By Gus Saltonstall
The Barzini’s saga remains a developing situation as we begin a new week.
After multiple reports that the popular Upper West Side grocer had reopened over the weekend, despite an order to close by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, due to health violations, the business was again shuttered when West Side Rag visited Monday morning.
The timeline is as follows.
On January 13, Barzini’s at 2451 Broadway, between West 90th and 91st streets, was ordered to close by the state due to health violations including evidence of rodents, putrid smells, and beetles. Despite this order, Barzini’s remained opened until January 20, when it put a “temporarily closed for maintenance” sign on its door.
Then, on January 25, ABC 7 reported that Barzini’s had fully reopened to customers, despite no resolution being reached in the court case between the Upper West Side grocer and the state.
When the Rag visited the store on Monday, however, the grocer was again shuttered. There were employees standing inside the business, but no sign of customers. Additionally, we saw multiple people turned away at the door.
When we asked one of the employees when the business might reopen, the man simply said, “We do not know.”
Where do the Legal Proceedings Stand?
Barzini’s is scheduled to appear in New York State Supreme Court on January 31 related to its order to close due to the health violations.
Subsequently, there is a February 6 appearance for the grocer when a judge will determine whether or not to hold Barzini’s in contempt for its refusal to close the store following the original temporary restraining order on January 13, according to court documents and Councilmember Gale Brewer’s office.
“ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that said Defendant 2451 BROADWAY MARKET INC. d/b/a Barzinis is guilty of Civil and Criminal Contempt and fined $2,000.00 for having willfully disobeyed the Order to Show Cause on Motion for Preliminary Injunction with Temporary Restraining Order (“TRO”), dated January 13, 2025, and entered on January 14, 2025, in that, on January 16, 2025 and January 17, 2025 Defendant was open and operating and processing food in violation of the TRO issued by this Court,” read the court documents from the state against Barzini’s.
To be “held in contempt,” means a person or party has been determined to have disobeyed or shown disrespect to a court.
Whether Barzini’s did so will be determined at the February 6 hearing, according to Brewer’s office.
Barzini’s will be able to reopen if a judge rules in its favor and the business subsequently comes into compliance with the law, which includes passing a health and safety inspection.
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Nice to see some responsible, straight forward, professional reporting on this story without the stunningly unprofessional sensationalism and conjecture that has colored coverage in other local UWS publications.
There was no need for any sensationalism in written form after a casual viewing of the photographs provided from the inspection.
Have to say, I was a little stunned to see WABC use the word “beloved” to describe the store. Beloved?
“A beloved grocery store on the Upper West Side has now officially closed its doors after several health violations were uncovered.”
https://abc7ny.com/post/beloved-upper-west-side-grocery-store-barzinis-closes-extraordinary-health-violations-uncovered/15830105/
Who’s shopping there at this point?
best Roach Beef in town
Rats! You beat me to it! LOL.
Hah! Thanks for the laugh.
Who would ever shop there again even if they do pass city inspection and re-open? The owners clearly have no regard for the health and safety of their customers and employees, or for the law, both before and after their disgusting sanitary conditions were finally made public.
The owners clearly have no regard for the health and safety of their customers and employees
In a word, “contempt”.
No one who reads the WSR that’s who! Maybe tourists? UESiders who get lost on the way to Zabar’s?
Owner is a very nice person, a legal immigrant with two graduate degrees who chose to stay open around the clock to serve the community. He carries much more selection than others, is it his fault that incompetent city administration cannot keep rodents out of the neighborhood?
I’m not sure if you’re being facetious or not, but I want to point out that there are several delis and markets run by legal immigrants that stay open around the clock and a good portion of that time is spent CLEANING and restocking, and that includes fresh produce, deli items, and boxed/canned items that are past the sell by dates.
I walked by on Friday evening, there were signs saying “Closed for Maintenance” on the doors, and a smell of rotting food that, even on a freezing, windy night, was nausea inducing. Irrespective of the outcome with the state authorities I won’t set foot inside that store again.
Fine him to the extent possible! He has no respect for his devoted customers, his employees he yells at, or the law. Many people are looking for the outcome and if city government actually can be trusted.
They are definitely still selling food. I’ve seen several people buying groceries in there over the past week.
Everyone deserves a second chance. But that place is a supermarket shantytown. Even the rats won’t enter anymore.
Barzini’s is disgusting. I stopped shopping there years ago after being sold rancid cheese and being double charged for taramasalada.
On Saturday they were open but on Sunday they were closed again.
I have seen people inside cleaning. I hope they pass inspection.
After seeing the health dept report photos of the basement storage area with cartons of food piled directly on the wet floor up to the rat-highway ceiling pipes, I hypothesize that the owner has some kind of mental illness, perhaps a kind of hoarding syndrome, that is at least partly to blame for these impossibly revolting conditions and horrendous service to customers. It doesn’t seem normal, that’s for sure.
When I went on Sunday afternoon they were closed, with staff and the manager inside. The outside looked as it did in the photograph. I am not surprised that they were so badly maintained but I have to say that in years of going there I have never gotten sick or purchased food that turned out to be no good or spoiled. (though I did avoid most of the berries!)_.
Thank you for your objectivity. I shop at Barzini’s regularly for convenience, variety of International foods and friendly service. I’m well aware of the sanitation issues, and know what to avoid. But where else can I shop at 2AM for Iranian dried cherry leather?
why is the store not padlocked by the appropriate authorities?
Probably because the property hasn’t been seized pursuant to a court order. In this case, the property has been ordered to refrain from operating.
I went there one night last week, just to look the place over. I walked through the whole store. The food cases were free of dirt and grime. I scanned the areas overhead and did not see any rats. At 10 pm there was 1 customer in the store and 3 or more workers. It is a fairly crummy looking grocery/superette. The next owner will have to spruce it up.
Passing by this week, I looked inside the windows and saw it looked like their shelved were fully stocked in the cheese section. I am certain they didn’t get rid of all of their old cheeses and restocked with new. The whole place needs to be gutted, bombed with whatever necessary to get rid of the vermin, and all new everything bought. Period.
Next should be key foods between 86th and 85th on Amsterdam ave. That store also has sewage smell by vegetable section.
There is ZERO comparison between KF and Barzini’s. I shop at KF all the time and have never had ANY issues, or seen ANYTHING questionable. And they have one of the nicest staffs in the area.
If you look at the pictures submitted in connection with the application to close this place, you not only would not shop there, you will cross the street rather than walk by it. I encourage you all to do so, you use this address to sign in: https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/CaseSearch and then type in case #900554-25 (Albany County). The more informed the better.
Thank you for this info about how to look up the court case. I reviewed the photos in the exhibit presented to court and that you can look at by clicking the document link on the NY State Court case finder web-page. When I saw the photos, I was shocked. Many months ago, I did see a rat run along the floor in the vegetable department and another rat run along the floor in the cheese department. So I was aware of the problem. I thought the vermin come into the store from the street. However, maybe they “lived there”.
Adam, thanks for that – here’s a direct link to the exhibits.
https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=7ZOwlE3vXtUVZaVzM_PLUS_3DQg==
I think their done. They can’t just get an exterminator and do cleaning. Every foodstuff in the store will need to be thrown out. Only after that can they be considered for a reopening.
I have been a customer at Barzini’s for years. What I liked about the store was the breadth of their goods. Items you didn’t find in other groceries in the area.
I have personally observed rats running around the floor of the store. A bit frightening to see in person in a food store. Each time brought it to the attention of one of the owners who made various excuses for their continued presence.
It grieves me to realize the extent to which the store had such outrageous health violations.
If it ever returns as as grocery store, it obviously needs a complete overhaul, top to bottom, And not with the same owners who had such little concern for their customers.
You needed a web posting, or piece of paper on their door, to help you realize the extent of their outrageous violations? The “continued presence” of rats as you shopped didn’t do it?
You saw rats running around multiple times and you still shopped there?? You did not realize UNTIL NOW that they had health violations? ?
Barzini’s was inspected, cited and shut down by the New York STATE Dept of Agriculture. What if any action was taken by our primary restaurant and food market watchdog, the New York City Dept of Health?? How could conditions have descended to such a state of decrepitude under their watch?
In all the years of following food and market grades and closures, it is very rare to see the State have to step in to protect us.
This is an important issue for the Rag to investigate and report on…..not to mention the Mayor, City Council and borough president. We deserve answers!
Because they already got paid off.
Why isn’t there an official notice from the State or City posted on the doors about the violations and mandatory shutdown? I passed by this morning and the only signs are from the store stating they’re closed for “maintenance. ” The shelves are still stocked with food, including fruits and vegetables.
If the owners could not maintain the store in the past, how do think they would keep it clean in the future? I hope they never reopen. I have not faith in them. Just gross.
No one has ever been forced to shop there. For some of us, aware of the problems and who choose selectively, the store serves a purpose. So I hope that they reopen.
I couldn’t agree more with ‘citycatsman’.
Where were the NYC Health inspectors?
Because that’s not under the jurisdiction of the NYC Department of Health but rather under the jurisdiction of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, which licenses and inspects grocery stores, convenience stores and other similar food stores. https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/indoors/food_safety/complaints.htm
In someone’s pocket, obviously.
Free market is the only thing that can reliably solve this. Hope noone is foolish enough to shop there ever again.
Frankly my dear I don’t give a damn. Such drama.
This makes me wish for the fast opening of the store at the corner of West 93rd and Broadway. Seems like they were hit with a Stop Work order about a month ago.
You can see piles of unrefrigerated cheese from the door window. These piles have remained there for months almost untouched I have noticed. When they reopen all the food still there will be for sale. How is this allowed to happen with all the publicity. No sign from Health Dept. On door , no locked premises.
Isn’t there a law and people responsible?
What can we do?
It really looked very unclean. And I agree…beloved…I don’t think so
Turn it into a Trader Joe’s Wine Shop.
Best place to get ice cream. 🙂
I walked past there a week ago when the signs “Closed for maintenance” were up, and I saw a woman inside shopping, filling her basket, so clearly they are conducting some business on the sly. Further, let’s not forget that they have a documented history of stealing from customers by intentionally overcharging them. I hope the place never opens again.
Barzini’s is a treasure. I look foreard to its reopening.
Another disgusting place that is unregulated, just like absolute bagels. Get rid of it so we can read the articles titled – “another beloved uws institution closed down”… LOL
I’m with Not his girlfriend. I mean, how dare the city regulate this – we don’t need a health department coming in like this; if people want to eat roach and rat infested food or food past its expiration date, how dare the city say no! In fact, what do we need expiration dates for. We can decide for ourselves if things are safe to eat; if we want to eat spoiled food, who is the health department to tell us not to! Let’s get rid of these useless regulations now!