New York meaning
bodega
A small neighborhood grocery or convenience store, often independently run.
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Meaning
In New York, a bodega is a compact neighborhood shop selling everyday groceries, drinks, snacks, household basics, and often prepared food. The word has Spanish roots and is closely tied to the city's Latino commercial history.
Pronunciation and grammar
/boʊˈdeɪɡə/ · noun
Everyday informal New York English; widely understood in American English.
How it is used
New Yorkers commonly use bodega for a familiar corner store, especially one that serves the immediate neighborhood and stays open long hours. Not every convenience store is necessarily described this way by local speakers.
Examples
Local: I'm heading to the bodega for milk and a sandwich.
Plain English: I'm heading to the neighborhood corner store for milk and a sandwich.
Local: The bodega downstairs knows everyone on the block.
Plain English: The small grocery downstairs knows everyone in the neighborhood.
Important context
Bodega should not be treated as a generic label for every small shop everywhere. In New York it carries neighborhood, cultural, and historical associations that convenience store may not capture.