Bait and switch -- I've had this experience more than once at Afikomen: I pick up an item, go to checkout, and it is priced differently. Today, I wanted to buy a book that had an Afikomen sticker on it marked $17.50. But when I got to checkout, it rang up at $75. The clerk didn't even notice. When I pointed out the discrepancy, the "manager" told me that owner had just changed the price, and had not bothered to update the sticker. She then checked the price on Alibris and Amazon, and said that Afikomen always would charge more than no places. If this was a one-time deal, I might have ignored it, but I've had this checkout "bait-and-switch" happen a bunch of times -- even when the price is given by an Afikomen price sticker. If you do shop there, watch the checkout like a hawk. read more

The owner got in touch with me to apologize for our treatment at the hands of the (now-dismissed) staff member, which I appreciate. He also asked me to take down the previous review on the basis that my experience was atypical, which does seem to be the case. I don't really have a basis for contrast, and I don't think that my original review was inaccurate, so I'm leaving it up, but I am granting Afikomen an additional star on the grounds that the owner at least cared enough to follow up. read more

We are so lucky to have Afikomen here in the East Bay. The owners are very kind and helpful. They have everything you need for a Jewish home. read more

Decent selection, nice staff. Unfortunately, my shopping experience was tainted by the cashier. I was buying over $300 for a variety of Hanukkah items and, at the register, the cashier strongly suggested a spray to prevent candle wax from sticking to candle sticks. She INSISTED that it was a great purchase - it was on sale for only $3 and worked flawlessly. She rung me up, I paid and left. About 10 minutes later, I remembered that I had forgotten to buy wine and stopped back in. The cashier told me that actually, she had rung it up wrong, and it cost $15 instead of $3 - whoops. And then she asked me to pay the difference, which I did. For the record, it's a terrible product - it makes the candle holder so slippery that the candles slip out, and candle wax still sticks everywhere. Boo. read more

Don't go here for books. The schlubs at the counter don't have the foggiest about the books they do have and wouldn't even know where to begin should you want something else. If you want an over-priced mezuzah scroll, they can assist, but forget about books. read more

I went over to Afikomen a while back with some Conservative&Reform Jewish adult acquaintances. The items seemed to be fairly expensive with high markups for jewelry and other "non-essentials" compared to online outlets based in the Holy Land of Israel or elsewhere. Although, we ALL could see that the one-of-a-kind, high-margin items WERE high-quality. But now specifically to books at a Bookstore instead of at a Giftstore: If Borders didn't recently close down many of its stores and if it DID have a good selection of Jewish books, then I suppose that many Jews and non-Jews would browse at Borders and B&N for their Judaica books instead of at Afikomen where there's much more pressure (at Afikomen) to make a sale. Guess we caught one of the Afikomen saleswomen on a bad day compared to the other reviewers here, 'cause she took a lonnnnngggg slowwww time ringing up a purchased item, kept on asking the purchaser "Do you want something else? Do you want something else?" when the purchaser really didn't, and then while ringing up the purchase, somehow managed to ignore the purchaser's S.O. when the latter made a product inquiry(???!!!) As it is, Afikomen basically has NO brick-and-mortar competition in the SFBay Area, so they can get away with any markups that they unilaterally deem "fair" and can get away with their owner's taking an out-of-town vacation or two during slow times of the year. The Jewish people I visited Afikomen with and others are now telling me that the owners are ratcheting up the volume on the insistence to "Support your local community's business (us!) Support your local community's business (us!)" Therefore, I think that they are struggling financially like other small businesses these days. Is a deathnell approaching Afikomen Judaica similar to Borders?? I don't know and I can't say I really care overly much. Based on all this, I'd rate Afikomen Judaica 2-3 stars between "Average" and "I've experienced better". read more

Located in an interesting little retail area, (sci-fi books, european upholstery, bread & coffee..) Afikomen is one of the most unique Jewish book and gift store in the country. They really have everything,from Rashi's commentaries to Mexican stamped metal minorahs...Well worth a browse, even if you're not Jewish... read more

Chaim, the owner, read the whole Megillah for Purim. Afikomen is more than a book store, its a hub for the unaffiliated. Also, this is where I bought my Ketubah and rented a Chuppah for my wedding. Good place. read more

It's such a treat to have such a resource in the Bay Area. This is my go to place for gifts, resource books, novelties - you name it. The staff is super helpful and very kind. read more

I stopped by Afikomen last Sunday on the way to my mom's house with a Hanukkah gelt deficiency - they set me up. I'm not an active jew, so it's really only gelt, or maybe a pretty menorah, that would lure me into Afikomen, but once there I really liked the stre. They have got some beautiful things in there. read more

I don't find Afikomen as welcoming to newcomers as Ruth A. did, but it's still okay. As a newcomer, I still find myself wondering what it is I'm looking at, and there's often no one around to ask. And the few questions I've asked weren't terribly well answered; I guess that means that cashiers aren't always as knowledgeable as rabbis. Still, I can't find any of this stuff any other place. Parking is on the street, but surprisingly good. read more

Continues to be the best Judaica shop around. I have 2 little kids and am always looking for wonderful Jewish books to read at night. Afikomen always has the best selection and I stop by and get a huge haul whenever I am nearby. Stopped in yesterday and got 6 fantastic Hanukkah books that I had never heard of. Got the home and read them to my 4 year old, and we both loved every single one. Afikomen is a wonderful benefit to our Jewish Community and I am so happy to support them. Rather than shop on Amazon, I'm happy to pay full price and support this wonderful shop. It truly is a mitzvah to shop here! read more

I have a bias since I know the owners, but I have been most impressed by their devotion to serving the Jewish community here in the East Bay. There simply is no other place that provides a strong selection of quality Judaica and literature here. Please support them! read more

What a great store for present if you're looking for some stuff for holidays books and all kind of Jewish related store this is the right place I make all my shopping over there they're nice friendly and professional that can guide you for the stuff that you need and help you with whatever you want highly recommend in the store thanks again read more

I've been looking for Hanukkah books for my kids, so I have been recently reminded of my dislike for this store. Four years ago, I walked into this store approximately 38 weeks pregnant, and the owner told me I looked like a dreidel. I thought it was such a rude thing to say that I've never gone back. I would suggest not commenting on your customers' appearance, particularly if you want to compare a woman to a top. read more

A wonderful store. They have two types of 7-day Yarhzeit candles that, to my knowledge, you can't find anywhere else in the East Bay. Highly recommended. read more

I'm sorry to express my disappointment about Afikomen as I have been a loyal customer for over twenty five years. While the merchandise is tops, the lack of kindness from the staff and manager is extremely off putting. In the early days, one was welcomed with a genuine smile and courtesy throughout the shopping experience. Now, the friendliness appears selective and the shopping experience a downer. I believe the entire staff from top down needs a refresher course in grace, courtesy and manners. read more

Fantastic store. Full of friendly, energetic, helpful staff and every kind and type of Judaica one might want. And what they don't have they'll order for you. read more

I honestly don't know how the Jewish people of the East Bay would survive and thrive without Afikomen. We'd have to turn to the internet for all our Judaica needs. Yuck! Not to mention the diverse series of programming at the store. Thanks Afikomen. Yay! read more

I wish I could give no stars. The owners are incredibly rude and unwelcoming. I have been a loyal customer at Afikomen from the time it opened. David & Jerry were such a great team, and then Jerry and Alexis carried on the tradition of being warm and helpful. As much as I love to shop locally, I plan to do all of my future shopping for Judaica in SF at Dayenu or online going forward. Going into Afikomen these days is just too unpleasant of an experience. Not worth it. read more

Afikomen is a unique Judaica and book store. It is a rare treat to find a store that caters comfortably to Jews of many streams. Finding Reconstructionist prayer-books alongside volumes of Mishna is exceptional. The Jews of Berkeley are chosen, indeed! read more

A lovely, well-stocked store, with an excellent book selection. The owner and the sales clerk were very pleasant and helpful. Even though I live in SF, I'd rather make the trip to Berkeley to buy what I need, simply to support a local small business and good customer service (I wish I had come here sooner!). I'm looking forward to returning. read more

I have been to Judaica stores all over the country and there are very few that compare to Afikomen. It is rare to find a Judaica store that combines the breadth and beauty of ritual objects and art along with a book selection as varied and as comprehensive. In fact, I would bet there is no other Jewish bookstore in the country that has the book selection that Afikomen has. I always bring out of town guests there. read more

I love this store. It's small and yet somehow every time I go, I not only find what I need but I find so many other things that I needed and yet somehow had forgotten until I saw them. It's also beautifully arranged and reasonably priced. And Nell and Chaim are kind and knowledgeable and go above and beyond...not only that, I'm guaranteed to see someone I know and like there.... read more

Many of us have seen Afikomen's Buy Local/Think indie ads in such papers as the local East Bay Express. At the same time, Afikomen is kinda the only brick-and-mortar Judaica shop around in the area, so there's really little local basis for comparison. As a veritable monopoly on Judaica items locally, Afikomen does an above average job of catering to its customer base. I've found from visiting the store itself that they cater much more to their upscale crowd residing in their local area than they do to bargain-hunters. Witness their extensive line of beautiful Judaica artwork and valuable (read Expensive!) ceremonial objects. When you go there ostensibly to browse around for Jewish books and multimedia, although they're not exactly big on the hard sale, they do noticeably try to nudge you a bit to make a purchase while in the store -- the staff has been known to frequently hover around potential purchasers even while the latter are simply perusing the same Jewish books and multimedia sections. Afikomen's staff will quickly mention they'll try to order for you something you want from elsewhere whenever you cannot find it at the store itself. A recent thing I'll have to severely ding Afikomen for is their inability to accommodate drop-ins for purchasing handmade shmura matzah specifically designated for our holy Pesach/Passover Seders -- drop-ins meaning potential customers wishing to avoid pre-ordering online or over the phone/faxing. Avoiding naming names here: One Afikomen person said that drop-in purchasers of this matzah would be welcome, then Afikomen persons kept telling potential drop-ins that the store's shipment of such matzah would be super-late, and then another store person finally told we drop-ins that all this matzah was already previously sold out thru pre-orders only; essentially "too bad for you Y.O.Y.O., sorry!" A classic case of "He Said/She Said/They Said" and I'm disappointed in them :-( Great thanks to the Force of the Universe/HKbH/RShO for one of our big grocery chainstores in the region with convenient evening hours coming through for us drop-ins by stocking sufficient NON-leftover handmade shmura matzah from Israel!! Afikomen's owners are certainly conscientious, they certainly pay attention to their regular and drop-in customers, and they are veritable pillars of the local Jewish community. If you absolutely MUST acquire that special Judaica item ASAP, and Afikomen carries it in stock, then of course you'll have to visit the store for the purchase. That being said, if you're out to seek a bargain in purchasing several Jewish items and you're not in too big of a rush, then I clearly think your best bet is to order such things decidedly NON-locally, e.g., from out-of-town Judaica stores based in the Greater New York area or in Israel, rather than from Afikomen; "bargain" in terms of low cost, good availability, wide selection, and open hours. IMHO, excellent deals for comparable Judaica merchandise are elsewhere, despite Afikomen's Buy Local ads and their offers to order such merchandise on your behalf :-/ read more