Petrovsky Market — Local services in Philadelphia

I will preface this with the fact that I have no knowledge of the Russian language nor am I an expert on the Russian cuisine. However, I had a desire to try my hand at the Uzbek dish, Plov. So I decided to try this store and see if they had the spices I needed. They did have it, but I found it by accident after asking a sales girl who said they didn’t have it. Maybe she meant they didn’t have that exact brand, I don’t know. The store has a good selection of cheese and smoked meats. None was halal that I could see, if that matters to you, as it does me. They also have nice breads and beautiful baked goods. A cooked food counter which was very busy and smelled really good. I was surprised to see their spice selection was very limited. Most of it was single use packets (think Knorr packets we get at the grocery store) and only a few different types. Maybe Russians/ Eastern Europeans don’t like spice as much as I’d thought. I’m used to Arabic and Indian stores which have whole isles dedicated to just spices. Some of the sales people don’t speak English. Like at all. So, that can be a major issue for non Russian speaking customers. We were lucky to have a nice lady translate for us, but it is uncommon to have employees who don’t speak a lick of English in America. But they were still all very kind and I didn’t feel totally out of place or stared at, as I kinda expected I would. One thing—a lot of the labels are in russian , but you can get around this by reading the back where most of them have a label stuck on with English telling you what the item is and ingredients are. Overall, I probably won’t be back just because it’s so far from my home and I can’t use a lot of their products since they aren’t to my pallet or contain non halal meat, but it’s a fun experience and I did get some cool new...

To all the pearl-clutching complainers whining about "grumpy employees" and "lack of customer service" at Petrovsky Market—what exactly were you expecting? A Disneyland experience? This is a real Russian supermarket, not some sanitized corporate chain where cashiers are forced to smile like soulless robots. You want fake cheerfulness? Wegmans is that way.

Petrovsky Market delivers something much rarer, authenticity. The scowling grandmas at the buffet counter? That’s tradition. They’re not there to coddle your woke snowflake feelings—they’re there to serve up herring and haladetz with the same no-nonsense attitude that generations before them have perfected. If they glare at you, consider it a rite of passage.

The kitchen might not be pristine, the food might be past the western world's obsessive expiration date paranoia, and the cashiers might not say "hello", but that’s exactly why Petrovsky Market feels like stepping into a real Russian bazaar. The cold cuts are phenomenal, the pastries taste like your Soviet grandma made them, and the selection of Eastern European goods is unmatched.

Even I bought an expired full ham and experienced nonstop digestive issues for days,but you don’t see me complaining. That’s just part of the experience.

If you’re looking for an authentic Russian experience, this is it. If you need customer service with a side of emotional support, go find a Whole Foods. Long live...

I was excited to spend some time and money at the deli yesterday afternoon ,after a long hard day of work. A sour-faced grumpy and slow paced middle aged woman grumbled, so I took that to mean I was to start placing my order. Since I don't speak Russian I pointed at the items I wanted and said one pound or two lb Etc. After ordering the fourth item I pointed at a specific food but she wanted to sell me another item on a bottom-shelf which I declined , so then she walked away and attended another customer. I had intended to purchase many more things and I was shocked that she walked away. This is not my first visit to the store but it was my last visit. Never again what a horrible place, what a bad experience . Good luck...