Foodtown - Bronx, NY (Melrose)

Foodtown

Opened: 2012

Owner: Robin Estevez

Previous Tenants: none

Cooperative: Allegiance Retail Services

Location: 3100 3rd Ave, Bronx, NY

Photographed: September 12, 2023

Before we begin, just a heads up: this was originally posted in August 2020, but was rewritten with new photos in September 2026. Now for the post! Today's store is a Foodtown that, because of some crazy curved streets, is about five blocks south of yesterday's Food Bazaar. It opened in a newly built building in 2012 and is owned by the Estevez family. As I mentioned, the south Bronx has a lot of new development going up and this building is just one of dozens that have been built in this neighborhood in the past few years.

This Foodtown is small, somewhere in the 8,000 square foot range, and more of a neighborhood market than the full-service Food Bazaar to the north. There's also an ALDI a couple blocks south, and a few blocks farther out, you'll find no fewer than three Food Universes, two Bravos, another Food Bazaar, a CTown, and a SuperFresh.

Produce, meat, and a small part of the frozen foods department are in the first aisle, with frozen foods on the back wall of the store also. Dairy runs along the back and on the right side of the store, and there's another couple aisles up a small ramp off the right side of the store. There used to be a deli on the front end next to the registers, but by the time I took these photos, it had been removed and replaced with self-service cases.

The dairy department continues into the section that's up the ramp, and there are a few short aisles up there too, with snacks and beverages.

In fact, you can tell where the deli used to be because of the flooring. The service counter used to be where the lighter gray flooring is now, and it's been replaced with these self-service cases with cold cuts and grab-and-go items along with the baked goods here.

As you can see, some parts like this removed deli and the burnt-out lights make this store feel somewhat older than it actually is, since it was a new-build just a decade prior to these pictures being taken. With that said, though, some of the other supermarkets in this neighborhood are on the rundown side, too. I've photographed them all and will (someday) get around to posting all of them!

This post was rewritten on September 14, 2026 with new photos.