Never walked in till today - always thought it was a small spot from the exterior. It's quite big and well organized inside. A lot of sale items also. I got a full bag of groceries for under $50: - half a papaya - amazing color, flavor so-so - Italian sparkling water, sale $3.29 - Lesser Evil popcorn (2), sale $2.99 - organic peaches (2) - organic carrots - Bariani olive oil - yay they carry this! Will explore more in the future - they source a lot of their produce from small producers like Tomatero but the berries are Driscoll and Giant. Service was professional and straightforward - they all looked like they enjoyed working in the environment. A perfect mash up of a gourmet, natural and conventional store. read more

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I've been to the Encinal Market quite a few times now. What I dig about this place is you know those hard to find items that you can't find say in Safeways or Nob Hill Market? I usually find them here! I was on this hunt to find this pasta called Cresti de gallo and no one on the island had this and lo and behold, Encinal Market did. Granted the prices here are a bit more than you would expect but for me it was well worth it. read more

Total small town grocery store, totally reminds me of stores when I take road trips and pass through small towns. Now Alameda is not a small town but I think this store has been around for a while and they just don't want to get rid of it. In my town, they've unfortunately got rid of any small or independent markets, all swallowed up by big corporate grocery stores. I frown upon that big time. Now even though I love the charm of this indy market, there are some things that aren't as ideal as I'm used to. I'll give some pros and cons here on some of my observations. PRO: They have a rack of Semifreddi Bread. And since that bakery is in the same town, it is pretty darn fresh. Small fresh produce section with decent organic offerings. CON: almost nothing in the produce section is labeled or has prices. I've never seen that before. PRO: They have a full time butcher's case with actual employees manning it. So nothing is prewrapped in styrofoam trays. And I'm sure you can get butcher's service like requesting a prime rib for the holidays, getting certain hard to find cuts that maybe they can order etc. They even make their own Italian sausage which I've already tried and is legit. CON: Some of the product can look a bit tired/dated, I'm just not sure if the traffic can support their inventory. I went once and was able to pick up a few things, then I went another time and I passed as many things did not look up to par. PRO: Pretty good gourmet offerings like cheese and condiments. Much more gourmet than Safeway and about on par with Whole Foods. CON: Pretty much same price as Whole Foods, maybe even more. I've only been in 3 times and not sure if there is a good enough pull for me. But I work somewhat near, so I may pop in here and there and see what they got. 3 stars = coin flip. read more

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Great neighborhood market. Always clean, nicely stocked and well kept. Nice people. Good go to closeby.

My go to market, I know everyone, the selections are great and very convenient Jim and Eric run a top flight operation and excellent customer service. read more

I love the market. Love Friday- Monday with the grilled meat. Staff are so friendly. Produce lasts longer than anywhere else - organic or regular. All good. Love local meats. read more

Just brought a watermelon this morning. Asked the produce employee to help pick a "sweet one." She stated "they all are sweet"; which I came home to taste the watermelon. No favor and not sweet. You would think the person that works in the produce section knows her products WRONG!! This is not the first time this person gave me a terrible melon. Encinal management should train this person on how to pick ripe fruits. She should not make statements that she cannot support. Been going to Encinal for years and had great experience in the past with their produce employees; this person needs training for sure! read more

I love that Encinal Market carries a plethora of locally sourced products, inclusive of baked goods. They also have specialty items (hello, English clotted cream!!) that you can generally see in places like Whole Foods, which is nice as it allows me to avoid a trip off the island! I just love the small market vibe, friendly service, and the effort to carry plenty of sustainable, fresh, specialty and organic items. read more

My local favorite family owned(last I knew) grocery store....easy in and out and the best meat counter in town....Scalise...The stuffed chicken legs and breasts are excellent. Service is always good and the beer selection is excellent for a independent market. read more

I've been coming here for years because of the excellent customer service and great meats. I order the leg of lamb yearly, and it's local high-quality meat. read more

Just started shopping here after moving to the neighborhood and i couldn't be more excited about it! They have so many great items including small businesses treats and goodies. And lots of vegan/plant based and dairy free options! 10/10 read more

My favorite grocery store! Everyone is super helpful and friendly. They have everything you could need and while it's not the cheapest option in town, it's not crazy either. It's never too crowded, no matter what time of day you go. Just love shopping here! read more

Great selection, friendly staff and reasonable prices for a local owned market. The meat counter has a good selection of fresh cuts and a very helpful staff. The decor style is timeless cozy and comfortable. read more

Know how to tell if seafood is fresh. I learned the hard way buying fresh Halibut from the butcher counter at Encinal Market in May 2024. It was a tad yellow and dry and the taste was off when I cooked it the same day it was purchased. A full service butcher counter should NOT be selling spoiled fish. I have found that buying quality fresh seafood in Alameda is just not possible and now shop for fresh seafood in Berkeley at the fish market near Monterey Market. The Berkeley shop has the best prices, freshness and selection by far. read more

Love this little corner store! It may be small but it is packed with everything you need and more. The meat and deli department are exceptional as are all the amazingly helpful and kind employees. It's the quality atmosphere and all around good character you want from your neighborhood market. read more

It's really great to have this market in our community. I don't go there for the big shopping but all the time for good cheese,produce fill ins, and specialty items that other stores don't carry. All of our holiday turkey is bought here . Customer service is so much better than the big stores and I can easily park and dash in without waiting in a long line Really appreciate this store. Thank you read more

This is a quaint little market that still has that family owned feel to it. Located in a very nice, clean and quiet residential area of Alameda. All the nearby homes have that comfy cozy look and are well kept for their age. This Encinal Market, packs a big punch. They seem to have almost everything here. They make good use of the space inside. I went down one isle and wanted to buy everything in that isle...lol. They have a very nice selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. Not to mention a fully operational butcher shop! With a various array of meats and poultry is was truly amazing. I was here on a Friday morning and the butcher I spoke to, a rather large gentleman was very pleasant and helpful. I picked up some smoked pork shanks. They also have a large selection of beer, wine etc. I can only imagine living nearby and stopping in on my way home from work to pick up a couple of steaks and a bottle of wine as the sun is setting... read more

Local grocery stores are a gem. One thing you should know is that their beer and alcohol selection is TOP NOTCH. You can get 1st class German beer brands here, as well as a great selection of local micro breweries. read more

Really fond retro memories! i used to live off of High/Fairview, near Gibbons (inimitable neighborhood... a treasure and gem, for sure) and this market was walkable, bikeable, and driveable for quick food runs... I love the whole historic, stuck-in-time-ness about it. And that crazy parking lot that is so small and narrow... can't forget it! read more

Shop here when I'm visiting family in Alameda. Small store but quality products. I recently bought fresh chicken wings from the butcher, they were huge and delicious. read more

Encinal is such a convenient market located in Alameda! Was looking to get fresh seafood and stumbled across this market. Really liked the service received as well as the selections of seafood they had to offer, it's not robust but they had what I was looking for (catfish, tilapia, mussels, clams, etc). read more

High praise for the beer selection at this market . The buyers do their homework . I can pick up the newest releases from local breweries and peruse the special edition section of bottled offerings and the selection is dynamic . I always check here first for fancy cocktail mixers like Lambic or German and European liqueurs . Price point is also premium but convenience is a major plus . read more

The service at this wonderful market, is remarkable. Along with excellent guest service. They seem to help customers find products within the store or even new products too. On certain days and times they set-up a bbq area in the parking lot. They even sell ice cream made in Santa Cruz at Maryann's. They also have started selling ice cream from a local ice cream shop in town. I'm very glad that this market is located in Alameda. read more

I've been coming here for as long as I have lived in Alameda, which is 30 years. This is the quintessential friendly neighborhood grocer. They greet you by your first name, the butchers know the cuts of meat you like, they ask about your family. They always carry top quality gourmet items. It's not a chain, so don't expect the prices to be comparable. I come here for convenience and to just feel that decent people still exist which you don't get ordering online and having no interaction with humans. read more

Awesome place. Meat counter guys are a hoot and always fun to visit. Produce is excellent. Checkouts are a total hoot Love shopping here read more

I have not had too many issues here, except recently I bought a package of smoked whitefish. It seemed like a good idea at the time, until I got home and a few days later decided to have some, and to find out the package expired.... I also bought scones on a different occasion, and they turned green within a week. I am leary of having a hit and miss shopping experience in the future. read more

Service was horrible. I'm a middle schooler, went in there with friends to get some chips and maybe a soda. immediately, they treated us awfully. First, the staff made us wait in a line of a few other students trying to get some food for 20 minutes. If we stepped out of the line at all, they would go out of their way to scold us and tell us not to do that. After we finally got in, we continued to be harassed. Three times, a staff member would stop what they were doing and come over to us and aggressively say, are you shopping or playing around? All the times they said this, we were just simply debating what foods to get. After I finished paying at the cash register, the cashier aggressively told me to go outside immediately and wait there for my friends. When I asked If I could wait with my friends as I didn't see the need to walk completely out of the store, the cashier forcefully told me to leave now. My family lives extremely near to Encinal market, and goes there very often to get food. I am absolutely blown away that this is how they would treat some of their most consistent customers. I'm never going here again. read more

I am a middle school student who went to this store after school with my friends. My friends and I had to wait for quite awhile before we were able to enter the store. On top of that, we were always being stalked and scolded at by the store manager and workers. I would not recommend this store. I am an Asian child and I cannot stand this hate towards me and my friends. read more

Check these picts out...it tell my review about this best grocery store. Will post about their awesome popular scalise meat. read more

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Encinal Market !!!! So many great aspects, here's a couple: - Delicious fried chicken and mac and cheese in the deli. I once got an enormo breast and half pint of m and c and altogether it was less than $5. Tasty and easy on the wallet. -Beer Selection. I am guessing that the buyer is an IPA fiend , like me. ( In Bubba voice) Drake's IPA Racer 5 IPA Stone IPA Stone Ruination IPA West Coast IPA 21st Amendment IPA I could list prolly 15 others. an IPA lover's DREAM and an infinite amount of quality lagers, amber ales, etc .....Plus they have little blurbs on this month's recommended Beer's for those that aren't as beery savvy as I ; ) The beer and food on many items might be a dollar or two more than the competition, but they're independent, and they need to survice, don't hate on that. I love Encinal Market. Not far from my house too! read more

Expensive... but man, the selection of specialty items are pretty cool here. The ice cream from Ohio... $14 bucks for a pint??? Totally worth it. Home made pasta and sauce? YUM! Meat counter? just like your own butcher.... Can't get better than that. Oh wait, actual conversations at the checkout counter and meat counter? I am hooked! read more

Encinal Market - Grocery Near Me - Alameda, California

Encinal Market had me at beer. two whole shelves of it. all microbrews and crafts. not a lot of bud nor spud. not to mention 3 aisles of wines. the rest of the store imitates whole foods with representative gourmet choices in gourmet food sections. +fresh deli section pour: bison organic chocolate stout 4.49 +.05 + .44=4.98) -kind of bitter tasting, no choc taste, 5% alc -never was enamored with bison brewing, 2 stars -beer wasn't that cold, didn't matter, beer not that great. shopping notes: -selection pretty good, beer pricey -10% off with 5 or more bootles. .. read more

I just had a very unpleasant run in with the cashier at this establishment, Alex. He was in such a hurry to get me out of there, he didn't ask if I had bags, nor did he see that I did, so he put my groceries in store bags and charged me for them. The bad part is he did not admit his error and instead assumed a smirk when I said I wanted to speak with the manager. I frequent this business about once a week, and this is my first time to see Alex, but his customer relations are so poor, I will not want to interact with him again. read more

A little expensive, but sooo nice. When I have to get meat at Scalise's, I shop here. Newly renovated, friendly atmosphere. You can get what you want. A funny story from during the renovation period: we had a friend over and I told him about this "white trash cheese dip" that I love. I had it in the Panama Canal Zone years ago at some Canal Pilot's house. It's cream, fresh garlic, pickled jalopenos, and (eek) VELVEETA. I took our friend to Encinal, but we couldn't find it. So I actually had to (eek) ask for it. They had it IN THE BACK. Oh, no! What an embarrassment. No really. It was just 'cause they were moving things around. But it's still a great story........... read more

We've been going here more than usual due to the shelter in place and it's our local grocer. They're following all the right protocols and it's never too busy when we go and no lines out the door (but still able to social distance). Great for produce and any essentials, though more than once milk and eggs low (expected though). Staff is wonderful, they're all so nice and helpful. It's a pricey market so would never do all groceries here, but for most things you get what you pay for! read more

Nothing against the Butcher store, as they are wonderful!, the grocery store has no clue as to what qualifies as 'good customer service'. I was just there to buy the ingredients for a vegetable soup, Friday evening at 5:00 and no customers in line....hmmm I wonder why. I needed a quart of heavy cream and the only 2 available were expired! No problem, I picked up 2 pints assuming the store would do the right thing and honor the lesser price, no, the cashier says 'I can't give discounts' I explained that it wasn't a discount and asked if there was a Manager that could make the call, 'I am the Manager', do you want to pay full price'? No thanks I'll shop anywhere else but here. Very disappointing, as I always try and support small local merchants. read more

I've been coming here for years to get great quality meats. We usually get our standing rib roast for Christmas and leg of lamb for New Years. The butcher's are knowledgeable and helpful with any meat questions. read more

They've always been a friendly market with pretty much everything you need - from staples to treats. Staff is exceptional!

I just called to confirm if a product was available, and the meat department transferred me to the grocery department. However, after over six minutes of ringing, the line went to a mailbox. It is currently rush hour on a Thursday, and apparently, this store is either incredibly understaffed, or the employees really don't like to answer the phone. read more

Always great service. You can't beat local. Good to have a fresh selection of different vegetable. Not in plastic. Also their deli meet and cheeses are not generally wrapped in plastic. Although their is one guy who sometimes does that. It's more pricey but it's convenient of course so it is often worth the extra. I like that they reduce produce instead of making it garbage. That says a lot. It's my go to place. read more