This is a small local market that is convenient and is stocked with a good variety of products. The…read moreproblem is the produce is mediocre, even sometimes rotten, (especially bad when compared to Monterey Market up the street) and the owner/manager is rude. I swing by often but after recent visits I wonder why I spend so much money on overpriced bad produce from a nasty person. YMMV

Yeah no. Back in the mid 2000s, til about 2012, I regularly shopped in this small local,…read moreemployee-owned grocers because it was close to where I lived, I prefer small, neighborhood markets, and I liked that everything was organic. I liked the long-time manager Michael (now many years retired). I was out of state for about 10 years, and returned a few years ago. I have dropped in here now and then for an item or two (or just to use the restroom, which is always very clean), and left empty-handed each time because the prices are laughably exorbitant. You can tell a lot about a business - grocers or other - by the mood or attitude when you walk in. I don't know if employees have been burned by bad customers or if it is just more post-pandemic 'Weltschmerz,' but whenever I stopped in here I never felt welcomed, or as though the staff actually enjoy working here. I hear no customer-staff friendly banter, see hardly any smiles. It is just stony-faced, entitled (mostly white) people getting what they need, not interacting with or making eye contact with others, much less exchanging smiles or friendly "hellos." It is one more example of the bratty coldness that has taken over most of Berkeley, which breaks my heart. This used to be a lovely market to call my "neighborhood market," but absolutely no longer is. Before any employees or the manager chime in with a response to defend their laughably exorbitant prices by reminding me of how small a market they are - whoa there, little kitties - your prices are still higher than Monterey Market up the road or another employee-owned market, Berkeley Bowl. I can't even afford to puchase a bottle of mustard here, and must get it at Trader Joes. Be honest: This market is for VERY WEALTHY PEOPLE ONLY or for people who DON'T MIND MAXXING OUT THEIR CREDIT CARDS HERE so that they can feel like one of the "cool kids" for shopping here. Your produce is beautiful, your shop very spic 'n span clean, I appreciate that you offer non-GMO and Fair Trade groceries, but you could do better, truly, by making the less-than-ridiculously wealthy people feel more welcome here. You'd have to care about us first though.

Berkeley Bowl is a true East Bay institution, and the produce section is the main reason we keep…read morecoming back whenever we're in the area. The fruit selection here is exceptional. A must for us every single visit is the Honey Glow pineapple -- if you haven't tried one, you're missing out. They are incredibly sweet, almost like biting into pure sugar, but in the most natural and refreshing way. It's the kind of fruit that's hard to find at your average grocery store, and Berkeley Bowl delivers consistently. Beyond the pineapple, the quality across the board is impressive. The blueberries are plump and flavourful, the oranges are bright and juicy, and the wider fruit selection never fails to catch our eye. It's clear that real care goes into sourcing what ends up on those shelves. For anyone living in or passing through the East Bay, Berkeley Bowl is absolutely worth a stop. It's one of those places that makes grocery shopping genuinely enjoyable, and the produce alone is reason enough to visit.

I haven't been at the spot in really long time. And every time I come here I remember why I used to…read morelove it so much. They have absolutely everything and the price is a reasonable. Not as reasonable as they used to be back in the day, but reasonable enough. I love the bulk section of foods. And I love the fact that the organic food is not as expensive as it is in other places, but it has a really good quality. They have a nice selection of foods and you can get a lot of different things. They do have some specialty sections, such as English foods, Italian foods, Mexican foods, Asian foods, etc. I can cook something from another cuisine and often find those ingredients there. I could find lime leaves for a dish that I was making and they only cost $.99. They also have banana leaves that I can buy if I want to use. The meat counter is nice and the people who work there are generally very nice. Another thing I like about the store is that it's nice and clean. The aisles are OK and you can pass by. And when waiting in line for your food if people are shopping, it can get a little crowded, but it's not uncomfortable. The only thing I would tell you not to do here is to return something because they do not want to give you your money back even when you do have a receipt. And when they do give you your money, you get all kind of attitude. I would suggest coming here, which is something that I do when I'm in the area. I usually go to the other Berkeley bowl because it's closer to the freeway and I can drive up quite quickly. But I forgot, this used to be a Safeway, so unlike their original location, which is now a car dealership, and before that was a bowling alley, this space was built for retail of food. I like that I can always find something here when I need to.

Awesome unique spot that I found while on a quest to try all the local ferments in the area. They…read morehave a fridge full of large-format bottles of kombucha and water kefir in cool edgy flavors such as nettle as well as more standard flavors like hibiscus. I only had the chance to try one thing and opted for the blood orange cardamom kefir made with molasses and vanilla bean. How cool. I really enjoyed it. Cardamom and blood orange are both easily overdone, but not in this case. Extremely well executed. I think the vanilla bean worked behind the scenes to help mellow everything out. Yum. I downed the bottle and returned it (for a cash refund of the bottle deposit) before moving on to my next fermentation destination.

This place is amazing. They use super clean ingredients and a lot of it is soy free which can be…read morehard to find. I do the weekly online pickup order - they always well organized and they have plenty of other options in the store. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable too. I will riot if this place ever closes!!

Everything is very fresh and they have quality produce. If you want to buy bulk, there are large…read morequantities available.

Monterey Market is one of my go-to spots for produce, especially if you like variety. Their…read moreselection is huge, and the mushroom section is on another level, way beyond what you see at a normal grocery store. Fun fact: this place is famous for carrying hard-to-find and foraged produce and has been a quiet favorite of Bay Area chefs for decades, which explains why half the fruits look like they belong in a cooking show challenge. That said, the quality isn't flawless. This past summer the corn on the cob was disappointing, with a few ears already rotten at one end once you peel back the husk, so definitely inspect before buying. Also, the clientele is usually fine, but this visit featured an unnecessary checkout cameo from a full-volume Karen who felt the need to explain how standing in line works. The cashier chose silence, which felt like a statement. Still a great market overall, just keep an eye on the corn and maybe bring a little extra patience to the register.

Really good prices and everyone is really helpful at the store. If I lived closer I would get a lot…read moreof my dry goods from here! I got a jar of honey and its soo good.

What a disappointment. This used to be my "go to" for food and health supplements, but no more. The…read morecustomer service has really gone downhill (rude and unhelpful and suspicious staff) and they're selling food that is NOT FRESH. Let me start with those sunflower and date cookies that are supposed to be "freshly baked." Not so. Stale as can be! And the store refused to take them back or offer a refund or store credit. The "organic" white and yellow popcorn. STALE! I tried 3 different methods of popping with stale results all 3 times. Staff's reaction? Defensiveness and no offer of a reasonable solution...had to "match" the price to another item of the same value. Ridiculous. Honestly, I thought I was in Farmer Joe's for a minute! Finally, that bulk "large flake" yeast can be sketchy looking. Strange dark blotches of who-knows-what mixed in. This I did not take back...I just threw it out. Never shopping there again...I detest rude and unfriendly staff at a business where I'm spending my sparse, fixed income money!

Alex is the epitome of cool. He took my (phone) order to ensure the shipping would get to us in…read moretime. He was SO friendly and I absolutely LOVED that he narrated the clacking the computer keys "do do do...doing computer stuff." If you're ever in Berkeley, stop by!

The bEst!!! This establishment is the wealth of the town. I know Berkeley has a lot of great places…read moreyet having an herb shop of this caliber is the true crown. The plant medicine mavens are kind, knowledgeable and astute. I happily travel hundreds of miles to patron Llhasa Karnak

What a Richmond gem. Glad we stopped by on this Sunday morning. I feel like they have a little bit…read moreof everything. I really liked their bulk supply section and variety of teas. Id espeacially like to thank Maria for listening to the issue we were trying to address and providing her expertise. We will be back again.

For a local natural food location this place is very good. Went to check on the Bill Gates support…read morefor Alzheimer's and memory loss that Clint Eastwood Dick Van Dyke all recommended.

Great values, nice people, very expensive, limited selection, potentially old/not-as-fresh produce…read more I've been coming here on and off for the past few years (lockdown excluded) on my way home after RSF visits. Convenient place to grab something like a spice, frozen meal, or miscellaneous kitchen item. But you'll pay for that convenience. I find items are marked up ~20% compared to TJ's or Safeway. That said, I recognize this place isn't a massive chain and goes out of its way to maintain certain standards/values that regular grocers don't. I recently bought some cookies (pictured below) and a pound of pinto beans which came out to $8 after a 10% discount (tip at time of writing: get discount by filling out survey). Cookies actually tasted fantastic. The dried pinto beans seem to be a bit old based on how long it took to prepare them, still okay though. I decided not to go for the fresh fruit because they looked battered. Overall, nice place that's conveniently located, but on the pricier side and doesn't have enough to cover all your grocery needs.

they scam you at check out they dont show you the price of anything, add a huge tip and then charge…read moreyou 2x the price of a normal store. the students who work there are scamming. the food is stale, you can see from the other reviews, the food is not super safe. not a good safe place.