Wonderful coffee. My aunt gave me a bag and it works like a charm. (I'm now hyper lol). Smells great ! She gifted bags to me and my parents. I can't wait to go buy food here too read more

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What a hidden gem! It's a small store but got a great selection of Middle Eastern and European foods. I love their dried fruits and nuts corner, and the coffee roaster that looked at least a hundred years old?! They also have olives, cheeses, pastries at the back. Staff were super nice and helpful. Quite easy to find parking around the block. I would totally come here every week if I still live in New York. read more

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Fabulous place to shop and everyone is so friendly and accommodating Great food Easy parking read more

Great friendly service and wonderful selection and prices. We will be back as soon as we can.

Been going there every week for decades. Always fresh Mediterranean delicacies Great service. Steve and the rest of the guys are always helpful and professional. Best roasted coffee and custom mixing on the spot for all you coffee enthusiasts. read more

Good value with many unique middle eastern products. Truly an exciting store to purchase great food.

You won't find better coffee anywhere else! I've been going to this place since I was in a stroller and the store has maintained the same quality for 30 years. Even living in Long Island, I only buy my coffee beans and other middle eastern groceries from here. Their French roast is my favorite read more

Best Grocery in all of NY! I used to frequent with my mother every week. Even when we moved away from Forest Hills, we would drive in from NYC just to pick up our favorite foods. Always busy, always fresh! Incredible customer service. Thank you. read more

I used to come buy walnuts here but now that I found a tiny worm inside i no longer buy them from here . I called and I told the store and they didn't care at all . read more

Still great, even greater than great. The people, the food, the fresh - roasted coffee. I still really love this place.

tiny store with many items to try. came for borekas (which are tiny pastries at $1.10 each) and left. found service lacking given I was a new customer. should have made time to introduce me to other items in the store. read more

Love love love this place! It definitely has a special vibe to it and amazing products. We live so far from it but we go there on special visits just to get some goodies. There's a great variety and delicious options that remind me of back home. read more

this is one of my favorite places to go to find fresh, delicious and sometimes unique Mediterranean deli items. They have the best tried fruits, many of which are organic. They have a whole selection of olives and pickles in Brine and they make delicious flatbread stuffed with cheese, hummus, and all different kinds of cheeses and fresh items. To top all of that off, the employees are really friendly, and after I went there a few times they began to recognize me. I travel all the way from Huntington to come to this store in Rego Park. It is that good! read more

The best place in Queens to find Israeli products and delicious fresh ground Turkish coffee.

Pistachios, cashews , halavah, baklava, coffee, hummus, figs, simply the best!.....don't forget chocolate almonds

Exceptionally rude to me because I came in with my service animal who is impeccably trained and quiet. Said he didn't care about the federal law because his policy states that all dogs must be carried regardless of they are pets or service animals. I told him that violates federal law. He said he didn't care. I wonder what he would do if a blind man walked in with a 100 pound Labrador. Would he make the man carry his dog? read more

Why live in Queens if you aren't taking advantage of the ethnic specialty stores?!?! They make a variety of homemade baked goods, dried fruits and dips. We love their hummus and tzatziki but you have to get the pita they suggest to go with your dip. read more

Family owned businesses.... Very good products and food.. service is excellent! Very good experience every time I go there. read more

Fantastic selection of 'European' groceries and v helpful staff. Will travel miles to go there.

Ahh! Carmel, a hidden jem of a store that I do to often and glad it is so close to me. It is unassuming and quiet- no pretentious staff- kind of all done in moderation with good selection and prices and super great coffee and nuts and seeds. Their grocery just has so many odds and ends but all good quality produce. Love this place. I meet people where I work in Brooklyn and the are delighted at the name and say they used to live near and still come by occasionally just to shop there. read more

My family has been shopping here for as long as I can remember - they're the best place to get Israeli products in NYC and, over a decade after leaving the city, I've yet to find anywhere that comes close. The products are great quality. Prices have increased, but that's true everywhere. The store is small and often crowded, so expect a little bit of chaos, but everyone has always been helpful and kind. The nuts, dried fruit, olives by weight, halva are all excellent and have been for at least the last three decades :) Go and enjoy! read more

I live in Manhattan. i drive out every few weeks to buy item from them! They have the BEST products anywhere! Very hard to find items! Bulgarian cheeses! Lukanka, Basterma the best Ohanyans and Malincho brands. Best Baklava ever .. best spinach pie. All the help are fantastic people ! Owner is the best ! I am customer for life ! read more

Must try their homemade dips! The kaviar dip is the best! They have homemade pastries and a variety of coffee beans. This place is a gem. read more

Carmel Grocery - Homemade dips - Grocery Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

Service is excellent and products are really great. Whenever you enter the store people are welcoming.

I must update my review. Inflation has not been creeping up on us but rather executing a blazing attack on our finances, sanity and sense of dignity. To put it bluntly, it is horrendously disgusting. I went to Carmel today for the first time in a few months I confess and I was so enchanted (yes enchanted is the word I chose) that they did not raise prices as high as some of their competitors. Then again, I think they do not have competitors as they are peerless in my estimation. Further, the education and lovely manners of every single person that works there is something I admire so. God Bless Carmel. You are by far the franchise I have the greatest respect for in Queens. read more

best selection of dried fruits and nuts. Also very good borekas filled with cheese, spinach, potato or apple They have a lot of different kinds of coffee and they smell really fresh read more

This place is amazing have been eating their dips for 20+years I think!!! Must stop by if you're in the area. The dips are heavenly, eggplant, white bean, baba ganoush, just to name a few. If you're in the market for Romanian, middle eastern or Israeli food/candy/ spices you've come to the right place. The people who work there are the nicest! read more

I love this grocer. They have extremely fresh breads, hummus, tahini, great pickles, and olives. I enjoyed their dried fruits and nuts and the pastries baklava spinach pie is always fresh. They grind coffee near the door so as you walk in the smell is heavenly. read more

Please watch out while buying any food items from this place, they claim to make fresh food everyday. I recently purchased Tahini and Tabouleh Salad and both were 2 days old, the date sticker was right in front. I checked the date through the glass and they did have food from the same day yet they gave me older food so please watch out. Update- took another visit and this time the lady was very rude. I do understand the owners are older, but that gives them no excuse to be rude and grumpy to their clients. read more

So...I haven't been back to shop at Carmel since last summer. I stopped because I felt the owner was unpleasant and rude to me more than once. I thought I would try again today and I encountered the same rude behavior from the owner. No welcome or hello or a smile even. Tried chatting which went nowhere. Feel he/they have favorite customers. A few of the staff are nice but the owner is the opposite. Well...today was the last time I shop there. It's their loss. read more

You walk into this shop and it smells like coffee heaven. They fresh roast and grind their coffee and the whole shop always smells amazing. They have a nice selection of goods you don't always find in other places. Why the crappy review? Because of their crappy owners and the rude staff they employ. They used to be rude to me when I moved to the US, thought they just didn't like immigrants. Fast forward to now, and they are still rude as all hell. I came in asking about a particular snack and the face they made when I asked a question, you'd think I'd asked them to put their face in garbage. I refuse to spend money here. read more

This pint-sized Middle Eastern grocery had been operated by the same owner for over 30 years on a small commercial strip on 108th Street. Unassuming both inside and out, it is nevertheless exceptional in the quality of their offerings. Carmel can be considered a destination for all these items: hummus, coffee, spices, and nuts. The hummus is one of several salads/dips that are freshly made, and the only one made daily. It is stunningly good, boldly flavorful and redolent of garlic, its' mouthfeel luxuriously smooth. And at its ridiculously low price point of $3.50 for a pound, it makes buying any other version a crime if this is reasonably reachable. On any given day, there will also be an eggplant salad/dip salad. The best is the earthy, satisfyingly chunky eggplant tahini, although the tomato-based Romanian eggplant and eggplant onion are tasty too. All are available by the half or whole pound. Immediately upon entering is the old coffee roaster, in very active use. Carmel acquires a large variety of beans and roasts on site. They sell the beans whole or ground exactly as requested, depending on how they'll be used. Along the front window, behind the counter, and in the back are many big glass containers with a dizzyingly array of spices, nuts, and grains. Sold in practically any quantity requested, these are fresh and beautiful to behold. Among more perishable items, there are cheeses, cured meats, dairy products, smoked fish, and caviar. A selection of decent burekas and strudel. Assorted olives. The store is crammed from top to bottom with imported bagged, boxed, and canned groceries from various Middle Eastern countries. Impressive considering the entire store is essentially 1.5 aisles wide. This becomes painfully obvious on Friday evenings and weekends, when long-time customers queue up for heavy duty shopping. Even then, the staff remain friendly. The service is experienced and helpful. Carmel is a grocery of excellent quality, and it is most remarkable for its value. Easily worth a trip from anywhere in Queens. read more

A special store with quality Israeli products. Such as cheeses from Israeli companies, frozen products from Israel such as Borax, G'hanun, Malawuch, etc. Snacks, drinks, sweets, kernels and more, and everything is original from Israel. Fresh pastries as well. Recommended for lovers of Israeli products read more

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A little gem of middle eastern goodness in Forest Hills. It's clean, crowded and stocked-up with stuff. Wonderful Dips/Spreads: Hummus, Tahinni, Eggplant, Eggplant Onion, Roumainian Eggplant, Whitefish, and White Bean are my faves. Bring a selection to a party, you will be loved........ Remember to buy some for your home. The Pitas are fresh from the factory, sometimes they are still warm. The nuts, rices, barley, kasha, lentils and dried fruit are of good quality. The coffee is good. Love the roaster....... I used to love the coffee. But now my palate seems to desire more sophisticated/expensive little coffee beans. But I still buy it, it is good coffee. Ok, the Tip, because it is usually crowded, the line starts at the farthest point from the door and you will need to get in line somewhere by the baked goods. The line moves fast, so don't worry about everyone milling around the front trying to cut in line. The little old ladies trying to elbow into the line will be elbowed out by the other little old ladies. Once you are in line, the staff makes sure that you are well taken care of. Don't be daunted by the weekend crowds, everyone is really nice. read more

I've been looking for a place to buy coffee beans, $5.50 is a good price! Hooray! It's even cheaper than my favorite cheap coffee bean place in Manhattan, Porto Rico. We went in for the coffee, but there were a lot of interesting things in there, cool looking bureka They have a bunch of ethnic foods, I got caviar and wasa crackers to put it on. And challah bread. I'm reading a novel called Banana Rose, and in the hippy commune they celebrated Shabbot, and while they were not celebrating it as Jews, they liked the idea of feeding each other bread. And I think it was challah bread. So we got some. They have weird street parking where you can get a ticket if you don't park butt inside at 60 degrees. A helpful man prevented me from getting a ticket for parking front in, and I heard another guy telling someone and then saw the sign. read more

Great nuts and dried fruit! Not to mention fresh roasted coffee. Some things do come in small sizes and Carmel is no exception. This small grocer has that cute family run vibe and has the old fashioned fair price for quality product feel. There are a number of things that Carmel sells way below supermarket or other local stores that are worth coming back for over and over again. I try to stop by as often as I can for my fix of homemade hummous, babaghanush, turkish salad, ikra caviar spread, lebne, etc.. read more

This is the best find in Queens. Carmel is a small, privately owned Middle Eastern grocery store. The prices are fantastic and the product the highest grade. I have bought fresh roasted (right on premises) Dumas coffee, I highly recommend the House blend. I use no other coffee (it's only $4.95/LB) so fresh and aromatic. Yum. Fresh roasted Sunflower seeds, pumpkin and other seed. All kinds of fresh nuts in the shell and shelled. Dried fruits Olive bar with 20 different types of cured olives Fresh made, Tahini sauce, babagonosh, hummus, eggplant and other israeli salads....so good All kinds of pita and other breads Pastries galore Canned meditterrean foods likes stuffed grape leaves. And many other items too many to describe. I go to this market on a weekly basis to shop. read more

Great specialty store. Used to go there as a kid growing up in Forest Hills. They make the best hummus on earth. I make sure to stop by on my trips to NYC. Always greeted with a smile read more

Carmel quickly rocketed up to a regular stop of mine. I just wanted to buy some hummus, but left with shoug (a spicy sauce) and pita. Returned for more shoug (this time green!) and left with Turkish tomato salad (yum!). The lady behind the counter is super helpful and always suggests things, plus pointed out the pita I chose wasn't her favorite. Whether you're on the hunt for hummus, pita, random sauces or snacks, Carmel is definitely worth a visit. read more

Awesome little grocery store. This block has several little Russian groceries and it's best to go to the all of them so you can find your favorite things in each. For Carmel, I can advise: - great, cheap dried fruits with a fabulous selection and good quality for a good price - olives -- also fantastic and at a great price - good tahini and eggplant spread -- again, cheap and tasty - pastry pouches filled with potato, mushroom, cabbage, etc -- also sooooo delicious and like 75 cents each In addition to all of these things, you will no doubt find some little fantastic thing to tickle your tastebuds and be very kind to your wallet. read more