It's a lovely bougie grocery store. Very well stocked, everything is very clean with excellent presentation. Great salad bar where you can pick the type of lettuce and all the toppings and they have gluten-free soup that is excellent especially the chili soup. Give this place a try you will be glad you did. read more

It's been over 5 years of operations and things are humming along well: - new rewards program - lots of traffic = fresh produce/products - community oriented staffers, they give away the leaves/stems of the produce they have prepped - all fiber is good fiber and free organic fiber is unheard of - they finally got rid of the dumpling spot and now have a salad bar, it's organic, wholesome and economical! Prices based on size not weight, individualize to your hearts desire or pick one of their menu options. We did the create your own, so so many toppings!!! And dressings. Buy small, support local endeavors like these. read more

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I've been visiting this grocery store for about 2 months now. I started visiting when I started the Paleo diet due to some autoimmune health issues, and found that normal grocery stores were frustrating as nearly 90% of the store were items full of preservatives, sugar, dairy, and other additives that are just not conducive to the Paleo diet. It was frustrating to say the least, so when I found this place, I started visiting regularly. It gave me some semblance of normalcy to not have to put back nearly all items I pick up. While it is pricier, I primarily buy my main produce elsewhere and supplement with paleo sauces, snacks and other items here. They also have a great supplement section, where I purchase a few supplement to help lesser the symptoms of my autoimmune disease. I had a more pleasant than usual experience today and wanted to highlight it. I visited on a Tuesday morning around 11AM and parking was plenty. I'm happy I can always find shaded parking. I walked in and grabbed a basket and it seems this place is always well staffed, which keeps the produce well stocks and it seems it's rotated regularly to make sure the items are fresh. This place is always clean and tidy, making it easy to remember the layout and navigate it. I had a question about their water machine and how they would charge for a half gallon(I didn't have a full gallon bottle), and she said they just weighed it! So I went to the cashier and ask if she needed to weigh my bottle before I filled it(just like how they would for bulk items) and she said since there is 64 FL Oz. Ingrained into the glass it was fine! It was a pleasant experience, as they were happy to answer my questions and helped me ensure I got what I needed. They also had free range eggs for $5/dozen, which was a pleasant surprise. Though at 11AM they only have one carton left. I did not buy it since I bought some eggs from TJs already. I also picked up some frozen squash and organic opal apples that were on sale. The prices weren't any worse than a usual grocery store. Just make sure you price match, like for example, chomp beef sticks are $1.99 at TJs, $2.69 here, but they were on sale for $1.69. So, you could do a bit of savings!(Since chomps turkey sticks are one of the only paleo sticks that I can throw in my purse in case I get hungry). Overall, I do enjoy this place. I think mire bulk items would be great as it is quite small today. I also could not find any lemon balm tea, so I'll have to buy that elsewhere. I'll be coming back every week to scour your sales and supplement my grocery shopping! read more

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I love the quality of produce and groceries here. I wish it wasn't so expensive but hey... you get what you pay for ;) ... Keep an eye out for their on-sale items and def sign up for their points program. Bulk items are 10% off every Thursday. The employees seem pretty happy working there, which is a great sign. The only downside to this place is parking. You really have to post up and scout for a spot, occasionally up to 10-15 min. read more

Healthy groceries, fresh organic produce and lots of other goodies so grateful this store is in Castro valley

Friendly quick check out, great assortment of products but be careful purchasing fresh ready made items. Be on guard. Check 'packed on dates.' I'm so used to walking into Whole Foods or Trader Joes. You grab anything off the shelf and its great. Salads, sandwiches - I've never had any disappointments at those two places. Problem is - when I walked in here I mentally put this on the same level as those two stores - but its far from that quality level. Grabbed a pre made sandwich. Opened it up and immediately saw wilted greens sticking to the top bun. The red onions were soaking into the bread turning it pink. Looked at the bottom bread piece and it was soaked with mayo. I ended up trimming both pieces of bread to cut out all that. Luckily for Christmas I got very very sharp knives from Germany I got to try out. I felt like Yan Can Cook - doing a fish fillet. With swiftness and accuracy I got rid of all the yuck. Lucky's sells pre made sandwiches too. They put the mayo in a separate little pack so you can put it on yourself. That might be a good idea for here - or perhaps shorten the 6 day shelf life of these things. Packed on the 24th sell by the 29th is too long. Today its the 28th... wonder what this would be like tomorrow. Overall if I have to spend time looking for expiration dates I wouldn't tolerate it all all for the prices charged here. I'd rather go to Grocery Outlet where they are known to sell things toward the end of their shelf life for half the price. This is a great concept but I don't think there is the demand in Castro Valley to support it. read more

Castro Valley Natural Grocery - Wilted lettuce - Organic Stores Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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I continue to appreciate and support this local grocery. The few criticisms I had a few months ago have disappeared. I think overtime they have weeded out some of the less engaged employees; in addition, I no longer see produce with excessive dirt on it. Our weekly local paper recently had a great article about their selling hyper local honey (they have hives on the roof top of the CV Marketplace). It was interesting to learn about the benefits of eating local honey, such as "helping your body boost your immune system, especially anyone with allergies or hay fever." What a great community resource! Other high points for me are: -The bulk bins are now available, fully stocked -Their Dry Roasted Organic Cajun Cashews - seriously good beer snack, have just the right spicy kick! -Great beer selection - lots of local breweries -Great organic avocados, tomatoes, corn-on-the-cob, arugula, bananas and sweet onions -Frozen Marion berries - for a quick and easy cobbler So happy we have this grocery for our community! read more

Castro Valley Natural Grocery - Selling local honey! - Organic Stores Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Great little grocery with organic goods, fresh produce, Strauss Farms dairy products, gluten free products, essential oils, vitamins and supplements. I visited to stop by and support small business and did leave with about $90 worth of stuff...essential oils, vitamins, cheese and some Sconehenge Bakery berry scones. The soup, salad and cheese section towards the front/left of the grocery is part of the CV Natural Grocery. So get your goodies and dine in their spacious outdoor dining area or enjoy at home. Nice addition to the Castro Valley Marketplace Plenty of street and lot parking in the back read more

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The workers here are definitely young to say the least! I come often and spend a decent amount of money in this store and every time, I have to wait until the workers are done having their conversations with EACHOTHER. The very tall guy with glasses who works the register is also non helpful and very unfriendly, not sure he's a good fit for the place whatsoever. The store has many food choices which is why I pay the higher prices to shop here. Hopefully management gets this and makes some positive, well needed changes. read more

Really a delightful surprise when I walked into the marketplace. They had an impressive bottle selection and some good grab-and-go options. The staff were all amazingly friendly and patient. I'm super indecisive, and sometimes that leads folks to wonder why I'm wandering the store so erratically. I appreciate folks gave me my space. I do wish they perhaps had some more bottled or canned coffee options, but that is really unique to my context as a visitor needing wake-up and go coffee since I'm on the go. read more

Castro Valley Natural Grocery - Barry the Bear! - Organic Stores Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Love this Oasis for healthy food, organic fresh produce. They have a beauty and health supplement section. And there is hot food available from Chinese Bao and noodles to pizza and pop-up cuisine. Appreciate having this store in the neighborhood. read more

Castro Valley Natural Grocery is owned by the same fine people who operates Alameda Natural Grocery. that's great. they will also operate Tomato, freshly made eats ready to go, in Castro Valley. was totally not prep to shop so didn't bring a reusable bag. aisles aren't that wide. just browsed a bit before leaving. found the beer aisle was cluttered with equipment so beers not easily accessible. people were also just standing around. so decided to leave due to an abundance of caution. brew: damnation ipa(5.19) 7.5%, 12.68 oz. -had a pop top cork which "popped" prematurely -too much foam affected the beer taste -not hoppy, beer would have been better if not so foamy. -quick checkout. read more

Castro Valley Natural Grocery - Russian river: "damnation" had too much foam. - Organic Stores Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Service!! The service at checkout is really really bad. Not only do they not greet you or not help you bag your purchases. I've had three experiences in a row when they are charging me full price on a sale item. I usually realize it after I've walked out of the store. This time around I caught them doing it and asked the cashier about it. The guy did not apologize but rather literally asked me to walk back to all the aisles where I picked up the sale item and share the sale amounts with him. I asked him twice if that is what he really wants me to do and he stood there and said yes. It is my hard earned money so I spent next 5 mins or more walking around clicking pictures of prices on my phone and brought it back to the cashier to get a refund. I'm a Castro valley local and the only reason to shop here is want to support local businesses but I guess will be going back to the big shops like Whole Foods after this experience. read more

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Five stars to Danielle at the Wine cellar! She went above and beyond to locate the cranberry liqueur they no longer carry and even tracked me down in the grocery area to give me the info. I will come back just to get my wine for thanksgiving from her. The grocery store cashiers however not very cordial at all especially the one with the facial peircings i asked her about a sample lotion on the counter and she barely moved her mouth to repy "I don't know". Oh and shout out to the bakery girls where I got my coffee they were very nice! read more

Good selection of grocery items. Good prices. Cheese, chocolate, yogurt, beer all great.

The reason 3 stars and not 2 is they are the only game in town. Yes you've the natural food store across the street, but they don't have the space. 1 star on the customer service piece. I dread calling them cuz you just don't know what's going to answer the phone. Like today, I call up, no introduction to let you know you've called the right place, just crappy Muzak playing. I hold for about 10-15 seconds and hang up. Try again to make sure I didn't dial the wrong number. Line picks up the crappy Muzac picks up where it left off. I hold on longer this time because I'm a glutton for punishment, just hoping someone might pick up. Not only did they not pick the machine says, no one is available to take your call goodbye. Click! Everyone says it's hard to hire got people these days, how about just hiring enough people. Or get tech savvy. Don't want to have to drive to Oakland. read more

Great little store with a good selection of products despite its small size. Customer service is very lacking however. To the rude emo female cashier that looks like she hates her life.. if you are so miserable there you should just quit. She didn't even bother to place the my bag of groceries onto the top of the counter. I literally had to reach over to the area where she was standing to grab my groceries after I paid. Please do paying customers a solid by quitting and find yourself a non customer facing job because you frankly suck at it. 4 Stars for the Store Zero Stars for that particular cashier. read more

I love coming to this place for unique grocery needs. They have a wonderful selection of everything. Their food court area offers really good dim sum and premade cold/heated selections like salads and burritos. It never seems busy, which is great! HOWEVER, why do the people working here never smile at their customers? I've been skeptical to even write a review, but after coming here the past few times, the check out staff haven't been very friendly....lacking eye contact, a brief smile/hello, or saying even one word. It's not a great reflection of the business in my opinion. read more

Clean, stocked shelves, and courteous staff. We were glad to finally get the chance to shop at the Castro Valley Natural Grocery. So much so that we returned later in the week to do more shopping now that we knew they sold some of our favorite brands, including local ones. We were impressed with the freshness of their produce and their selection of veggies, fruit, bread, snacks, tea, frozen food, and so on. I have a number of food allergies, so it was nice to see the number of non-dairy options that they had available. And like their name, they carry brands that use natural ingredients, which I am all for. All staff members wore masks and were available throughout the store mainly restocking the shelves, but could answer questions, if needed. Customer service was friendly at checkout on both visits. read more

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For a small grocery, this place has a lot to offer! The personal care side of the store is extensive and comprehensive. The beer selection is surprisingly large, with lots of local breweries represented. The cheese... oh, the cheese! We mostly perused, but lots of things caught our eyes. We left with a Ghost Town IPA and some Hu Chocolate. I certainly won't come here for my weekly shopping, but when I do stop at Castro Valley Market, I'll definitely stop in and there's no doubt I'll purchase something. read more

This grocery store is exactly what was missing from Castro Valley! It is part of the Castro Valley Marketplace, located in the first floor. Their produce is fresh and colorful with good selections. Be prepared to pay for organic prices but it is totally worth it. I highly recommend their rosemary roasted chicken which you can grab (hot) a whole chicken or half. My ultimate most favorite part of this store is their cheese selection! I used to drive out to Whole Foods to get good cheese but that is no longer necessary. They have truffle cheeses, plenty of soft cheeses (Brie, Brillat-Savarin), hard cheeses (aged Gouda, etc.) and much more. They are friendly and helpful if you're not sure what to choose. Enjoy visiting this terrific store! read more

Welcome addition to Castro Valley! They carry higher quality products, many from local farms and food vendors. Picked up some fresh fruit (peaches and blackberries), goat cheese from their killer selection at their counter, a fresh baguette from seven hills baking co next door, a nice big bottle of Russian River Blind Pig IPA (not easy to find!) , and had a little mini picnic outside on the paseo! Nice getaway during these strange times we find ourselves in... read more

Castro Valley Natural Grocery - Organic Stores Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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A carefully-curated natural grocery store, somewhere between a full grocery store and a specialty store. If you want to shop without needing to check if everything is ethically produced or organic, this is your place. Plusses: reasonably broad selection of items, very nicely arranged. Includes a good amount of prepared meals and a full aisle of frozen food. Also notable are large cheese and coffee sections. It does have the vibe of a mini-Berkeley Bowl, in a good way! Minuses: the high standards means that for some products, they only offer one brand. For example, most of their oils are Spectrum. Or if you need whole wheat sandwich bread without seeds, they may not have it. Note: there is a separate butcher in the same building, so they don't stock any raw meats. read more

Excellent everything, as you would expect from a high-end independent grocery store. However the service is exceptional. We have an allergy to a very common herb in the house. Erin the Kitchen Manager listened very carefully, then promised to get us their organic free range (etc etc) rotisserie chicken without that herb. She did. She cooked us a chicken to order, on time, with a smile. Poor thing was run off her feet on that holiday week and she still stepped up. CVNG comes through again! read more

Having a grocery store nearby that sells Strauss milk is really nice and convenient!

I just shopped at this store for the first time very recently, and they are terrific! I was afraid of what their prices might be like when I saw that they were located in the Castro Valley Marketplace--but they are MORE THAN competitive with Whole Foods, and the staff is really nice and helpful (I read some of the 1-star reviews, and my experiences have been exactly the opposite, although I agree that *any* business even suggesting that people tip *any type of* cashier is beyond tacky and needs to be stopped--if you pay a fair wage, there should be no need to tip cashiers [we're not talking waitpersons here, who absolutely *should* be tipped], and I would definitely urge CVNG to stop this practice). Yes, most of the people who work here are young, but they've all been terrific with me so far (special shout-out for Kayla; the management should be ecstatic at how well this woman "sells" this store). Their returns policy is very fair, and with managers like Nate running the show, I can see why the employees seem to be so happy, because he's a super-sweet guy who clearly and sincerely cares about his customers and knows his business (I needed to call in with an inquiry about a product, and he was terrific; and several days later, I was delighted to get the chance to meet him--and he is just as nice and bright in person). So if you tried this place out several months or more ago and had an unpleasant experience, I would urge you to come back at least once and see if things have changed, because I think you will be pleasantly surprised. read more

I love this new Natural Foods Grocery Store and Mecca in Castro Valley. It is so fun with like 10 different kinds of never before heard of apples like piñata and Autumn Glow. I love that! I got some she she yogurt, local honey, and it just felt like they had things I had never seen before. Super fun! I love all the fancy things and pretty produce, and fun drinks, and the whole aura. Outside are nice picnic tables but I guess we have to wait until Covid is over. Oh and I love that when you go in the store, there is someone there to spray your hands with sanitizer and open the door for you. I hope they can stay in business!!! So fun! read more

I'm so excited to have this market in Castro Valley! I thought it was never going to happen. And the timing couldn't have been worse due to the pandemic. But they are here! Finally! Beautiful produce, fancy cheeses, tasty prepared foods, awesome beers and drinks. Would be the perfect stop before a picnic. They have all the vegan and organic and health conscious products that I love. Even skincare and bath products. All the staff I encountered were super friendly. And while I'm there I can grab a loaf of delicious bread from seven hills bakery. I hope they end up getting super busy but right now I'm enjoying the easy breezy parking and no lines:) read more

Love this grocery store! Their cute little wine bar opened up downstairs officially! They have a little bakery inside, a spice shop, a meat shop and this really cool vinegar shop(you gotta check it out for it to make sense). There's also a little food area where u can order from with any outside dining space. I have yet to try the food but the ambiance itself gets me! Love love! It is small though so the Safeway just two blocks up is perfect to finish ur shopping if you need read more

Don't get me wrong, I love this place. But here's my issue, they have added some really good sandwiches such as turkey and brie on a baguette at their cheese/salad/warm food area. However, they keep them behind the glass so that you have to wait in line to get one even though they are already pre-made. Then last night I went in at 5:50pm on 9/3 and they told me the counter closes at 6pm so I couldn't have one since the sandwiches are covered in saran wrap. Seriously??? You can't lift and wrap and rewrap them? Prewrap the sandwiches and put them in the grab and go frig and you will sell more. Now they won't be sold until tomorrow and the bread will be chewy and and terrible. And a terrible display of customer service. Off to Chipotle. read more

I love Castro Valley Natural Grocery! Highly recommend shopping here. Staff is super helpful and friendly. The vegan food items are plentiful, especially the coconut bliss ice cream OMG I have started doing online grocery delivery ordering and they have a great team running the show. Lovely market and so thankful to have healthy options in Castro Valley! read more

Tipping encourages racism, sexism, harassment and exploitation! Have enjoyed this grocery store in general. Was very disappointed today to find that the credit payment machine automatically asked for a tip. I have never been asked to tip at a grocery store before. If your workers need higher wages than pay them more. It is endemic in restaurants already, let's not spread it to other aspects of work culture. If you liked my post then please tip me for my service. $2-$3 is appropriate read more

Nice to have organic market in marketplace. Great selections in produce and refrigerated sections. read more

Really nice, clean, high-end natural grocery store in the back part of Castro Valley Marketplace. It is similar to a Whole Food on a smaller scale. They have a Wellness Area for your health and beauty needs, organic produce and fruits, a salad bar, hot soups, grab and go food as well as assorted cheeses. Right now, they are still putting things in shelves and getting organized. Can't wait until the place is fully up and running!! read more

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This place has been the best find of the year for me. I came shopping with my aunt here, and I got great value for what I paid. In the very back of the store, they have machines for freshly ground peanut and almond butters. I took a thing of peanut butter with me and when I got home, I took out a spoon to kind of taste the difference between Natural Grocery's peanut butter and big name brands. I was surprised it was just peanut, and it made me really evaluate what kind of peanut butter I eat. I grabbed my jar of the name brand peanut butter and felt really sick when I read that the name brand has questionable ingredients such as rapeseed oil and sugar. It'll be a huge adjustment, but I'm glad this place opened my eyes to real peanut butter. The other thing I will say I'm a fan of was the nuts and health supplements they had. I was really happy to see they had unsalted sunflower seeds and unsalted pistachios. It's so hard to go to any grocery store and find unsalted nuts. It'll be an adjustment to cut out salt on other foods, but I'm glad Natural Grocery will be there to help me. I'll be returning every chance I get. read more

Overpriced toxic food. For years I paid the high prices at the Alameda store because I believe food is medicine and thought I was buying nutritious close to the earth food. Now they tell me I was mistaken. The food and everyone in the store is so unhealthy they demand everyone muzzle themselves and sterilize their hands. Then they harass customers some more if they put groceries in a reusable bag. I'd rather give my money to Bezos than be continuously hassled by half dead zombies. Oh and the big wellness sign is false advertising. read more

Finally a smaller version of whole food without going outside Castro valley. Very well stock also many great vegan items, great choice in cheeses and wines. Manager was great in helping me order a brut I wanted without the high cost of shipment. This is now my go to grocery store it is very clean. Thank you read more

Rude, juvenile staff, everytime. With rumors of mice on the produce and another allergy scare in their deli (thanks to ther mislabeling-allergen not listend, yet we experienced a reaction), we will not be returning read more

I've been shopping at the Alameda Natural Grocery since they first opened. The once-a-week shopping excursion was always worth the drive from CV. I'm THRILLED they are here in Castro Valley. Our community has needed a store like this for a long time and I'm just as happy with the store here as the one in Alameda. Milk in glass bottles, quality produce and groceries...they offer it all. Welcome and thank you for joining our community. read more

Love this place to get inspired to create some meals with fine ingredients. It doesn't hurt that there is brunch and beer on tap in the store. There is an olive oil and vinegar vendor, they have tasting. I'd like to see them stop using plastic cups for the tasting. They need some earth friendly tasting cups. All the vendors and employees are extra friendly. read more