City Market NW

I visited many a grocery store in Portland. It's kind of my thang when travelling. City Market is a small shop with a focus on local and artisanal/specialty products.

First things first, I so appreciate the designated parking lot behind the store. Thank you! I went a little (okay, a lot) gaga over the variety of beautiful oysters on display (not to mention all the other fish and such!) They had samples available of a seafood spread sold at their deli, and it was delicious. In fact, the deli offerings as a whole were impressive, with a great variety of cheeses and charcuterie, as well as prepared foods. Produce, while limited, appeared to be thoughtfully selected. I was also pleased to spot several varieties of sausage and salami from one of my fav brands, Olympia Provisions.

This was not among my favorite markets, but it was still worth checking out. If I lived in Portland I'd make my way here at least occasionally, most particularly when searching for specialty ingredients or quality seafood.

City Market NW is CLOSING. :-( This Saturday or Sunday, August 17 or 18, is the last day this splendid collection of food purveyors will be open for business. So it goes, I guess, that nothing lasts forever and after 28 years at this location they will not renew their lease. I'm sad given how many years I've enjoyed shopping here when in town. Even to the point of choosing extended stay hotel with a full kitchen on multiple visits within an easy walk or roll distance to City Market to be able buy food to take back to enjoy 'at home'. No matter what I was looking for there were always friendly people here to point me in the right direction. And to introduce me to things I didn't know about before but then couldn't figure out how I'd lived without them. The same owners or team are involved in Providore Fine Foods on Sandy Boulevard on the East side of town. So there's that. But I have shopped at Providore and while it is a very nice market, even that is not the same as this City Market NW. The end of an era. At this location at least. Owners posted on social media that they are open to finding another site on the west side of town. I wish them well in all things. And in particular I grieve for Newman's Fish, one of the purveyors inside City Market, which has been in business in Portland since 1890 and now has "no immediate plans" after City Market closes. Makes me want to cry.

We were particularly looking for Italian pork cheek known as "Guanciale" to make a pasta recipe my husband found online. We live in Beaverton and called Whole Foods (they said it's hard to come by and they haven't had it in 6 months!), a local meat shop, and New Seasons. Then we called Chop inside City Market and drove the 35 mins there for their house-made Guanciale!

We also needed some specialty cheese and particular hard-to-find Italian pasta. We didn't realize till we walked in that there were 4 stores under one roof - such a great concept b/c every area specializes in something different! We spent our first time here wandering every nook of the market!

We will be back!

This place is great. I lived in Europe for a few years and this place reminds me of a lot of the gourmet markets I saw over there.

I'm pretty much just writing this review so I can talk about the olive ciabatta bread. It was a bit expensive at $6 for the loaf but honestly it was so freaking good and everything I've ever wanted in an olive bread, I actually don't care how much it cost. I feel like it changed my life.

They have lots of fresh, organic, local produce. I also went to the deli counter and got dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) and hummus. Both were absolutely delicious. The dolmas honestly might be the best I've ever had.

I hope to try the fresh pasta next time. If you're into cooking and gourmet cuisine you definitely gotta go

Now I know where to go when I need fresh pasta noods. Or baguettes. Or flowers. They are only 1 of about 2 locations that carry Hillary Horvath flowers which are so carefully and beautifully curated. They're not your average floral bouquet. They range from $12-$20ish depending on the size and assortment you choose. They're pretty much the first thing you see when you walk inside their market so it's hard to miss.
City Market has free parking in back and ample street parking. Nike's Biketown bikes are also conveniently located right in front of the store as well.

Food is good but I would like to see better training of staff in fish dept.
1. Ask the customer if they would like the skin removed. At these prices service should be deluxe. Marinades? Whole Foods does both. No charge.
2. If you don't have a trained eye to carve off 16 or 24 oz. don't just whack away and get it wrong. Ask the customer to help decide. Hold the knife over the fish and ask the customer to tell you "more" or "less."

I love City Market! They have the best fresh pasta cut to order, dolmas, focaccia bread, charcuterie, spices and more! I don't eat cheese, but if I did I would buy it here. Love it!

One year ago, Kelly M wrote: "good fancy food for those with refined tastes and bulging wallets." Others have called it "a culinary museum," which I also appreciate, considering my deep admiration for all things caloric. (And celery, I love you too.) These are such brilliant summations, that I merely have a few additional details that might supplement this enlightened commentary:

They carry 'All Natural Free Range' everything, from Heritage Turkeys to Chicken Broth. Basically, there's a lot of free rangin' goin on, which I fully support.

They carry wild mushrooms and all sorts of hydroponic garden goods. I mean, before coming in, I thought hydroponic was a science fiction term. Now I know it's also delicious.

Raw oysters and scallops tempt me to become a better chef than I am. (EZ Mac, anyone?)

But you know how they sucker you in? The jungle flower fever you get from their lavish outdoor display. You can't walk down NW 21st without stopping at least briefly to admire. If you managed to skip Sammys on Glisan, you surely won't be able to resist the bright sunflowers and Gerbera daisies.

Long story short, this is the perfect chance to explain the "get what you pay for" mentality to a non-believer.

City Market NW is a grocery co-op in the Northwest/Alphabet District part of Portland. Here you will just about find anything you would need to make a high quality gourmet meal. I would describe City Market as a neighborhood upscale grocery.

Here you will find quality meat (including charcuterie), produce and seafood. But also other staples like local fresh bread, wine and a mix of local and imported food products.

However, I came here in search of the Pastaworks counter here. I wanted to try some of their pasta. Their location in the Hawthorne neighborhood was a bit far from where I was, so I decided to head to their counter here instead.

At the Pastaworks counter, you will find cheeses in addition to their famed pastas. There is a freezer case full of pastas along with numerous sauces. But more impressively they offer fresh cut to order pasta in different varieties and flavors.

Picked up a pound of rigatoni ($4) and a pound of cut to order lemon fettuccine ($4). I like that they write how long to cook the fresh pasta on the top of the wrapping paper. Fresh pasta cooks much more quickly than dry pasta so make sure to not overcook it.

I really enjoyed both pastas that I tried. Fresh pasta is just superior. The lemon fettuccine has a refreshing slightly citrusy flavor to it which would pair well with some asparagus and nice grilled meat or seafood. Whereas the rigatoni would be well suited for mac & cheese. When the pasta tastes this good, you can easily think of other combinations that would work well with it.

If you are looking for fresh pasta, I would recommend visiting City Market or the Pastaworks Hawthorne store to try it for yourself. I will certainly make another stop here on my next visit to Portland to pick up more of the pasta found here.

One of my favorite small grocery stores in Portland. City Market NW has amazing, quality, fresh ingredients and food. LOVE their dolmas and paninis.