By Gus Saltonstall
Barzini’s, the longtime Upper West Side grocery store, will close at the end of August, an employee who did not provide his name, confirmed to West Side Rag over the phone on Monday afternoon.
Barzini’s has served customers on Broadway, between West 90th and 91st streets, since 1983.
Here is the Rag’s exchange with the Barzini’s employee who picked up the phone at the grocer on Monday.
WSR: Is the store closing at the end of the month?
Employee: Yes.
WSR: Do you know why it’s closing?
Employee: I don’t know, sir.
WSR: But it’s closing?
Employee: Yes.
The Rag then called the manager of Barzini’s, Parviz Abde, who provided the following when asked for more information about the impending closure.
“I don’t want to have any comment,” Abde said, as he hung up the phone.
WSR reported on August 5 about the “Every Thing Must Go!” discount signs that went up at Barzini’s at the beginning of the month. At the time, two employees told the Rag that despite the signs, the store wouldn’t be closing, and instead explained it as “too much inventory.”
In recent days, though, the signs changed from “Every Thing Must Go!” with a 30 percent discount and a list of excluded items, to “Every Thing Must Go!” with a 40 percent discount, and no mention of excluded items.
Additionally, since the Rag talked to Barzini’s at the beginning of August, we have had three tipsters reach out to say they spoke with either the Barzini’s owner or an employee, who told them the store would be permanently closing at the end of August.
“Barzini’s is closing August 31,” Michael Bernard emailed on August 18 to West Side Rag. “I spoke with the owner.”
A different tipster wrote in on August 20, “Barzini’s is closing. Spoke to the owner, who agreed it was the end of an era.”
Barzini’s has been a staple of its section of the Upper West Side for more than 40 years. For much of that time, the grocer has operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is not a chain grocery store, as its Upper West Side outpost was its single location.
“We opened Barzini’s in 1983 to offer this neighborhood a wider selection of foods: an eclectic range of gourmet items and glorious produce,” reads a blurb about the store. “My brother Parviz and I saw the need for more food choices around 91st Street, so we started up our business on the Upper West Side.”
The Rag will update this story if more information is learned.
Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.
It’s 50% off now.
People love this store as a local destination for so many things and how it stayed open during the pandemic and they like the customer service. People hate this store because it’s rat-infested and they change the labels on expired food.
Goodbye, Ratzini’s
Great analogy
It’s all sketchy at Best. Never trusted outdoor produce anyhow
Where do you think it grows?
I will miss the *idea* of Barzini’s — that someone could run a store with such flagrant violations and do crazy things like rub-off expiration dates from packaged food, sell moldy cheese and sell ice cream so warm it was practically liquid.
But the actual store? It’s well past it’s date.
Damn I had a typo — well past *its* date. My brain is also past-due.
True, but still a terrific comment’
How will the mice eat?
One of the brothers told me that they were negotiating the lease but it didn’t look good. One of the homeless guys who is always hanging out said they were behind on their rent. I would guess that is more likely what is going on, but who really knows?
It was Barzini all along.
👌 perfect!
👏
Good Riddance!
Why wouldn’t they just confirm? Such strange behavior.
Still trying to offload their rotten items
I really appreciated them in 2020 when COVID hit. They had their own supply chain and never had supply problems when other grocery stores did.
The supply chain was located in the basement.
Now that’s funny.
You got that one right
Good riddance. Dirty conditions, changing expiration dates, and they intentionally overcharge at the register. They are crooks.
I was there late one night checking out the cheese when I saw a black shadow scurry across the floor and hide somewhere. Then I heard noise behind me. I turned around to see a HUGE rat on top of the avocados. I jumped and screamed. It ran for it. Disgusting. I never went back again. God bless Mimi the cat. Those rats were bigger than her. I hope she never got hurt fighting those rats and that the owner takes her with him.
Barzini’s has offered a wide variety of products, but especially produce, and especially organics for many years. I started shopping there when it was in its prior location by the subway entrance.l at 93d. Were there some sanitary and freshness issues? Yes. Caveat emptor. But rather than the City Council push to close it, it would have been better to help it reach the standards. Now, with Whole Foods at 89th closed, and Broadway Farms at 85th closed, there is no supplier of fresh watercress, organic greens (mature arugula, dandelion) between 98th and 74th (Fairway) (except chains, Key Food, small selection, national suppliers, or plastic clamshells). When the law forbade the cats, it made problems worse. Jery and staff, you will be missed.
What about Westside Market and the Health Food store that’s close by??
I believe the city did work with them to get them back up to standards, but the idea that they thought they were above the law was just too much for me. Even if the place had been spotless and they showed this attitude towards the law for other reasons, I would have stopped shopping there. A local shop should be a healthy thriving part of the community. Scofflaws do nothing to build community.
Same. Since the closure I didn’t really go back, and since I walk by there all the time – pretty much at least once a day – I have seen how their business has plummeted since the closure. I have rarely if ever seen a line there since they closed.
Any place else around here that sells Jersey tomatoes at the end of summer? That is about the only thing I ever bought at Barzinis; otherwise the store creeped me out as a fire trap.
Mani Market. Taki and Tasso are the lovely owners. They have Amish grown produce, too, in season, and locally grown tomatoes and apples (ditto for in season), and olive oil they press from olives in their family grove in Greece. They are lovely and the place has tons of stuff. Been there for decades.
I saw your post and I had to catch my breath because I was thinking you were going to say Manis was closing. Love that family like they are my own.
MANI Market on West 94th and Columbus always has delicious fruits and veggies. mini seasonal fruits and vegetables they get from Amish farms in
Pennsylvania, as well as bringing a lot of things in from the farms on Long Island.
They also have delicious prepared foods.
Sunday morning Farmer’s market at the Museum of Natural History.
Friday farmers market 97th between Amsterdam and Columbus
Try Mani Market on Columbus & 94th, owned by two wonderful Greek brothers, Taki and Tasso.
Or, this time of year, a pop-up Farmer’s Market.
Entering Barzini’s early one morning to be faced with 2 large rats feeding on the cheese display. More surprising was the manger/owner’s response “I guess we should set some traps “ I never returned……
Oh, I loved that place!
The two (2) times I went. Twenty years ago.
I’ll miss it so much!
I don’t agree with those cheering the demise of Barzini’s. For years we have shopped there for fruit, milk, yogurt, bread and other items. Yes it had serious flaws. But by choosing carefully we patronized the store very often. and were pleased to have it close by. One more vacancy on the Upper West Side is nothing to be happy about.
haven’t been in the neighborhood for that long but i live close to Barzini’s and it doesn’t even enter my head as an option, even after everything else is closed. i didn’t even know about most of the complaints people in the comments have had except the price gouging at the register. it just smells awful in there, which doesn’t bode well for a grocery store
For me, after being a fairly loyal customer for decades. It was the DOH rat report that ended the relationship. I remembered their place on 93rd and Broadway in the early 80s and it wasn’t clean.
I am so sorry Bazzini‘s provided a human touch in a neighborhood, largely serviced by supermarkets or little bodegas.
dey are crooks!
When I moved back to the west 90s neighborhood after more than 15 years, I was happy to see Barzini’s was still here, but it quickly became clear how unclean and rat-infested it was (I once thought I saw a large kitten, only to realize it was a huge rat!) I suppose it’s no wonder the place is rat-infested since they always leave the doors open at the front. Surely they run (live?) under the fruit stands and then into the store as they please, among other possibilities. I stopped going after I realized how unclean it was, but I became an absolute enemy when they refused to close upon order of the Dept of Health (some of you may recall that several months back–I believe the West Side Rag covered this). Running a sloppy business is one thing, but flagrantly ignoring the law when it’s been made clear you’re endangering people’s health is another. I’m very sad to see a long-time business close and unhappy to know that space may sit empty for a long time, but I think “good riddance” is perhaps the best way to put it.
I hope they don’t dump their friendly bodega cat Mimi. WSR, can you report on her fate?
Pros: in a blizzard, they were just about the only store open nearby. Cons: items can be past expiration date, but everyone knows this (or should know it if they read the labels). Expired products were part of the charm.
CHARM??
Had the same experience with rats larger than cats running up top where they store the cereal. I never saw a rat that big – looked like an armadillo. The owners were blasè to say the least.
I was there when a vendor was double parked and delivering pallets of challahs. The owner was so demeaning and rude to him that I never went back to the store.
It is curious to me that the owners refuse to admit it is closing, when it is clearly closing. Any idea why the reluctance?
Hello, they don’t want to own up to their filthy conditions, expired and spoiled food, and rat population. DISGUSTING!
Likely still trying to get the deal from the landlord
I remember as a kid must have been 1989 I lifted the scale of it’s base and underneath was a colony of roaches. Never again.
It’s such a shame what happened to Broadway above 72nd Street over the last couple of years. As each business closes, it becomes more and more difficult for the existing businesses to attract shoppers.
This is the rare exception where a vacant storefront is better than a (rat-infested, DOH-violating, abhorrently disgusting) business
It is true that they carried some fascinating and unusual items that i’ve never seen outside the Mediterranean. Unfortunately they bought them approximately every 5 years and put the price tags over the expiration dates.
God help anyone who purchased the more immediately perishable items, and whoever took those basement photos.
It’s actually insane how long this was allowed to continue.
I didn’t know until this day that it was Barzinis all along.
Last place I could get Uncle Jerry’s pretzels.
Fresh Direct sells several varieties of Uncle Jerry’s, including the extra-dark,
Good riddance to bad rubbish…..a store willing to poison us with filthy food and environments. Then when the Health Dept. closed them they remained open for a while.
Possible closing reasons selling , or not long ago closed for health violations in store . Has been a secondary shopping space if not able to locate what needed at other markets or if I was looking for prepared food items .
It was expensive, smelled awful, and had rodents scampering over the carrots. Good riddance.
Generally a disgusting experience. I won’t miss them.
ORDER: Defendant 2451 Broadway Market Inc. d/b/a Barzini’s (“Broadway Market”) filed a notice of a chapter 11 bankruptcy case on July 21, 2026. Dkt. No. 16. Accordingly, this action is hereby STAYED as to Broadway Market consistent w ith 11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(1). Plaintiff and Defendant Parviz Abde a/k/a Paiviz Abdekalimi (“Abde”) are hereby ORDERED to meet and confer and file a joint letter by August 7, 2026, proposing next steps for this litigation. Specifically, the letter must address whether the Court should stay the remainder of this action until Broadway Market’s bankruptcy matter has been resolved. SO ORDERED (Signed by Judge Margaret M. Garnett on 7/27/2026) Case stayed. (ks)
So I guess I was right that business has been super down since the Health department shit them down in 2025
I’m aware of the health issues but I’ve never had a problem there, and I’ve shopped there for as long as they’ve been open.
I’m sorry to see so many negative comments. There used to be many small markets with good produce and eclectic items for sale. Barzini’s is one of the last. They have some food that I’ve never seen anywhere else, from all over the world. I dread seeing another empty storefront and don’t have high hopes for whatever replaces them.
I’ve been in there 2-3 times a week for 25 years, which should tell you all you need to know about my feelings about the place. Schlepping to 94th and Columbus is not a decent option.
My biggest concern is where will all of the rats go??!
I will always have a soft spot for Barzini’s when over a decade ago my wife told me to find something called “liquid smoke” and no one had it – except for Barzini’s. Thanks for the memories!
Fantastic news! The place is revolting with expired food, vermin, etc.
Whatever you do do NOT buy currently discounted food., GROSS
Hooray! I used to shop there pre-pandemic when I was headed home from NYSC at 94 Street and found the staff surly but I still completed my purchases, though I was not happy. The straw that broke this camel’s back was when I passed by and birds were eating the grapes and cherries for sale outside. I told the owner and he said, “I know.” That did it.
joining the chorus of comments which seem to be united – a rarity in the west side rag! i hate an empty storefront, but this place truly deserved to be shut down. not only was it disgusting and dangerous, but the arrogance of the owners and managers is unsurpassed. once they move out, the rat population of the UWS will truly plummet – thanks again Mamdani!
I heard from another customer that the new landlord of 250 West 91 Street had doubled the rent. The photo with this story, I feel does not show what a beautiful work of art the display of fruits and vegetables (and recently flowers) is. The staff is just lovely, I hope they find other good jobs. It is so sad that so many stores and restaurants have closed.
Yeah, one of the homeless guys who hangs out in front, he told me the same thing. I wonder if the doubling of the rent led to the chapter 11 bankruptcy, owing 1 million dollars in rent?
If you ever used your credit card to make a purchase in the store please look at your past statements. They charged thousands of dollars to my card in small increments (sometimes when we were out of NYC) until we caught them. The charges went to their account. CC company told us many crooked establishes do this and get away with it for years. Buyer be warned. Ever since we never walked into the store. This happened before they were shut down for health code reasons. Not sorry to see them go.
My concern is how many supermarkets are closing in the neighborhood.
I don’t care about the store closing. My concern is their cat. Please investigate. I would hope that they made plans for its future, but if not, the ASPCA or ACC would take it in and find it a home.
Tattaglia did it. (Actually, it was the rats and sales of expired food.)
The only really sad thing about this is that it wil simply become another entry in the “empty storefront” problem.
When you try to be zabaar’s…
(Never shopped at barzini, didn’t accept EBT, as zabaar’s DiD!)
I shopped there 2 days ago, and at checkout was shocked by how many items to which the 50% discount did not apply. Won’t shop there again.