Soho Garden

Ohhh I hate this place with every fiber of my being. They are overpriced and vile. They put dressing on the salad before they put it out at the salad bar so that it will weigh down the salad costing you more money since it’s by the pound. It’s always too much dressing, the salad looks like paste. The food is subpar at best and don’t think about spending $ 9.99, you need to spend the full $ 10 to meet the card minimum. Don’t worry, everything here is $ 10!
She threw my card and receipt on the counter, mind you she should’ve been focused on the person in front of me but I guess since they were paying in cash she decided to rush me into paying. So I’m standing at the counter with another customer trying to sign my receipt while they fumble for cash. I asked, «So you’re just gonna throw my card like that?». Of course the heifer didn’t say a thing. I next to never shop here and I know why. They don’t need my business. Not like the people who own the store cares anyway. PS that spinach noodle crap near the sushi is dung!

It’s not clear whether Soho Garden actually stocks more than any of the other local bodegas (frankly, I’ve never walked into any of them and walked out empty handed — they all seem to stock literally everything) but the store is truly palatial by New York standards so everything is easy to find. We’ve bought cough and cold medicines, food staples, snacks, flowers, fruit, toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags, mousetraps, beer, soda, and so on. We stocked up here for Hurricane Irene but they were open the whole time, even as their basement flooded.
The prices are what you’d expect — too high by half for everything — but the staff is friendly (and remembers us, as it should be) and they tolerate the occasional visit from our pit bull puppy as long as she’s on good behavior.
From time to time they have cranberry /​white chocolate chip /​macadamia nut cookies near the register that we can’t find anywhere else, and I’d recommend them if I weren’t afraid they’d sell out faster as a result. They also have a cat, though I think he stays in hiding most of the time.
When I tell people I’m addicted to the convenience of living in New York, this is the place I have in mind.

In honor of my recent acceptance into the NYC Unilocal Elite community (yay! :D), I write this review about the kind of businesses that I most appreciate: neighborhood market/​deli/​convenience store.
New York City is home to many corner bodegas that fade into relative obscurity, except to those locals who live right above it. Mandatory, yet often taken for granted, it is these mom&pop shops that keep your average New Yorker alive. Without them, we would have to walk a ridiculous 10 blocks to get a roll of tissue paper. They’re especially handy when you really need a roll of tissue paper… and no more on that.
As much as my love for 7−11s and ampms will endure, I’ve grown extremely fond of these bodegas, where the character and kindness of the owners keep locals coming back. It’s all about business, but with a twist of humanity.
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That said, Soho Garden is a relatively new shop that sells your standard bodega necessities, but in organized fashion. My biases lead me to support them because they fed me through my 1L year and kept me strong enough to survive. From hot sandwiches to fresh fruit, from excellent udon (seriously. try it. its only 6.50) to fresh cut flowers for my lady, from beer to chapstick… they have it. Also great is their per lb prepared food, at least when it’s fresh.
That said, I withhold a perfect rating because it is what it is, a quick and easy shop where cleanliness is secondary to your immediate necessities. It’s not the cleanest, it’s not the best, but it’s got everything you immediately need… plus some good udon. In fact, I am slurping one down as I type.
*sluuuurp*