specialty kosher products.atly

What makes it special: Kew Gardens Hills is one of Queens’s major Orthodox Jewish food corridors. Taster’s is a useful anchor for a self-guided grocery crawl, especially if you are interested in seeing the everyday foods, holiday products, snacks, cakes, and Shabbat preparations purchased by the local community.

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Queens Kosher Emporium

79-15 Main St, Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
queenskosheremporium.com
A kosher supermarket and prepared-food destination with groceries, snacks, candies, bakery goods, meats, deli, frozen food, and holiday products.

What makes it special: It is especially good for someone building a broad “Jewish groceries in Queens” guide, because it demonstrates that Queens has a serious kosher retail world beyond its better-known Bukharian and Georgian restaurants.

 

The Bronx

 

Riverdale Kosher Market

5650 Riverdale Ave, Riverdale, Bronx
riverdalekoshermarket.com

A neighborhood kosher grocery destination in Riverdale for packaged kosher snacks, candy, pantry products, baked goods, deli items, prepared foods, dairy, meat, and Jewish holiday essentials.

What makes it special: Riverdale is one of the city’s most important Jewish neighborhoods outside Manhattan and Brooklyn. A kosher market visit here is a good way to see local Jewish grocery culture in the Bronx, especially before Shabbat or Jewish holidays.

Before going: Verify current hours, certification, and availability before making a special trip. Kosher market schedules can change significantly on Fridays and around holidays.

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Staten Island

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Island Kosher

2445 Hylan Blvd, New Dorp / Dongan Hills area, Staten Island
islandkosher.com

A Staten Island kosher grocery and food market where you can buy packaged snacks, kosher candy, pantry staples, prepared foods, baked goods, beverages, holiday items, and Jewish grocery essentials.

What makes it special: Staten Island’s Jewish food scene is often omitted from NYC lists. Island Kosher is one of the key retail stops for seeing the borough’s kosher grocery infrastructure and for picking up a bag of snacks, candy, challah, dips, and prepared foods to take away.

Before going: Confirm the current exact location, schedule, and certification directly through the market before publishing or traveling, especially on Friday.

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Israeli snack scavenger hunt

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If you want to create a “buy these in NYC” Israeli snack list, look for these brands and products at Holon Foods, Tomer’s, Ouri’s, The Kosher Marketplace, A To Z Glatt, Taster’s, Pomegranate, The Market Place, Hatzlacha, and other full kosher supermarkets:

• Bamba by Osem: peanut-butter-flavored puffed corn snacks; probably the most iconic Israeli snack.

• Bissli / Bisli by Osem: crunchy wheat snacks in flavors such as barbecue, grill, onion, falafel, and pizza.

• Elite chocolate: milk-chocolate bars, bitter chocolate, filled bars, chocolate-covered wafers, fruit chews, hard candies, and seasonal products.

• Klik: Israeli chocolate-and-cereal snack mixes and candy.

• Kariot: sweet-filled breakfast cereal, often chocolate flavored.

• Achva halva: sesame halva in plain, pistachio, marble, coffee, chocolate, and snack-bar forms.

• Achva tahini: a staple for home hummus, salad dressing, sauces, and Israeli breakfast spreads.

• Osem soup mixes and croutons: especially soup almonds, consommé mixes, and pantry staples.

• Israeli pickles and olives: look for whole pickles, sour pickles, spicy pickles, olives, pickled vegetables, and Israeli-style preserved foods.

• Amba: mango pickle sauce, especially good with pita, falafel, shawarma, eggs, sandwiches, and roasted vegetables.

• Schug / zhug: spicy Yemenite green herb condiment.

• Date products: date syrup, dates, stuffed dates, date rolls, and tahini-date snacks.

• Halva candy and sesame snacks: including Israeli-made bars, gift packs, and pistachio varieties.

• Israeli kosher gummies and candies: fruit chews, toffees, hard candy, gummy candy, and marzipan holiday items. Holon’s catalog specifically lists Israeli-made Elite fruit chews, hard candy, candy challah made from marzipan, and Israeli kosher Mentos.

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Practical note

For these stores, the best time to go is usually Thursday afternoon or Friday morning before Shabbat, when shelves are full of challah, cakes, prepared foods, dips, snacks, holiday products, and special bakery items. But those are also the busiest hours, and most kosher stores close early Friday and are closed Saturday.