Sai Organics

Love this little place! While it’s not very big, they carry a lot of items that I use. They recently started carrying more paleo-​friendly items too! Prices are a bit steep, but no more than the usual health food store in NYC. The employees are always kind and I appreciate that.

Sai Organics is an organic market right next to the 30^th Ave subway station on the NQ line.
I was looking for vegan/​vegetarian items that my local grocery store did not have. I came in and purchase tofu cream cheese, pretzels, Annie’s ketchup, and a few other things. The market is small and their selection is limited. I had to buy paper towels at the Trade Fair right across the street and realized that they have an organic selection and many vegan/​vegetarian goodies! Maybe even more so than Sai Organics! I’m glad Sai Organics is around, but Trade Fair has even more selection and quantity.
+ I like that Sai Organics has Green Mountain Coffee and every milk and dairy alternative for your cup of coffee.

I love the vegan «turkey» sandwich and the soups and chocolate brownies. They really do have all the essentials, especially for a vegetarian/​vegan diet. Although reasonable, the prices are not always the best that exist, but they are a family-​run business so I try my best to support them whenever possible. I have appreciated that a couple of times, the cashier has shown me a less expensive version of what I intended to purchase. There is one particular cashier who is extremely smiley and friendly, which I also appreciate and welcome. The others are a bit more aloof, which sometimes surprises me since I’m such a frequent customer. Nonetheless, definitely a staple for me and a huge asset to the neighborhood!

This place is the best stop for your vegan/​vegetarian essentials. They have almost everything you would need, and their homemade selections are wonderful too. I cannot recommend the Tofu Sandwich more highly, and the vegan brownie… melt in your mouth good. They also do fresh juices, and a variety of other options (soups, baked goods, etc.) that I will need to try.
If you have the chance to go, do!

Great sandwiches and selected groceries. I really like the tofu sandwich for a quick lunch, and twice now my cereal was on sale – great luck! Friendly, efficient service.
Conveniently located by the 30^th Ave subway stop and Athens Square Park (for a place to eat that sandwich).

If you’re looking for USDA approved organic & healthy food you’re in the right place!

This is My number 1 favorite little organic market! They sell a little bit of everything here like, grains, fresh veggies and fruits, dried fruits, nuts, packaged food products, hair and body products. The fresh vegan sandwiches and soup section has to be my favorite aside from the vegan baked goods. I recommend the vegan turkey sandwich; it is to die for! I also recommend the veggie soup and lentil soup for a chilly day, super yummy! As for the baked goods they’re all good but my favorites have to be the vegan brownie and the vegan cookies. They also have a fresh juice section in the front. The girls that work there are very helpful and nice. They have a promotion, if you spend $ 20 or more on your purchase they give you a free gift like a free coconut water, orange juice, frozen wheat grass shot, or an individual ice cream bar. I love how most of their goods made there have organic ingredients.

I absolutely love this place! I feel healthy and my body usually detoxes from the foods I purchase here. They have a small array of fruits such as oranges and grapes that are organic. I usually go to the back of the shop and grab some lemon juice, mesclun salad, Amy’s coconut soup that are on sale for 2 for 5 and some real Virgil’s cream soda root beer. Other times I buy some Nordic naturals omega pills they have behind the register and barleans flax oil that is refrigerated behind them. The workers are sweet and helpful and if you spend over 20 buckaroos there is a freebie such as wheat grass, coconut juice or a ice cream rice nut bar. I usually get the rice ice cream bar and its pretty awesome!

Friendly, family owned organic/​mostly vegetarian grocery store.
They have a decent selection of fresh produce, which I think is fairly priced.
Their shelf items/​dairy are a bit expensive, but it’s family owned and I don’t mind paying an extra few $ to support local business.
They have a nice selection of vegan/​vegetarian pre-​made sandwiches, soups and muffins.
The corn muffin ($ 2) is really good (not vegan)
The tofu sandwich is delicious ($ 6) and vegan
Their coffee is really good too ($ 2) for a large. It’s great coffee! Soy and dairy milk bar.

Unilocaler Hannah C wrote that the tofu sandwich here is the best. Since I knew I would be in the area with little time to spare, I bookmarked Sai Organics and can now confirm under penalty of Unilocal disbarment that Hannah C knows a good tofu sandwich.
It looks like an egg salad sandwich but I’ll take this over egg salad any day. It tasted incredibly fresh and that made it all the better. When I find myself running through Queens again, I’ll stop here for another one to go.

This place seriously has the best vegan tofu sandwich ever. I have tried replicating the tofu to taste like theirs, but I still haven’t quite figured it out yet. They also have the best tasting carrot ginger soup, which I can’t figure how to make either. I need to know their secrets!
Oh and I almost forgot, if you spend $ 20 or more, you get a free drink! or free something. I usually end up taking a free coconut water. Just make sure you remind them because sometimes they forget.

A wonderful little store full of healthy and tasty products, from muffin and vegetables to homeopathy pills and cosmetic. It is a very convenient and agreeable spot. Plus the staff is very kind and helpful! I love this organic store!

They have a lot of organic produce, kombucha, household cleaning supplies, hair products, mouthwash and you name it… No meat, but that is fine with me as I avoid meat as much as I can.
I wish all delis were like this!
Oh, they also have some vitamin supplements and cocaine nibs, awesome place!

Friendly stuff and good products overall. Some products are more expensive than Wholefoods, so I wouldn’t buy them here, but others have decent price. Their homemade soup is great too.
(Update: July, 2015)
Unfortunately I have to take one star off because their eggs sold here are usually older than the Keyfood supermarket. But packaged organic salad is cheaper than keyfood.

Glad to see almost all my weirdo vegan food brands here — you can’t find Daiya everywhere! Staff is always super friendly, and their sandwiches made in-​store look amazing. Glad to have this little store for most of my harder to find items.

Really awesome little store that specializes in organic and natural foods/​products. Great selection of groceries, produce, and snacks, as well as a really large beverage selection (kombuchas, coconut waters, apple cider vinegar drinks, everything). It’s pretty impressive. The people that work here are really nice too. Pro tip: try the vegan oatmeal raisin cookie, which is surprisingly good.

One of my favorite stores in my neighborhood. I’m a vegetarian and animal activist, so I usually shop here for most of my food and hygiene items.
The pros:
1. Amazing vegetarian/​vegan sandwich selection. Granted, I am wary about trying handmade sandwiches, but theirs are topnotch and only $ 6 a piece. The vegan blueberry muffins are great too!
2. A lot of good vegetarian and vegan options for sale. Some stuff is a bit over priced, like the Braggs Soy Protein Spray. I can get it cheaper at Trade Fair; HOWEVER, I can get two cans of Amy’s Chicken-​Free Noodle Soup for $ 5, the best deal around.
3. I had an issue where I bought an organic conditioner thinking it was the shampoo. The next day I wanted to exchange it for the shampoo and the owner’s wife let me. She was hesitant at first, but when I explained how I made the mistake (the conditioner and shampoo bottles are nearly identical), she completely understood, and let me make the exchange.
4. Sometimes the owner’s wife can be a little less than friendly, but everyone else at the store is very friendly, especially the young women (assuming the daughters) of the owner.
The cons:
1. This place used to make amazing smoothies. They don’t anymore.
2. Again, sometimes the prices are a little too much, but they are a speciality organic food store, mom and pop, locally owned, so I have to cut them some slack there.
All-​in-​all, it’s a great locally owned business in the heart of Astoria. I would rather go here than Whole Foods any day.

OMG, I just love this little organic health food grocery store in Astoria!
Since I work in LIC, and there is really NO organic health food store nearby, I take the N/​Q train to 30^th Ave, and down the stairs I go, a few skips after, and here I am at Sai Organics, my oasis near work.
They have yummy store-​prepared sandwiches (freshly made daily) such as Hummus sandwich, Avocado/​guac w/​or w/​o cheese sandwich, vegan turkey, tofu sandwhich (tastes like egg salad), etc.
They have cookies (vegan or vegetarian).
The store made soups are so amazing, all vegan and organic too! I love the roasted vegetable soup, vegetables with tomato soup and the carrot ginger soup. They have other ones too, but everything is on rotation.
They have a small selection of organic produce and fruits and frozen foods and organic groceries as well. There is a small selection of skin/​bath products and supplements.
They have a little promotion where if you spend $ 20 or $ 50, you can select a free gift among a few products. Sort of neat.
They do make some fresh juices, but very, very limited selection w/​no customization. There is fresh coffee too that you can purchase.
This is a little gem in the neighbourhood, and I see plenty of people walking in and out for take-​out or even doing grocery shopping. The owners and staff are friendly. Thank goodness I have a place to go to for my lunch breaks.

The staff is friendly, but I had a partially weird experience here recently: I came in in the morning and got an ice coffee and their avocado sandwich to eat in the park, and when I got to the park and took a bite of the sandwich, I realized the guacamole was old! I walked back to the store and they said the guacamole was fresh. I asked when it was made, and they said «the night before, like always.» Then they weren’t to keen on letting me exchange my sandwich for another one, although ultimately I was able to.
Anyway, call me a guac snob, but day-​old guacamole just tastes terrible.
I’ll be back; I’ll just steer clear of that sandwich!

What is this place missing exactly, they carry a variety of different organic and natural products you’ll need. They carry a wider variety than other organic and natural foods stores around but in a smaller batch, so things stay fresh while I get what I need. They not only sell food items but a bit of hygiene and bodily care items. It’s not that big but not small either. I like it because it’s brighter and less cramped for space than many of the other health stores around.
This has become one of my favorite places to shop now. When you walk in, I can actually smell cooked food in the air. Then you are immediately presented with their juice bar which is laid out with wheat grass (for your juice). The next thing I noticed was they have monster sandwiches, they are huge, I mean a big handful size when comparing to other sandwiches (Vegan Hummus for $ 5.00). I love soup, so on one of those days when I am in the mood or need a warm cup, I will definitely stop by because I see pots of soup. They also carry items other organic and natural foods store stock such as packaged pastas, tofu meat/​organic meats, dairy products like organic cheese, health bars, frozen goods, canned goods like chili, a fridge full of variety of drinks (Acai and Tahitian Noni juice). Like I said, a vast variety to choose from.
The small selection of vegetables in the back are fresh and not that much more expensive than any place else, only a tad. Yes, I was not the only one picking out veggies in the back. There were three people veggie picking and it got bottle necked back there. This is where I saw something I didn’t find at another health store: organic baby food and cookies packaged for children. These are stored near the natural pet food. I don’t know why they are stored right near each other, but I am just pointing that out. And not that other organic stores don’t sell them, I just may have not noticed it elsewhere. Another aisle includes tubes of nuts and grains by the pound, a bit expensive but that’s the price for eating naturally.