Groceries
My Go-Tos
I rely on two places in New York City for 99% of my non-produce grocery needs.
Trader Joe's
My hands-down favorite store in the city. Before I discovered TJ's, I assumed it was a snobby organic market for yuppies who needed to spend extra money on groceries to feel good about themselves. I was very, very wrong. TJ's is CHEAP! One week, I took my $30 TJ's bill and comparison shopped on freshdirect.com--it would have cost 50% more! TJ's is also efficient, as they generally only sell one brand of each item (that being their house brand), removing the need to endlessly comparison shop. Rather, you know you're getting a great product at a great price without having to think too much about it.
The pro's: Central location (Union Square, also in Brooklyn), quality products, amazingly low prices for Manhattan, gluten-free labels marked clearly on products and shelves, wide selection of unique wheat-free products, friendly and knowledgeable staff.
The con's: Only one location in Manhattan (another opening at 72nd and Broadway at some point), can get very crowded at time with 30-minute check-out lines, poor produce section.
Whole Foods Market
While Whole Foods is associated with some of the snobbery I mentioned above, it also carries some great products. Their house brand ("365") is typically good and reasonably-priced. Due to the absolutely monstrous size of their stores, they carry a wide array of interesting products.
The pro's: A number of different locations (Union Square, Chelsea, Lincoln Center, Upper West Side), great selection of products, food bar with clear ingredient lists, excellent produce aisle, wheat-free beer selection.
The con's: Steep prices on many items, long lines.
The Others
There are plenty of other places in the city to find wheat-free items. The best bet is to explore what your neighborhood grocers have to offer. For example, I randomly found that a Food Emporium a few blocks away, for no particular reason, carried Red Bridge beer (before I discovered I could drink other beers). Here are a few places, though, that notably carry a wide selection of wheat-free products.
Fairway
Has there ever been a list of NYC grocery stores that didn't include Fairway? This place is a total zoo, all the time (even compared to TJ's and Whole Foods). If you can brave the pushy clientele, make your way up to the 2nd floor (via a hidden stairway behind the produce section or the elevator in the middle of the store), which contains a gluten-free aisle. If you live in the neighborhood, this is also a great place to pick up alternative grains, such as rice flour, buckwheat flour or almond flour; Fairway's selection is about the best I've seen.