Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market was a must visit on this trip to NYC. For some reason, in my head I had decided it was going to be an indoor version of Borough Market. This certainly wasn’t the case. It is housed inside a large building that used to be an old biscuit factory (where the Oreo cookie was invented). Inside are long, winding high-ceilinged corridors with walls of exposed stone. The ceilings contain rafters, pipes and industrial fans, reminiscent of the factory’s past. Instead of the hundreds of market stalls that I expected, the corridors were lined with a large assortment of gourmet food stores, from seafood to chocolate to Thai and most else in between.

Inside Chelsea Market

I had been recommended to check out Sarabeth’s Bakery for breakfast, of which there are several branches throughout New York. Sarabeth’s are all-day restaurants but are all differ slightly in their menus. Most serve a breakfast and/or a brunch menu as well as lunch and dinner. Sarabeth’s is particularly famous for its preserves and cakes.

Sarabeth's bakery

My friend mentioned that I should try the scrambled eggs with cream cheese and marmalade on toast and I duly obliged. At $13 it wasn’t cheap (other breakfast options are in a similar range and stretch up to $17) and I was therefore expecting big things. Fortunately it delivered, with quality scrambled eggs punctuated by heavenly mouthfuls of cream cheese and sweet but not-too-sour marmalade, a surprising but excellent partner.

Scrambled eggs with cream
cheese, spring onions &
marmalade toast

I’d definitely like to visit again for breakfast and try the other breakfast/brunch options from the extensive list such as pumpkin waffles or the lemon and ricotta pancakes. Lunch and dinner didn’t appeal to me quite so much, being littered with relatively basic options such as club sandwiches, steaks, lobster rolls and salads, all hovering around or pushing past the $20 mark. Head over to one of their many outposts for breakfast/brunch if you can.

Wandering around I came across Tuck Shop, which specialises in pies etc to grab a sausage roll. Can’t remember the price exactly but I’m pretty sure it was roughly only a few dollars. This was full of coarse, flavoursome and well spiced meat with a flaky but mildly oily pastry. Definitely worth it. They also blend their own syrups for fizzy drinks such as root beer and cream soda etc but unfortunately I couldn’t try it that day because they’d run out.

Then I headed over to the chocolatier Jacques Torres because their ‘Wicked’ hot chocolate had caught my eye. This contained ancho and chipotle chilli and it's not often that I can resist the classic marriage of chilli & chocolate. Whilst the chilli wasn’t quite as spicy as I would have liked, it still fought well and held its own with the rich and thick chocolate with a slight salty note to add further depth. Another enjoyable find. Although I didn’t try any, their chocolates also looked quite appetising, with adventurous combinations such as chai, rum & caramel and key lime ganache in white chocolate.

Jacques Torres

Other notable venues I visited include The Lobster Place for exceptional and comprehensive seafood (both for now and to take home) and Lucy’s Whey for a good selection of cheese. Chelsea market is a cool place, full of character and pretty busy with a variety, but not extensive, choice of options to explore. It’s definitely less hectic and less exciting than Borough Market but it’s still worthy of a visit, but don’t go there to find a bargain.

Where to go before/next: Check the market's website for details of events such as wine tastings or cultural & food tours amongst others. Something worth checking out is the High Line. This is a public park built on an old freight train line above the city's streets. It runs from Ganesvoort street to West 34th street between 10th & 11th avenues. There's always public art exhibitions & talks going on.

Website: Click here

Location: 75 9th Avenue 10011 (between 15th & 16th streets)

Nearest Subway: 14th Street station

Opening Times: 7.00 – 21.00 (Mon - Sat) 8.00 – 19.00 (Sun)