TOUR: Ideal Food Basket - PLG, Brooklyn, NY

Our fifth and final Ideal Food Basket rounds out our PLG - Flatbush coverage!

This 20,000 square foot supermarket opened as an NSA Supermarket in 2006 before converting to Ideal in 2012. The location opened as a Waldbaum's and still was as of the 1980s, but I'd imagine it operated as some other cooperative between that time and 2006 since I highly doubt Waldbaum's was still serious about operating 20,000 square foot stores with no parking lots by 2006. It was a Met Foodmarket for at least some of that time, but it doesn't seem to have been under the same ownership as the Ideal, which is the pattern we saw at 4806 Church and 1086 Brooklyn.

Although the store might be small for Waldbaum's, it's very large for this part of Brooklyn. As we'll see, it becomes a much larger superstore inside.

Produce lines the left side of the first aisle, with deli, hot food, and seafood on the right side.

Looking across the front end from the first aisle. Notice the spaces along the front wall which have been rented out to smaller businesses. The space closest to the entrance is under construction and looks like it's being outfitted for a bakery counter or possibly an expanded hot food department.

Looking towards the meat department on the back wall.

It's certainly not a huge store, but it feels enormous compared to the others in this neighborhood.

The Ideal Food Basket extends behind Laundry King of Flatbush, the neighboring storefront, with those aisles running parallel to the storefront. Dairy is located in that expanded area.

Looking back towards the first aisle.

That flooring might be left over from Waldbaum's, but it also seems to match the decor that's currently in place.

Oh and speaking of leftovers... this aisle marker was made custom for this decor when it was a Met. The NSA decal barely covers the Met logo!

And given that this store is so much larger than all the other supermarkets in the neighborhood, it has an expanded selection of nonfood items, more like a dollar store would have. And some, uh, unusual products...

I can't honestly say I've ever been to a supermarket that sells suitcases before. But upon thinking about it, I can't honestly say I encountered any other place in this neighborhood that sells suitcases either.

Natural/organic/specialty aisle.

Here we see more nonfoods, more grocery, beer, and dairy in the extended section on the back wall.

Below, looking from the side wall with dairy across the back of the store. As we can see, the extended area goes behind the back wall of the rest of the supermarket a little.

Frozen foods line the last aisle in the main supermarket section.

Frozen cases are almost definitely left over from Waldbaum's. Customer service and the other small businesses line the front wall of the store.

You can tell this is a really big store for the neighborhood when you're standing here on the front end. While it was deserted at the time of my visit, I'm sure it does a good volume. It's a great looking store though, and a fantastic way to wrap up our trip through Flatbush and Prosepct Lefferts Gardens!

But wait, there's more! Come back tomorrow to see a few assorted (non-supermarket) pictures that I took around the neighborhoods before we move on to Staten Island!

Ideal Food Basket

2036 Bedford Ave, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn, NY
Photographed May 2019