Eat your way around Arthur Avenue, the Bronx's Little Italy
A covered Italian market and a real neighborhood street. Belmont, The Bronx.
The short answer
Arthur Avenue is the main street of Belmont in the Bronx, often called the real Little Italy, and its covered Retail Market at 2344 Arthur Avenue opened in October 1940 with 117 stalls. Mayor La Guardia built indoor markets to house the city's pushcart vendors. The Arthur Avenue neighborhood site describes a covered Italian bazaar with nine restaurants, five pastry shops, four butchers, two pasta-makers and six bread stores.
What it is like
Hours need care: one local guide lists the Retail Market as open 8am to 6pm and closed on Sundays, and says many neighboring shops also close on Sundays. I could not find hours on the official site, so call ahead or check a shop's own listing. Go on a weekday morning and you will find the counters stocked and the strollers manageable. It is a working market, not a play venue.
This is the opposite of a tourist attraction: bakeries, pork shops, delis and a coffee counter, with food as the entertainment. Bring cash for small purchases (some local guides suggest it) and be ready for a seven-year-old to ask for a cannoli at 9:30am. There is a Bronx Beer Hall in the market too, but the grown-up drinks are not the point; the point is lunch. The New York Botanical Garden is about a mile away, so the two make a good Bronx day.
Best time to go
A weekday morning; remember it is closed on Sundays.
Tips before you go
- It is closed on Sundays, so plan a weekday or Saturday.
- Bring cash for small purchases and a bag for leftovers.
- Pair it with NYBG or the Bronx Zoo for a full Bronx day.
Where it is
Arthur Avenue Retail Market, 2344 Arthur Avenue, Bronx, NY 10458. OpenStreetMap ↗ · Directions ↗
What's on here
From The New York Almanac, the next 60 days.
- Nothing listed here in The New York Almanac for the next two months. It is refreshed every week.
Nearby on the Brood List
Spend a day at the New York Botanical Garden (and see the trains)
Bedford Park · 0.7 mile away
Spend a day at the Bronx Zoo
Fordham Park, Bronx · 0.7 mile away
Questions people ask
Is the Arthur Avenue Retail Market open on Sundays?
A local guide lists it as closed on Sundays (open 8am to 6pm on other days). Check before you go.
When did the Arthur Avenue Retail Market open?
In October 1940, with 117 stalls.
How do I get to Arthur Avenue by subway?
Take the 4 to Fordham Rd (accessible) or the B/D to Fordham Rd, then walk or take the Bx12 bus.
Is it good for kids?
It is a working food market, so go on a weekday morning, keep it to an hour or two, and make lunch the main event.
How much does it cost?
Free to enter; food costs extra.
Can you take a stroller?
A covered market with narrow aisles; fine early in the day, tight at lunchtime.
How long do you need?
1 to 2 hours.
Sources
The whole list
All 40 on a map
Open the map →For the fridge
The printable list
Print it →The Bronx
More in The Bronx
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