TOUR: Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace - Ramsey, NJ

Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace

Owner: Phillip DelPrete

Opened: 2016

Cooperative: Associated Supermarket Group

Location: 1 Triangle Plz, Ramsey, NJ

Photographed: February 2017 and December 2020

Today we have a tour at this Pathmark which was converted to Uncle Giuseppe's first New Jersey location in 2016. The 60,000 square foot space has been gut-renovated for the Italian specialty store and looks great inside, despite feeling a bit like the Pathmark that once occupied the building.

Despite being a member of the Associated Supermarket Group, Uncle Giuseppe's uses a combination of a few different storebrands. In addition to ASG's Avenue A brand, they use Essential Everyday from UNFI and Full Circle for organic items from C&S.

The facade still has the bones of the Pathmark facade, but has been nicely upgraded. The interior feels like a completely different store -- and almost not a supermarket, but a theme park. Come on, kids, let's get on the Ricotta Roller Coaster and then later we'll ride the Farfalle Ferris Wheel! I wouldn't be surprised...

You enter to a grand aisle with sushi, salad, sandwiches, and pizza on the front wall. The hot food and soup bar is in the front of the grand aisle, with deli lining the left side, cheese in the middle, an island with gelato and other desserts in front of that, and produce on the right side.

Deli lines the entire left side wall of the store. It is absolutely enormous.

The above picture is, for no reason other than my laziness, the only picture I took on my 2017 visit.

In the back corner of the first aisle is the fresh pasta department, with the pasta-making room fitted with glass walls so customers can watch fresh pasta being made.

By the way, obviously very little is left over from Pathmark but I believe the ceiling actually is, or else Uncle Giuseppe's installed a new drop ceiling that looks just like what Pathmark would've had.

Winding our way into the cheese department from the back wall...

Here's the service cheese counter (front) opposite the deli, and the mozzarella-making room towards the back, where you can see the glass panels.

And just in front of the cheese island is the specialty desserts island, with chocolates, popcorn, gelato, and other things like that. Mind you, this is not the bakery. That's at the far end of the store.

Moving into the produce department, which is approximately where Pathmark would've had it. The deli/cheese area is to the left of the produce cases on the left.

And meats are on the back wall of the store behind the produce department (behind the columns on the back row of produce cases). You see what I mean about the theme park experience here! Even the ceiling is painted like a sky with clouds!

The meat department runs along the back wall of the store. You can see how all the decor, even in the regular grocery part of the store, is way over-the-top. I love it!

Moving into the grocery aisles, which feel slightly more traditional (despite the columns on the right, and the fact that about a third of the grocery selection is specialty Italian items). There's also a full selection of regular groceries, though.

A row of grocery shelving separates the grocery aisles in the back from the meat department.

You can see in the grocery aisles how nothing except maybe the ceiling is left over from Pathmark. The shelving and flooring were definitely replaced.

Seafood is in the back corner where Pathmark would've had milk. And it's certainly a beautiful selection!

I believe, although I'm not sure, that there's only one freezer aisle here. This is aisle 10, or the second-to-last aisle. Aisle 11 is dairy...

I'm thinking that case on the right might be a former Pathmark case that's been repainted, but I'm not sure. Bakery takes up the front corner, which certainly has nothing left from Pathmark...

And what a bakery! Up next on the front wall is the espresso bar...

Now for a look at the front-end before we head out...

There is also a cafe seating area on the front wall beyond the registers. That is all for this beautiful store, and tomorrow we're going to see something very different -- a former supermarket nearby on Grocery Archaeology, and just for fun, we'll also tour the replacement store on The Market Report!