The West Village Girls are traveling the mile to Tribeca … for a $12 chicken salad from Meadow Lane, New York City’s newest gourmet grocery store, which opened its doors this past Friday. Many of them have been following along on TikTok since last summer, when Meadow Lane founder Sammy Nussdorf, under the handle Brokeback Contessa, started teasing his new venture by documenting the exhaustive process from start to finish, from recipe-testing videos (the chicken salad is zhuzhed up with horseradish and leeks) to candid confessions about monthslong renovation delays and his issue securing construction permits.
Nussdorf once described a Meadow Lane business meeting as “unhinged, disappointing, and expensive” — a specific brand of chaos that translates to TikTok-algorithm gold. But his concept was clear: a luxury-grocery-store experience featuring gluten- and seed-oil-free chicken nuggets and $12 bone broth. And tested, Nussdorf points to the hugely popular Los Angeles luxury market Erewhon as his inspiration. Soon, half of New York was invested in the pending opening of Meadow Lane (appropriately named after Southampton’s billionaire row) and Nussdorf himself, a former venture capitalist whose family was worth $1.6 billion in 2014, according to Forbes. “I saw him inside and was a little bit starstruck,” Anna, a West Village resident who recently moved to the neighborhood from California, told The Cut on Tuesday. “The way he released Meadow Lane in general was great marketing. I’m a big fan and happy for him.”
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She waited in line for only 45 minutes and came during her lunch break, but rumors of two-hour wait times and lines forming several hours before Meadow Lane’s opening time surfaced online over the weekend. Inside, past what one shopper described to me as “beautiful men” guarding the door, small quantities of the high-end prepared foods are artfully displayed on minimalist, meticulously organized shelves and photogenic produce sits in wicker baskets atop long wooden dining tables. “The experience was great,” Anna said. “It’s gorgeous in there.”
From left: Signs outside of Meadow Lane. From top: Signs outside of Meadow Lane.
Ariana, a vegan chef from Hartford, Connecticut, who decided to stop by while in the area, felt somewhat justified spending $55 on three items (the Yuzu Nunchi Kale Chips, Pink Juice, and Vegan Soba Noodle Bowl) because “it’s about the experience.”
@whatisthislinefor.nyc Add ur wait times + reviews link in bio #meadowlane #tribeca #nycfood #thingstodoinnyc #grandopening @Brokeback Contessa
♬ Fire the Cannons (1812 Overture) – Jochen Flach & Peter Ilych Tchaikvsky & Thomas Hewitt Jones
“I’m not complaining. It’s like a club, Club Meadow Lane,” she said. “They were very helpful as well. I even asked Nussdorf what other vegan options they had and he grabbed the squash soup for me. I wasn’t in the mood for squash soup but it’s okay, he had something else for me.”
Opening weekend was far from smooth; in addition to long wait times and low inventory (popular items like the chicken salad and chicken nuggets are often sold out), Meadow Lane’s business hours have been inconsistent and not exactly convenient for the average working New Yorker. On Sunday, after just three days of business, the grocery store announced on Instagram that it would be closed all day on Monday because, “In order to keep slaying we need to give our team a day off.” It reopened on Tuesday — but not until noon.
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A few negative reviews about the food itself are also going viral, to which Nussdorf has publicly apologized and taken “full responsibility and accountability” for. One customer with a dairy allergy claimed in a TikTok video that the turkey chili she purchased from Meadow Lane contained cheese that was missing from the ingredients label, and someone else posted a video of Meadow Lane chicken nuggets that appeared to be raw inside.
The mishaps didn’t deter Ariana or other customers from lining up outside Meadow Lane on Tuesday afternoon. “Honestly, when you work in the food industry like I do, things happen. It was his opening weekend, and you have to give people grace. I wanted to come and try it out for myself,” she said.
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Even those who were less enthusiastic about supporting Nussdorf couldn’t resist the lure of fresh, seasonal produce and $15 green juice. “They have a $30 whole chicken and a tiny jar of kimchi for like $7. Everything was really overpriced,” a customer named Jessica, who works in the area, said. “But you selectively choose which billionaire you want to support, so I decided I would give Meadow Lane a try and see what happens.”
“I wanted to try the nuggets; they were not there. I got the cauliflower — someone brought that out for me, thank God — the soba noodle bowl, and [Chara] greek yogurt that I’ve been wanting to try. I spent $47,” she continued. “This is not going to be my regular grocery store. It’s going to be one of those things that’s like, Oh, you’re visiting New York? Let me show you this crazy place! It’s like an attraction. I needed to see it.”
Here, more Meadow Lane customers share what they bought and how much they spent.
“The sweatshirts are like $85. They are also selling $625 caviar, I don’t know who’s buying that.” —Solomon, a 23-year-old who works in the area, and spent $26.
“We got the nuggets, which we were excited about. I would say it was worth the hype. It was gorgeous inside. We also got the LA Chopped Salad, some soup, and muffins.” —Friends who live in Greenwich Village.
“I didn’t buy anything because I really wanted the chicken salad and that was sold out. I would come back to try it. I really like Bethenny Frankel and I know she had a lot to say about it.” —Matt, a New Yorker who stopped by during his lunch break.
“I wanted the chicken nuggets, but they were out of them.” —Simran, a 30-year-old who works in the area.
“I spent like 15 to 20 minutes inside. I got a good amount of stuff, mostly prepared food but also Lemme gummies, hot sauce, and some pastries. —Dustin, a 35-year-old who spent $160.
Inside Dustin’s grocery bag.
“I got the Japanese sweet potato and the Osaka Beef Bowl. I also got a coffee. It’s really good, one of the best coffees I’ve had. I want to try the Cacio E Pepe Mac & Cheese, the chicken nuggets, and the cauliflower. I saw the chicken-nugget video, but I was still planning on trying them today.” —A customer who lives in the Lower East Side.
“I got a squash soup and a cinnamon-spice latte, which is actually good. I was definitely perusing. The flower shop is interesting. ” —Rachel, an Upper East Sider who tried to come on opening day but gave up because the line was too long.
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