New World Market

What a money drain. Everything I bought went to waste. The smoked fish tasted like it was rotten before it got smoked. The ‘tongue’ salad drowned in mayo. The ‘zefir’ candy was hard as a rock. The Napoleon cake had egg shells in it. Super disorganized at the register. Gave it a try, never again.

Great home cooked dishes literally from all around the world! Chicken Kiev, Shaika (stuffed chicken), lulya kebab, manti and plov (Uzbek dishes) are amazing. Salads are delicious (eggplant and bell pepper sauté — Moldavian style, beet salad, Israeli eggplant, cheese salad etc…). Nice selection of Russian and German beer. And all kind of pastries and cakes!!! Staff is very nice and helpful.

Definitely the best russian food store in SF!
Absolutely delicious prepared russian salads and prepared foods, massive selection of cakes, pickles, classic russian dairy (tvorog, smetana) and huge section with smoked fish, meat and cheese.
Very reasonable prices to boot on everything including fresh veggies and vodka to complement the food selection and host and Classic old school russian dinner party. Frozen pelmeni and vareniki also available for those nights you don’t have time to cook.
If you’re looking for cooked foods like kebabs then come before 3pm because they sometimes run our on weekends.

I know nothing about Russian food except for Borscht and Vodka. I know, very stereotypical of me, but I am being honest.
I had a Russian coworker, who was actually Ukrainian, but referred to himself as Russian who always brought me a spicy type of vodka every time he went home on vacation. Well, that is until the conflict started. Anyways, he told me about this place a few years ago if I wanted to get some Russian food, but I never got around to visiting until recently.
Stepping into this place, I had a flashback from watching George Zimmern’s Bizarre Food episode when he visited Russia. I remember him eating a cornucopia of charcuterie from headcheese to plain pork fat because they offered those same things here. They even have a sampler tray where you can taste a little bit of everything, and I took full advantage of.
The lady over the counter even offered me to taste a sample of whatever I wanted. Of course I went straight for the head cheese and beef tongue, which I bought a pound each. I think I got a little carried away and almost bought a pound each of everything I tasted. Hey, these were all new flavors to me and I was enjoying the moment. Of course Wifey put a damper on things when she finally had to cut me off after the sixth item I ordered. But she went crazy too and bought some smoked fish and several salads. The eggplant salad was my favorite of the salads she bought as it was meaty, tangy and had a familiar flavor to it.
On our first visit, I think we spent over $ 80 worth of items and wanted to try even more so we returned the following week and bought more stuff for dinner. I got some cheese, beer, meats, tongue, jerky and pastry while Wifey got some smoked salmon collars that were dirt cheap but were quite enjoyable. They were on the saltier side, but can easily cut the salt by sprinkling some lemon juice and it was tasty. I guess the lady was so impressed with our purchase that she even gave us a loaf of bologna on the house knowing that we can handle everything that they had to offer.
Spasiva!

This place had homemade beef jerky sticks that were bomb. I didn’t expect this Russian market to have such great jerky sticks. They run for about a dollar each (charge by weight) and it’s pretty big!
They also serve these round yellow pastries at the register so I got one because the lady in front of me bought half a dozen. 10 minutes after leaving the store I took a bite of it and spit it out. It was like filled with some sort of sweet cream cheese and it was gross…
But yah get the jerky sticks :)

An incredible selection of various meats and breads. You’ll find Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Bulgarian, Armenian, Turkish and Israeli snacks, wines, vodka and other charcuterie.
I’m basically in love with Alenka, one of the world’s sweetest babies. Find the treats with her illustrated face emblazoned all over! If you’re Orthodox Christian, there are lovely holiday gifts. If you keep Kosher, you’ll find a few good products here.
This is a good stop for cucumbers and pickled favorites, like pickled apples, kefir and rose water elixir. Staff is curt and to the point, but accommodating and I’m really pleased with the choices.
P. S. ”Ruskie” is an offensive and outdated term, similar to ”Kraut” for Germans or ”Polack” for Polish, ”Paki” for Pakistani, _​_​_​_​for Asians, etc.

Since my family came to US this store was the only store that we were buying the produce that reminded us the old world. They had dozens of different sausages fresh and delicious. Then they increased the prices of everything in very strange way. Some kielbasa prices flew up by 100% in very short period of time. So we stopped to buy from there and found a better quality and price store just 3 – 4 blocks away on the same Geary Blvd.
Two weeks ago I stopped by and bought some sausages. The salesperson lady probably was somewhere in the sky. Being a customer of this store I know how to order a sausage. Example: Krestyanskaya kielbasa, 2 lb., sliced please. Then she started pointing on the sausage of my choice
«This one?».
Me — «Yes».
Her — «How many pounds?»
Me — «Two».
Her — «Sliced?»
Me — «Yes»
This was going on with every sausage order I made. I was giving her the COMPLETE order, and she was asking questions after questions. By the end she forgot to put in my tray one of the sausages that I ordered and she sliced. (I found out about that at home).
But today… My wife asked me to buy some pelmeni (Russian style ravioli) from this store. There were about 12 types of pelmeni in the refrigerator in different packages and weights. NON OF THEM HAD PRICE LABEL. Same as the ice cream. NO PRICE ON ANY OF THEM. I asked salesperson a question «Why many of the products in the store don’t have a price tag?» She said that I have to ask the manager about that. So I asked her to call the manager. When the manager showed up I asked «Why there are no price tags on so many items? I think the customer should know/​see the price of a product in order to manage his/​her budget. Am I right?». The manager’s answer with sarcasm was BRILLIANT, «Of course. The customer is always right…» No, the customer is not always right! But in this case I would like to know how much is the certain product cost and it is your obligations and responsibilities to make sure that ALL items have a price on them.
Many salespersons both current and former ask me when I see them on the street the same question «Why you stopped coming to our store?». THATS WHY!

Worst stuff ever
I ve been waiting for someone to help me to find spices, therefore i was standing near by the meat section and texting to my friend. finally after a while a lady approached me and instead of asking me if i need something, she just rudely asked me if i record a video of them and their store??? excuse me, just because im holding my phone in my hands doesn’t mean that i m trying to shoot an oscar movie in your place.
Anyway, after we figured it out, that i was just texting (i showed her my phone’s screen with the texting window) she just send me to the cashier and told me to ask her.
For the future customers of this place:
Make sure the employees in this store are in a good mood, otherwise you might be in trouble.

Every time I go to the New World Market at 5641 Geary Blvd in San Francisco, I am being reminded WHY I left the Soviet Union and why I NEVER WANT TO GO BACK! The workers are rude. They gossip about everything and everyone, even about ME and I’m staying right there, in front of them! But I speak Russian and can understand. However, if you don’t speak Russian and want some help – FORGET IT! My English-​speaking husband went in to get some newspapers and a magazine for me. I texted him the info. They refused to look at his phone and started helping others while he had me on the other line so I could tell them which magazine I needed. And then they started laughing and talking smack about him! And I heard it all while being on hold!!! And this is at least the 3^rd time this happened! Unbelievable! Shame on you. I will never set my foot in your store…

Great selection of both cooked and off the shelf stuff, especially, of course, Russian.
Too bad that when boss is not around, most of the employees just blow you off. I just left after waiting and watching *4* employees just aimlessly wasting time waiting to close while one was helping another customer. After about 8 minutes of waiting, that same employee came over and… told me she didn’t speak English.
After the English speaking one she called over just ignored both her and me, I finally had enough, and the store just lost about $ 40 sale.
I’m actually from a Slavic country and know what it’s like when a cultural norm in retail is surly «I hate you because you’re making me work», but this was too much even for me.
Hope the owner reads these reviews… I know he’s actually invested in good service at his store.

Major bummer and a bit concerning that Gastronome closed a block down the street because now New World Market is going have to pull more weight for the demands of the Eastern European diaspora as well as enthusiasts like myself. You can sort your whole kitchen here pantry here. I’d start with the smoked salmon. You’ll need to slice it yourself but it’s fantastic and I even think homemade. (Get a bagel from House of Bagels with some cream cheese and you are set.) Try some of their cured meat samples on the deli counter. Don’t be too afraid– I think most items are fresh and you’ll undoubtedly end up buying half pound or two. As mentioned by Nobu, the beer selection is large and entirely unique, coming from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, etc. The hot deli has moved and enlarged. I suggest to start with the stuffed cabbage. I hope this place stays open for ever, it’s always great to visit.

Great place to get your russian groceries. Excellent customer service. We drive here once a month all way from Hayward. I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars because of the sausages made in the store. They are more on a sweet side that I like.

It seems that if you are Russian, then you may receive good service.
Apparently because we are Asian, we were ignored and given a lame excuse
why we were not served.
So for our Russian neighbors, you have a good resource.
Others might want to visit other options.
Really insulting living in such a diverse City and time.

Horrible! Stuff is old and staff is rude. Rushed there from SoMa but I accidentally missed my stop so came here instead of Royal Market Food & Bakery. I thought it would be okay despite the bad reviews. I was wrong! The staff rolled their eyes at me as I was asking to get meat from the meat counter.
I will never come back.

A great selection of Russian food! Very unique.
Great selection of sausages. I will be back =)

I don’t have much of a comparison point for Russian food, but my Russian coworker took me here because he said the deli is good. He was right! We ordered marinated vegetables, Korean carrots, and olivye — all of which were delicious without having had them before. I’m definitely coming back here again. So my different types of salads and meats. The perfect stop before a picnic!

Oh my god, the salespeople!
The two stars that I gave (begrudgingly, at that) are reserved for the food sold here, and only the food– but more on that later. The lack of 3 stars is purely for the cashiers.
Every time I go up to the counter to ring up my order, I’m met with some of the most sour looks I’ve ever seen. Ok, so maybe it’s been a bad day, I get that. But for the 30+ or so times I’ve shopped here, it’s been the same.
«Maybe it’s me?» I think, so I asked some of my other Russian friends, and they’ve had similar results. Even the babushki at the bazaars back in Ukraine are friendlier than these people.
Want to get a slice of meat at the deli? You’ll probably have to wait at least 10 minutes, even as the salesperson behind the counter is right there, looking straight at you, but doesn’t bother to move.
Just bought your groceries and need your credit card back? The cashier will fling it back at you, like a ninja star.
Trying to look at some products? The stock person will use all the power in his hips and elbows to push you so he can get to his all-​important task of stocking 5 packages of tovorog.
(I think you’re starting to see a pattern here, so I’ll leave it at that).
Anyway! If you still want to shop here (are you a masochist by any chance?), here are the following foods I would recommend:
–Sulguni cheese (stylized as)– YUM. This is a slightly salty, but very smooth type of cheese. It can also be used in the Georgian cheese pasty Khachapuri, or simply melted on a piece of bread.
–Cherry Vareniki– These are in the frozen section, but super delicious! You have to boil these for a bit, but they’re deliciously soft dough filled with cherries.
–Chicken pelmeni– On a similar note, these are dough-​covered pieces with meat filling. Goes great with a bit of salt and some sour cream. :)
–Eggplant spread– I’ve only tried this once, but it has a nice mix of spices and veggies
Good luck, you’ll need it.

Place is just okay. Ordered a couple of things, didn’t like the olivier but the deli meat were pretty good. I must admit that this is one of the place that I go to here and there. I love this thing that they have, deep fried cheese something. They always have it at the counter, they are pretty good.
Place is tiny. Pretty much get things in and out. They service is good though.

My BF’s Russian immigrant parents swear by this place– there are north of a million delis in SF, half of which specialize in European stuff, but this one is the best. They’ve fully vetted it and it’s their choice deli for the past decade.
Prior to moving away from the Bay area, they purchased a giant feast of foods from here– partly because they were going to a potluck party and partly because BF and I love to eat. Somehow, we got to sample nearly everything offered here.
Loved: the stuffed chicken neck, smoked salmon belly, crepes and caviar, lamb kabob. Not even kidding about the kabob, it’s probably the best kabob I’ve ever had.
Liked a lot: veggies, roasted garlic potatoes, pierogies (only available in cabbage when we went, so bummed!), pelmini/​blintzes (can find everywhere lately).
Still pretty decent: oliveye (simply expected better), herring in fur coat (too much sour cream?), that meat jello stuff I refuse to eat but the rest of the family swears is amazing.
If you’re Unilocaling for Russian deli staples, this is THE place to go. Ignore the rest. There are way too many others to do the research yourself, just trust me on this.

This place is a great deli! They have tons of different types of delicious deli meats (different types of salami, mortadella, bologna, etc.) made in house for a very good price. They also have a variety of other prepared foods. I highly, highly recommend their boneless smoked chicken kebabs; be sure to ask them to add onions.
Since this place caters to Eastern Europeans/​Central Asians, there is also a large variety of vodkas that are also very cheap. I will update my review once I have tried some of these.