I have been going to Viks since it opened. The food used to good and it was worth going there for fresh food. Last few years, this has gone down hill - food, service all has gone down hill since the original owner Indra retired. Now it is run by employees. I wanted to give it one more try after a few bad food experience but today was most disappointing and my last visit! read more

Viks is an acquired taste - food is good and the last time I ate there so were the prices. Personal favorites are the veg samosas and the thali of the day - as long as it's veg. I've eaten street food all over India a what Viks offer is definitely authentic. Make sure to visit their shop as well, they carry a good selection of British foods as well. Helpful hint: visit during the week - on the weekends (especially Sunday) it will be packed and you'll be lucky to find a table. read more

The grocery store at Vik's is a SCAM. Here's why : 1. We bought Alphonso Mangoes for 50$ and more than half the mangoes were ROTTEN. ( a friend who bought with us had the same experience) The same mangoes are for 30-something bucks in Milipitas and they are not rotten. 2. Frozen Patti Samosas of the Vik's brand - had to throw the entire packet because it had all become one giant lump that refused to dissolve even after defrosting ( the baking instructions say put it directly in the oven which doesn't work either) 3. The store brand Namkeen was tasteless and heavily priced. DO NOT buy stuff from their grocery store. It's a sham. read more

It is so nice to have parking next to the market, and I also noticed they have a second lot across the street. I love this place, it is very clean and well stocked (so I am not wasting a trip) and the prices were great for the dried mint and black salt I was looking for. read more

Vik's Market is conveniently located attached to Vik's Chaat so after getting something to eat you can head here to stock up on groceries by catching two birds w/ one hand & later set them free. Vik's Market is a decently stocked Indian grocery store. They have various types of dried legumes, rice, & countless spices. There are many packaged snacks & frozen items as well. Really you will find all you need to stock a kitchen to do some Indian cooking at home. I enjoy doing Indian cooking at home & a good place to start for recipes would be to pick up a copy of Vegan Indian Cooking: 140 Simple and Healthy Vegan Recipes by Anupy Singla. This book features many authentic recipes & the rarer harder to find spices she recommends in this book can be found at Vik's Market. One of the most unique things about Vik's Market is they have some produce & highly recommend the bitter gourd that they carry. Although it is very bitter as the name suggests it is a unique vegetable w/ many healthy benefits. read more

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They don't have everything but they have enough. Plus the restaurant is in the same building.

The market is a fun atmosphere and the food was great. But there are other factors that impact one's experience at an establishment, such as safety and security. Our rental car was broken into and items stolen within the 20 minute period we were parked in their lot. They have signs posted noting they're not responsible for loss. It's true we should not have left any valuables in our car. But a business should do their due diligence to ensure their premises are safe and secure. They have no lights in the parking lot, nor any security guards, and told us this happens all the time. Looking at past reviews, you'd think they would invest in some spot lights or security cameras over the past couple years. But they haven't, and shame on them. We will never come back here--that is not what you want a customer to remember about your store. read more

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This review is for the grocery store. The staff doesn't really care much, they packed broken snack packets in our bags and refused to address the issue. The veggies are mostly dry and not fresh. The staff definitely needs to be more customer friendly. Like their Paneer though, probably the best in town. read more

Sunday hours posted as 8pm, showed up at 7:40pm Sunday, grocery and Chaat areas closed for new transactions. Please update your Yelp hours.

Vik's Market is next to Vik's Chaat, they sell the standard indian groceries. large parking lot to the side. buys: -maggi instant noodle(.39) came out soggy, not sure why -snacks: corn flakes mix/peas (.99@) spicey. cheaper than at other indian groceries. notes: -restaurant packed. passed, lines short. read more

My friend took me here for the first time last weekend. It was quite the culinary experience. The atmosphere captures being in Bombay like no other place I've been to. It's chaos all around. They have a loud speaker yelling hard to understand names/numbers into a PA system to call out food orders. If you order more than N things, you could be called N times to pick up food. Chaos. The food was very very tasty, I'd recommend this place highly if you're in berkeley and craving some indian food. We had samosa, bhel puri, and chana masala with the big puffy bread. read more

Their market expanded! It's huge now! I've been coming here since it was *only* a market in a warehouse a few blocks away, and now it's a mini-empire. Great spot to come for Indian produce or any sort of Indian snacks, candy, etc. It's attached to the fantastic restaurant, so this place is very worth a trip. read more

My partner and I came to the market to buy some bulk items; rice, beans, lentils, etc. the prices were very reasonable. But the atmosphere was palpably hostile. The sales merchants did not greet us. When we asked a question we were met with grunts and pointing. I assumed maybe this was due to a language barrier and did not take it personally. However, as our trip continued we noted that the workers would stand in our path blocking easy access to aisles, were following us both visually and were a constant close physical presence around the store. When we rung up our items both of the workers came to the checkout stand and said nothing to us while one rang up the groceries and the other just intermittently stared at us. I will not return to this store despite the reasonable prices as the cost of their goods does not make up for the feeling that they clearly did not want us there. I don't recommend shopping here if you are a person of color nor should you support this business if you are an ally to people of color. read more

Its good for lentils and other not easily perishable items. Its the 3rd time I bought the fresh coconut and it turned out to be in a gross state. When I mentioned it to the sales person, and told that most of the coconuts have visible black fungus on top. I hope they remove these; and have better quality control. read more

Vik's Market - two dirty dishes on the floor - International Grocery Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Mukhwas, boondi, bhakarwadi, horlicks, Mysore sandalwood soap, frozen stuffed parathas, instant uppma mixes, sabudanas, all sorts of jaggery sizes, Dettol, basmati rice, spicy mango juices, indian ice cream.... All found here! Handy read more

we brought "ready to eat" paneer makhani and navratan korma and threw them away . tasteless and horriible and totally non edible . bad outsourcing job . ready to throw actually , stay away from their viks brand of ready to eat products!!! waste of money ! read more

There was fungus on the goodies. Those black spots in the pic is fungus. Ewwww. Liked this place and frequently visited it until this happened. read more

Vik's Market - Fungus. - International Grocery Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great food! Been there twice and can say they're consistent. Tried a few different kinds of chicken entrees with naan. Their chicken kathi rolls are awesome! Will come back every time I drive through Berkeley read more

Lots of interesting stuff. I really wanted fresh fenugreek leaves but they only had dried or frozen. Lots of legumes, spices, jarred pickles, frozen prepared foods, etc. read more

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I love love love coming here to get lunch, and to buy supplies. I was shocked when i saw that the prices are almost double what they used to be. They did fill up my dosa with alot of veggies, much more than before. Still, this place isn't very affordable anymore. I can't do lunch over 20 bucks very often. read more

I love love loooove Vik's Chaat Corner, but the retail store--a dark cave of a shop--next door doesn't get the same kind of love. It all started when I saw "namkeen" in the 2007 Saveur 100 issue. It was described as an Indian "Chex mix" (hey, it's Saveur's words, not mine...) and as someone who will try everything once, I popped over to Vik's the grocery store after my lunch at Vik's the chaat place. Indeed, I found several different kinds of namkeen and bought one. When I got home, I saw that the package had an expiration date that was SIX MONTHS earlier than the day I bought the bag!! I was curious so I opened the bag anyway; it burped with a spicy, slightly rancid-smelling puff of air. Yep, it's expired. Being a glutton (literally) for punishment, I picked out a few bits of fried lentil to nibble just so I know what it tastes like and...........what I thought was a lentil was a piece of black gunk with lint coming out of it!!! The gunk part is not the store's fault, but selling stuff that expired six months ago is pushing it. (I also saw that they had vacuumed packed paneer in the fridge that was 3 months old.) So make sure to check the package for expiration dates. Otherwise, this is a good place to get Indian condiments, cheap bags of dried beans, and frozen, ready-to-make paratha, which, inexplicably, bears the Pillsbury Doughboy on the package. Who knew the Doughboy was such an international playboy?! read more

I just bought some cake rusk from Vik's a few days ago. My husband said it tasted "bad". I thought he was just bein picky again. He looked at the expiration date. It was 5/2006. Uhm.....it's 200EIGHT!!! WTF!? I think Vik's is capitalizing on the Berkeley Indophilic population. Beware people....they may be conning you. I am going to take back the item and complain. read more

I really don't know what the hype is all about, this place is like a buffet the only difference ,you get served and can't have seconds for $11. Really small portions, a measly piece of papadum, 2 chapati, a little boondi raita, potato curry( over cooked) and a meat portion. The atmosphere was akin to a hostel canteen, nice vibe though. Kindda confusing what and how to order for first timers, at least in our case. The 5 of us could have gone to any other restaurant and for the $100 we spent we would have had a delicious meal, sides and drinks! 1 star for desserts and 1 for the fish curry and the third for ample parking. One should try this place for the heck of it read more

Last week I made my first ever attempt at cooking Indian, which turned out great (no thanks to Vik's) Like the first reviewer, I love the Chaat Corner, who doesn't? But I had some problem withs the grocery store. I was short on time, and needed to get several ingredients for dishes I'd never made. When I asked for help, the many running the place admitted never having cooked, and proceeded to try and sell me a variety of simmer sauces. I guessed my way through the process (turns out Garam Masala and Ghee help with everything,) but it would have been nice to have a little guidance. read more

Nice Indian eatery with chats, kebabs, biriyani, kulfi. Amazing ambience with the hustle bustle of a bizee chaat place. Try the fish fry and the falooda! read more

Vik's Market - menus on the wall - International Grocery Near Me - Berkeley, California

This is convenient due to it being right next door to Vik's Chaat. They carry all of your basics and essentials for snacks or cooking Indian food, have decent priced items, and run a clean and organized store.... surprisingly rare for an Indian/Pakistani minimarket. The staff members seemed a bit grumpy. read more

The market section is a bit cramped and somewhat disorganized with all the restaurant customers coming through on the way to/from parking lot. Aisles are skinny, hard to get a good look at stuff. There are much better indian markets, this one is convenient if ur already at restaurant but thats about it read more

We tried completely unrelated Indian disbes: chole bahtura (Punjabi), fish koli wada, dahi puri (chaat) and all of them were just excellent! Very authentic dishes, reasonably priced and a great relaxed environment with lot of college kids! It gets fairly full during meal times. If you like Indian food, please try this one, you'll be hooked. Note: 75% of the crowd were not Indians. read more

Vik's Market - Fish koli wada with condiments (mint chutney and onions)! - International Grocery Near Me - Berkeley, California

Vik's is an impressive trifecta of: cheap, good, nice looking. The restaurant itself is charming and upscale in appearance, despite the fact that it is a quick-service (aka order at the counter and bus your own table) eatery. The atmosphere is pleasant and with a modern charm. The food is authentic, well-prepared Indian cuisine. The Masala Dosa was beautifully crispy and light and the chutney and sambar sauces were great. As was the Cholle Bhature. My only regret is that we didn't get around to trying the Samosas -- for which I have ongoing cravings. Did I mention that this feast was absurdly inexpensive for both the portions and quality. The value is out of this world. We didn't have a chance to check out the actual "market" portion of Vik's Chaat market, so can't evaluate that. read more

hey have rebranded all commodities as their own. This straightaway means...they buy cheap...and no concern for a bigger brand. which is a big problem.. Bought 2 edible Indian snack products..Both are pathetic. Stale smell.Of oil.No salt. Basically no quality control at Vik's Waste of money. Be very very aware. read more

I love going to Vik's Market. It is clean, well organized and has a wonderful selection of everything you need to make wonderful Indian food. So many other markets I have been so off in the cleanliness department- this one really stands out. And, when you're done shopping you just walk through to Vik's Chaat House and have a nice meal or, as I always do, buy selection of delicious Indian sweets and a cup of chai tea. Perfect everytime. read more

Delicious veggie dosa; peas, carrots, cauliflower. Sambar was just ok. Cafeteria atomosphere but great for grabbing something on the run. Bought some premade dosa batter too, and it was better than the brand name stuff I've had before. read more

So eating next door is too crazy, but the dark little shop has dates that are excellent and they always can help me out with ayurvedic soap. Keep the craziness next door! read more

The grocery part of this store is essential for anyone serious about Indian cooking. If you care about hing, methi and fresh curry leaves, this place is amazing. It's in a very nice neighborhood and super easy to get to on bicycle. read more

I never like the Indian food so much but since a friend took me at this place wow I love it !!! delicious food ,very fast service and looks very clean to me . Definitely I will be back and recommend it to everyone who's like quality food and nice atmosphere and reasonable price. read more

Whoa!! Read reviews here first. You'll save gas, anxiety, & aggravation.

I really like the large selection of items and they are always fresh (unlike most competitors). They always have the larger Ghopi Paneer and delicious fresh dosa batter. The British chocolates are also fresh. Their Chutneys (Viks branded) are delicious and very reasonably priced. read more

I've been looking for Kashmiri Chillies to cook my native Goan (Indian) cuisine for years.I finally found them here..Even cocum,,which i have never seen in any Indian store.. They are no longer in Allston way though..they are at the end of channing way...the phone number is the same though.... The chaat is actually authentic...it dosen't look like green goo....like other places.... read more

I would give them ZERO stars if I could. Although I have come here for lunch a few times, this was my first time making an actual Indian grocery run at the Viks Market. Suffice it to say that I have officially lost my faith in Viks and the kind of food they "presumably" serve. Some of the non-Viks items (biscuits, etc.) on their shelves were expired, the pav buns were contaminated with fungi (all the packets!), and they sell the stuff manufactured by the Viks warehouse only that, funnily and conveniently enough, have no expiry dates on their packaging. Makes me wonder if they use inferior quality ingredients or something in their products, but no bueno for me! It's too late in the day now, but I now see several other reviews here complaining about Viks selling expired/contaminated products. Should have read them before heading over to buy stuff. Do yourselves (and your families) a favor, and find somewhere else to go for your Indian grocery fix, because these guys will ensure that you end up in the hospital! read more

Yes yes... food is on point, but the whole time you're eating your meal you're worries if your car is going to be there in tact when you get out. That's what happened to a family that just got out of the restaurant. Broken car window. Why doesn't the owner of this BUSY place think about his customers and install cameras in the parking lot??? The staff looked completely unmoved by the complaint, there was no empathy towards the family that was in this situation. NO way we'd come here again AND advise my family and friends against coming here. Not worth it!!! read more