UPDATE: Tuesday, January 21 at 9:30 a.m.: Barzini’s, the popular Upper West Side grocer on Broadway between West 90th and 91st streets, temporarily closed its doors to customers on Tuesday morning.
The store, which was ordered to close last week by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets for a laundry list of health violations, had remained open despite the summons.
On Tuesday morning, though, a sign appeared on the business’ door that read: “Temporarily closed for maintenance.”
An eyewitness told West Side Rag that a team of men Tuesday morning were moving items and garbage out of the store.
It is unclear when the grocer will reopen.
Original Story
By Gus Saltonstall
Barzini’s, the longtime Upper West Side grocer on Broadway between West 90th and 91st streets, was ordered to close on Wednesday by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets for a litany of of health violations. But as of Saturday at 10 a.m., the store remained open.
“CAUTION: At my request, @nyagandmarkets inspected Barzini’s grocery store (2451 Bway) for unsanitary conditions,” City Councilmember Gale Brewer wrote Friday on X. “They found SEVERE violations and ordered the store closed on Weds 1/15 at 8:52 a.m. Barzini’s is still open in violation of the order. I am trying to padlock ASAP.”
Here were some of the conditions found by the state inspector.
- Assorted sausages, bacon, cold cuts, cheese, and smoked salmon in the retail area, deli area, and walk-in cooler area with rodent gnaw marks.
- Assorted pasta in the retail area found with grain beetles.
- Assorted sausages, assorted cold cuts and assorted cheeses in the retail open air coolers, deli open air cooler and kitchen walk-in cooler were decomposedm evidenced by mold-like residues on food surfaces and interiors, by bloated packaging, and by putrid odor.
- The shelves of the deli open air cooler containing assorted sausages, assorted cheeses, and assorted cold cuts had extensive build-up of dark grime, mold-like residues, food wastes, and flaking rust and rodent droppings;
- A live brood of rats — one live rat with six kits — in the kitchen walk-in cooler. Cardboard and plastic bag nesting material was present in boxes of pre-packaged prosciutto stored against the rear wall of the kitchen walk-in cooler. Two live rats observed running along overhead pipes in multiple locations directly above food preparation counters where food is prepared in the kitchen area.
- Two dead cockroaches present on the cutting boards of the kitchen prep area. One live cockroach and live cockroach nymph present on the wall of the basement storage area. 5-10 intact cockroach egg casings noted on the wall of the storage area near the ice machine.
When West Side Rag called Barzini’s for comment, an employee who answered the phone said there was no manager in at the time to speak to. However, when asked if Barzini’s would continue to remain open and defy the order to close for the health violations, the employee said, “no,” without elaborating.
We will update this story when we hear more.
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That place Always looked dirty and smelled bad too! And rude man running it. Stopped going there long ago thankfully.
Putting aside the whole issue of the findings (yes, it’s a BIG “put aside”), can someone explain to me why we have a hefty group of redundant and overlapping, taxpayer supported, inspection groups doing pretty much the same work?
Are there “hefty” groups of “redundant” and “overlapping taxpayer supported inspection groups doing pretty much the same work”? Please show your work.
sure. Just in this specific type of case we’ve got NYS Dep’t of Health, NYC Dep’t of Health, NYC Dep’t of Consumer Affairs, , NYS Dep’t of Agriculture and Markets…..
Send a crew down to city hall.
Rat infested cesspool.
I can smell it all the way up here at 104th Street.
Thank you and have a great day!
Sent from my once great city that’s now a ghost town.
The city is a ghost town?
You might want to visit here some day.
Retail ghost town.
Been here 43 years.
Thanks for your assumption.
I have 5 (soon to be 6) major supermarkets within a 1/4 mile, plus specialty stores. I’ll take those ghosts.
Then say “retail ghost town”.
Why are you so angry?
I love this city. I’m not the one whining about it.
Lighten up. The city is not a retail ghost town.
The city is still great.
“Shirley, you can’t be serious”.
Upper west 90’s retail in serious decay. Chains, smoke stores, maybe pizza – in a downward cycle that needs improvement.
Back away from the keyboard. It’s ok, really!
“Shirley, you can’t be serious.”
I’ve never gone in, but every time I walk by I think of this scene from The Godfather: Tattaglia’s a pimp. He never could’ve out-fought Santino. But I didn’t know until this day that it was Barzini all along.
Was thinking the same thing. Perhaps his kids tried to go legit.
Bada Bing!
Can someone investigate if the UWS has a new health inspector? This is getting ridiculous everything being closed. I mean, the city is gross. Is that a surprise? We used have dead horses in the streets. And you know what it was okay. Guess what, everywhere always is gross
If you look at it that way.
No one is dying or getting sick in droves, calm down and don’t look so closely. I grew up in the country- mice everywhere in homes etc
Do you think any time was cleaner?!
Get over yourself health inspector.
We have immune systems for a reason.
I’m shocked how many people think rats / cockroaches in a grocery store is acceptable….
I, personally, have never seen a dead horse on the streets. Maybe I travel in the wrong circles.
A living yak, on the other hand….
Please show pic of dead horse in street. Or was that for humor or illustration purposes? Yaks and wildebeest a dime a dozen
Not everyone’s immune system is at 100%. Even those with an immune system died in the thousands from the Black Plague cause by rat feces. Read history? So you serious believe it’s OK to each meat, cheese and produce, billed as fresh, assumed to be clean and safe, which has been gnawed by rats, mice and cockroaches? People pay for clean fresh food. Not tainted crap generally found in dumpsters. Vermin carry all kinds of diseases. Our immune systems were not built to accommodate bubonic plague, hanta virus or other non-human viruses. If you want to go dumpster diving every time you go the grocery store that’s your business.
I prefer to purchase (with my hard earned money) fresh foods or even pre-packaged foods that meet at least minimum FDA standards.
Thank you. Reading some of the other comments made me think that something was wrong with me not wanting to eat foods taste-tested and poo’d upon by rodents.
live Rats? Definitely close the place down
People were getting sick and dying in droves when horses were lying dead the streets. Gross! I am not interested in overpaying Brazini’s prices for rat chewed packages and cockroach eggs. He was charging $25/can for lysol during the pandemic. He should be in jail.
Barzini’s, Absolute… why not just have the authorities shut down all businesses that serve food in the city?
I think it would be better for them to just shut down the ones that are filthy.
Especially the ones with rats.
That’s just what I said – shut down all the businesses that serve food in the city.
Got em!
Gross. And makes me long for the sanitary confines of absolute bagels. This place was always a hoarder’s paradise. Rats should pay rent by now.
Only took Grandstanding Gale 25 years to make that call.
At least, now we know what will be ‘on sale’ after re-opening.
Seriously, shopped there 25 years and didn’t die; how serious could it be?
I, for one can tell you “how serious it could be” / I got sick many years ago from eating supposedly “fresh” deli (turkey breast) as have others I know. If you want to shop in a place with those violations, go ahead. But some of us don’t want to risk our health and as for our immune systems, gee, how does that work with COVID, RSP, Norovirus, salmonella , etc.
You want to risk your life buying stuff from this place, go ahead and good luck to you.
And not a moment too soon. This place has been ripe for closing for a huge list of health violations for years. It is inexplicable why they can still function and even more surprising, why anyone would go there for buying anything besides rat poison. The owner(s?) have been rude, abusive and obnoxious for years. I have written about this on yealp, etc., but to no avail.
Oh. My. God. I remember when Barzinis opened. Was that space an OTB before that? Or was the OTB where Equinox is now? I know there had been a Keyfoods around here as well.
Regardless a few months ago I was there and these two rats were chasing each other. Which was bad enough. But I screamed, and a man standing nearby, don’t know if he was waiting online or worked there, asked me what was wrong and I said what I had seen. He was all, “that is NYC ”
Just. No
The place should clean itself up. But without Duane Reade 24/7, the diner is no longer 24/7, hot and crusty is no longer 24/7. Hans had been 24/7 pre pandemic I think. And they are no longer there. Aside from Little Italy, they are the only place that is open late night. And they are really nice
FWIW, Key Food on 96th and Amsterdam is open 24/7 and I found them to be overall pleasant and they have pretty much everything. Even a maze of aisles.
I haven’t been to that Key Food, just the one on 88th and Broadway, but good to know.
Wait. Sorry. I wanted to add. Does this mean they are supposed to close permanently, or close until they clean up? I really hope they clean up and can stay open. There are many things I can only buy there. Plus. A noght owl
Westside Market is 24/7. Key Foods on Amsterdam is 24/7.
This should come as a surprise to virtually no one who has been inside the store. Altered and removed expiration dates are everywhere.
I think there is more going on there than meets eye there. There are huge amounts of food delivered by truck that would seem not consistent with the volume of retail sales. There appears to be no inventory system. No computers. All sales are rung up manually. Nothing is scanned. There is no computerized record of what is being sold. You have to specifically ask for a receipt.
1000%
I once observed employees literally etching off the expiration dates of olive oil bottles and putting a “sale price” over the area in full view of customers.
Truly a layer of Kafka’s Castle.
@dannyB.
In New York state any business that sells food or food products for that are consumed elsewhere require a state issued Retail Food Store License. Businesses that sell hazardous foods such as milk, eggs, and meat also require said license. These businesses are regulated and otherwise fall under control of NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Department_of_Agriculture_and_Markets#Structure_and_services
https://www.nasda.org/state-department/new-york-state-department-of-agriculture-and-markets/
https://agriculture.ny.gov/food-safety/food-safety-inspections
OTOH that sell non-hazardous, pre-packaged foods do not require RFSL, nor do food service establishments, such as cafes and restaurants. Such establishments are regulated by local NY government agencies usually Department of Health.
Supermarkets, grocery stores even CVS type stores and others all are inspected by NYS regarding health and safety. You know this by inspection report (that white page of paper) posted at or near main entrance.
I wonder if the inspectors found the money laundering records.
The rats ate them.
Have said this before in response to similar WSR stories and am doing so again. If people knew half of what went on regarding health conditions of supermarkets, grocery stores, CVS type place, restaurants and so on they’d never eat out again. This and or would inspect every food purchase very carefully.
On any given night supermarkets, grocery stores, bakeries, CVS type stores and other places throw away bag or bags full of things that have been “spoiled” by rodents. You go to sites where dumpster divers post of their exploits and read how initially they were glad to have found huge trash bags full of say packaged baked goods, potato chips, candy (especially chocolate or peanut butter) and so forth. Then they examined packages closely and noticed rodent teeth/gnawing marks if not entire packaged torn open by rats or mice.
Yeah but Barzini’s apparently wasn’t throwing them away, oops!
I was once in a deli (that no longer exists) and noticed several bags of cupcakes and chips that had clearly been chewed open. When I reported it to the manager he said, ‘that’s what happens when they make us get rid of the cats.’ : (
Wait, I thought deli cats, bodega cats, even pizzeria cats were a thing. For this reason. No?
Here’s an old article from the NYT. I regularly see cats at the same stores that have ‘no dogs,’ signs but technically the cats aren’t supposed to be there either. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/nyregion/21cats.html
From Google Reviews two months ago…
“I really want to like Barzinis—but the rat I saw scurry across the floor near the cheese was just too large for comfort.
I was just there at around 7:40. Still open. Spoke to owner. He said it is nothing. Interesting.
I went in there once, walked around, and saw a rat. Never went back. To all of the people saying “this is New York. Get used to it”: I’m guessing your kitchens are rat and cockroach infested. This is beyond disgusting.
Why should anyone, anywhere “get used to it” and risk their health? Seriously, a rat infested place.. We still have options. And yes, one does sort of know that no venue is free of something but there are limits and I want health inspections to “over” inspect (which is what some commentators here are saying they are doing to the detriment of keeping stores open). If there were no stores left open because of violations, so be it. Barzini remaining open shows a lack of care and respect for the health of its customers. THAT’s where you want to shop? Seriously? It’s your health and that of your family. Interesting that you feel it’s OK to risk it just to keep a store open.
Barzini’s was inspected by state on 8 and 10 January 2025 based upon “complaint” of sanitary conditions and other violations. Results of said inspections are listed in court documents and posted in WSR OP above.
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets filed motion and petitions in court seeking to revoke owner and anyone else involved with Barzini’s retail food license based upon findings of unsanitary conditions and finding “adulterated” foods (contaminated by vermin). Plaintiff (NYS) was granted judgement on 10 January 2025 effectively legally shutting down Barizini’s.
https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=j_PLUS_X8/q68tjEMs7LfFY23nA==
Also on 10 January 2025 NYS filed ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE ON MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION WITH TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER which was granted and used to shut Barzini’s. Both sides are due in court on 31 January 2025
Place will remain shut as per granted motion until:
“unless and until consecutive sanitary inspections of that establishment by the
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets finds the establishment
to be in substantial compliance with the Agriculture and Markets Law and
applicable rules and regulations relating to licensure and the manufacture,
processing, storage, and sale of food in New York State;”
There is no such thing as “Barzini’s “resisting” legal and valid closing by NYS. Doing so would have put owners, their servants and anyone else involved in direct violation of court order, but also open themselves to various penalties for operating an establishment without proper license.
“ORDERED, that because it appears that a cause of action for permanent injunction
exists under CPLR section 6301 and that immediate and irreparable injury or damage will
result to the plaintiff herein and to the public health, safety and welfare unless Defendant is
restrained from operating said establishment pending a hearing upon and determination of
Plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction, Defendant, their agents, servants and
employees and all other persons acting under it or on its behalf be and hereby are enjoined
and restrained from operating a retail food store and food processing establishment at
2451 Broadway, New York, New York 10024 pending the hearing upon and determination
of Plaintiff’s within motion for preliminary injunction, and it is further”
https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=QwUWHmrv43svkbJOBCuSiw==
On 15 January 2025 Barzini’s was served with notice shutting them down, it was accepted by cashier/authorized agent “Mr. Capo”
https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=rKCupqBAMI6IRKIAGnFcRw==
Everything else related: https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/DocumentList?docketId=OMFlhjPNOfqx32cNzqghrg==&display=all&courtType=Albany%20County%20Supreme%20Court&resultsPageNum=1
TLDR: Barzini’s must or should have known this was coming. Place will remain shut unless or until owners can prove to satisfaction of NYS they have remedied all and sundry violations that prompted legal action. Owners could choose not to pursue having their license reinstated and just go route of Absolute Bagels and shut down permanently.
Thank you for the links, but I have to say that those photos are some of the most disgusting I have ever seen and I have lived here for a long long time, with full understanding of all the things which we New Yorkers all know must be present. That having been said, this really is horrifying. Fellow curious readers be forewarned, I didn’t realize just how bad it was going to be. Yes, it’s worse!
“Mr. Capo” !
B.B. Thank you spending the time to post the exact legal proceedings.
“I was just there at around 7:40. Still open. Spoke to owner. He said it is nothing. Interesting.”
What would you have him say?
It’s interesting that Barzini’s believes they can defy court order shut down and operate without a valid license. One wonders what their end game is…
or which gov’t entity or individual is being paid off
We have violations, we are concerned about ensuring the health and safety of our customers and we will work hard to fix the problems.
Yeah. That is what I’d like him to say. Among other things. Some reassurance. This place has never demonstrated any sort of customer focused service. Rude. Hostile. Dirty. Always was a place to avoid.
I thought that they had a fleet of cats on the premises to deal with the squeakers. Did they get fired or go out on strike like Starbucks or Amazon?
Do cats really work?
Well, I’ve read that cat urine was found to be a highly effective rodent repellent.
I don’t believe the research involved NYC rats specifically, however.
When you love your job, is it really ‘work’?
@LJJ – it won’t let me reply so posting as a new comment – I was recently eating at a local restaurant when a very large cockroach ran across the floor and under someone’s feet, they shrieked and jumped up, the waitress hurried out and chased it around a bit and got it. Everyone kind of paused for a moment and then went back to eating, including the couple with the person whose foot touched the roach.
We all figured they are always there, we just don’t usually see them. This is to say I do understand the reality and can usually stomach it but this is BAD – this displays no efforts being made at all – dead roaches ON the cutting board?
That many live rats nesting and that much spoiled food with no attempt to hide it?
I have experienced expired and moldy food there before, this isn’t a one off – I stopped buying anything there aside from the occasional canned drink but I didn’t know it was this bad.
If I were eating at a restaurant and a cockroach, or mouse or rat made an appearance in the main dining area, I would leave immediately. I don’t tolerate vermin in my home kitchen as it is not sanitary — why would I continue to dine in a restaurant with obvious presence of live vermin?
The story isn’t that they were ordered closed. It’s that they were open for so long. Anyone who bought food from them would quickly realize they were buying expired food, unrefrigerated food, etc.
It’s been commented before l, in their reviews, etc. Gale Brewer and Barzinis have been within blocks of each other for decades. Why now? Why did it take Brewer’s intervention to get this inspection?
What took them so long? Don’t know how this place remained open all these years. Rotting food. Mice and rats running rampant at all hours. Expiration dates purposely taped over. This is a rat and hoarders paradise and it’s even worse that they were selling prepared foods. Only went in there when there desperate and even then only ever bought sealed/packaged goods. The whole place stinks and it’s not just the rotting cheese.
Clearly a great spot for a mama rat to raise her litter! Wow.
A family of 7 rats living in the cooler? I never heard of that before. This place is finished. They will never reopen. They have a lot of merchandise in the store unlike Absolute Bagels. They will sell as much as they can before the man with the padlock arrives.
That’s disgusting!
The store should be closed by the Marshall/Sheriff lock and key
The theme of things. Many moons ago I saw a delivery food truck. The fella opened the door and out rolled a bag of apples and the apples rolled about and settled along the curbside. Unfortunately, I can only guess a cabbie changed it’s radiator fluid at that same location? Apples in a pool of that yellow green fluid. They were picked up and tossed back into the box or bag. my take away was to really wash my fruit.
Yuck!!! No surprise , the store is always filthy but YUCK.
Cat lady here! I live on this block of Broadway, and Barzini’s is indeed gross, as we all know. They have two cats (one for sure, a white/grey tabby named Mimi, but I think 2, maybe the other is b/w?) and I worry if they are closed, will the cats be cared for? Are there any cat rescue people out there who can sensitively inquire about this? (Also a good reminder that bodega cats do not necessarily equal rodent control; it’s not a great life for cats anyway, sadly, living in a basement …)
I contacted Brewer’s office to make them aware of the cats, and they replied to me. So it’s on their radar, not to let them be unaccounted for if the store is closed.
Thank you, Katherine. Will contact Gale’s office, too. Can’t hurt to have a few of us in her district to show our concern for the cats. It is all too common for cats to be abandoned in closed stores, and it is hard to get them out once the doors are padlocked, although I feel confident Gale could get that done.
You should see the rat infestation at Zabarss
Have never, ever seen a rat or mouse at Zabar’s in 40 years of shopping there.
https://gothamist.com/food/video-baby-rat-spotted-frolicking-in-the-olive-bar-at-uws-fairway?br=1
Fairway yes
Say it ain’t so!
So gross. How are these places allowed to operate so long.
Every time I walked in it smelled like cat piss. I refuse to shop there.
Someone didn’t get their monthly envelope
Why can’t they just be forced to close down?? How are they allowed to continue to operate every day?
All the pot shops on the block are shuttered! Why can’t Barzinis?
We always called it Ratzini’s. Would never shop in there.
or perhaps call it Barf-ini’s ?
Barzini is dead. So is Philip Tataglia, Moe Green, Stracci, Cuneo…today we take care of all business. So don’t tell me you’re innocent.
I’m not surprised. I stopped going there when a rat ran down my aisle.
Can’t wait to try this place out! 😀
This place has always been filthy. What I don’t understand is why they can’t be forced to close down permanently. Most importantly, how do you communicate this latest information about Barzinis to people who don’t read the WRS and keep patronizing the store?
I stopped going there years and years ago when a box of pasta I bought there was infested with bugs. The store is violating health codes to the extreme, and should be shut down. This isn’t your run of the mill oversight of a few matters- it’s rampant, and the store is truly gross.
Why is everyone sniping and snarking?
Stopped going years ago after encountering a rat in the fruit and veg section. Walked right across in front of me as if it owned the place. Manager not fazed – just said to someone you didn’t do your job. For a while they had a cat, very sweet. I hope someone rescued it. I had already been wary of what Barzini’s was selling as much of its stuff was near expiration date and the produce had to be used up within a day or it would simply rot. I don’t know how they stayed in business this long.
I am sorry to say this was obvious to any casual customer for a long while.
I don’t think they’ll need that padlock after people read this story!😱
Ive never been a big Barzini customer even though I live very close because it’s so highly priced but I would run in every now and then…… I certainly won’t anymore!
Thank you New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for doing your job!!
And properly inspecting hazardous food businesses – and aggressively slapping them with deserved health violations…that put consumers at risk!
Sounds like someone in NYC Health Dept getting some kind of regular kick back. Maybe it was caught.
Based on all the indignant comments here, I’m curious why this store was always packed during the day and busy at night since it was one of the few 24/7 stores left in this yuppified paradise the one percent wannabes think is so great. I guess they have a higher class of rats at Fairways.
It’s about time!!! Besides all the other accurate comments about inflated, inconsistent prices and past sell-by dates and the terrifically strong smells of cat urine and spoiled cheese – the towering and leaning aisles of goods make the place a safety hazard.
Incredible problems hiding in plain sight!
Have often wondered how they pass FDNY inspections with only one means of egress and the egress that does exist is typically half blocked…not to mention the owner who stands in the doorway all the time that you have to squeeze around to get out of the store.