I've been a really big fan of Strong Arm Farm's/The Sonoma Coast Seaweed Company's seaweed since…read moreour visit to Point Reyes, so when I saw that Preserved carried them, we stopped right in. Parking is a bit of a fight, but I loved that they carried an array of fermentation items for things like kefir, bread, and cheese. They had quite a few kitchen supplies and books, and I was able to clean them out of the Kombu seaweed they had. All in all, Preserved's service as incredibly friendly and helpful, plus they have a great selection so we will absolutely be back.

Love this store. Like the new location even if parking can be a pain. Got a new vinegar mother and…read moresome sour dough starters for a friend on my last visit.

This market sells all kinds of things- produce, spices, fresh meat/ seafood, a wine shop, cheese,…read morerefrigerated already made food, and a bakery. Pretty pricey though. Bought some sausages from the butcher and it was $13 for a little package of 4. At the bakery, we bought a slice of chocolate mousse cake, a slice of princess cake, a slice of lemon cheesecake, mini fruit tart, a loaf of sourdough bread, and challah bread- total was a little over $50+. The service was amazing. My husband was inquiring about how an almond cookie tasted like and they took one out of the case and cut it so we could taste it. Everything else we ordered though was delicious. Cheesecake was rich and creamy, the princess cake was moist, the mini fruit tart was fresh, and the chocolate mousse was rich. The challah bread was soft and you can't taste the good quality olive oil that was used. Added bonus is there is a free parking lot in the back. Free parking in Oakland?!? Heck yea!

this place is sooo cute. i wish we had more local food halls like this in the bay area. the food…read morewas good too and the staff was nice :)

A cute gem! Came across this spot after having dinner in the area. I loved looking at all the…read moreceramic pieces and trinkets, it reminded me of being in Japan! There's a sake bar at the end of the store, and my friend and I had such a good time trying the sake flight and cocktails. They had a variety of sake, cocktail, and whiskey choices. There's limited seating, but we were able to grab a seat at the bar around 7pm. I'd love to come here again!

An excellent selection of sakes: fancy ones like kirinsan, Dasai, Den Sake (local and awesome),…read morecanned sakes in seasonal metals or porcelain and fun and random impressive tengu shapes. This is also a place to get Japanese condiments, new year ceremonial items (decorative wooden arrows), cocktail bar ware (brass, glass), even pine wood mats and tea pots. They also regularly hosts festival mini markets, sake shoju tasting, especially for their sake gumi members. They get to meet famous chefs and local sake makers. They can also learn and taste from the bar.

Only four stars because this place, like any corner store, stocks everyday items with too great of…read morea markup ($8 bag of chips??!?!). However, I still go visit their deli counter regularly because their sandwiches are bangin'. The sandwiches are huge, delicious, out fast, and made with high quality ingredients - on par with Yellow Door, and a significant cut above the Boar's Head counter at Safeway. Reading the rest of the reviews, it sounds like the hot sandwiches could be a bit of a miss, but I've enjoyed everything on the cold side of the house, Coach Roy (no mayo) being my favorite. Just walk in, go to the deli counter to the right, and don't buy anything else if you value sticking to a budget.

After a walk around Piedmont Park, I stopped in Mulberry's Market for lunch. I was surprised to see…read morea great variety of products from cleaning supplies to treats, baking items to pet food, and fresh produce. They had cold and hot sandwiches, numerous prepared foods, and snacks (corn dogs, empanadas, potato chips, cookies, and salads). The sandwich order of 6 was prepared relatively quickly. Our party was able to eat outside and join another family on the patio. There are also two benches for a street view. The Royanne (warm pastrami) sandwich was simple and delicious. The Dijon mustard and spicy coleslaw with jalapeño amped up the flavor without overpowering the briny pastrami. Other sandwiches in our order (the Denis and South of the Border) were not as loved, but the corn dog was satisfying.

Well-stocked and well-staffed grocery with easy, free parking…read more The meat dept is very good, like 8.5 or 9 out of 10 in terms of variety, cuts, seafood, and butcher service. Produce is also excellent with organic and non-organic on virtually every item. Cheese corner is really good with dozens of varieties and sizes. I like their liquor and wine section, and can't imagine very many situations where they couldn't cover my needs. The prepared food is not worth the trip for that alone, and is really pretty uninspiring. They stock everything I need. They have great, consistent people working check out. Prices are higher than Safeway. Specialty stuff is not as strong as Diablo Foods in Lafayette.

I love this market! It's sophisticated with it's selection, but has an old school small town vibe…read more The wine/liquor section is well curated, the meats are top notch, the produce is fresh and well maintained, and they offer organic fruits and vegetables as well. Looking for cheese? There is a hidden nook across from the meat case that offers an amazing, well curated selection of cheeses. Prices in some areas are a little bit higher than somewhere like WF, but they are not a massive corporation, so it is understandable. The staff works like a friendly cohesive team offering great customer service. The market was full of customers, but they did a fantastic job at not allowing lines to form. I plan on making Piedmont Grocery one of my regular stops!

I LOVED the Berkeley location! But they closed :( this location seems a bit larger and in a more…read moretransit area next to bart. Still offers same high end food and snacks. A variety of groceries and prepared food are both found here and you can't go wrong. No pets allowed either. Fun place to buy Christmas gifts. The Berkeley staff was super friendly, I can't say I know the Oakland staff but I'm assuming some of the same people transferred over which means same friendly staff as always.

Conveniently located right on College Avenue, across the street from the Rockridge BART station…read more This small and cozy grocery mart has a nice selection of specialty foods snd pantry items that are either made locally/on-site (like fresh pasta and hot deli foods), or imported from Spain, Italy, etc. Prices are at midrange to higher premium because of this. I love their cured meats and cheese sections. Both have a quality selection and solid varieties to choose from. I also like how they will cut fresh pasta for you too. The hot foods in the deli section also looked really good, and there's a bakery with freshly made sweet/savory goodies as well as a changing pizza special every other day. Every section seems to always have a line in their cozy space, so it can sometimes be hard to navigate around to shop. You will need to take a number ticket at each station that you want service from (bakery, hot deli, butcher, etc). The bakery has their own cashier, but the other sections all seem to be paid at 2 registers at the end of the small market hall.

All. The. Spices! I…read moremay have temporarily lost my sense of smell while so, so excitedly sniffing ALL the scents, but I finally made a decision (with a little help from the nice employees). My favorite so far is the smoked salt because it's so versatile! I also bought a guava jam that looked so divine, but sadly the airport trashed it (I am convinced they just ate it because again...it looked so yummy), so maybe one day I'll try again! I will be back next time I'm in the bay to stock up on more spices.

You'll know you're right at home as soon as you walk through the door. For anybody that's wondered…read morerows of disorganized shelves of stuff all over the place or spots that are less than well kept, look no further. Oaktown Spice Shop is immaculate, well organized, and staffed with folks that are quite passionate about the goods! Also helps that it smells amazing, but it really speaks to the quality of their stuff. If you had any doubts about them, put that to rest and just visit or use their online store! Any foodie worth their salt (hah get it) will be able to appreciate what this place has to offer.

So delicious and quite different from everything else I have eaten. It's choose your own level of…read moresweetness with the honey and the Nigella seeds on top we're a great balance. All in all, Sharing the 18" version was a delightful addition to the party we brought it to.

This place is incredible. Delicious flaky beautiful sabaya for a reasonable price. You can't find…read moreanything like it anywhere else in the bay area. Don't hesitate. Buy a sabaya and everyone at the dinner table will love you.

My wife and I stopped by Amphora Nueva after grabbing lunch at The Station nearby to replenish our…read moredwindling supply of aged dark balsamic. Like most artisanal olive oil and vinegar stores, this one allowed for sampling of nearly all their products. There are so many interesting oil blends and flavored balsamic vinegars, I would encourage you to take your time to try out anything that piques your curiosity before making a purchase. We ultimately picked up a bottle of their 25 year old aged, Denissimo balsamic. This balsamic had a wonderful sweetness to it and was beautifully viscous. I can't wait to drizzle this on top of a tomato burrata appetizer when summer comes around, or on some vanilla ice cream. Another balsamic I really enjoyed trying out -- that would also go lovely with vanilla ice cream, was the espresso flavored balsamic. I would definitely recommend checking out Amphora Nueva for all our olive oil and balsamic needs.

We first tried their product at a party--just a splash over sparkling water--and it was delicious…read more From that moment, we were hooked. Now it's in regular rotation at our house as we work our way through all the new flavors in the store. BB

I was recently gifted some pasta shells and wanted to buy some sauce to go with it so Belotti…read moreBottega is the place to be! You can buy fresh varieties of pasta and lots of options of sauces (cook within 2-3 days though, it's fresh) to cook at home or eat there bistro style! There's a counter and a few bistro tables/chairs outside so limited seating. This time I bought the rabbit sugo (lightly orangey) and pesto (fresh and bright) and loved them both. My go to sauce is usually the boars sauce that goes with the agnolotti (sorry words, I lost you), but you can't go wrong. If you dine in, you must try the mushroom tagliatelle. There people there are super knowledgeable and helpful if you need to make a decision when there's too many good options. PS - double check address !! There's two Belottis :)

I bought the authentic Italian hype. Big time NO. Spaghetti pomodoro was soggy, not al dente…read more Tomato sauce could have been brighter. Also how hard is it to put a basil leaf on it? Anchovy pasta had good flavor and fortunately wasn't too salty, as anchovy pastas tend to run the risk of. But the bottom of the bowl had about a 1/3 cup of oil left. Basically so much oil that the sauce had separated. It was off-putting. I felt like it was some kind of college student takeout food. Which is fine, just price it accordingly. IMO this is too pricey for what you get. And not worth the calories.