Isla Vista Market

One of my go-to spots for when I'm going to get groceries! Even though it's a little out of the…read moreway, it's always been very easy to go in and get out without any issues. Their self check-out lines are normally full so when checking out with staff, they are always very friendly. I also love grabbing pastries or donuts whenever I make it in the morning. I'll be here the next time I get groceries!

Worst cashiers in the area. A older white blonde lady with glasses was extremly rude to my family…read moreAnd I visiting from out of town. She had 6 people show ID cause one person bought a tall can after half of our group had bought bottles right before. While an older bagger was taunting us laughing. Worst cashiers. Crappy customer service would not recommend. NEGATIVE STARS IF I COULD

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Trader Joe's

4.2(104 reviews)

2.7 mi

I was in town for my uncle's memorial and stopped at this TJ's for a few necessities. The store was…read moreexceptionally clean and well organized, and every employee I interacted with was warm and welcoming. Dylan provided outstanding service at checkout -- attentive, courteous, and genuinely kind. It was a small moment that made a difficult day a little easier, and I truly appreciated it.

On my recent visits I noticed that there is a lot of ice accumulation in the store freezers at this…read morelocation. I exercise caution when buying food from a grocery freezer with heavy ice accumulation due to safety concerns. I hope this gets addressed soon.

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Sprouts Farmers Market

3.8(158 reviews)

2.5 mi

Mariano is offering some of the best customer service I have experienced in a long time. He needs a…read moreraise asap. Always so kind whenever I go through his check out line.

I was in the other week and needed help finding an item. Nicole, who was working on in store…read moreshopping took the time to help me locate my item as she was completing her in store shopping order. She was very friendly and helpful.

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Albertsons

2.9(46 reviews)

2.6 mi

Incredibly nice experience when I was looking for some skirt steak for an asada I'm doing this…read moreweekend. The gentleman and I went over different marinades we use, salsas, and other meats he uses so he has something for everyone. 10/10 to the staff! Overall, incredibly easy experience and definitely my grocery store of choice! Especially since there are so many goodies located nearby!

I'm done with this store. Every visit I have to wait in line to dispute charges. The last straw is…read morenow their carts will not work when I park in the parking lot next to the store, only the one in front. I had a cart full of stuff and it's raining and I have to walk it all over without a cart. BOO. I'll drive the extra few miles and shop at Vons on Turnpike. BOO

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Santa Cruz Markets

4.1(34 reviews)

2.4 mi

This used to be such a great store before they sold. The workers are extremely rude and don't care…read moreabout you whatsoever. Makes me so sad because it was so nice before. I doubt I'll ever go back in there like so many others are doing for the very same reasons. The food quality has also gone downhill. Older looking produce so old looking it has wrinkles all over it. Do yourself a favor and pass right on by this place.

One of my favorite local grocers - esp for their marinated meats, ceviches, salsas, and spices…read more Their shrimp ceviche is simply the best and sell out often! I've tried many spots and even a place like the Lure Fish house can't compare. Theirs is honestly flavorless compared to Santa Cruz market.. Their guac is also delicious! I come by here regularly to shop for pho spices individually, and a couple staples like cilantro, green onion, and limes. The only thing they don't have is cardamom but I visit Oriental Market for that. Also their bean sprouts are the best in the local area. I've checked sprouts, Ralph's, and even Oriental but they always are watery.. i think they don't store them right or receive the shipment properly. Santa Cruz has the best ones but you'll have to come when they are fresh! They are the best local Mexican market in Goleta imo!

Note the new parking along Hollister. All the better to visit the Market. And much more safe for cyclists.

Peruvian beans, tortillas, green salsa, Mexican cookies, etc:-)

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Marinated meat for a bbq on the backyard

Ralphs

3.0(63 reviews)

3.5 mi

I love Ralphs great stuff, friendly stuff and always a great variety in stock…read more I have been shopping at Ralph's for over 20 years both in person and delivery .

Only one checker at 5pm?! This place is laughable. They've been doing this for too long. Get rid of…read moreupper management who are obviously trying to funnel people into self checkout lane for BIGGER BONUSES. Message to management: Your clients time with their families is too valuable to waste in your long lines. Save yourself the headache everyone and go to sprouts or Albertson's off Hollister.

SO MANY BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS!!!

Package

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Tulips

Isla Vista Food

4.3(100 reviews)

0.1 mi

I'll support the IV Coop till I die. Not many places on earth where you can buy an 805 and salt and…read morevinegar chips and take it to the beach. Sad I went later on in the day this time, if you go earlier, they are usually more stocked up on their prepared foods made in-house! I like trying their different wraps/sandwiches and hummus dips. The staff are always kind. A college favorite but also a lifetime favorite

Wonderful coop Yes, small but crammed with reasonable,…read moreorganic groceries, produce, gifts, wine,

Refrigerated display packaged deli meats and cheeses. To the right, there is a shelf stocked with a variety of wine bottles.

Local farms eggs

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Smart & Final Extra!

2.9(36 reviews)

1.6 mi

Terrible customer service. There is an older woman who I always have problems with as she is always…read morepassive aggressive and rude with zero knowledge of how to properly bag groceries. I had one of my bags split open while trying to pick it up, leading to a glass container smashing open on the ground. I picked up the large pieces and threw them away, then went back inside to let one of the employees know of the incident. She was extremely passive aggressive. I find this quite ironic given that she bagged my items. I had to go back to my car to find new bags to transfer everything into before I could get it into my car. By the time I was done, I came back to return my cart and I could tell someone had mopped the area, but there were still shards of glass that were very visible. Extremely disappointed in the overall lack of common sense displayed. I will add the caveat that this location always seems to be understaffed. No matter how many customers I see in the store, there is always only one register open, which, again, displays an extreme lack of common sense by management.

A lot of these reviews speak of bad customer service and though I only interacted with two workers…read moretoday, they were very friendly and helpful and efficient.

Front entrance

Produce

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Picking up some groceries

Vons

2.9(65 reviews)

4.2 mi

I don't typically take the time to write reviews for grocery stores but I had a notably exceptional…read moreexperience while visiting at 8am this morning. Workers were all awake and alert, and I was kindly greeted by three, one of whom helped me locate various items I came to buy right away. I was in and out of there easy peasy

Love this store and the employees are so nice! Such a convenient location with fresh and stocked…read moreproduce/items. The store is inviting and welcoming. Prices are decent as well considering the economy.

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9 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Alex N.

7 years ago

WAY OVERPRICED and run by unprofessional juveniles who treat customers like THEY HATE THE COMMUNITY THEY SERVE. Skip it, unless you want to pay MUCH MORE than you should and be made to feel as if you're bothering them to shop there by the EXTREMELY UNFRIENDLY, aloof staff that visibly roll their eyes at everyone who kindly greets them at the register. I can honestly say I've never seen the register people smile at anyone. I sent my daughter to get olive oil and she accidentally bought the wrong type, so I sent her back to exchange it for the healthier and cheaper priced, correct oil. The manager didn't even make eye contact or speak to my daughter who was standing right in front of them at the register waiting but instead gave a bogus story to the register girl that they couldn't exchange it because the store would lose money. In fact it was us that would've lost a $1 in the price difference, which my daughter told them we didn't care about, we just wanted the right oil. They took one look at my brown skinned daughter and decided she wasn't worth taking the time to properly listen. In the end the manager was right, the store did lose money since I'll NEVER spend a dime there again and as a new year round resident who networks with other UCSB staff and IV families, I'll gladly let the word out LOUD that this place is canceled. Maybe I'll come back someday if you fire the manager and train a new one + your entire staff properly on customer service and LOWER YOUR PRICES instead of TAKING ADVANTAGE OF and GOUGING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY because you're conveniently located. If you were intelligent business owners, you'd understand that you'd make much more profit with quality customer care and lower prices, simply by the increased volume of traffic you'd get by making those small changes. However after reading past reviews that echo my sentiment, this place takes the lazy route. It doesn't seem like your store cares about their customers and it shows. Maybe try hiring anything other than spoiled, uninterested and unintelligent racist white females. You only get 1 star because Yelp doesn't allow us to give you the zero you deserve. read more

Brittany J.

100

14 years ago

Isla Vista Market is one of the oldest businesses in Isla Vista and continues to supply students and the rest of the community with groceries, pharmaceutical and household products, school supplies,alcohol (of course!) and a variety of other knick knacks and miscellaneous items. Some items can be a little pricey, but that's the case with many small businesses and definitely applies to most of IV! On the other hand, they have some fantastic deals too and I feel most of the prices are fair and understandable. I think what makes Isla Vista Market special is that it has so much personality. It's been a family-owned business for decades now and each of the 3 owners do their part to keep the market flourishing, taking a very hands-on approach to running their business. The staff is mostly college students, so interacting with them is always entertaining. I also love the decor around the store, which consists of beer/alcohol themed surfboards, wakeboards and signs. Other items, such as a basketball jersey and a talking fish all add to the "relax and soak in the sun" vibe that IV and Santa Barbara is all about. I really think this store is fantastic and I hope it stays around for years to come! read more

Sam G.

4 years ago

I walked into the dumpy grocery store that I've gotten my food from for the past two years and almost dropped my brand new iPhone 13 from shock. I felt like had just gotten out of Doc Browns DeLorean and was somewhere in the future. The place looked fantastic... Clean and organized and resembling a real deal grocery store. Kudos to whoever is fixing the place up. You all are doing a great job... One recommendation, fill an entire aisle with Garden Salsa Sunchips and Nacho Cheese Doritos at massively discounted prices por favor ;-) read more

Steven S.

12 years ago

The cashier girl with glasses was rude and condescending. She told me to tie my dog up outside, and while I did, I heard her making snide remarks about dog owners to her boss. When I asked her if she had a problem with my dog outside, she stated her problem was with dog owners, not dogs. Bitchiest cashier ever, if you're going to shit talk customers, at least wait until we're out of ear shot/ read more

Chris L.

4 years ago

I went to collage at UCSB and IV Market was always our spot for food and quick snacks. Glad to see it is still rocking and looking better than ever with the remodel! read more

Diego A.

11 years ago

Mindless nubile cashiers, an owner that does nothing but stare, this place would be better off as a condemned squatter house.

Corina S.

12 years ago

Whenever I want expired food and want to get bitched out by a pretentious college chick I go here. They never disappoint.

Brad P.

11 years ago

Cashiers are rude... owner should get out of the business as a service to the community.

Sam C.

12 years ago

Close by, nice people. Always got a beer here when I needed a walk.

Isla Vista Market - grocery - Updated September 2026

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