Not sure why everyone is grading this place 5 stars, I guess my standards are higher. I was overcharged on a couple items. The price on a box of cereal was tagged on sale for $3.69 and I was charged $5.99, some tortillas I bought were expired by a month and the rice I bought was due to expire in a week. It smelt kind of mildewy in the store. The guy that gave me my money back on the overcharged and expired products, didn't believe me even after he had a guy go back and check the cereal and said it was $3.69, he had the guy go back again and make sure it was that price the 2 days before when I bought it. What happend to the customer comes first. read more

Mike and Nick (cheese), Art Kong, Kyle and crew (meat/fish), and Victor Kong all get deserved praise. What might be overlooked is the entire vibe that Victor and Art Kong, and Chris and Mark (co-owners) set among the staff. E.g., Mary, Joy, Denise and Melinda (checkout) are very friendly and unflappable. I look to Joy for help in picking out orchids for my wife either for a special occasion or when I might be in trouble. Employees, by and large, are engaging, very friendly, and work to figure out what the heck you want. Most employees (Steve and the aforementioned come to mind) will learn your name within a few visits - they are that on-the-ball and engaged. Chong, in produce, is among the most graceful and knowledgeable people I have ever met, which is NOT to say that Brian and others there aren't on top of things, but I do look to Chong for ultimate help. Just keep in mind that along with her beautiful smile and intimate knowledge, she wields a large knife for her work :-) To indicate the level of service: One time, my bicycle conked out minutes before closing. Chris tossed it into his truck, with my groceries, and drove me home! And upon maybe my 3rd or 4th visit there, when I arrived at the store shortly after it closed (maybe a minute or so), Mark let me in to grab a lot of produce (already wrapped for the night), and Victor peeled back some paper from the meat counter to let me grab some stuff. Some weeks back, someone won a substantial sum on a lottery ticket sold by the store. Turns out that the stores selling winning tickets get a 0.5% kickback. Victor and his co-owners split it among Star's staff, taking none for themselves. A skeptic could argue tax issues, etc., but, in light of many other things I've seen the owners do for their employees, I've no doubt it's their way to keep morale high, which translates to insanely great customer service. The exterior of the store looks really funky, but those in the know would not hesitate to give it a go. I rarely go to other markets, though several are close to Star, and Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are (sort of, or can be) along my wife's commute to CHOMP. read more

Whenever I am in Monterey, Star Market is on my list of must-go-to places. Their selection of gourmet meats, cheeses, and wines are top-notch, and I don't think you will find a grocer with a better Monterey wine selection or a friendlier or more knowledgeable staff. Victor Kong is very knowledgeable and wise - even though I live on the east coast, I will call and order my favorite Pinot - Gary's Vineyard Lucia wine. I wish I had daily access to a Star Market, but alas, Star Market is another reason why Monterey has become a special place to me, kind of like heaven on earth, or a utopia for foodies like me. If you live in Monterey, but haven't been to Star, please go, you won't regret it! read more

Great market on the end of South Main. The pastries are so good--I always have a hard time just getting one. Pinatas are beautiful--bright, fun, festive. Best tortillas around! read more

If you're looking for one spot to checkout all the local wines STOP HERE! The hubby and I stood for at least an hour checking out all the wines. They have a very unique collection of many different sauces, cheeses, etc. The store is a bit outdated, but that adds to the charm. I will most DEF be back here for purchasing a unique local wine! read more

Love this store! Quaint. the manager is BEYOND helpful to the point of walking you to what you were looking for and explaining everything about it. 4 stars because it's a little over priced, but you can expect that from a non chain, I guess. read more

I normally shop @ Nob Hill but while they were on strike I shopped @ Star Market. All employees working on the floor were pleasant, cashiers were friendly & efficient, store was well stocked and clean. Great cheese selection. read more

Love this place! Thank you Rachel for showing us the different local cheeses and helping us pick out our favorite. Who knew Salinas cheese could be so good. Our favorite was Junipero from Schoch family farms right here in Salinas! We will be back. read more

A year ago I would have rated it a four star, but seems to be going down hill a bit. Service is not as good as it once was.

A family owned, speciality grocery store that has prices comparable to the chain stores. Wine and cheese are the good stuff and they have fresh German bread, saggs meats, and other speciality items. Need yogurt pretzels? Cheaper here than elsewhere. The staff is very helpful and let's the kids unload the buggies at checkout. read more

Star Market is great and a return to old school customer service. From the guy in the wine section to the kid who bags your groceries and takes them to your car, this is a shopping experience you should enjoy if you need to do some grocery shopping in Salinas. read more

Service beyond 5 stars. Plus they have a lot of exotic health products, I was willing and in search of a place that had raw, organic milk, butter, and cheese and found them by chance. Lucky me. read more

Shop here twice and they will know your name the second time you come in. They know EVERYTHING about the products they sell and the families behind the local products that make this store a Salinas gem. Make sure you visit the wine section in the center of the store to say hello to Victor - he will always know the best wines coming out of Monterey County! read more

Great selection in all departments, produce is always very fresh & staff is great. I lived around the corner from this market for a few years & miss being so close to it- but its still worth the drive across town for me! read more

I love this supermarket. The freshest produce, friendly service, and good selections of local wines, cheeses, and baked goods.

um.... ??!! i just moved here and based on reviews went here... the reviews made it sound like they would be either like whole foods or at least a specialty shop where there would be a plethora of vegetables that i can't get anywhere else.... nope. just an overpriced shop. maybe i didn't give it a fair chance but this was my initial reaction. i'll have to give it another go sometime... read more

I've been shopping here for 25+ years. Nice butcher section, and they'll happily prepare your meats any way that you like. I only wish they sold more free-range meats (like Whole Foods), but they don't. If I am looking for a gourmet grocery item, I can usually find it here. Great selection of wine and beer, too. Love their produce section, too. I haven't tried their cheeses, but that's a nice new addition to the store. read more

You can come here with a grocery list, and they will have everything that you need. That said, you're probably better off just wandering the aisles and discovering items that you've never heard of, or haven't seen in years. There aren't a lot of bargains here, but there is a lot of quality, and the customer service here is fantastic. read more

STAR market is the BEST store I have EVER been to!!!! Because they really know what customer service is all about. Many times they have called me at home to answer a question I had asked the last time I was there. They know people by name, and remember exactly what products you like to buy. Whenever I come in I feel like I've stepped back into time and entered a local grocer the way they used to be - friendly, knowledgeable, and kind. I LOVE Star Market so much that I actually drive all the way from Monterey even though I live next to Safeway and Whole Foods. But I'd rather have my dollar go to a place that truly is doing a great local job at serving my family's needs, than give my more money to the big guys who couldn't care less about you (sorry!) :) Star Market is a truly great business that I hope will last for my kids and grandkids one day!! read more

The meat prices are too high. Extra lean hamburger is 2 dollars a pound more than Nob Hill. It tastes better, but in general I can't believe the regular prices. There's friendly service. My mom always likes the vegetables even when winter prices go up. read more

This store is a two-hour drive from my home, but, I will not drive to the Monterey Peninsula without stopping here. Victor Kong, one of the partners, maintains a wonderful wine collection and is more than happy to share his knowledge and feelings about the selections. There is a huge cheese collection that is also worth the drive! read more

The service from the owners and staff is outstanding and friendly in this non-chain grocery store. The produce, meat, cheese and wine departments offer a variety and quality that doesn't exist anywhere else in the area. At Star, if they don't have it, they will order it for you! read more

I love star market. This is the only store in Salinas that I will get my fresh ground meats from. They have an awesome butcher/ meat section. Their "star special" meat is a great dinner choice. They also have delicious pastries and baked goods. They have a very large wine selection and great cheese bar. I also prefer to get my produce from here! Good prices, well staffed, great store to shop at! read more

4.5* Star Market is definitely understated, but delivers. A quality local grocery store that has a great quality selection in many departments. Definitely check out the cheese department!!!! read more

The best! Cheese, organic produce and dairy. Great meats. Outstanding people work here. It has an old world feel but somehow seem to carry everything. I'd give them 10 stars if I could. read more

I am a long time Star Market shopper. I discovered Star while working in Salinas and from then on always go there for specialty items. You can't beat their meat department. The butchers are friendly, knowledgeable and help you with cooking advice. Their cheeses are outstanding and the wine and liquors can't be beat. Every Christmas I order my bacala (salt cod) from them for our traditional Christmas Bacala salad. I love Star Market. read more

This is a family owned and run business. They are very community oriented. Love them!!! They are generous and really caring. I can not say enough about their service. This is what an old fashioned grocery store is ! They will order special items for you. They care!!! They have great meats and a superb cheese department. You can get everything you want there. read more

I absolutely love Star Market! I'm a long time shopper and was even going with my mom as young girl. They have fresh\local produce (when in season). Not once have a had an issue with anything going bad before the best by date. The cheese bar is to die for!! They have a huge selection of local cheeses and are very knowledgable if you have any questions. The deli has whatever you may need from sandwich meats, store made sausage, fresh fish and the list goes on and on. Star Market is family owned and good to there customers! Yes, people might say its expensive but who wouldn't pay a dollar or a few cents more to shop at a family owned grocery store. You can see the difference in quality compared to a chain grocery store. Thanks for being so awesome Star Market!!! read more

Love the cheese n wine section. So many options, great prices and I like that all the stuff is really helpful n up bit !!

My favorite super market in Salinas. Mostly everyone is very friendly, a couple people at the register are just ok not super nice but kinda "just there". Really good wine and cheese selection and I like that if you have a question about either the wine and cheese someone will gladly make a wonderful recommendation. I also like that they have specialty items that you won't find anywhere else in town. read more

Grew up here and just returned to the area. Bagged groceries at Star as a teen and thought I'd give them a try over Nob Hill. Everything was fine until the rudeness and unfriendliness experienced upon checkout. Older grey haired lady possibly named Joy grunted instructions and never acknowledged me as a customer, let alone a human being. I wasn't looking for TLC; a simple smile, greeting, or thank you would have been sufficient. Think I'll be exploring other options solely because of her. read more

We worked with Star Market for the beer and wine for our daughter's wedding. Victor and Chris were very helpful and accommodating. So much better than working with BevMo. Highly recommend these folks. read more

Lots of unique brands and the best service. Peaceful... adifferent shopping experience. Excellent cheeses and wines. Also the meat and salmon are as good as it gets. Matt read more

I admit I have only shopped at this store once, but my experience was so good I made a point to write this review and give them a top rating. I arrived at about 8:30pm and did not realize this was their closing time. I assumed the earliest they would close is 9pm, so I was just taking my time since I was on vacation. I only needed two items and found both of them on sale. One of the staff asked me at one point if I needed any help finding anything and I said no, I was just checking out the ice cream as I often do but end up not buying any since I am trying to lose some weight. He never said anything about closing time. When I finally went to check out I asked them out of curiosity what was their closing time. They very politely said it was 8:30pm! I apologized several times for going 15-20 minutes past their closing time but both staff members assured me it was no problem and they seemed very genuine and nice about this whole situation. I rarely take the time to write reviews on Yelp (I am much more active writing reviews on TripAdviser), but I had to take this time (even while on vacation) to give this market this top rating. If I lived anywhere near this store, I would shop there all the time because of their incredible staff. Whoever owns this store should give them a raise and appreciate them as much as possible! read more

Great place for all your specialty needs. The staff is exceedingly knowledgeable about their products in every department and give absolutely the best customer service in town. read more

I moved to Salinas, CA on July 1, 2016 and found the Star Market right away. I can walk there from my apartment. Star Market is a real gem. It is a large, local grocery market that is well-stocked with locally made products. It has local produce, local high-end chocolates, local cheeses, etc. Their local, small fuji apples are the best I have ever tasted. Clearly, someone who possesses a conscience and a keen taste for deliciousness shops for the store. The staff and customers in the store are so nice too. I noticed that the butcher addresses several regular customers by their first names. How darling is that?! Plus, they have a great selection of gluten-free foods and health foods. Their rotisserie chicken is delicious too. I don't eat cheese, but people always rave about their cheese selection. I always feel good shopping there, because I know I am supporting a local business and not a giant corporation like Nob Hill or Safeway. read more

Star has a cheese selection rivaling dedicated shops, a solid butcher, and some out of the ordinary options like raw dairy while also carrying all the regular grocery items. Star also has an unusually good wine, beer and spirits selection. With respect to beer, Star is a good place to go for harder to find beers like Firestone Walker Parabola or Bourbon County Stout when they are released. It's also fun to check the beer and wine clearance cart in the far left aisle. Sometimes you can get something good. read more

I support local businesses because of places like star market. Customer service is the number one priority here and I appreciate. I never throw a barbecue without skewers and tri tip from Star Market. read more

As the years go by, my rating of this store drops. It was once a 5-star store, but it isn't anymore. As a kid, it was our "go-to" store. We shopped there exclusively. But now it isn't quite as clean and the selection isn't as good. We still go there for meat occasionally, but I'm sad that it isn't what it used to be. read more

The BEST! Features many, many local foods, from organic PL Bar grass-fed beef to organic Los Robles Ranch fresh eggs where the chickens roam on grass and even have a tire swing! Canned American Tuna and Salmon. Also wonderful local produce in season - pimientos from King City are the BEST. Lula's chocolates will woo ya, and that Italian cooky baker from Castroville (can't remember their name) is "diet kryptonite". Gizdich Ranch apples AND killer pies. If there's something you DON't see (Strauss Family Dairy products USED to be one)- if you mention it to Mark, it will be there the next time you are. They even have old-timey products your Grandma used and you probably thought did not exist anymore- Junket dessert mixes, for one. Check out their new fancy cheese section- the cheddar on sale right now is what your mouth thinks of when the word "cheddar" comes up. Definitely worth a drive to shop here. read more