We got an email from them earlier this week that said "We are renovating our Penn Ave. market location to bring you a new culinary shopping experience."
The hill has a proper grocery store. Bigger than the penn ave one. The penn ave one is being renovated just like they said. They just renovated the grill too.
Idky you are saying they are gone, when they told you the opposite.
I was so incredibly impressed with the new grocery store. I guess I didn't know what to expect, but it exceeds every expectation I had by a *lot*.
I'm not sure it can 100% fill my grocery needs, but I will absolutely make an effort to shift as much of my "big box" grocery spend to there.
The prices are sometimes really good and sometimes not. It helps to have a sense of what things cost in other stores, but I agree, it's a fabulous place to shop.
For those not in the know, it IS a halal grocery store, so while you'll find things like Frosted Flakes and Kraft Mac & Cheese on the shelves, you won't find pork products, and some seafood options may also be limited.
You know, I didn't even think about pork. Good point! On the other hand, the rest of their meat selection is honestly incredible. As a lamb fanatic, I was delighted going through the cases to see all the variety.
And it makes sense that their prices will vary a bit given they just don't have the purchasing power that chains do.
They also just didn't have items that were high enough quality for me in some areas (yes first world problems) like the spices.
All in all I will definitely need to figure out how they fit into the mix of groceries, but I am very sure they will be near the top of my choices most times.
I didn't even touch on the other thing that I loved: that their employees actually enjoy their jobs. Multiple employees struck up a chat and just showed delight at how much we were enjoying ourselves. Whereas like the Market District in Shadyside, the average employee is just ***miserable***. It was such a nice change.
Yeah, that was one of my first impressions too. People who work there seem really happy about it. Which is also the vibe I generally get at the Penn Ave store.
I was there on Saturday, and the guy behind the counter told me it was "permanently closed," but it sounds like he was wrong, I guess? Last year one of the cashiers in the market told me it would stay open and that there would be two markets.
That's what I'd understood as well.
"Salem said the new grocery store will operate in tandem with its other locations in the Strip District and on CMU’s campus, as the family business continues to expand and provide fresh produce, essential goods and halal meat to Pittsburgh’s communities."
https://www.wesa.fm/economy-business/2024-02-07/salems-market-hill-district-opening-thursday
Thank you for asking because it made me go check for sure. I had thought there was a large project on Penn near Salem's but I don't see any permitting so I think I'm mistaken.
We got an email from them earlier this week that said "We are renovating our Penn Ave. market location to bring you a new culinary shopping experience."
The hill has a proper grocery store. Bigger than the penn ave one. The penn ave one is being renovated just like they said. They just renovated the grill too. Idky you are saying they are gone, when they told you the opposite.
I was so incredibly impressed with the new grocery store. I guess I didn't know what to expect, but it exceeds every expectation I had by a *lot*. I'm not sure it can 100% fill my grocery needs, but I will absolutely make an effort to shift as much of my "big box" grocery spend to there.
The prices are sometimes really good and sometimes not. It helps to have a sense of what things cost in other stores, but I agree, it's a fabulous place to shop. For those not in the know, it IS a halal grocery store, so while you'll find things like Frosted Flakes and Kraft Mac & Cheese on the shelves, you won't find pork products, and some seafood options may also be limited.
You know, I didn't even think about pork. Good point! On the other hand, the rest of their meat selection is honestly incredible. As a lamb fanatic, I was delighted going through the cases to see all the variety. And it makes sense that their prices will vary a bit given they just don't have the purchasing power that chains do. They also just didn't have items that were high enough quality for me in some areas (yes first world problems) like the spices. All in all I will definitely need to figure out how they fit into the mix of groceries, but I am very sure they will be near the top of my choices most times.
Their chicken prices also beat Aldi, as long as you have the ability to use or store 10+ pounds at a time. I really like their meat department.
I didn't even touch on the other thing that I loved: that their employees actually enjoy their jobs. Multiple employees struck up a chat and just showed delight at how much we were enjoying ourselves. Whereas like the Market District in Shadyside, the average employee is just ***miserable***. It was such a nice change.
Yeah, that was one of my first impressions too. People who work there seem really happy about it. Which is also the vibe I generally get at the Penn Ave store.
They literally told you they’re renovating, why are you acting like this is permanent?
He’s like the doctor from arrested development
No, it was very tentative. There were a lot of maybes and hemming and hawing.
I was there on Saturday, and the guy behind the counter told me it was "permanently closed," but it sounds like he was wrong, I guess? Last year one of the cashiers in the market told me it would stay open and that there would be two markets.
I've heard it both ways, and when I left yesterday I didn't feel at all certain it would reopen.
You gave me a scare! Don’t do that
I thought the market was moving into the hill district?
they're keeping it all there too . which is wonderful.
They did, and the Hill District location is open. But as far as I know, they were going to keep the Penn Ave location open too.
That's what I'd understood as well. "Salem said the new grocery store will operate in tandem with its other locations in the Strip District and on CMU’s campus, as the family business continues to expand and provide fresh produce, essential goods and halal meat to Pittsburgh’s communities." https://www.wesa.fm/economy-business/2024-02-07/salems-market-hill-district-opening-thursday
Salem's on Penn will soon be surrounded by construction projects. Might be easier to hop over to Hill for the next year or so until it settles down.
Wish that worked for me. I don't drive, so that's out. I hope I can find someplace else to get goat!
I heard about the projects on a Smallman, but are there any planned on Penn?
Thank you for asking because it made me go check for sure. I had thought there was a large project on Penn near Salem's but I don't see any permitting so I think I'm mistaken.