The Chelsea Market

In the 1990’s the Romanesque 1913 National Biscuit Company building that sits a pebble toss from the Hudson at Ninth to 10th avenue between 15th and 16th street in West Chelsea where everything from Premium Saltines to Oreo’s to Barnum’s Animal Crackers were once produced. It made the transition between deteriorating industrial complex to the current arcade of eateries, TV studios, and high profile Dot com offices. On the ground level, the Chelsea Market is a hodgepodge of indie bakeries, specialty food shops, wine bars, and hip cafes that peddle their rather costly products to gastro junkies and pocket heavy tourists. Also making an appearance are several full size, over hyped restaurants with big name celebrity chefs like Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr’s off shoots of his successful modern Asian restaurants Buddakan and Morimoto, which happens to be manned by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto who occasionally battles contestants in the Food Network studios upstairs. The majority of the shops are independent, though several small corporate chains like Hale & Hearty Soups and L’Arte del Gelato have snuck in with the crowd. Century old manufacturing remnants still linger throughout the building like rough-hewn brick walls, factory floors, and unused air ducts, but at a quick glance they can be easily mistaken for the contemporary art installations plastered on each wall and bolted down to every open corner. The space is not nearly as large as the Food Court at Grand Central Station and the market is a far cry from Les Halles de Lyon or even Pike’s Place in Seattle, but, in this neighborhood of multi-million dollar lofts, you won’t find a better variety of foods or prices. Quizzes, live jazz, in store tastings, and other free events can hold your attention for an hour or so, but there’s no reason to plan your day around a trip here. Come if you want a quick meal before a live TV show taping, while waiting for your ride at Port Authority, or if you want to grab a snack to take up to the new Highline elevated park, which connects to the market by elevator at Ninth avenue.

List of Stores at the Chelsea Market:
Restaurants:
-Morimoto
-Buddakhan
-The Lobster Pot
-The Green Table

Bakeries
-Amy’s Bread
-The Cleaver Co.
-Eleni’s
-Fat Witch Bakery
-Friedman’s Bakery
-Ruthy’s
-Sara Beth’s

Apparel
-202

Food Shops/Cafes
-Buon Italia
-Chelsea Market Baskets
-Chelsea Thai Wholesale
-Chelsea Wine Vault
-L’Arte de Gelato
-Hale n Hearty Soups
-Manhattan Fruit Exchange
-Ninth Street Espresso
-Ronnybrook Dairy

Kitchen Supplies
-Bowey Kitchen Supplies

Other
-Chelsea News
-Kico Kids
-Imports From Marrakech

Chelsea Market
75 9th Avenue (Between 15th and 16th Streets)
New York, NY 10011

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Nicholas Gill (470 Posts)

Writer and photographer Nicholas Gill is the editor/publisher of New World Review. He lives in Lima, Peru and Brooklyn, New York. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CondeNast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, and Penthouse. Visit his personal website (nicholas-gill.com) for more information.