Where art thou, really good hummus and baba to go? (OR: A Sahadi's in Manhattan?)

[Actie]

Recently moved from Brooklyn to this little island, and I am very, very sad. Sahadi's has unbelievable hummus, baba, nuts, dates, and sundry dried goods. I'd buy a half-pint of hummus and of baba each week.

Where oh where in Manhattan can one get (to go) delicious hummus and baba? Is there a place comparable to Sahadi's in Manhattan?

[rwilenker]

Sahadi's is still your best bet if you have the time. I try to get to Sahadi's periodically, on an early weekday lunch hour from downtown to grab a quart of hummus, etc. and stock up on everything else because you know their prices and quality cannot be beat.

[LeahBaila]

Omar's Kitchen & Bakery has fantastic versions of both: http://www.omarsplace.com/Home.html

[Motosport]

Second on Kalustayan's!! What don't they have!! The other day I bought fresh dates. I had never even seen fresh dates.
As for hummus, It's so darned easy to make that I never buy it. Baba, not so easy.
In Bayside Queens Mt Ararat bakery has it all.

[tazerowe]

I never see mention of it, but my all-time favorite hummus is at Hudson Falafel, on Hudson at W 10th in the West Village. Super rich with that tahini bitterness, but balanced. They probably use enough tahini to kill you, but fat tastes good.

[NuMystic]

Yorgo's Hummus available at Fairway. Not sure where else it's sold but this single item is what gets me through their doors on a regular basis.

I'm spoiled from regularly making this at home from scratch but this brand of store bought chickpea crack is scary good enough that I'm making it at home less so that's a recommendation and a cautionary note.

Exceptionally creamy (using enough oil and tahini which many skimp on for price) and the perfect amount of lemon and garlic. Enough to taste both without either overwhelming the whole.

Heads and shoulders above Sabra and the like available in most supermarkets and cheaper too. No preservatives added which is a nice bonus, just be sure to check the expiration as I've found some past due on the shelves more than once.

[BuildingMyBento]

Oh, Sabra is an awful, awful brand. Their baba ghanouj has mayonnaise (sadly, as does Agata & Valentina's), and the hummus tastes chock full of chemicals. All of the brands you can get in a D'Agostinos or Gristede's are terrible. Trader Joe, you and your apostrophe are no exception.

I visited Sahadis- it seemed disconnected, very humid and replete with unwelcoming staff. Their selection of anything was underwhelming, but I did not get to their hummus yet... for international odds and ends (and mujaddara), is still my choice, plus there is a nice Indonesian woman at the register, and upstairs, a pleasant Bengali.

I've tried the hummus at hummus place, homoos asli and taim, they are all decent (not so for the service), but YMMV.

[rose water]

Did you mean Kalustyan's rather than Sahadi's? To my knowledge, Sahadi's doesn't have an upstairs, and I've always found their staff to be lovely, in contrast to the grumpy staff at Kalustyan's.

[Simon]

wow, some ^#&* companies put mayonnaise in their baba ghanouj?...disgusting...that's an offense that should get prosecuted in some Food Crimes Court...

[alc]

Israeli eggplant dip often has mayo. There's nothing wrong with that so long as you're not expecting something else . . .

[comiendosiempre]

Agreed, Hoomos ali and Alfanoose are excellent. We are not fond of Kalustyans humos at all. Taim is very good too. Omar's in midtown also has excellent humus.

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Taim
222 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10014

Omar's Kitchen & Bakery
154 E 55th St, New York, NY 10022

[foodmonk]

The folks at Alfanoose downtown will gladly serve you hummus and baba ganoush to go.

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Alfanoose
8 Maiden Ln, New York, NY 10038

[sgordon]

Hoomoos Asli has very solid hummus & baba, in a few different styles (Israeli, Egyptian, a couple others...) - it's not a market, like Sahadi's, but they make very solid spreads.

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Hoomoos Asli
100 Kenmare St, New York, NY 10012

[uwsgrazer]

We always get our hummus and spinach pies at Damascus Bakery(?), just down the street from Sahadi's. Is there really better hummus than that from Damascus?

[Actie]

Never been to Damascus. What Sahadi's does esp. well is the spicy hummus, though the regular is yummy, too. If Damascus doesn't do a spicy, it's probably worth checking out Sahadi's.

[JungMann]

You should really try Damascus. I don't think they any flavors like spicy or chipotle, but their hummus, and especially their baba ghannouj, are worth traveling for.

[Simon]

perhaps Kalustyan's...i haven't tried their hummos, but their baba gh was very good when i tried it recently...

i also like the hummos at Cafe Mogador

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Kalustyan's
123 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10016

[MWinston]

I 2nd Kalustyan's

[AubWah]

no

[tex.s.toast]

I've never been to their actual physical locations, but a friend introduced us recently to the crack-like baba from pita grill (locations all over, the one they frequent is on first ave way up on the east side?) its a bit mayo-ey but more than make up for it (i prefer a more natural approach) but its got incredible smokey flavor and good, chunky consistency. no idea what the hummus is like, but i can definitely highly endorse their baba ganoush. the friend who introduced it doesnt really cook and apparently it (the baba) is her staple potluck/picnic/hangout bring-along, and i totally understand why.

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Pita Grill
1570 1st Ave, New York, NY 10028

[Actie]

Awesome. Will try this, too. Thank you!

[small h]

I've never been to Sahadi's, but I think the hummus at Hummus Place is excellent. Please try it and let me know if I need to make an excursion to Sahadi's for something even better. According to the website, you can buy hummus by the pound, but not babaganoush (which seems very peculiar).

http://www.hummusplace.com/

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Hummus Place
109 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

[Actie]

Ah, I've been to Hummus Place many times. Never knew that you could buy their hummus to go. Thanks for the suggestion.

Just called (E. Village location) and apparently you can buy baba to go, too—cool, since hummus is the easier to replicate at home anyway.

I think this is a good solution. But yeah, you should definitely make that Sahadi's excursion. Their spicy hummus is unreal, and they've got the best selection of dates, fruit candy, and nuts I've ever seen.

[small h]

For your date & fruit candy needs, you might try Russ & Daughters. I only go there for the fish, but plenty of people rave about the other stuff. The selection isn't vast, 'cause the store itself isn't vast, but it may tide you over 'til you can make it out to Brooklyn.

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Russ & Daughters
179 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

[rose water]

The thing about R&Ds is that the smokiness permeates everything--dried fruit, sweets, etc. And the prices there, and at Kalustyans's, will have you hopping the train out to Sahadi's in no time.

I like Moustache for hummous, Alfanoose for baba, but no, there's nowhere that compares with Sahadi's breadth and prices in Manhattan. (Or proximity to Damascus's awesome bread).

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Moustache
265 E 10th St, New York, NY 10009

Alfanoose
8 Maiden Ln, New York, NY 10038

[Rmis32]

+1 Damascus's awesome bread.