Parking is a disaster, and once I got inside on a Sat afternoon- it was a mess in there too. Long lines and slowly moving, but thank goodness for 3 express lanes. I couldn't find a packaged salad ready to go aside from the one near the hot food ready to eat things. I was looking for a salad bag?? Maybe that isn't what they do here- but that's my kind of home made salad. I got one from the ready to eat side. Chicken Caesar Salad and OMG it was delicious. $8.99 what a perfect dinner. This was a 3 star place until I ate that. I'll go back because it's close to home and I'll ride my scooter next time. read more

I love berkeley bowl but I HATE THE FISH MAN. completely rude and unprofessional he felt the need to give me attitude and mansplain how to ask a question when I explicitly asked which type of tuna for sushi I should purchase. His uncalled for comments forced for a fellow shopper to prove my question was completely reasonable. unprofessional, rude, and lacking the basic etiquette when speaking with customers. He deserves to be punished. He was wearing all blue. read more

By far the best place to shop anywhere on the planet or the moon. I have been shop there for over six years even though the quality was always good prices have gone up significantly. I guess it's because everything got more expensive around the Bay Area. But even with that, it still offers the best value for money. Cheers! read more

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This place is high-five awesome!! Will be my go-to for fresh, inexpensive produce once I move to Berkeley. Based upon my Yelp rating system (equaling a total of 5 stars, one for each): Communication: 1-Star (my check out person was friendly, so unexpected). Environment: 1-Star (Really nice market, literally so good.) Quality/Consistency: 1-Star (Everything was very fresh. I left with way more stuff than I was able to eat for snacks in the following 4 days... and only spent 22 bucks.) Unique-ness: 1-Star (Hard to find well-priced, well-assorted markets for produce, but BB hits them all!) Value: 1-Star (Perfecto. Thanks Berkeley Bowl!) -------- Total: 5 out of 5 Stars. read more

My favorite grocery store ever, and in the runnings for my favorite place ever, too! I look forward to going here every week, and I shop with a big smile. The vegetable/fruit section is incredible, and they have everything else you need... The employees are nice, and so are the customers. Drawbacks: some dry items or meat/fish are a little more expensive (but the cheap and plentiful veggies and fruits easily makes up for it), and it can be difficult to get in and out at rush-hour (but people are pretty nice as you squeeze by in the narrow aisles). I'm blown away the current rating is only 4 stars. Even the loves of our lives aren't perfect, but do we give them three or four stars? No! They get five stars, or more! So, Berkeley bowl, I give you 5 stars now, and owe you 999,995 read more

One of the best grocery stores in Berkeley. With amazing variety of products. It is very overpriced though. Some products are twice as expensive compared to other stores. read more

I always tell my friends and family that when I graduate from Berkeley, Berkeley Bowl will probably be the place I miss the most, and I'm not even kidding! L O L I hear lots of people say that Berkeley Bowl is expensive, but I think what's key about shopping here is knowing what to get. Compared to the markets easily located for Cal students (Trader Joe's, Safeway, and Berkeley Bowl), Berkeley Bowl has the cheapest produce, hands down!!! I'll admit, everything else can be a bit more expensive - but I think what you're paying for are better quality food - they have plenty of organic options, and just healthier options (so don't expect to find any bag of Lay's chips around here!) So for the produce, I love their produce because it's so fresh, and the prices are amazing! If you come earlier during the day, you'll probably find a bunch of great steals at the 99cent area. And their variety of apples is amazing, it really spoils you. I also love going to their bulk section, which sells so many things you can stay there forever! I love getting my oats, lentils, granola, and spices here! Such a variety and for the most part, it's cheaper than buying the entire packaged version. They have rolled oats, steel cut oats, baby oats, quinoa pasta, bow-tie pasta, alphabet pasta, red lentil, green lentils, jasmine rice, black rice, the list could go on and on and on..... For snacking, they have a bunch of snacks like wasabi peas, honey roasted almonds, chili limi pistachios, raw cashews, whole hazelnuts, dried fruits (apples, bananas, persimmon, peaches, cherries, raisins, tomatoes). And for spices, they probably have everything you need. UGH, I'm in love with this place! read more

Um, slightly biased here as members of my family are the owners. But this review is to say Thank you to Michael, the young cashier who rang me up on 12/31/27. All I bought were 2 packages of SAC fresh Mochi. But when he handed me that bag with a sweet smile i received the kind of Customer Service that the Store Manager, should acknowledge. Way to go, Michael. You had no idea that I am related or that you go the extra mile to connect with the Customer! Thank you. I normally shop at West but yesterday I made a good decision to shop at Main and was lucky to pick your register! ~Erin read more

Got a chicken pot pie from here today. Upon inspecting my second bite after I felt a crunch, there was a large bone fragment. So not too excited about the surprise in a pie. read more

No doubt it's my favorite shopping place . High food quality, good price, and it has everything!! I started eating more organic stuff since I moved to east bay, and Berkeley bowl is my heaven for that. It has a wide selection of organic food. They also have a very good selection of international food!! Simply Natos have 4 or 5 kinds. I also really like their bulk section. It's good for people trying to reduce waste. Onigiris are super yummy. Coffee is good too! read more

Berkeley Bowl Marketplace - Grocery Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I went to the store on November 27th and it was super crowded, they are not limiting customers. It is very unsafe right now with cases going up. I will not go back and encourage others to suggest that they take this more seriously. Very bad practice. read more

This place has everything and then some. It covers health food, supplement, a rainbow of kombucha on tap and is an omnivore or vegetarian or paleo or vegan ...the list goes on...dream. read more

The good: Great selection of fruits, vegetables, meats, and dry goods. The bad: Many, though not all, of the employees are rude or just seem unhappy with their job. Not sure if it is a reflection of them hating to work there or they just attract anti-social people. Either way something management should definitely address. read more

Thirty percent increase in food to go prices just so people know. Otherwise we love the bowl

I've said this time and again, genuinely and earnestly every single time: Berkeley Bowl is the sole reason I haven't starved. Their bargain produce has gotten me through some very lean days between paychecks (ah, the glamorous life of a freelancer) and fed me like a queen when I could barely afford to make rent. Boutique items, organics, and fancy frippery abound, but for your staple produce and bulk dry goods, I dare you to find a store cheaper within the surrounding 50 miles. Quality is at a high standard across the board, so even the discounted foods are barely blemished most of the time. You just need to go early and avoid the place on weekends or holidays at all costs. Otherwise, prepare yourself for a full-contact bumper cart experience. Cashiers are super friendly even under times of great duress, but your fellow shoppers can be positively rabid. read more

This store has very exceptional customer service. I left a bag of groceries at the end of the counter. When I realized I was missing this bag I called the store. They did not find it but checked camera footage & saw the person behind me picked it up. Chaz Jew the store supervisor told me to come back to the store & they would replace all the items. And they did with a smile. This was above & beyond. I cannot see a lot of grocery stores doing this. Bravo Berkekey Bowl! Emeshe Danko has exceptional employees! Thank you! Another reason I love this store! read more

I was a bit skeptical of all the hype before coming here but understand why people love this place. Great selection, low prices, and efficient check out. I was initially expecting a Whole Foods rip-off (with higher prices), but it's actually a more like a co-op priced option with Safeway-like variety of products. Interesting produce selections (e.g. heart-shaped cucumbers) and more types of nuts and dried fruits than you could ever imagine. The lines were a bit intimidating (especially since I was there as a lot of folks seemed to be coming after work), but the checkers were efficient. read more

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Place is awesome. GREAT produce options and also lots of great "health conscious" stuff throughout the store. More detailed selections than Safeway and honestly what I like to call a "local" Whole Foods, and easier on the wallet. Great selection of beers too.....and stay away from the cookie dough by their bulk section. It's TOO good! read more

They have a wide variety of choices on mushrooms and other exotic fruits .Some of the items were of really good quality (Grains,Nuts) ,the only thing to note is the price,I found some items were pricey than whole foods .Good place to visit but he cautious on the prices read more

This place is a real gem. The incredible selection of produce is often makes me slow down, breathe and be so glad to be in a grocery store with so many options. I feel the management of this store really cares and puts some love into this place. I did see a negative review of the fish dept and cashiers. As a shopper at this store for years, I can say sure. Occasionally there is someone working here who is having a bad day. Haven't we all? And, the store is still awesome even if one worker was a jerk. This is a great store. read more

My first time at Berkeley Bowl was amazing! For a cook it's everything you could ask for in one place. They have an awesome collection of everything you need for every cuisine you want. There bulk dry goods are the best, I found non Aluminum Baking powder, sweet cream buttermilk powder, different kinds of sugar. The variety and selection are mind boggling and prices are down to earth. Don't forget to check out the clearance section for dirt cheap prices. Must go for every cook! read more

I just shopped at this wonderful market. That being said the customers have the absolute worst stuck up Berkeley attitude I've ever seen. Horrible better than all attitudes!! read more

I have been to Berkeley Bowl a few times. I highly recommend this place for fruits, veggies and cheese

Your my boo when you carry things that make my lady create magic in the kitchen that make me wanna lock her up forever and never give her up. I got your back Berkeley Bowl cause you truly are on top of your game. Thank you for taking the time to label all the produce and letting us know what country it was born in. Them Mexico XXL Mangoes are the bizz in my salsas, drinks, and just freshly cut. Tomato selection has any tomato you need for your recipe. I could write all day how me and the lady wish we could open a bottle of wine and kill at least an hour or 2 picking everything out we love in the produce section including them amazing Cabernet, and Zinfandel grapes! BB carries many hard to find items like Textured Vegetable Protein, GT's Kombucha tea, good sparkling wine for $5 that doesn't give ya a headache, olive bar that never ends, drink muddler for only $3.99 (BevMo $9), fair trade bananas, incense, sage, massage oil, and plenty of cheese. Basically good stuff at good prices! read more

Though their bulk section system remains irritating (we have to wait in line to only wait in the register queue too?!), Berkeley Bowl redeems itself once again with its obscure offerings. As now all the rage: http://tastingtable.com/email/campaign/664.html, they now carry black, fermented garlic. That's right, BLACK GARLIC. Strange I know. And they say it tastes like chocolate. Uh huh, right. We call BS, but it does taste damn good with brie on a cracker. The chefs at BIX, and other fine establishments all over the nation can't be wrong, right? Once more, BB triumphs with the weird and rare! read more

*Berkeley, CA, circa 1995* DUDE: *drops an Efferdent in bong and proceeds to scrub with toilet brush* Duuude, do you want to have some killer veggie barbecue tonight, Tsada? TSADA: Sure. What are you making? D: Duuuuude...some killer sugar pie pumpkins, some beauteous zukes, and some aaaaaaaaawesome portobella 'shrooms . And some kind marinated tempeh. Kiiiiind!!! T: That sounds delicious. D: *to OTHER DUDE* Dude, the tape is over! Put in Winterland '79! And bring me some more water and some of those Cheez-um Pringles. T: So where did you get all these veggies? Did you grow them in your garden? D: Nah, dude. My soil's not fertile enough for 'shrooms. I went to the Bowl! T: Berkeley Bowl? Ugh. I can't deal with that place. D: Duuuuude....they've got the best vegetation around!!! T: Yeah, I know, but I can't deal. The crowded aisles, the insane parking, the crazy, CRAZY people. I can't deal. D: Sure you can, dude!!! Just need to follow the Three Bong Hit Bowl Rule. T: ? D: Duuuuude, I'm telling you. MINIMUM three bong rips before you brave the Bowl. read more

I have to reluctantly admit that the Berkeley Bowl is amazing. It is the best of what Berkeley is; the meeting of hippies and gourmet foodies. The produce department is second to none (best in the Bay Area) and contains an awe-inspiring selection of mushrooms, exotic fruits, and things like fiddlehead ferns, immature almonds (I'm not sure what one does with these), and French fingerling potatoes. Prices are actually reasonable too; $5.95 for a quart of fresh Czech vegetable soup, you can't find those prices at Whole Foods ($7.99). Bunches of mini tulips for $1.99 make me happy. You'll find rice milk chocolate bars, gluten free breads galore, hemp waffles, fresh pasta, fresh chutney, Acme breads, bulk foods, inexpensive flowers, fresh naan from Naan & Curry, sweets from SF's Cinderella Bakery. The Asian section has an pan from Benkyodo and mochi from a place in SoCal. They carry natto, sushi, and bento boxes. The deli/bakery section offers fresh pizza, made to order sandwiches, espresso drinks, soups, donuts and pastries. Bored with your veggie burgers and tempeh? BB has unusual varieties of both. I picked up some tempeh with flax. The store has a warehouse feel. It's crazy crowded but worth the wait. Tips: * I usually park on the side streets rather than attempt to park in the lot. Even if you find a space in the lot, it's going to be hard to get out of the lot. * Try not to use a shopping cart if you can so you can maneuver the aisles more easily * Bring your own bag and get a 5 cent credit read more

So, today my best pal in O-town totaled her car. I was so happy that she was alive & well, I left work early and I vowed to be by her side for as long as she needed. She said she just needed to shop for Thanksgiving and I was on the job! Got to her place and she finally alludes to the fact that her shopping must be done at the Berkeley Bowl. I think she felt my insides sizzling with a forthcoming anxiety attack so she starts with some warnings about the Bowl and I already knew what was about to happen. Based on the stories I've heard about this place & some of the reviews here, it's apparent I'm not your basic 'Berkeley Bowl type-o-gal'. But, I gotta tell you, I don't know if it was the .5mg of clonopin I took or the 'herbal pit stop' I made before coming here, but I kinda liked this place, it was an adventure into the total unknown. I felt like fucking K-Pax half the time holding up & inspecting strange veggies and tripping out on gigantic apples with elephantitis or whatever is going on there. Biggest fucking apples in the world ...and the carrots..and then some weird huge thing of celery called cardone. What the hell is going on here? These fruits & veggies look more fit for a dinosaur's diet. Oh and ALL this time I've been passing up on some tasty snap-dragon & African violet culinary wonderfest. Edible flowers? cmon now... I can barely stand Berkeley (the city) and don't even get me started on the fucking people that live there in all their high & mighty victim-like 'I AM traffic on my bike" personalities. Oh, I saw them in here, I saw the hippies and the lil 'homemade hat-wearing weird ladies' draped in layers upon layers of clothing. I saw the moms toting their sleeping children around and giving the stink eye to everyone else as if we 'better not wake up their baby". I have a solution for ya mommy dearest. Get that kid the fuck out of the most crowded supermarket known to man and maybe you won't have to worry about it staying asleep. Get real peeps. So, I'm standing near the carrots and this awful little boy launches a small grape at me. I was stunned and I told him he was a very BAD little boy (using the same tone I use on my cat). He made a lil circle with his mouth and said "Uh Oh!". Yeah, uh oh is right ya lil fucker, I'm not your average 'grown-up' with maturity and sensible thoughts... I will take you down kid! I gave him a smug look, picked up a brussel sprout and I shook it in my hand like dice. I was getting ready to hurl it at the kid's head, when his dad walked up and saved him. DAMN! I had a fucking blast at the double B. Parking was a bitch but we got lucky with a beautiful parking spot, and in the end, we had one of the fastest moving lines. I think the fact that my friend had already been slapped with such bad karma earlier, the universe tilted the rest of the day with goodness in her favor. Great, now I'm starting to talk like a hippie! Oh well, as long as I don't start to smell like one. read more

IN WATERMELON SUGAR All of my life, I have lived with women who forbade me from buying large watermelons. However, recently, I have become free of these restrictions. And so I went to the Bowl and bought the biggest freakin' watermelon I could find. It was a stunning beauty of the light green seedless variety. It took up the whole cart. They called it 30 lbs because the register scale couldn't go higher! It was delicious! But, Honey, if you are reading this, you are probably smirking. OK, it didn't fit in the refrigerator and it filled up the whole green waste can. Please come home and I will allow you to do all of the shopping at the Bowl. We will live in Watermelon Sugar forevermore. PS: The Bowl don't have trout oil. read more

Imagine the entire population of Berkeley's notoriously reckless pedestrians all packed into a single building. I'll let that sink in for a moment. They run wild through the aisles, clumsily maneuvering while actively ignoring their surroundings. How does one actively ignore their surroundings? It is a talent that takes months of training on the streets of Berkeley. All those months were simply preparation for their time at Berkeley Bowl. Yet for all its dangers. For all its crowds and lines, one can not ignore that beautiful produce section. Your local megamart has only *one* type of pineapple. My poor child, how ever do you survive when you can head over to the Bowl and choose one of five! Hass avacados? Please, they have Hass, Bacon, Fuerte, Reed and Gwen. I can't even name all the types of grapes. Or tomatoes. Oh goodness gracious the tomatoes! And the best part? They seem to clear their inventory every six minutes (judging by the crowds) so nearly everything is fresh. I will never look at my Whole Foods the same way. read more

I love the Bowl. You can actually find me and my screaming child here almost every single weekend. But before shopping here there are a few things you should be aware of. 1. While there are paper and plastic grocery bags at the checkout, unless you like receiving glares and dirty looks from environmentally conscious shoppers and employees, bring your own re-usable shopping bag. 2. If you are intent on parking in the parking lot, be prepared to wait a very long time for a space, be patient but also be aggressive. Patrons will not politely wait for you to think and ponder before taking your respective spot. They will take it while you ponder. 3. Shop with purpose. Know what you want and get it, this is not the place to casually peruse the aisles....at least not on the weekends or after 4 PM on weekdays. You will get stampeded by carts and crowds. 4. Shop the produce. This is what makes the Bowl so wonderful! It has a fresh, unbelievable selection and its pretty affordable so take advantage. 5. If you come on the weekend after 11AM, be prepared for the crowds, the lines and the non deodorant wearing patrons in crowded confined spaces. 6. People are friendly, talkative and outgoing here especially in the checkout line. If casual conversation freaks you out, this is probably not the best place for you. 6. You will be asked to sign several petitions going in and going out of the store. 7. Bad News: Young children usually hate the Bowl. Good News: Nobody cares if your child screams at the top of his/her lungs, throws fruit at you or others and is just completely unruly. 8. The prepared soups in the deli section are crazy tasty, give them a try. 9. No shoes, no shirt, you can get service! 10. Do not park in the neighboring Walgreens lot, you will in fact get towed. read more

Hello, Chi'drens... Time for a confessional-slash-cautionary tale from your second-favorite, over-sharing Ambiguously Asian Gal Pal. Herroooo...! Okay - so, my inaugural foray into BB reminded me of My First Time. Tedious. Noisy. Awkward. Stressful. Overrated. Confusing. Guilt-riddled. Sweaty. Forgettable. But enough about him... Seriously, Chi'drens: I would rather blind myself with a fist full of dull toothpicks than shop here again. Maybe it is all in my head, and the problem is me. It's quite possible. I have only been inked thrice. So far. I have never had dreadlocks, only dreaded my locks. Perhaps I'm: Too young... Not young enough... Too old... Not old enough... Annoyed by patchouli oil... Parsimonious? Interested in fresh air... Unwilling to take kidney shots in the produce section... Paranoid... I am okay with paying $7.99 for some honey-roasted gluten-free cashews to stash in my purse... but just once, and before a 3 hour movie, because you know the concession stand is going to charge much more for crap. But the sugar-rush was less-palpable because of protein. Isn't it weird to proclaim something GF when it obviously doesn't contain have wheat, barley or rye? Could have snuck it in if they dredged them in crumbs, I know... Just saying: GF Steak? GF Croutonless mixed green salad? One GF Chinatown Issue of Lucky Peach. Which I have read, cover-to-cover. Guilty pleasures abound, y'all - 'tis the season - IF you can be nice/patient enough to navigate parking lot. Otherwise, drop & roll curbside; let the Eagle hover while you are rapidly deployed for snackage blitzkrieg, but delayed sabotaged by Enemy Express Lines. BB smelled funkier than movie-theatre seating... right when I walked in, something just seemed... off. First-timer's bad-luck? Am I jinxed? I'm beginning to think so if everybody else feels the Love, and I cannot. If only it was as easy at Tsada K. makes it, c. 1995... read more

I've been going to the Berkeley Bowl since 1979 (gulp!). Of course, it's wonderful. Before you go, I recommend your reading http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/29/EBGK5CC95R1.DTL , the SF Chronicle's article "The Bowl is a universe all its own" that appeared in their East Bay life fluff section in April, 2005. It will put you in the right mood for shopping. Here are some random comments: * When I go, I tend to arrive well before the place opens. That way, I get a parking space without much trouble. I "pay" for that by having to wait outside. Even if I'm just standing there, I figure that I'm way ahead of the curve because I didn't have to fight for a parking space, and I'd wait inside at a checkout line for roughly the same amount of time if I didn't arrive early. The bonus is that I just don't stand there: usually, I chat with people whom I recognize as BB regulars. A group of like-minded people show up every Saturday morning around 8:35 or 8:40. Those guys know everything that ever happened in the world of jazz, especially if it involves the Bay Area in some way. * The mesquite charcoal is shelved with the cleaning products. * It's amazing to see the checkers work: they know the digital codes for every produce item in the store. My friend Mimi R is a great checker. She's usually working on #10. * The main wine buyer, Simon, has a fantastic palate. He used to work at North Berkeley wine, but was wooed away by the Berkeley Bowl when they decided to get serious about wine sales. He has a good selection, and his prices are lower than the theoretical full retail price that we all try to avoid paying. * If you come early, you get to mingle with all the caterers and restaurant folk. They're almost ready to leave when the doors open to the public -- they get in early and get out before we do. * Their produce section is of course awesome. Prices are creeping up. I infer that the Berkeley Bowl is trying to amass some cash to finance their new store down around Heinz and San Pablo Avenue. * Their selection of yogurts is really first rate. They have a lot of shelf space, so they can display all possible yogurts in all possible flavors. Good job! * Great meat, fish and prepared foods. Visitors from out of town are stunned when they see the place. read more

If you value having the best selection of produce on the West Coast (posssibly in the world) at great prices, then this is the store for you. I've witnessed it since 1983 as it morphed from its early beginnings in a former bowling alley on Shattuck Ave to moving into the old Safeway across the street and to its expansion on Heinz St. There's really nothing to compare with this store anyplace I've ever been. The only store that comes close is Monterrey Market in north Berkeley but it's a fraction of the size of Berkeley Bowl. One can always gripe about its being crowded and the lousy parking .... but those are simply indications that this store is no ordinary store. read more

All the awesome produce and fresh meat & fish in the store cannot make up for the cramped aisles, short hours, lack of packing, and pretentious, hostile Berkeley hippies that shop here. Yeah, OK, I'm sure that if you go in the morning (which means after 9am), it's not crowded. But I've got this funny thing called a job, and they say that I have to be at work in the morning. If I quit the job to go grocery shopping, then I don't have any more money for grocery shopping, so that whole theory just doesn't really pan out. This is a conglomeration of typical Berkeley Bowl experiences: After 15 minutes of waiting in the parking lot line, engine idling, for a spot to open up, I see a woman in her 60s, wearing Birkenstock's, approach her car, so I maneuver into position. She takes her time leaving, but that's OK, because you've finally got a spot. After 5 minutes, she finally pulls out, but in a huff, and yells out her window at me that she was holding that spot for her friend. Who? Where? Whatever. I park, grab a cart, and get into the store while the petitioners are distracted with other, less fortunate customers. Once inside, I make my way over to the deli. Cheese selection? Sorry, seen just as good, if not better, elsewhere. I hold my breathe as I hurry past the open air olive station that smells like rotting ass... other grocery stores manage to have similar stations which I can tolerate being within five feet of, why don't you? Find the soy milk... OK, of the two soy milks flavors that I like, one they have for a greater price than elsewhere, and the other isn't carried, despite the fact that they stock every other flavor from that brand. Fine... the meat department is next. Lots of good choices, once I get up to the counter to take a ticket and wait for service. The meatmonger makes friendly conversation about Hunter S. Thompson when he notices my Gonzo shirt, cool. The fish counter has not as good a selection, and at least the people working the meat counter were friendly. The fishmongers act like its beneath them to wrap up your fish. Not to mention that the fish counter is smack dab at just about the most cramped intersection of the store, at an odd angle. I dare to wander down the "ethnic" food isle, where people and carts get stuck between metal pillars, to grab some Thai peanut sauce... which I realize also costs more than a regular grocery store, like many other commodity items I'm picking up. I don't bother with the other aisles, as I'm likely to get glared at for making some vaguely un-leftist / un-PC comment about gun control or some other hot-button topic. Hell, at least the very-right-wing employees of Halmar, also in Berkeley, will listen to your side before disagreeing. Finally, I get to the holy grail: the produce section... only to be mobbed by half the population of the store. People leave their carts in the middle of the aisle, blocking everyone around them while they chat with their neighbor. The clerks don't want to have anything to do with anyone, and I can't say that I blame them, after way too many hours of dealing with crowds and assholes. The basic veggies-- green beans, broccoli, the like-- aren't any better here than other stores. The bananas are either green or will rot in two days. The oranges and apples are massive and plentiful, that's certain. Exotic fruits, such as mangoes and papaya, are also plentiful but unexplainably intermingled with other fruit. The bounty of berries are consistently swarming with people, so its a difficult to get close enough to get a bagful. So once I make it through the horrendously long checkout line, made a little better by the friendly clerk, I realize that I'm paying more to be harassed, jostled, blocked in, and scowled at. My good mood has eroded into a general bitchiness. The rest of you can keep Berkeley Bowl. I'll shop elsewhere, still get great food, and have my temper at the end of the day. Overall, it's just not worth my time, money, and effort. read more

True, the parking lot sucks big balls but once you deftly snag a parking space from the '84 wood-paneled station wagon and the '07 hybrid, the rest of the shopping trip is relatively easy. Hot foods to your right. A vast produce section to your left. Dairy is in the back, by the olive bar. The bulk food bins with every type of grain, rice, granola, and Japanese rice cracker imaginable are available on both sides of the first aisle. And those bearded, Birkenstock wearing hippie men who hike the Appalachian Trail for shits and giggles can be found around every corner. Sadly, I'm only here for yogurt and berries and not phone numbers from muesli-eating men. Otherwise it would be a solid 4 stars. read more

Dear Berkeley Bowl, I'm willing to park three blocks away and walk my groceries back to my car, navigate the hordes in your tiny aisles, and even stop to sign the ubiquitous petitions placed at your entry, in order to get the world-class produce and groceries you're so well known for. But when you hire inexperienced checkers and baggers who stand around chatting with each other and making errors on my bill, and they pack my produce so that the bananas are bruised and the nectarines are punctured, and then you sell stone fruits that are unripe and overpriced...I start to wonder if you're worth a revisit. Alternately I can buy: Japanese groceries and fresh fish? Tokyo Fish Market Great produce? The Berkeley Farmer's Market Cereal/Eggs/Milk? Trader Joe's But, I see my Yelp pal Pookie loves Berkeley Bowl, and it's close to both my job and my work, so I'm probably bound to come back to BB at some point. Train your employees, damn it! Berkeley Bowl ingredients can make this easy lunch: BBLT (Berkeley Bacon Lettuce & Tomatillo Sandwiches) 2 slices of thick cut bacon** per person (Niman Ranch is good) 2 tomatillos, sliced Whole wheat pita bread 1 avocado, halved Red leaf lettuce, sliced **Halal/Kosher version: use turkey bacon ** Vegan version: use "facon" (vegan bacon) Turn oven to broil. Place bacon (or facon) strips on cold broiler pan and broil the first side for 4 minutes. After turning bacon, put sliced tomatillo slices and pita bread on broiler pan; broil for 3 more minutes (or until bacon is crispy). Chop the broiled tomatillos. Cut pita breads in half, insert bacon (or facon), tomatillos, lettuce, and serve on plates with half an avocado per person. Pass the chipotle hot sauce. No mayonnaise needed. read more

Uhmmm, they filmed Top Chef Season 1 here....that alone deserves 4 stars!! I love Berkeley Bowl, a great healthy alternative to your standard market. Always a great selection of organic greens and veggies. A Willy Wonka wonderland for your organic, vegan, pleasure. I would pick BB over Whole Foods anytime. read more

3 rules for having a pleasurable Berkeley Bowl experience: 1. Never ever attempt to park in the parking lot. Park a couple blocks away. 2. Do not get a cart, no matter how much you want to buy. Get a basket. If you must get a cart, park it in the emptiest aisle and bring food to it; do not attempt to navigate through the store. 3. Bring a friend to keep you company in line. Or a magazine. Or enjoy people watching. I love Berkeley Bowl, particularly when I follow the three rules. If I'm feeling homesick for NJ, it's a great place to come, especially the parking lot -- very aggressive, just like back home. The first time I went, my jaw dropped, upon seeing the produce "section" -- takes up probably a third of the store and has every kind of produce imaginable, plus a few unimaginable. I like that I can get vegetarian foods without paying the jacked up prices that mainstream stores (and little specialty health food stores) charge for veggie stuff. I also like that I can buy nuts, pasta, dried fruit, granola, falafel, and even vegetarian bacon bits in "bulk" (whatever quantity I want) for less money than the packaged counterparts. The downside is the olive bar, which reeks more pungently than you can imagine; maybe people who like olives like that sort of thing; me, I hold my breath and run past. I like that they have Brown Cow yogurt with fruit & nuts; it's weird but addictive. And the Sesame Street kiddie cereal bars that are excellent for a less than 100 calorie snack at work. I love finding little treasures on the shelves; it's quite exciting to shop here if you're in the right mood. Oddly, the bulk food people who price your bulk items know exactly each thing is, even though you have dumped it in plastic bags -- How do they know you got raw almonds, not salted, or pumpkin spice granola instead of one of the other 12 granolas (or whatever)?? They are psychic. Or good memorizers, or detail-oriented or something. Be sure to get your bulk stuff weighed/priced at the special counter before heading to checkout! And don't try to shop after the minute they close -- You have to be done shopping by then and be in the checkout line, as opposed to some places where you just have to be in the store by the closing time. Go at odd hours to avoid the excessive crowds, and do avoid the place right before a big food holiday. If you follow all the rules, you'll have a ball. To Berkeley Bowl management -- extend your hours! It is insane for a popular grocery store to close at 8pm. read more

1200+ reviews for the Berkeley Bowl leaves not much more to say. This is Berkeley Bowl West's older, more mature sibling. There will always be a special place in my heart for this place, and I've been shopping here since they moved from across the street and took over a former Safeway site (I'm pretty sure no one missed the Safeway). We're all lucky to have the Berkeley Bowl, because we have unparallelled produce, meat, and fish right in the neighborhood. Yes, parking can be a bitch. The trick is figuring out the best time to go (no, I'm not going to tell, work for it!), and a large dose of patience. Same thing with the crowds. It's the price you pay to have high quality, reasonably priced food. There are plenty of loony tunes at Safeway too, but I wouldn't touch that meat with a ten foot pole. The produce at Safeway is sad and tired, and if you're looking for anything more interesting than lettuce you are SOL. Berkeley Bowl is the best supermarket around, even with it's idiosyncrasies. If the lines, the loonies, and the parking are too much for you, by all means go to Safeway. They're building a new one on College and Claremont. read more