where i shop at the west side market
It’s no secret that the West Side Market is one of Cleveland’s greatest treasures. Last Friday, I took the day off and headed to the market bright and early (SO nice shopping there on a Friday when it’s less crowded). I grabbed a pastry and a coffee and perched myself up on the observation ‘deck’ to enjoy. It was the best morning ever.
Afterwards, I headed to some of my favorite stands for our groceries for the week. I realized that I definitely have a routine and things that I get every single time I go. Here are some of my favorites:
Frickaccios for pizza bagels – Even though I crushed that pastry up there in about 5 minutes (I think it was a Russian tea cake – so good), I still had to stop and get a pizza bagel from Frickaccios. I crave these like none other! They serve them hot so you can eat them there or cold so you can take them home with you (I obviously do both).
J&J Czuchraj Meats for beef jerky – I don’t eat beef jerky but my husband goes NUTS over this stuff. Because I’ve never tried it, I can’t really describe it but just know that it’s really, really good. Michael Symon even featured it on the show “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”
Lucas’ Produce for veggies – I don’t know what originally drew me to this stand for the first time but I’ve been going ever since. You just can’t beat $15 (or less) for a week’s worth of produce. It’s cheaper and fresher than the grocery store and I find that it lasts a lot longer!
Foster’s & Rolston Poultry for meat- Again, I’m not really a big red meat eater so I don’t have much to say about Foster’s except that my husband loves the Delmonico steaks. More of a chicken girl myself, I turn to Rolston Poultry.
Mena’s Produce for dried strawberries – All of the dried fruits and vegetables at Mena’s are great but by far my favorite are the strawberries. They almost taste like candied fruit snacks (though that’s a very juvenile way of describing them…they are much more than that) and they are FABULOUS. My out of town friends literally request that I ship them these…they are that good.
Ohio City Pasta for pasta and sauces – Possibly my favorite stand at the West Side Market, I can’t leave without stocking up on some freshly made pasta and sauces. I recently tried the truffle and 4 cheese ravioli and it’s to die for.
Of course there are tons of other great stands at the West Side Market that I love to shop at but these are just a few that I find myself frequently visiting (maybe a little too often)!