Rio Market - 32-15 36th Avenue, Astoria NY 11106718.706.7272
N/W Train to 36th Avenue
I was both surprised and delighted when I saw that a new Brazilian specialty supermarket opened up on 36th Avenue and 32nd street. A bit confused at first, I couldn't figure out what it was, as the space also houses a Brazilian travel agency and a small eatery, offering various grilled meats and even desserts.
Exploring the supermarket portion, which is located in the middle of the two aforementioned businesses, I saw that that they carry a lot of interesting national foods such as breads (both sweet and savory), meat, sweets and inventive frozen foods such as croquettes. They offered a generous tasting of the latter and they were delicious--I really liked the chicken breast and cheese croquette the best and might have to buy it the next time I host a cocktail party.
Prices are inexpensive and judging by Saturday's traffic, it doesn't get crowded. I'd suggest checking it out and stopping at Arepas Cafe for an afternoon snack. Yum!
