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Categories: Grocery, Fruits & Veggies, Health Markets [Edit]
Neighborhood: South BerkeleyMon-Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
"I've had great experiences here. The staff is helpful and has never acted annoyed when I asked them to find each and every item off my…" read more »
I haven't sampled this amazing produce yet so my review might be a bit biased. Either way, this place still deserves a solid 4. It's got the wide selection of your normal supermarket (and the size!) but with carefully picked items that you'd normally find at a Trader Joe's or Whole foods. However, what sets this place aside from those others is the price. I'm not much of a money maven but I do know that I can easily walk out of here spending less that $50 and be stoked. Now granted, I'm a 25 year old dude who lives on my own so it's kind of a freezer meal/chips/beer deal, it's still cheap.
I also can't help but be in love with the fact that it's a 10 minute walk from me and I enjoy the sunny stroll down Adeline.
Oh Berkeley Bowl, how I love you.
You've got the whole package:
-The freshest, cheapest produce in town
-Barrels upon barrels of a vast variety of bulk food for cheap
-Cute deli men that flirt with me while I'm getting fresh ham
-An olive bar that I would blow my entire paycheck on if I were foolish and free (er...foolish-er and free-er?)
-A wonderful wine and beer selection (although boo to you for having it be a little more expensive--take a tip from Trader Joe's, man!)
-Straus Family Creamery products, in excess. Oh I have never loved milk so much.
-Huge seafood selection
-Lotsa yummy treats for my gluten-free, sugar-free, everything-free friends
-Baking goods on the cheap
-Eco-friendly cleaning products
-HUGE CHEESE COUNTER...LOVE.
-And lots of options for my vegetarian/vegan friends
I could go on forever. Truly.
So you must be thinking to yourself, as you imagine me writing this all out (and subsequently drooling all over my keyboard with food-lust), how could I possibly give the darling Berkeley Bowl a mere four stars? Doesn't this seem five star worthy?
Oh naive Yelper, reading this review. The Berkeley Bowl would ONLY get five stars if they had cheap masseuses on staff. Despite my deep and endless love of cooking, eating, grocery shopping, and food in general (I'd like to refer to the size of my behind if you're having any doubts about my undying love), the Berkeley Bowl stresses me the eff out.
Somehow, all of these free love, Earth friendly Berkeley hippies, who are all in favor of peace and harmony and blahbity blah blah blah, lose ANY semblance of manners once they step into this store. Did these people have mothers? Did they grow up in barns? I have gotten BRUISES from people slamming their damned carts into my legs! I have very sharply turned into my own grandmother and said, "Excuse YOU!" to a lady who nearly knocked me over, and she looked at me like a deer that had just been shot. I am not typically a fan of greeting rudeness with more rudeness, but a line has to be drawn.
So Berkeley Bowl, while you are the Mary Poppins of grocery stores (practically perfect in every way), the people that frequent your store freak me out. I'll give you the fifth star when you start handing out free drinks or getting an employee to give me a neck rub or some other kind of de-stresser. Eek.
Five stars for the Berkeley Bowl itself.
-234892597239473 stars (ok ok...just one) for the jerks…
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I love Berkeley Bowl. They have the best produce, the best prices and the quirkiest food items in all of the Bay Area.
Rainbow Grocery is nothing!
Bonus: lines are much shorter at the main store since they opened the west berkeley location. Go! Now! And bring an empty trunk.
Oh, Berkeley Bowl. Or as I like to call you: Berkeley Brawl.
Why is it everytime I go there (and mind you my visits are fewer and fewer now) someone hits me with their stupid cart!! Do only rude people shop at Berkeley Bowl? I never get hit with carts at other stores. I mean seriously?!
Berkeley Bowl is like an abusive gorgeous boyfriend. You love him, he's gorgeous, he's just right for you and then, Bam! I prefer non-violent love myself. I don't need to be abused just because I'm shopping for the best produce in the bay area.
To add insult to literal injury it always takes me at least 20 minutes to find parking there. Never go at peak shopping times (weekends and after work) or you are also going to wait in a check out line for over 20 minutes.
Sum it up: too crowded, no parking, abusive patrons
Solution: Find love somewhere else.
Would you believe me if I told you I moved back to Berkeley just to be near Berkeley Bowl?
Okay, so it's not exactly true. But it was a contributing factor. Sure, New York has good food. Chicago has some great grub, too. But I'll be damned if you can't find as much decent produce anywhere in the U.S. as you can at B-Bowl! I've certainly been around that block...again and again and again, trying to find one ripe avocado. Let me assure you, Berkeley Bowl will provide you with guacamole ingredients any time of the year, which is important for one's mental health.
There is what appears to be a football field full of produce. Fresh figs, a crazy explosion of herbs, persimmons, a whole cornucopia of pumpkins and gourds this fall. One comes here to get one's fix of fresh lychee, kumquats, or durian, if you're into that sort of thing. As for me, I am a connoisseur of apples, and have nary a bad apple found at Berkeley Bowl. Human beings need to have access to produce that doesn't suck. This is the brilliance of B-Bowl.
The fresh stuff is really what gets my motor running, but there is much more to it than that. There's a huge bulk section where you can buy everything from beans to granola to edible lavender blossoms. The olive bar is quite good, too. A reasonable selection of canned goods, breads, and conventional foods can be found throughout the store, all priced fairly for a speciality market. The tea selection gets a special golden star.
The tiniest of downsides include: expensive cheese (go to Trader Joe's instead), crazy amounts of other shoppers all day long, and shorter-than-average business hours. It's a small price to pay for access to the Eden-esque produce, awesome selection, and uniquely bizarre Berkeley adventure of shopping there.
Needless to say, I moved within walking distance.
This is the most amazing supermarket you will ever go to in your life. I guess I haven't been to that many awe-inspiring supermarkets, but as far as I can imagine, this place is the tops. I heard of BB on one of my favorite podcasts, "RadioLab", and I felt so embarrassed that I've been to Berkeley more times than I can count and I still haven't heard or been to this place! On a recent visit I went to see what all the hype was about.
PRODUCE PRODUCE PRODUCE PRODUCE! Oh my god, there are more than three kinds of onions? What kind of a berry is that? How many different types of edible mushrooms are there? Your mind will surely be blown right out of your skull when you feast your eyes on their selection.
My favorite find of the trip was fake abalone. That's right-- vegan abalone. If you can find this here, I'm pretty sure you can find anything else you can imagine wanting. (Note: I did not eat this abalone, but my boyfriend did purchase it as a gag gift-- truly a must)
The downsides are definitely parking and the crowds, but on my visit I didn't find either any more outrageous than my local Whole Foods or co-op. If I lived in Berkeley, I'd make this a monthly thing, but as a visitor, it's a fun excursion!
Can any grocery store get better than this?!
BB is simply amazing. it's the only place I've ever been that offers five kinds of apples, oranges, cucumbers, mushrooms, etc. The produce section is top-notch and I can always find what I'm looking for. I always feel like I'm getting a bargain and my money's worth. There is even a $1 section for produce that didn't sell from the day before.
I would say that BB isn't always the best to buy other items if you're budget-friendly. A lot of it is based on organic foods and such so it is most likely more expensive. Some of the other stuff (meat, deli, dairy products) might be cheaper at say, Safeway. Regardless, I love the produce and I always feel happy and excited to cook when I leave!
When I lived in Oakland (in proximity to Piedmont Ave) my passion was to take my commuter bicycle equipped with 2 shopping bag cages to the great B bowl for choice produce at reasonable prices and an enjoyable crowd to boot to immerse my intellectual social self amongst. Ah, Berkeley!!! I miss the Bowl! Guacamole All year, no matter what the weather!!!
I did have an instance of humorous unabridged youthful struggle right outside the bowl that I must share, for entertainment purposes only.
Ready???
Well I had made my long journey to the bowl and I spied an unattached shopping cart on the sidewalk prior to locking my bike up. I laid claim to the cart visually and in my mind as well.
So this lady drives up with her van and parks right in front adjacent to me locking up my bicycle. She proceeds to take my claim and grabbed the cart! How dare she! She had my youthful pent up anger aroused entirely, energized by cycling chi besides. So I stated that I arrived prior to her arrival and firmly stated that this was my cart!!! She quite firmly countered that I was busy locking up my bike, "Why, I beg to differ, I was HERE first" Unfortunately I began to wrestle this cart away from her, or attempt to do so. She would not let go and a passerby, after my giving up the struggle and letting her keep the cart, stated that that was the rudest behavior she'd ever seen. Well, at least I didn't go about killing her with my Ulock, I mused.
The selection is amazing BUT I am so over being bashed into by the carts of aging hippies carelessly rushing to their organic amaranth puffs and chia seed sprouts. Never even mention that hellish parking lot where people steal the parking space that you've been patiently waiting for.
The produce is beyond compare but so it also is at BB West.
This store is a magnet for rude shoppers and it shows on most of the people who work here.
Woke up, poured myself a bowl of golden temple vanilla almond granola.... MY GOD! This granola is good. When trying to decide on a second granola to test out on my last visit, I went for the bin that was most empty (must be popular right?).... good decision Leslie :)
oh and GOOD JOB BERKELEY BOWL!
Note to self... Sunday afternoons are a madhouse at Berkeley Bowl...
Even though my usual place for…
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I am new to Berkeley. And I must say that i won't feel like an official resident, even with my new ID and Library card, until I review the much talked about Berkeley Bowl. Berkeley Bowl is my neighborhood Grocery Store, I can't say that I am disappointed. I have yet to go there and not find an item.
My first visit, I was so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of variety that I just wandered the aisles, and then walked out with nothing. I soon got over that, and now am able to dig in the bulk bins with the best of them. I love you Berkeley Bowl!
I still remember my first time at Berkeley Bowl. It was like being a 5 year old (or, in the case of some of my friends, a 22 year old) at Disneyland. Their produce section is truly amazing (the size of some entire supermarkets, I swear) and there are so many products there that I can't find anywhere else. After living the high life at Berkeley Bowl, I literally have no patience for produce at other stores. Can you believe they don't even sell Yukon gold potatoes at Safeway? I never considered that to be an exotic ingredient but it really goes to show that Berkeley Bowl is in a league of it's own. Also, my bills are always pretty cheap there! Of course the cereal and other pacakged products are expensive but the produce itself is really affordable, which is awesome.
My only complaint is that, as others have mentioned, that parking lot is a nightmare. I remember going to Berkeley Bowl a few years back when I was just learning how to drive and at one point I was bawling in the parking lot because I got so overwhelmed. No amount of comfort from my friend/driving instructor could help and so I jjust drove right back home completely shaken up. Luckily I'm not nearly as sensitive about driving now but really, that lot does still stress me out a little bit since it's overcrowded 90% of the time (as is the store itself) so you really have to plan your trips strategically and not let the madness get to you. Small price to pay for a truly amazing and special shopping experience though!
Best place in Berkeley to get fresh and incredibly cheap produce! This grocers is the place your mother and elementary school teachers dreamed about when you were being told to watch what you eat.
My trips to Berkeley Bowl are strictly for produce and "food corner" items. Boxed and canned items should be bought across the way at Walgreen's or you should make a special trip to Target in either Albany or Richmond. My lifestyle has shifted since we've moved closer to Berkeley Bowl and my eating habits are the kind I've always wanted, so you can believe I'm a lot healthier and happier.
Kudos for having an international section that carries my old Heinz Spaghetti from England!
wow! just wow! I FINALY made it to this place after hearing about it from everybody I know that lives in or around Oakland and Bezerkley.
1st of...apparently the parkings gods were smiling down upon me, I got a spot right across from the exit/entrance. Which, rocked...that was the BEST part of the entire trip.
I went in and had to use the bathroom, so I looked around for an employee. My gf didn't know if they even had one since she lives close to it and all. Now, I can't prove this or anything....but when we first stepped in I saw 3 employees, as soon as I needed to ask where the bathroom was, they parted like the red sea. I went up to customer service, the guy ansewered me in a tone that implied my idiocity. So....strike 1!
Strike 2 came when I saw the prices. $4 for a small box of Honey Bunches? whoah! Almost $7 a lb for Jordan Almonds? heck no!
Since my gf was still shopping I had plenty of time to play observer....and even though I saw a lot I didn't like, it still wasn't strike 3 because I hate shopping so I know better. It just LOOKED dark....not enough light, it was tiny and crowded, not because it had to be, but because you can tell they think it makes them look more popular, but really it just made it look like a ton of lemmings were milling around. I heard the totals for these tiny rolling baskets of food and almost passed out....people can afford this? wow!
Strike 3 was....the seafood and meat section.....I swear....it's like the world doesn't recognize that seafood allergies exist! I needed to buy some meat of some sort to cook for dinner, or rather was debating it. I went back to where the butcher was, and WHAM seafood RIGHT THERE! No way of knowing if she fish had touched the meat, or if some absent minded butcher forgot to wash hand, switch gloves, whatever in between. At least in larger stores, you see a warning of when you are hitting the seafood area, or they are seperated. Even in the tiny latin american stores you can see the divide.
*shakes head* You know, from now on I will just drive out of the way for Whole Paycheck, or Safeway.....Berkeley Bowl failed to Bowl me over.
Black garlic.. need i say more?
check out http://www.blackgarlic... if you have never heard of it. My wife and I are fans.. after seeing them use it on Iron Chef i knew i needed to try it out. Berkley Bowl is one of the only places in the area that sells it..
cons-
their parking lot and street parking is a mess... and the lines to check out are slow.
I'm a newbie to this whole Berkeley Bowl movement. Oh yes, it seems to be a movement cause once I step in to the store, I realize I'm no longer in Oakland, it's the Berk.. everyone with their canvas bags and flip flips picking from 10 types of tomatoes. It's a good view.
I was overwhelmed yes, but still left with a handful of various fruits and veggies and some nice organic whole-grain bread. But alas, not knowing the organic ones mold faster, I was only able to enjoy a couple of pieces before the little green critters came for a visit.
They also have a wonderful deli and serve some hot foods in case you're hungry while shopping. The teriyaki chicken wrap was healthy and delicious.
Is it better than TJ's and Whole Foods? I'd say yes cause the produce are farmer fresh and fairly inexpensive, but it's still a bit of a stretch to go... so I'll call it a treat when I get to visit again.
Grocery shopping at Berkeley Bowl makes me happy. Each trip is like an adventure!
The selection of fruits and vegetables is phenomenal, and the produce is fresh. By selection I don't just mean that they have several types of fruits and veggies, but there are different types of each individual fruit! (On a previous visit I spent a good 10 minutes analyzing all the apples and ended up buying 6 different ones. The ambrosia won me over.)
Aside from produce, Berkeley Bowl has fresh meats, seafood, nuts, cereals, cheeses, spices, herbs, snacks, wine and beer, ethnic foods (hummus and miso!), dry noodles and rice, breads, desserts, flowers, and the list goes on.
And at Berkeley Bowl, variety doesn't mean extra $$$. The prices are not only competitive, but actually better than most supermarkets and grocery stores. It's such a great place to explore different foods, and it won't break the bank.
Just be sure to come before 5pm on a weekday or early in the morning on weekends to avoid the crowd. The parking lot is fairly small, and so it can be difficult finding parking during rush hour. Hence the 4 stars.
This is truly the best grocery store I've ever been to. It was love at first sight!
I really expected to hate this place the first time I went, thinking it was an even more pretentious version of whole foods, with snoody unhelpful staff and all organic items. This place actually has everythin, organic and inorganic. The produce section is unlike any I've ever seen, some of the produce in there is so out there, that I can't think of any reason you'd need them, but hey, if you're really picky about your coconuts, Im sure you'll find the perfect kind for you, the have plenty of types. The staff was actually really nice and helpful. The beer selection is great. I dont think I'll ever know what half of the stuff in there is for, but it's a great store, too bad I live in San Francisco
Honestly, I can't say I have ever liked this place. Call me "red" if you will, but I would much rather spend my money at the very similar Whole Foods on Telegraph for what it's worth and save myself the Berkeley Bowl headache.
Though Berkeley Bowl has been featured in countless magazines and even shows like Top Chef (season 1), the place is a bit too big for it's britches. For starters, there is such limited parking that you really can't go to this place without needing to buy some kind of herbal headache relief for all the stress it causes just to park your car (oh, I am sorry, just because I am in Berkeley doesn't by default mean I ride a bike). Secondly, just walking around this place is a headache - it's always over crowded, loud, and very expensive (on a Whole Foods/Paycheck level). Third, I always get a feeling the cashiers are judging me based on what kind of purse (leather) or reusable bags (Trader Joe's) I bring with me, or that I am not hippie enough to fit into the place. Call me crazy, but I always got a condescending vibe from them.
That said, there are some redeeming facts about Berkeley Bowl. Great product, great bulk nuts/grains selection, good bakery, cafe, and coffee shop, good Auntie Annie's/Morning Star/Quorn selection (tofu-like food). But, again, it's nothing that I can't get at Whole Foods at the same exact price.
I love the variety of great produce and good prices at BB. Really helps to get the 5-10 serving of fruits and veggies in each day. We are so lucky to have this amazing resource.
So it's not BevMo, but the beer selection here makes me weak in the knees.
Dogfish 90 min. IPA (incredible 9% abv) + Montcerda cheese + crackers = perfect Beer (that's right winos) & Cheese Saturday night.
Yes, yes, the produce is amazing, and you can sample meats from the deli if you're not sure whether to go with the genoa or toscano salami, for instance. If you care, genoa is the way to go, less fatty and greasy.
This place is HUGE! I felt like it was more industrial looking than a clean Whole Foods market, but it had the same great selection as a Whole Foods, it also felt like an asian market cause the meat section really smelled not so good. Eww.
The produce section was awesome though. I think I saw a few areas that carried the same kind of produce but that's ok. They have like 20 types of tomatoes and 10 types of grapes. It was great seeing all people shopping there. The prices in the produce section seemed nice enough. I'm not sure if I would do all my shopping there cause like a Whole Foods, it would get super pricing. But if you're looking for a huge selection of produce or a hard to find fruit, come here, they will probably have it if it's in season. Just steer clear of the meat area.
The good stuff, first:
Fresh, yummy sushi. Impressive bulk section. Lots of non-organic produce. The only grocery market I've been where a full bag costs less than $30. HUGE. Funky. Full of hippies.
Not-so-cool stuff:
They arrest and prosecute people for shoplifting when they're sampling grapes. What a mob scene. The longest "12 items or less line" I've ever seen. Won't break open coconuts for you. said they carried raw cacao powder (but they don't). Barely a place to park a bike, much less a car. They close at 8? Full of hippies.
Granted I hated living in the East Bay. But when I moved back to San Diego I knew the thing that I would miss the most would be the Berkeley Bowl. The food suck hard down here. I'm misting up a little. Ugh!
Pros
The best thing about the Berkeley Bowl is that it MURDERS the nearby Whole Foods in Berkeley (Lake Merritt is in a world of it's own). Not only does Berkeley Bowl have the highest quality and selection but their prices are way, way cheaper than Whole Paycheck (ha ha I used to work there in CO). Okay so maybe the prices in the whole store are not cheaper on the whole. But if you stick to Produce, Dairy, Deli they are a steal. In the produce section they put "good eats" stickers on alot of the Fruits. They will also let you sample a taste of pretty much anything.
Where they'll get you ( and make up their money's worth) is in the prepared foods ( read - ready to eat food at the Deli Counter) and the Meat/Fish Dept. So bar none the meat/fish at Berkeley Bowl is the highest quality that I have ever had. The Organic Pork is costly but it tastes like freakin' butta! Also if you go to the Deli Counter get the Sausalito Turkey or Prosciutto/Serrano Ham. The Prosciutto/Serrano is higher quality than some of the meat I have gotten at nearby restaurants. Also they have some Chinese, Mexican, Sushi food for those of us that don't like to cook after we've bought a housefull of groceries (me included). The Mexican and Sushi are good.
Cheapness Alert!
In the produce section next the the Berries/ Salad Mixes is a "Ripe" Section. If you go there 1st thing in the morning you can score. I used to get Honeydew/Canteloupes for 99 cents each. Pretty much everything in there is 99 cents and lower. There are a lot of bananas, berries and melons there. I used to use my goodies from this section to make a Balsamic Fruit Cobbler.
Meat Fish Shopping List
- Pork Chops bone in/boneless (Organic if you can afford it)
- Salmon
- Chicken ( more expensive @ the counter. There is a display case across the aisle with prepackaged cuts. Get those)
- Skate
- Shrimp (more $$)
- Flank & Hanger Steak
- Short Ribs
- Pork RIbs
- Duck Legs
Cons
For some reason when people enter the parking lot their IQ drops by like 200 points. I've brought friends here and they had to close their eyes they were so scared. You have to be a defensive driver in this parking lot. Most of the time I would just get parking on the side of Longs. But not in Longs parking lot. They will tow your ass! The Stupidity continues inside with Cart navigation. People get gridlocked bc 1 person is not paying attention. There is a lot of getting mesmerized by something you have never seen going on. It's annoying but this place will have that affect on a person. Most people here are really nice. Everyone knows what comes with the shopping territory.
What an awesome store. The produce is the star here, and it shines. What seems like and endless supply of all kinds of fruits and vegetables stretches out before you as you walk in the place and hook a left. Picked up some food for a big party i had with the fam and wasn't let down. The pricing here seems REALLY good too for being in Berkeley. Only bummer might have been the 1500 shopping carts(including like 10 that apparently had been orphaned) trying to traverse the produce section, making it hard to navigate. Also picked up a sandwich here from the deli that was pretty good. This would definitely be my shopping market of choice if i lived in the area.
Hippie, cheaper version of Whole Foods. Must've seen 30 people in birkenstocks with their bike helmets and reusable grocery bags. Other than that, superior selection. Best part was the produce - EVERYTHING I got was pretty much the best fruit I've ever sampled. Great prices too on produce.
Love the ready made foods! Don't eat there though, the eating area disguists me.
Okay. If you can handle the crowds (deal with it; it's California) and the fact that waiting at the deli is an investment in time, the food is pretty durned good.
We stopped there as newcomers to the area, our bellies growling and our heads full of the mythos of the famed Berkeley Bowl. We weren't disappointed; I got two tamales from the deli and found I should have only grabbed one, as one is enough for a meal.
Our desire for immediate food precluded exploring the store in its entirety, but my impression is that of a thriving store focused on sustainable practices, building community, and serving their customers. Win.
I love Berkeley Bowl - I love the negotiation for parking. I love the woman who is friendly with everyone in the store esp the workers who are so patient with her. I love the vegetable fruit section a 12 out of 10. It maybe my favorite place in Berkeley. I love you I love you I love you
of course... except when you make it damn hard to return something with the sour faced customer service reps. Except when other packaged food costs more than Whole Foods sometimes. Except when your staff peels off the expiration dates or changes them to something else and I come home with the smell of rotten potatoes in my car ala Indian dinner take out. Except for the smelly meat counter. Except for the crowded isles and the semi-threatening beggars (druggie's?) around the parking lot.
No one is perfect though and for Berkeley it is about the friendliest place in South Berkeley I have found!
the blackberry honey wine by honey run is the best! i drink no other wines except ethiopian honey wine and honey run blackberry honey wine. its cheaper than at whole foods.
thanks berkeley bowl
Great food and decent prices, great selection--but I fucking hate shopping here.
Overcrowded parking lot, over-entitlement in the aisles.... every time I come here I just about hit the ceiling because I'm brushed aside by some shopper on a mission or trapped behind some shopper lost in their cell phone world.
I actually had a woman turn around and loudly inform me that I was too far inside her personal space (with my cart) "PLEASE back away from me, you have no RIGHT to be this close to me, PLEASE step back, step back!" I swear to god I thought she was going to "NO STOP HELP POLICE" me and go for my balls.
And I was just trying to get around her perpendicular parked cart while she fretted over palm hearts. WTF.
I don't know what makes Berkeley Bowl shoppers act the way they do, but the place is terrifying, at any time of day, It's just not worth the aggravation,
Sis: Hey, I'm at Berkeley Bowl and grabbing you some of the granola you like. Let me know if you want anything else (msg)
Me: Forget the bags, just bring the whole barrel of granola!
I LOVE the Orange-Cranberry Granola here...
It's a bit over $3/pound...but so worth it. Dried cranberries, orange flavors, and crunchy-crunchy delightful oats... OMNOMNOM!
(I need a return trip here, but my sister's been doing the dirty work...lol) So she brought back about 4 lbs of the stuff for me....I snack on it at work. :P
Someone out there...wants me to go broke, for food! Live to eat!
Huge place--great selection of…
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This is probably the foodie's equivalent of heaven on earth.
They have pretty much almost everything you would want in a grocery store. Think Whole Foods meets the Asian market at half the price of Whole Foods. Granted, not everything is super* cheap, most items here are cheaper than what you would find at your local chain grocery store. And the selection of all the fruits, vegetables, meats, etc etc etc. is MUCH more varied and everything is stocked up so you don't have to dig through the leftovers!
They have exotic items that you normally would not find at a normal market such as fresh Rambutans, starfruits, chanterelle mushrooms (as well as woodear, lobster mushroom, and a few others I do not remember), and soooo much more that it is really hard to take it all in.
I wish this place wasn't so far of a drive because I would be here every other day!
i typically pick up lunch here everyday since i've been working out here in Berkeley. the prices are not bad - cheaper than SF. I typically go for the soup (i like the vegan lentil curry), salad, or sometimes i'll grab some sushi rolls (so so - but what do you expect getting sushi from a grocery store?? they use way too much rice on their rolls though).
my pet peeves about this place is it is normally packed during the lunch hour. that's not so much the issue, but rather it is the people who do not know how to walk or push a shopping cart. they are constantly blocking my way, walking slow, and staring into empty space. annoying. lots of hippies here too, but nothing wrong with that - only please bathe prior to coming here, please?
oh it's almost lunch time! heading over there in 30 minutes!
Normally I'd give the original Bowl 3 stars, because despite being a horribly crowded mess of a store, it's still the Bowl and has some pretty impressive offerings.)
But with the new Bowl opening across town, the original store (which has somehow still remained crowded) is now pretty much useless. I doubt I'll be back.
5 Stars minus 1 star for Sundays.
Students, this is where you need to shop! BB provides an awesome alternative to Whole Foods and the farmer's market and is 1/2 the price. For example, white peaches are $3.60/lb. at the farmer's market, they are $1.69/lb here. I also got a HUGE block of cheese for $4 and it will probably last me 2 weeks. I was able to get out of here with a bag of groceries for $30. That doesn't happen at places like Whole Foods or the regular market. Plus, the selection is incredible.
I should mention that the prices aren't great for everything though. Soy milk is $4.25 here and $2.69 at Target. Also, the pre-made guacamole is quite pricey. I actually think that WF is cheaper in the guacamole front.
Overall, BB gets 2 thumbs up from me. I will be back...very soon.
Poor Berkeley Bowl East. It was the darling only child for YEARS and people would coo and fuss over it, and rave over its cheap and excellent selection of organic produce. And now, after the opening of Berkeley Bowl WEST, the old Bowl is shockingly empty. I biked there and was able to park my bike in the best space on the bike rack. I did not have to move people's carts out of the way to pass through an aisle, and I did not have to wait to pay. SHOCKING. Was I even in the same place?
All the employees at the Bowl seem very relieved that the former only child is now no longer a spoiled child, though it is still prone to fits of busy weekend rushes. I think this is all a product of BBE's proximity to BBW, which means that they are vying for the same geographical demographic. I always thought BBW would end up in Westbrae, Berkeley, but the neighborhood was being such a wet blanket about it all. Oh well, it's their loss. Now I can bike to *either* of the Bowls for fresh produce every single day--this sibling rivalry has been fruitful for me at least.
"The Bowl," as the locals call it, is my favorite place to shop for groceries because they simply… Read more »
Both times I went to BB, I ran into someone from my not so distant past...like this is the place where old friends run into each other, exchange new cell phone numbers & start talking/texting again. How random.
BB has a lot of everything; I could srsly get lost in here and you would find me, hours later, staring starry eyed at their bulk bins. Their Asian foods isle & their teas are particularly impressive and plentiful. My friends & I came in to grab produce, but we also walked out with Green & Blacks & Degobah chocolates. *yipes*
Why is there no BB bowl in San Francisco or the Peninsula, closer to my house? Oh, duh, because then it wouldn't be "BERKELEY bowl."
Burrito station:
I got a burrito at the takeout station here at the BB and loved it! It was inexpensive, but the quality of the food was really, really good!
I ordered a chile verde chicken burrito with cilantro rice, black beans, salsa, guac, sour cream, cheese! It was to die for and actually liked them better than my childhood all time favorite burrito in the Mission in SF.
There were so many options, too. Different type of meats including the lamb, different rices, beans, and tortillas!
Loved it so much that even if I was staying in SF that I went to Berkeley again to get another one. Could not leave the bay area without having another.
I go to Berkeley Bowl for their wide range of fresh produce and bulk goods, not for the atmosphere. I only go during non-peak hours.
The isles are usually packed with snooty yippy Berkeley shoppers that can't seem to keep their cool. I have more than a few times heard older highly-educated white people having arguements in the isles... HIGH STRESS, people.
I would LOVE this place if half as many people were there at any given time... I put up with it for the great food at reasonable-enough prices.
Neighborhood: North Berkeley
Category: Fruits & Veggies
Neighborhood: South Berkeley
Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: South Berkeley
Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: North Berkeley
Category: Fruits & Veggies
Neighborhood: North Berkeley
Category: Seafood Markets
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