So glad I discovered this place, a real middle eastern grocery store and incredibly cheap prices. Four bunches of cilantro for a buck? Orange bell peppers for 59 cents a pound. Cans of Ful (fava beans) for 99 cents a can .. Egyptian Style too :-) Great selection of olives and feta cheese at the deli. Lots of produce, it really is an amazing selection of food packed into this store. I visited on a Saturday around noon and it was a shopping cart traffic jam inside. You're better off parking your cart somewhere then going solo to do your shopping. They even gave me a free case of water bottles at the end (I spent about 85 bucks). read more

North Park Produce - Storefront - Grocery Near Me - Poway, California

We really really like this place. Great selection on Mid East goods, and great prices. Why only four stars? The service. Looks like most "bad" reviews on Yelp is about the service and we totally agree with them. Why can't they find nicer people to hire? read more

I can't believe I haven't written a review for this place yet when I wrote one for the new Laloush market after going only one time. North Park is great. It's probably the biggest Middle Eastern market I've ever been in and has tons of choices for imported Arabic, Indian, Persian and even Mexican foods. They have cheap, cheap prices for produce and meats although I tend to stick to the cans, jars and spices when I go as I have a Henry's across the street. It's awesome for buying those hard to find items you need to make childhood favorites. The one downside? The space is a bit tight and this place can get really packed. However, the last time we went was early on a Sunday morning and it was empty. Score! read more

I love that NPP always has what I'm looking for. I do wish they had more organic products but I definitely see that they are getting more and more and can appreciate that. The selection of teas, traditional sweet treats, cheese and bread is lovely. read more

This place should be shut down. I purchased dates in a container and after having some with my family we found maggots in them! Disgusting I wanted to throw up and couldn't believe it. Not to mention it smells horrid and the place looks filthy. No one should shop here. read more

I only go there to get feta cheese since they have a vast amount of different choices. Be careful though because sometime their cheese is bitter from being in that case for too long. read more

Great to find this little gem. It looks unimpressive, but so many good Mediterranean food choices. The spices, olive oils and produce selections are great. The costs are much lower than surrounding stores. read more

Came here on a whim today since we had some time to kill. The place looked like a typical ethnic specialty grocery store. Many ethnic food items to choose from, usually for a reasonable price. If you want to try something new or creative for dinner, this is the place to go. The aisles were moderately bare. Perhaps their shipment didn't arrive or that is their norm, who knows. However, the products they did have in stock seemed interesting. You could definitely find the ingredients you need to make any mediterranean/ middle eastern dish. Saw some filipino produce as well. The meat selection had marinated pollo asado and chicken fajitas, which I thought was a great find. Found my way to the bread aisle because I was looking for some pita bread for the hummus I just purchased at the Farmers Market. As i was rummaging through their selection of white and whole wheat pita bread, my sister came across a very very moldy package of pita bread. Eww. read more

North Park Produce - Grocery Near Me - Poway, California

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I've eaten a LOT of middle Eastern food. I friend brought me here for lunch and I had a gyro sandwich. It came with a garlic dip and a minty dip I'm not sure what they were called. My friend had the chicken kabob with rice and cucumber salad. The chicken was especially tender. It was all FABULOUS, tasty, fresh and delicious! I will definitely be coming here again soon. read more

Update on Co-vid rules...shoppers asked to wear masks, and cashiers were wearing them. Went early Saturday morning and realized that's the best time to shop to avoid busy times. Bulk items are now packaged. Still my favorite ethnic grocery in the area! read more

If you respect yourself never go to this store because is very bad customer service and employees are very rude especially one of cashier is very rude and I never recomed this store to anyone manager didn't care about customer read more

I shop in this particular store (North Park Produce). Today I noticed they don't practice social distancing at the registers and they let people in without MASK. I was deeply disturbed plus his girl friend or wife wearing mask the wrong way, nose exposed, she's more susceptible on catching something. Unbelievable, need mask 101. Also checkers not wearing mask. Please be careful, I will be shopping somewhere else for now. BEWARE!!! read more

There are so much varieties and selections of spices in this place. Just walking into this market and smelling the place is comforting. Their deli next door have great middle eastern foods and confectionery, too. Meat counter is great, too. Their lambs are always fresh. Knowing their meats are halal is nice even though I am not Muslim. Their fruits and vegetables selections are somewhat limited but they have all the basics. I bring my friends from ethnically not so diverse areas when they come to visit San Diego, and they all wished they had this type of store in their neck of the woods. Everyone that works here are so friendly. Theses good folks at North Park Produce can be cultural attachés. read more

I saw a dead fly on the meat and the lady behind the counter didn't seem to do anything about it. I never ever buy meat there!! People workers in the store stairs and the lady's working in the front are rude. read more

OK SO, i love North Park Produce. I love the one in Poway, I love the one in North Park, I swoon at the prospect of going to the one in Chula Vista (its a dream, really) but I'm never down that way. Things I like: OH MY GOSH THE PRICES. They have so much great stuff packed into these little stores (except CV location which is huge), you can buy in bulk, the deli counter has the nicest cheese for cheap, great selection of spices and seasonings, great selection of produce for amazingly great prices. Heretofore lies my review. The rest is my need to ramble on a bit (forgive me, its a sleepless sunday morning) regarding some of the negative reviews on here. I have this habit. Whenever I'm going to review a place, I go to their page and I read other peoples reviews first. Not that they change my point of view, I'm pretty headstrong. I'm just interested in how other people perceive stuff. Generally, I only review things I dig (with a few exceptions) and I like to see what other people are liking about the place or whatever. So, people complain that its dirty and that people are grumpy or try to rip you off - and those might be legitimate concerns to people but I found the third world country review really offputting, plus the whole "foreigners!!" comments. Wow. I guess its a bit chaotic in there sometimes and yes, gasp, i've seen a fruit fly in there. Once I saw a paper towel on the ground too. But I have no problems with any of that. I find it an absolutely refreshing change from the homogenized chain grocery stores and no matter where I buy it, I wash my produce before I consume it. We're vegetarian so I cant speak on the state of the meat there but as far as the staff in that department, i have witnessed a couple of instances of back and forth joking around between a butcher and a customer which I found cool. As for the whole OMG FOREIGNERS thing - yes, there is people who speak foreign languages who work there. There are also people who speak foreign languages who shop there. I guess being someone who's first language wasnt English myself that really is upsetting to me. Man, people - Embrace diversity. Its the differences in people that make us unique. I could go on and on but I'll stop. The overcharging and rude staff reviews - I've never dealt with either. In fact, the opposite. Well, I've never been undercharged but I pay significantly less than I would at sprouts or the reg grocery store. But the rude staff - no way. I find them to be friendly and interactive. Not zoned out and robotic like a lot of the cashiers at the big grocery stores. I also think, for me, that the vibe I put out is what I get back generally. I smile and ask how people are because I have a genuine interest in people - I tend to get that back but I dont expect or demand it. Just something to think about. Two quick side stories on customer service. Recently I was there and someone behind me was a little bit rushed and kept pushing me forward. I was like thinking "whatever mister rush alot" The cashier saw him and said, "please move back, you're crowding her". The customer complied. :) On another visit, my lovely daughter is a bit accident prone sometimes. She wanted to help hold the groceries on the way out and what? dropped the eggs, oops! A staff person rushed over and told her not to worry (she looked panicky) and he went and got us another carton of eggs in seconds. read more

They changed ownership 3 weeks ago if that means anything to you. I just moved to Mira Mesa in August 2012 and the one thing I was missing from my old living location (maybe not the one thing), was a place to purchase a wide variety of fruits and vegetables at a reasonable price. North Park Produce in City Heights was my favorite place to grocery shop whenever I was feeling ethnic, or felt like juicing or something. Anyway. This location just might be a little better. It seems bigger. Bu I'm not certain if this Poway location has the same variety of canned goods, sauces, noodles and things like that. Bulgarian feta sold here! Good stuff. YES, I will be returning. read more

Great for fresh fruits, herbs,and dairy. I personally never bought fish or meat products and cant comment on those. The Bakery has great selection of Persian Foods , with amazing prices. Definitely recommend North Park. read more

I love going here. Yes, it can be really crowded. The aisles are tiny and the place can get packed. Yes, it's probably has a few fruit flies buzzing around. They have fruit. Fruit flies eat fruit. Deal with it. That being said, this place has so many things that I love, it's hard not to spend a fortune when I go in there. The produce is plentiful and varied. It's not row after row of picture-perfect standards, but it's real stuff that I can picture sitting out at a market in some foreign country. I always find some item that I never knew existed, yet suddenly have to have. The pickle aisle is a treat in itself. I honestly never knew how many different types of pickles there are in the world and here they are, right in front of me. Some are amazing!! Some are a little odd, but they are fun to try out. I've never dealt with rude cashiers. Every single one that I've ever had has been nothing but pleasant. Granted, I'm not always greeted with a huge smile and witty banter, but maybe they've had a bad day. Lastly, but certainly not least, I AM IN LOVE WITH THEIR CANDY SELECTION. Hazelnut Kit Kat Bars??? Are you kidding me? Cola Mentos?? They are awesome. read more

Horrible service, produce, and experience. Literally the worst grocery store I've been to.

I go to this store every week. The selection of produce, spices, and prices are unparalleled. They are excellent. regular grocery store does not have this selection, and if they did it would cost at least 2 or 3 times more. 95 % employees are very kind and helpful. I highly recommend it. read more

The day I discovered North Park Produce (around 8 years ago), I mostly said bye to Vons, Albertsons, and other insipid food stores. NPP is my favorite grocery story in San Diego, and I frequent the one in Poway. Who cares if the aisles are too narrow and you are going to end up not matter what with someone else's cart. Those narrow aisles are filled with exotic products, decorated with retro labels and wonderful typography and design, even if unintentional. Even if caters mostly to the Middle Eastern food lovers, I go there for the vast array of Goya products, especially the paella Goya (made in Spain), and all the canned seafood Goya products they carry. Also, as fan of olives, there is no place like NPP to get all the varieties you want. I tend to buy spicy Lebanese ones, marinated in garlic and lemon with peppers. Many Russians go there to find specific products, and there is a good section for Indian food and cosmetics too. Fruits and vegetables are cheaper than anywhere else I have tried, and from the deli section I can highly recommend their mortadella and the Egyptian cheese. I really don't care much about the not-so-friendly cashiers, I just enjoy this island of foreign flavors and smells that always has a soundtrack of romantic and catchy 'habibi' music. read more

Buying food and groceries is hard to do in this economy with gas prices being up the ass and everything else up there with it too. you spend all your money on gas so that you can drive to work, to make money so you can spend it on more gas? Thanks to North Park Produce, this has changed! This was the first time at this location, but I frequent the one in North Park and in Chula Vista and I LOVE it. Everyone who works here is so friendly! I have bought everything I buy at Henrys (or any other grocery store) for about half the price. HALF. I seriously walk out with a cart full of produce and meats for about 50 dollar. This is awesome, you have no idea. The stores are not as modern as your vons or other brand name store, they are in fact a bit grungy and a little dirty, but this doesn't bother me. All produce I've bought here has tasted fine. Of course, there are a few things, like the avocados, that aren't always as big as you will find at another grocery store. They have endless amounts of ethnic food and a variety of cheeses which is awesome if you enjoy cooking different dishes. Thank you North Park Produce for allowing me to eat! read more

Bad: Produce, while cheap, is not the greatest in quality. I saw a good deal on avocados but I could not pick a decent one out of the 100s there. Some of the greens still look a little dirty, so I stay away. One scary thing is that sometimes the naan/pita area have bad or moldy items because they aren't kept in a cool area like some Indian stores. Good: Plenty of spices available. Cheese and meat deli which multiple choices. Little refrigerated section where I get delicious grape leaves that come out tastier than those at a restaurant and at about 25% of the cost. All the ingredients to make my hummus, even many brands of tahini which are cheaper than the local grocery store. Overall, I keep coming back for my needs and hopefully one day learn how to cook something from the meat deli. read more

Best hummus I have had in over 30 years! I thought it was going to be like a farmer's market but it turned out to be an international market! I want a tour guide the next time! I got so many yummy items plus produce!! read more

The more I shop here, the more I love this place! The produce prices really can't be beaten. I went in there yesterday, walked out with an armload of fruits and veggies, plus a 2 liter of Coke and only spent 8 bucks. Huge savings compared to what it would have cost me at Vons or Ralph's for what I bought. This is also where I go for coffees and teas. The selection is GINORMOUS and the prices are really good. Cruise through the snack aisle and try some of the different wafer cookies, etc. Yummy stuff! They also stock loads of spices. Some of which you won't find on your normal grocery store shelf and again....great pricing. As some other reviewers have pointed out, it is a bit cramped which can make it difficult to get through the aisles sometimes, but it is more than worth it. Personally, I've never had a problem with the staff. I think some of the complainers are mistaking a difference in culture for rudeness. Spend some time exploring the shelves here. So many new things to try. Oh, and try the fig jam! It's delicious! read more

Best place to shop for fruits and vegetables. They have some great bakery variety. Its so cheaper than ralphs and vons. I just love this place. read more

We were running low on some Indian food items and spices and I had planned to make a trip out to Mira Mesa to grab those items. While I was in Poway, I remembered seeing this place and remembered that North Park Produce carried ethnic food items. Jackpot. There's almost an entire aisle dedicated to Indian spices, rices, pastes, snacks, etc. In the refrigerated area, you'll find frozen chappatis, naan, parathas, etc. Grabbed what I needed plus some fresh produce for cheap and was out. Saved me a trip to Mira Mesa. read more

I will never comeback to this place again. I ordered a bunch of shawarma wraps for the new year family gathering on the phone. went there 30 minutes later to find everything wrapped in foil and ready to go so I never checked the wraps before picking up. We went home to find that these guys wrapped the shawarma with iraqi thick bread instead of the regular thin one used for shawarma everywhere in the world and we ordered before from them so we know their usual is the thin bread. they must ran out that night and were greedy enough to do that without telling us! who wraps the shawarma with iraqi thick bread! I was embarrassed with my relatives and no one could eat it. absolutely unacceptable. read more

I go here almost every week because it is a great place to stock up on fruits and veggies on the cheap. They also have a wide selection of middle eastern products such as olives, feta cheese, and flat breads. If you're having a party, can't go wrong with seasoned carne asada for about $3/lb., which is surprisingly pretty good stuff and not the grisly mystery meat you find at some other places. The produce is an adventure. It's not Vons or Albertsons so they obviously had to find some ways to make things cheap for them and for people like you and me. What does this mean? Well, for starters, it's gonna be pretty obvious there's no union labor stocking the shelves, which means stuff will be pretty cheap. But the oranges and tomatoes won't be stacked neatly in uniform rows with their stickers properly aligned. It's more of the dump the carton into the barrel and fight granny for the best plums in the lot kinda experience. But I guarantee you will probably pay less than half compared to big guys. Oh, final thing - the aisles are CRAZY narrow. You're gonna be playing bumper cars with everyone else the whole time, especially on the weekends, and that's if you are lucky enough to find a cart in the first place. read more

Incredibly rude staff at the deli. I was waiting in line for at least 10 minutes at the deli. There was one lady tagging the items and one lady helping people. The lady tagging items looks up and helps someone who came there after me simply because she knew him. Even though the gentleman apologized to me, she proceeded to help him and told me there was a line. Anyone who's ever been there knows there's no set place for a line and it's very disorganized. I still complied and went and stood in line. After she was done helping the first gentleman, she again skipped me and assisted some else. When I asked why, she said she didn't care, turned to her supervisor and said something in Arabic l, and the supervisor loudly said "I don't care" so I could hear him. The closure of other stores like Atlas in Poway has enabled these people to be incredibly rude to their customers because they have no competition. Keep it up guys, because no one will shop at your store once you have any competition at all. read more

Recently moved into the area and discovered this great Middle-Eastern grocery shop. Fabulous breads. Bought finger bread and everyone at home made it disappear in one day. A new world record. Great prices on spices and condiments of all kinds. I love that because it makes it easy to try new things. Next visit I will try to shop for a variety of items so I can see how their deli and produce is. read more

This place is great for bulk cheese, hummus, olives and meat. The produce is really gross and has little flies zooming around most of it. Yuck! If you're a women with tattoos the patrons in this store will come up to you, take photos, point and stare and some will even mad dog you. It must be the cultural differences but honestly I felt like a caged animal at the zoo. It's a bit awkward and always crazy ass packed. read more

Decent grocery store. Lots of different rice to choose from. Didn't buy much, will reserve a longer review after I get more items like from their meat market etc. read more

North Park Produce - Hmmm it does exist. - Grocery Near Me - Poway, California

North Park has come a long way in the last couple of years. My first impression of this store 3 years back was - great inexpensive ethnic store but terribly disorganized, dirty looking and congested aisles. But a lot has changed since, looks like they now have new management and that really shows. We go there for our weekly grocery shopping of vegetables and green leaves one doesn't find in Sprouts or Vons. Though the produce is not always fresh, I'm happy I can get Methi leaves so close to where we stay and don't have to run to the Indian store that's a good 10 miles away! They have a decent collection of Indian spices, lentils and teas. We don't buy fruits here, have been burnt more than a few times with old stock. Their fruit is usually the batch that's left over after the good one's have been picked up. Overall a honest store with good customer service. read more

Hate this place. Cashiers are rude, especially in the meat department. They freakin don't even respond to your questions, they just look at you with a blank stare. and if your a girl don't even bother going into produce, you will be constantly (and obviously) checked out! Like to the point that it's distracting and highly uncomfortable to go shopping here. always check your receipt, their registers rip you off on purpose. read more

My family and I eat only Halal and North Park is the closest place that sells Halal Items. I shop there quite often so I naturally had to check this place out when I heard they were adding a restaurant at the side.If you've never had baghali polo with ghoosht then this is the place to try it!!! some of the best iranian food I've had and i'm married to a persian girl. The Meat is perfect but try their ghormeh sabzi (honestly better than my wife's cooking). Great portions and cheap prices. 10/10, you know I'll be here every month, partially because my wife shops here alot. read more

I bought SOUR - tart cherries today at North Park Produce! These things do not grow in SoCali.... i was sooooo ecstatic to have bought these cherries... they were so delicious! In addition, North Park Produce has AMAZING selection of produce, fruit, meats, cheeses, other things that you don't find at a regular store. I'm a huge fan as of today! read more

Ok, so the cashiers are rude as hell, but it's all part of the experience. Check your customer service expectations at the door and you'll quickly learn to appreciate this place. North Park Produce is as cheap as it gets for fruits and veggies. It's amazing how far your dollar goes here. What would cost me $80 at Albertson's never exceeds $30. Their produce is sweet, ripe and has a fresh aroma. I'm guessing a lot of it is organic because it's that fresh and will not last for freakishly long periods of time. Organic without the insane prices, score. The Tea, Coffee and Dessert sections are a real treat... you get hit with a pungent wave of sweetness from the moment you walk in! In addition to Middle Eastern delicacies, they also have a lot of exports from Europe. You can find almost anything here. The fresh olive, cheese and hummus are out of this world. Last thing, I promise: spice selection, high five! They sell the cheapest and most authentic spices of all the local markets. The scent is strong and will make you feel like you're perusing the bazaars of Marrakesh. Seriously, need a vacation? Just close your eyes, take a whiff and let your mind wander. read more

As far as grocery stores go, they have produce at a good price, but not always of the highest quality so you have to just put in a little more effort and dig around for fresher items. What is nice is they will carry a different variety of produce from other grocery stores in Poway, such as Baby Bok Choy. So if you don't want to drive outside of the Poway area, definitely one of your best bets. Also awesome thing to note is they have fresh made Feta there, and plenty version of it! Haven't tried it yet, but definitely know where I would go next time to buy some Feta cheese. read more

My wife and I love to shop at this market, they most always have fresh produce and grocery items for a lot cheaper than major grocery stores. However, as all the staff are very helpful and friendly there's one employee who used to work at a different market in Poway and now works here at the register has attitude problem! We just have to avoid her at the check out as she rings wrong items with higher prices and when we find out she never apologizes or anything. I would have given it a 5 stars if she was more polite and friendlier. PS: she has a three letter first name! read more