Henry’s

The team at Henry’s goes the extra miles to take the stress out of this busy holiday season. Their high level of service makes entertaining fun again, from creating a formal meal for a large group to stocking up on prepared items for a house full of family and guests. Everyone in the store is so nice. The only problem I have is that the hand crafted chocolates at the check out counter are too tempting!

Excellent gourmet grocery store. I recommend the Herb Salmon and Henry’s Roast Beef at the deli as well as the Eclairs.

Now owned by Crosby’s, but retaining the special Henry’s character and prepared foods.

Not worth the trip up 1A in traffic as Crosby’s takeover of Henry’s in February has removed the former old world charm to that of an ordinary small grocery shop. All the attractive basket displays of fruits and cheeses are gone; tacky price signs hang over many items, and the meat suppliers have been changed too. I used to do 90% of my shopping there, now only about 15% figuring I might as well go to Market Basket with lower prices

I went to Henry’s last week and picked up one of their prepared chicken pot pies. This pie is best chicken pot pie around. I also got some of their bean dip which is also very good. This is the best place to go for prepared foods. The only reason why I only gave them 4 stars is because it’s a bit pricey.

Yeah the food is great and all, but talk about a sexist environment! I know someone who worked there as a cashier and she used to complain about how sexist it is there. Not only are ONLY boys allowed to be baggers, but they also get tips. She told me that the boys often talked about the tips and bragged about it. They leave sometimes with $ 100 worth of tips at the end of the day! If you do the math correctly, that’s about MORE than $ 5,000 worth of money than the girls make! Why can’t the girls be baggers, if some of the boys are cashiers? The manager, according to the person I know who used to work there, offered to the two male cashiers that he would also train them to be baggers. Why can’t he offer the same thing to the girls? They say that the boys do not get raises but the girls do– that is also bull. The former cashier that I know said that the boys admitted to getting raises. One of the male cashiers made as much as a female cashier who has worked there for two years, when he only worked there for less than a year. He admitted to how much he was making. The boys used to have to split the tips with the girls, half and half, but now they dont. One of the boys even said «if I have to split with the girls, I’m quitting». Another thing– one of the cashiers that turned into a bagger, who has short blond hair and is fit, often takes snacks/​drinks without paying. It’s not right. Henry’s, you have great food, but you need to treat your girls with respect and give them an opportunity to start making some tips too. You don’t need to use brain cells to bag, but you need them to be a cashier. It’s not the 1920s anymore, girls deserve to make as much as the guys.

I’ve had horrific experiences with their catering services (the pickup orders, not the on-​site setup). But that doesn’t keep me from shopping here for certain items.
My faves: chicken salad, chicken pot pie, donuts, marinated meats for the grill, tubs of «orange slices» candy, deli sandwiches.
I wish they had better prices. Everything is steep here, so I only buy key items from them.

I just love this place… that is all I can say…
I love the chicken salad they have, I love the bakery especially the sugar cookies, the fruit every time I am there is fresh, the meats are always lean and flavorful, the pre made meals… just love them… yes some of it is pricey… yes its a yuppie type market… but the people a nice and friendly and helpful…
Dont get me wrong I dont shop here all the time (cause if I did I would be poor) but when I do shop here all the stuff I get is good and the people have been always nice to me…

The following review is only for the bakery portion of Henry’s. I haven’t tried any of the other departments there and so can’t speak to their quality. What I have seen, though, has been impressive.
Henry’s serves up some great baked goods – huge muffins, a variety of donuts and pastries, and entire cakes. They even have gluten-​free selections (though these aren’t from the in-​house bakery, so don’t expect anything to be freshly made). The muffins were excellent to say the least. They were of the massive, dense, «meal-​and-​a-​half» variety. I particularly liked the bran muffins with raisins, which had a much smoother texture than I’m used to with this «healthy» option. The more traditional fruit muffins (e.g., blueberry, lemon, etc.) were very flavorful and were topped with turbinado sugar – a nice finishing touch. And though these muffins are best if eaten immediately, I found that they held up pretty well for a couple of days.
I thought the muffins that I ordered were reasonably priced, though the gluten-​free things were certainly on the pricy side, though this was to be expected. I was also a little disappointed with the sparse selection. I guess I can’t be too hard on Henry’s, though, considering that it’s not a dedicated bakery. And you can definitely gather that from its hours – if only Henry’s would open bright and early like a «true» bakery so I could get my fix of muffins in the wee hours of the morning, I’d be a happy man. Breakfast of champions!

I was glad to happen upon Henry’s during my visit to the Beverly area. My boyfriend and I selected some goodies to share on our anniversary picnic and were very happy with our choices.
Light and airy water crackers, quality cheese, and a ginger jam made by Trappist monks.
It was a nice change from your average grocery or Target market. Thanks, Henry. Hope to see you again on my next visit.

The produce section is small but high end — produce that is locally sourced is prevalent and clearly (and accurately!) marked. The shop also has a broad selection of condiments and other harder to find items.
Beware — the dessert/​treat selection near the deli is extremely diverse and tempting. I held fast but would have crumbled if offered a sample of something.
Good selection of dairy products as well as eggs. The staff was friendly and helpful.

Overpriced. Bought a bag of oranges and two were rotten. A lot of the produce was old. The bread selection was pretty poor and they didn’t have any artisan loaves.

Absolutely positively the very best cakes made on earth

I started coming to Henry’s with my infant daughter Jessica propped up in the shopping cart. At the time, a cashier named Marilyn used to make such a fuss over her and so I brought her in regularly. Jessica is now in her late 30s and my husband, working in Peabody, is the one who regularly does the shopping at Henry’s. But when I find myself in north Beverly, I’ll stop in. Over the years it’s gotten better, if that is possible. I’ve shared this thought with others: What do Henry’s Market, Ford Motor Company, and pantyhose have in common? Answer: They get better with time. Think about it – can you say that about anything else in life? Now I hope their new venture, The Wenham Tea House, will shine. I only wish my mother in law was still with us. She was a regular for years. In fact, in 1917 she and my father in law, originally from Ohio, visited the tea house on their honeymoon.
Best, Sharon C.

I love Henry’s. Truly. Yet, I give it four stars. The quality of their stuff is 5 star all the way. the service that they offer is not found anywhere else at this point. Henry’s is like a trip back in time, to the days when the bag boy would load your stuff into your car, as they do here. The days when the butcher would cut to order, the baker would frost that plain donut for you, the kitchen would tell you what countries the ingredients their prepared foods come from, etc. They also use top quality paper bags, that come in handy on recycling day. This is the only market in the area that hasn’t forgotten that they are in the service business.
Selection varies. This place isn’t the size of a major supermarket. That said, their selections of meats, both marinated and not, produce, baked goods, and prepared foods outshine the other guys on quality all day. Get the Garlic Expressions salad dressing. Best I’ve ever had, and hard to find elsewhere.
So why only four stars? Frankly, if I tried to do all of my shopping here I’d be bankrupt. Henry’s is expensive. Well worth the money for the special stuff. Hard to justify for the stuff sold everyplace on earth. With the service they provide, you get what you pay for.

Its pretty close to home. I get my dartagnan chicken here, and their steak tips are pretty good too!
I still prefer the shops around Boston to this place, but its nearby so.

Phenomenal Selections. Wonderful wine section & perfect for h’orderves. Great produce, and Delicious coffee cake!

I’ve been frequenting Henry’s since I was a little tyke. The place hasn’t changed one bit in my 29 years of existence. In fact, I think the same people have been working there the whole time (more on that later).
I’ll get this out of the way: Henry’s is expensive. If you’re looking for cheap prices to do your weekly shopping, I suggest you go to Market Basket.
Now that we understand one another here and can live with the expense of shopping at Henry’s, let’s move on…
Henry’s, to me, is the perfect place to grab a certain specialty item when heading to a BBQ or if you want to plan a more particular meal and need a better selection than your local Stop & Steal will give you. They have an arse-​kicking butchery, where you can get excellent quality meats to soothe your carnivorous soul.
Bakery is, without a doubt, the best around. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
What I dig best, though, is the deli. They have all sorts of awesome prepared foods. Not a single bad offering. Meatballs, wings, chicken pot pie, perhaps the greatest macaroni salad ever created, yadda, yadda, yadda… all of them are fantabulous.
But the best thing they offer, by far, and no one comes close to matching it, is their homemade chicken salad. This stuff is un-​fucking-​real. Most places take the chicken, shred it up, then load it with mayo and say, «Here ya go, have some mayo and a side of chicken!» But no, not Henry’s, they go very light on the mayo, letting the heaping helpings of chicken and spices do the trick. Get yourself some rolls from the bakery, grab a tub of goodness and feast, my friend, FEAST!!!
So there you have it. If you’re looking for a few items for a meal, go for it. If you’re doing your weekly shopping, good fucking luck.
Ok, one beef I have always had with this place (otherwise it would have been five stars) are some of the completely unfriendly veteran help they have working up front. One woman in particular, don’t know her name, must have had quite the stick up her ass for nearly 30-​years. All these years, never even cracked a smile or had a friendly attitude. Don’t know how she’s still there.
One last thing to note, as of recently they added a fine beer and wine store at the site of the bank storefront right next door. From what I’m told they purchased the Wine and Beer store that was located over at the Beverly Plaza. This is great news, as that place was top notch, but in a bad location, which made it tough to be noticed. The staff there was always friendly and helpful, with many quality beers. I hope they kept the same staff. They also turned the vault into a humidor and sell cigars too. I haven’t had a chance to check this out, but I plan on going sometime soon (and therefore have to Unilocal about it).

Wow… you know, I really don’t know why but I’ve sort of just avoided Henry’s for the longest time. I think mainly because I think I can get a better deal elsewhere but, amongst other things, Henry’s has something you can’t find at too many other places — a real nice sense of hometown goodness.
The staff are just local yokels who are super polite, explain anything you want, cheerfully and in great detail.
I stopped in on the way to a celebration for the life of a friend who’d passed. Specifically, I’d ordered:
1. Chicken Cashew Salad;
2. Bowtie Pasta Salad;
3. ½ doz Eclairs; and
4. ½ doz Cannolis.
Holy cow! I was impressed not only with the selection of prepared foods but also with the quality. Everyone who tried the salads thought I’d made them myself and to perfection… not too much oil like some of the store chains.
My friends joked that the Eclairs were the size of a «certain part» of a horse’s anatomy — yes, of course, the TAIL… you get the point, they’re HUGE. The Cannolis weren’t exactly like they are in the North End, but they were perfect for the North Shore. ;)
I asked the stafff and they said they’ll make platters if you order in advance. That’s a great service… to know that your platters — fruit, cheese, veggies, dip, cold cuts, etc — are being made fresh to order!
I didn’t check out the rest of the store but for what I went in for, it was PERFECT. And there was sufficient parking.
Yea, perhaps they’re a little pricier than some other stores but, in my humble opinion, this is one of those cases where the quality bought for just a little bit extra is WELL WORTH IT.
Betcha can’t just have one cannoli!

We only had a bit of time to grab something to eat and bring back to the rented apartment before the wedding that we were in town for, and my Mom had read/​heard about this market as a good place to go.
Not bad! We had a myriad of things: cornbread muffin, chowder, roast beef sandwich and a turkey sandwich. All did the trick for lunch and the service was quick. Not the best we’ve ever had, but it’ll do. Prices were ok.
We also picked up blueberry muffins for the following morning, and those were tasty! Large, and buttery, and I’m sure oh-​so-​healthy, but very tasty!