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I go out of my way to go here. The safeway in Orinda is closer, but this store is soooo much better
1) They give a crap
2) They are always happy to see me
3) They really open up another register when there is more than 2 people around
4) They have better products
5) They don't try to pronounce my last name
6) Family owned and locally operated.
The service at Safeway Orinda has become so bad during off peak times that I had to try something different. Diablo foods is different and worth the trip.
It is really worth a trip not to deal with the local safeway.
A great place for special cuts of meats, seafood and lovely produce. Along similar lines as Adronico, Mollie Stone, Sonoma Market. While a shopper should expect prices to be higher than going to a large grocery chain, the value in quality really rings through.
Nice to see many responsible brands in their aisles. Such a friendly staff. Parking lot of the mall needs some work -- approaching spots are quite awkward.
Oh...and I've been prodded to add that the mini-me shopping carts are greatly appreciated.
I can always count on Diablo Foods to have what I need for an obscure recipe. They certainly are efficient in stocking many types of food and even multiple brands of each type. The prices are higher, but you can count on the quality and variety. Meat and fish selections are reliably fresh. Shop at Trader Joe's if you don't mind cheaper, old, smelly chicken in a plastic-wrapped styrofoam container (a real experience).
Their longevity as a business is assured because of the products and a loyal following. You will bump into friends and neighbors so dress accordingly!
After a recent rude encounter at Lunardi's checkout, I prefer to deal with the friendly checkers here.
I am a vendor for this great market! Even though I shop in my own city where I live I find myself buying things here when I drop off our products. I can find almost anything "gourmet" I am looking for and when I can't then they order it for me!
As a vendor this store is the ideal store for us - they promote our products and our products move quickly off the shelves!
Based on our other retail customers, I wish they were more like Diablo Foods.
Diablo Foods is not a store where I shop regularly or often. It's not close to me or convenient. However, I just received an email from the Friends of Monterey Market w/ the news that Bill Fujimoto is now working as a consulting buyer at Diablo Foods and that may encourage me to add it to my grocery store rotation. I don't think I would make a special trip to go there, but if I'm driving by anyway it would be worth a stop.
Here's a copy of the note from Bill:
"Yes, I'm consulting for Diablo Foods. I spent the first two weeks
getting to know the operation. The store is beautiful with a complete
"live" meat department and deli and is known for its variety, selection, and great service. The customer base for Diablo Foods is
quite knowledgeable and the staff is very competent.
While they have good variety of both organic and commercial produce, I think I can help them improve their selection based upon seasonality, sourcing, and farm practices. Dan, one of the owners, hired and encouraged me. I am working on signage, employee education, product placement, and a general move towards emphasis on seasonality in the produce department.
I have tested their market with wild morels and boletes from Jack
Vong, Mas Masumoto's special pick Suncrest peaches, Sierra Glenn's black raspberries, and Full Belly fruits and veggies. My best
responses came from the stonefruit. I am expanding the effort in this
direction. Suncrest is a good variety as when picked full ripe, the
front of the store smells of peaches. We are moving into my favorite
peach varieties so I shall continue the seasonal progression. Goldbud has not yet begun shipping. As we follow the season to completion for stonefruit, I hope the customers and the employees come to appreciate the difference."
Bill
This family owned and operated business has the best customer service of any store I've ever shopped in. One can buy groceries anywhere, but the the service and staff at Diablo Foods is extraordinary! Excellent quality, meat, fish and seafood just to name a few. If they don't carry what you want, just ask, they will order it for you with a smile.
Yet another reason for me to move to Lafayette. With housing and rent within San Fancisco being what they are, entering a new stage of my life that's really gonna need some quiet, and the fact that I'm totally over this constant wind, the prospect of "fine tuning" my home base is looking like a necessity.
I tell people of my wavering residency - friends, co-workers, crazy people on the bus. Detractors of my plan always retort "If you move, you'll not have access to all the great food you know and love to cook with here in the city"
What? Really? (I'm a rube like that) If I move, to a larger quieter space, outside the walls of OZ, will my culinary options be limited to Nehi soda and fatback purchased from a gas station?
No! For as long as there are places like Diablo Foods catering to my sense of gastronomical snobbery, I will feel at home. True, I may not need 3 different kinds of free range, gluten-free Mac-n'-cheese at my disposal, but it's nice to know that it's there. I CAN have my cake and eat it too!...and it'll be organic.
Awesome sandwiches at the deli, I recommend "The Porker"!!
Super friendly service as well.
Why haven't I Yelped about Diablo Foods before? I must be crazy! We just returned from a shopping trip and I think I just take this wonderful place for granted. This store is a real treasure in Lafayette! Every time my husband and I entertain, we find most or all of our necessities at Diablo Foods. Plus, we stop in all the time for Deli and wine and whatever little thing we think of spur of the moment. Last week I picked up a prepared Vietnamese Chicken Salad that was truly delicious and fresh in every way. We love their produce too - which is always nice and compares to Farmer's Market quality (even if a bit pricey). We can afford to pay a bit more and are happy to for top quality, unique products and service with a smile!
So, I am changing my review to 3 stars here because the owner of Diablo Foods himself emailed to apologize for my mom's negative experience. Although she doesn't remember who was "helping" her that day (nor would she really want to "out" anyone in particular), having the owner actually take ownership over unfortunate incidents is really all you can ask.
Since this was my first time in the store, I'm not a total fan yet (aka 4 stars)... but I'll let you know on my next grocery trip;)
I purchased a cake for my dad on Father's Day and 3 days later it was molded. My mother went back to… Read more »
It's a very pricy grocery store. I didn't get anything from the deli so I can't comment on that experience.
Diablo Foods is small but efficiently packed with everything you would need. It's the mirror image of Village Market on Broadway Terrace in Oakland, or a small Whole Foods with a nicer staff.
The services is good--just what you would expect in a grocery store. The food in the deli and meat department looked good and fresh but over priced. I didn't buy anything. I had a list.
The produce department is compact with a decent selection of fruits and veggies in small bins and not shrinkwrapped. No fresh bottled green vegetable juices though, unlike the three (three!!) different brands sold at Whole Food, but every variety of Odwalla they make. Again, three, (what's up with three) different kinds of real baby carrots, not those nasty, tough, baby "like" carrots sold at Safeway. Price $1.69 for one pound and very crisp and tender.
Up for selecting between thirty kinds of veggie dip? Six ounce contains of three layer dip float your boat? Prices start at $5.99 for 6 oz. of salsa and move up quickly. A 6 oz. ($6.99) container of hummas was good, but not memorable.
That fabulous Greenlee cinnamon bread people rave about lists sugar as the first ingredient. It's a dense, (think moist fruit cake) $6.99 loaf. The first two toasted pieces were mmm mmm, but I love the feel of sugar crystals in my mouth. If I ever have this kind of craving again, I'll buy a cinnamon twist from Happy Donut, smash it into the shape of two pieces of bread, toast it, sprinkle more sugar on it and voila! Then I won't have ten remaining slices.
Right next store is a Long's, buy your tp there for half the price of the $5.29 for four pack of Northern.
No long lines.
Diablo foods is part of our weekly shopping trip with TJ's for the staples and Diablo for the deli meat, produce and fish. Super nice people and high quality.
It was as good as it gets. Moist Turkey browned perfectly. Some of the best mashed potatoes and stuffing ever. They did a really great job of producing a kick-ass Thanksgiving dinner for many to enjoy.
Kudos to the parking guys and the people who made the entire experience flawless and delicious.
I am Thankful!
Every Thanksgiving, I order a fully cooked Thanksgiving meal for everyone at the office. Diablo… Read more »
Hands down the best service ever at a grocery store.
If you have a full cart, no matter how busy the store is, there is someone to empty your cart, check it and bag it. They'll even bring it to your car, but that's usually where I stop them. I'm stronger than I look. The butchers are incredibly friendly and will butterfly, pound out, de-bone, de-fat, de-skin, whatever... all with a smile. The deli has amazing sandwiches much different from the Quizno's next door. (Their speed is not even close to Quizno's, but worth the wait.)
I wish there was a better organic selection, but they make up for it by buying from local farmers. What's better? An organic blueberry from Argentina, or a conventional fruit that's in season and from the Bay Area... Something to think about.
I can get 95% of all my grocery shopping done here at Diablo. They lack some specialty items, but it is a fairly small store and therefore understandable. This is how I imagine all grocery stores were back in the day.
Diablo Foods is a high quality, higher priced, local grocery store with a loyal clientel in the upper scale bedroom community of Lafayette.
it is slighter smaller in size than many of your chain groceries like Safeway, which is across the street and down a block. It is probably slightly larger than a Trader Joes size, but much more packed with high walled aisles and a little but of everything. it is reminiscent of perhaps an older Cala or Nob Hill in SF, or Adronico's in Berkeley.
The best thing about Diablo foods is its full butcher services. unlike the large chains which have 2 people cutting meat to shrink package in behind a large glass wall. it has several butchers and personalized service, which is great for the upscale clients who want that special cut or preperation.
The other thing that is great here is that they carry San Jose's own Greenlee Bakery cinnamon bread. This delicious bread is marbled with cinnamon, and has a cobbler like topping crust on top, and is very moist.
In addition to the Trader Joe's and Safeway nearby to Diablo Foods all on Mt Diablo Boulevard, a brand new Whole Foods is opening soon next to Safeway, which should put pressure on all the grocery stores in Lafayette to compete for the upscale customer in these difficult times.
Being a vegetarian this place holds no appeal in the meat are. I also noted that their specialty rolls/buns are made with LARD! It is right on the package, though so you can't miss it.
The prices just are insane- Trader Joes has so many similar items for so much less.
Sometimes they have a specialty item that I need or want - so that is the only time I go there.
Whatever your income- high or low- do you really want to spend way more shopping here than for the same stuff across the road, just for the sake of spending it?
bottom line- hard to find items only are worth it
We came here to get some groceries on our way back to the bay area. I really like this store. Is it independent? Great variety with interesting stuff. Meat looks good too but seems a little pricey. Good fruits for decent price. People who stay near here are lucky to have this place.
I'm updating this review because it's been almost 3 years since my original review AND because this store is HEAVEN on earth for me. The minute I walk in, I breathe a heavy sigh of relief and gratitude that this place exists. I don't mind hittin' the store every day when I get to go here-seriously people, this place is old school fabulousness!!!!
Go just to experience the meat/fish/deli counter-there are about 20 guys behind the counter who genuinely like what they do and are 100% educated on the subject at hand. Oh, and like another yelper said, they have the best smoked salmon anywhere!!! You NEVER wait in line, nor do you ever have to unload your basket (I always feel a little funny about that, but I just go with it-my few seconds of feeling like a rich beeotch!)
The only downside to this place, and it hurts me to even acknowledge a fault here, is that the store is a little on the small side, BUT they take advantage of every square centimeter without it feeling all crammed.
Anyway, this place takes the cake on service, quality, gourmet items, and overall pleasureability of shopping-is that a word?
okay people, this is the best grocery store around. the service is unbelievable. why? everyone… Read more »
I have never understood people who don't like grocery shopping. I love it. So for me, Diablo foods is heaven on earth.
Yes, they are quite pricey. But everything I've ever tasted has been fabulous. Excellent deli/meat/fish counter. Nice selection and everything is always super fresh.
Nice selection of staples like salts, olive oils, and vinegars. You'll find items here that you won't find at Safeway or TJ's.
Small produce section, but they have nice things like heirloom tomatoes.
Beautiful flowers.
Minus one star for prices- even though it's worth it.
At the fish counter they have the BEST SMOKED SALMON I have ever had in my entire life. It is to die for.
Beautiful customer service, and so friendly! Hurray!
This is the best grocery store in the area. They have a wonderful produce section that is comparable to the SF Ferry Market farmers market and an impressive meat section with friendly, knowledgeable butchers (unlike Lunardi's scowling bunch.) The employees are friendly and helpful. As to the complaint that they are expensive, Safeway's frozen, canned and packaged groceries are comparably priced. As for the meat and fresh produce, yes, they are more expensive but you get what you pay for. Would you rather pay a little more for a sweet, juicy Suncrest peach or go to Safeway or Albertsons and pay less for a rock-hard, unripe peach that will never get ripe and will never taste or smell like a peach?
Expensive, enormous sandwiches available at the deli. The bread is fresh and the ingredients high quality. The egg salad was pretty runny, but still tasty. They used far too much deli paper to wrap it up in though, a major waste. The salad bar looks fantastic, but again pretty much everything here is about $2+ more than you want to pay.
If you ask for a sandwich punch-card you get your eighth one free!
EXPENSIVE to put it lightly. This place makes all other specialty stores seem like a good deal.
having said that, they do have a great deli. you can usually escape having spent about $8-10 on a sandwich, but you can guarantee it will be super tasty, possibly organic, and quite filling.
everything else, simply has a mark up of 200% because of the nature of the store and the area it is in. A cooked chicken will run you about $20 whereas at trader joes or safeway, the EXACT same chicken dinner is about $6.
This is the only place in Lamorinda if you want to buy decent meat. Their butcher department is superb, with excellent staff. In fact, every single person who works at Diablo Foods is simply excellent: friendly, efficient, knowledgeable, and professional.
They have an amazing selection of items you can't find at the usual chain stores.
The only downsides are
-- it is somewhat pricey
-- although it has a private parking lot, the lot can be a bit of a "war zone" at times. I always try to park at the outer fringes of the lot.
-- since it is a smaller store they don't have as much inventory turnover as say Safeway. I've purchased items that were at or near their expiration dates, so be sure to check expiration dates on low turnover items before you buy.
Even with those minor downsides, this is an excellent store. Diablo Foods is a class act. One time, I walked out and left an item I'd paid for on the checkstand. (Duh!) I went back the next day, and they refunded my money for the item with absolutely no question, even though the item probably got put in the next customer's shopping bag. They are a great group of people and deserve your business.
Every been annoyed with all that pesky cash in your wallet, or all that unused space in your credit limit? Have no fear, Diablo Foods is here. This place is $1-$2 more per item than Safeway or Trader Joe's, which adds up QUICK! $25/lb steak? That better come with a signed autograph from the cow.
That being said, they have some great specialty items that are reasonably priced and keep m coming back, like their non-homoginized milk, with the cream plug at the top, or their deli-sandwich.
I wouldn't shop here unless I were clearing $200k/year, and obviously many of their patrons earn that and more. This is the kind of place that would make Whole Foods seem like a good financial deal.
Me personally, I'll be a few stores down at Trader Joe's, getting organic food at a quarter of the price.
On the upside...I now know what broccoli rabe looks like.
On the other hand: $42 for 1.25 lbs of salmon and a piece of Humbolt Fog. Sucking air noises. Picking self up off floor. Wow. That's steep. I don't care how friendly they are. Back to Lunardi's I go.
And the salmon wasn't all that.
Their store-cooked products are often too old. Moreover, employees misunderstands "sell by" date definition. They told me sell by means cooked date and it's still ok to sell in the store. It was not true.
The package I bought was already rotted. When I opened it, I immediately noticed the bad odor from the food. Its sell by date was a way past. I almost throw up because of the smell. I had to run all the way back just to return it. The casher was rude and insisted the smell was normal and it was from the food. I can't believe it!
I love the deli in this place. The meat and cheeses are really fresh so the sandwiches are wonderful. They are very accommodating to suggestions and special requests. I've ordered party platters and they don't just have standard ones to order from - they are happy to make one up to your request.
The hot food in the deli is great too. I think you can take home whole meals for dinner for the family. I've never done that but it seems like a good idea. I am in love with their tortilla soup, especially when you have them add avocado, sour cream and chips.
I used to wonder how such a small town like Lafayette could support a Safeway, Albertsons, Mt. Diablo foods and Trader Joes. They are all so uniquely different and Diablo Foods has the niche down. They are supper friendly and have great, fresh produce, meats and cheeses. If I lived closer i would probably shop there everyday!
When I was a kid, we went to Black's Market in Orinda. There, they had pre-cut meat alongside fresh cut butcher meat, live crabs, a giant produce section, a large deli with cafe, and a large wine section (if I recall correctly). Unfortunately, Black's went under new management sometime during elementary school, and went out of business shortly thereafter. So, where to go after that?
After a stint with Albertsons (nee Luckys), we settled on Diablo Foods, at least for food we knew we wanted to be nice. For everyday stuff, like dry pasta or cake mix or frozen peas, Safeway was (and is) a better bet. But for meat? Veggies? Diablo Foods is where it is at.
The thing there is not so much that they're organic, like Whole Foods, but rather that everything there (or at least a goodly portion) is quality - the meat is, 9 times out of 10, excellent, the people who work there are friendly, the veggies are fresh, good-looking, and wholesome, etc. They don't just have row upon row of, say, every kind of Heinz yellow mustard like Safeway. They'll have row upon row of every little manufacturer of artisan mustards you've heard of.
OF NOTE: Their egg salad is the only commercial egg salad I will eat. Too often a deli will put too much pepper, or relish, or some other bullcrap in their egg salad to dress it up, I suppose, to the person who doesn't like basic egg salad. To that, I say a resounding BAH. What is wrong with plain egg salad? Absolutely nothing, and that is why when I am in the mood for an egg salad sandwich that I don't have to make, I go there and get it (on the most delicious white bread I've had).
A++ would buy there again (and will) (when I feel like dropping some cash on tasty, quality food)
Customer service is not dead. Diablo Foods is part of a dieing breed of retail establishments that actually cares about what their customers want and tried to provide it. I called about a particular item which was in short supply in many markets (matzoh for Passover) and the management actually sent a worker to another store in Berkeley, bought the items at retail and sold them at below market price. Why? Because they believe in customer service. This is the friendliest, most customer-focused grocery store I've seen in years. Hate Safeway like I do? Try Diablo Foods and you'll leave with a smile.
The deli is good, be prepared for big sandwich. This could be a meal for two. I'm a fan of the homemade soups they make. There are usually four different soups at the soupbar. They seem change on a weekly schedule. They are all very fresh and tastey.
As others have noted this is not an expensive shopping experience... but Trader Joe's is just next door for that.
My mom lives in Lafayette and shops at Diablo Foods on a regular basis. I had never been there, until last week. It's very similar to Draeger's or Andronico's. But they have products I had never seen before. Two of those were Don Pomodoro Tuscan Soup made in Italy and Stonewall Kitchen Pepperoni Sauce (for pasta/bruschetta/pizza). Absoultely delicious! They also sell my favorite olive oil, Sciabica (http://www.sciabica.com), made in Modesto, CA. This was the first time I saw this olive oil in any store. I met Mr. Sciabica's wife when I was in France at a teacher's seminar. One night we had a tasting of several of their olive oils, and now it's the only olive oil I use (the garlic one!). I would order it from their website, but now I can buy it whenever I go visit my mom.
First of all, let me say I miss Diablo Foods in Concord. I made a point of going there once a week for all the special foods, outstanding meat and fish and especially Dr. Pepper in the bottle! But most of all I miss the friendly staff that I got to know by name over the years. Many of them moved to Lafayette after Concord closed but shopping there is like shopping with the fracking Desperate Housewives! Not friendly or relaxing at all in the same way Concord was. When I see one of the old Concord staff, we greet one another like we have just met in prison camp or something. But I digress. I still love Diablo Foods and make a special trip to go there, which is at least 30 minutes from where I live, just to stock up on meat, fish, deli items, and special cheeses. Try the Jamaican tuna salad, not a spicy thing but sweet and tangy. Or the sun-dried tomato orzo salad with feta cheese. Or the broccoli sunshine salad. Or really almost anything in the deli case. I miss the big jar of pickles that the concord store had on the counter. I also miss all the cute little things the concord store would sell for different seasons, like tiny roses for mothers day and pretty dish towels in spring or fancy egg shaped candles for easter. The Lafayette store does not have the space the Concord store did. Diablo Foods, I still love you, but please re-open in Concord! Your old store front is available again, come back!
This is the grocery store of all grocery stores in Lafayette. The folks who work here are really friendly and helpful. It's refreshing how much they aim for great service! And the freshness and quality of what they carry here is second to none, from the produce to fresh-baked goods to the high-quality meats and imported cheeses. This market is a well-oiled machine and if I absolutely must make a run to the grocery store after a long day at work, this is where I'll go -- efficient, no hassles, everything I could ask for in one place.
Awesome deli sandwiches,salads,meat department & some specialily items you might not find elsewhere..been here forever...A little spendy,but lifes short......
I really love Diablo Foods. It's family run, the quality of everything they offer is outstanding and it's not Safeway. Bravo
Don't come here to save money. Come here for the friendly staff who are more than happy to help you out. The meat, cheese, and fish here is probably the best around.
Growing up, my mom would take me here shopping. I have fond memories of sitting on the bottom part of my mom's cart (where you might put your sodas) when i was a tiny tike. We felt kinda guilty when we switched to doing most of our grocery shopping at Trader Joes. but we still come here for certain staples, like their amazing thinly sliced turkey.
I also worked there the summer after my senior year and it was a nice play to work.
Pricey place, no kidding.
Best-looking meat and fish market in the area, though. Everything looks fresh and you can tell that they take care of their product by the way they handle it and display it in their window. It is not any piece of meat!
Last summer, I made the mistake to over-grill a couple (10-pound?) rib-eyes. Ouch! that was a costly mistake. Anyway, that was the best and only well done steak I have ever eaten. The taste was great. But my wife is still bitter about it! She is a chef, yes, a real one: she gets paid for not making those mistakes! I keep paying the price for mine. I still want to be in charge of the grill for some kind of strange macho /"me in charge of red meat grill pschh pschh!" reasons. However, I'll be eighty years-old in about 50 years. I already know that she'll keep telling me and everybody else how I over-cooked those wonderful and expensive steaks in the summer of 2007. All our grand-children will know the story by heart by the time they turn 7!
Their wine selection is great also. Look at the "special value of the week" these are great wines at affordable prices (great values). The tasting notes are reliable.
Quality is expensive. If you can afford it, go for it!
Great for specialty items that I can't find anywhere else. Has a better ethnic cooking section than any other store in town. It is expensive, however they do offer great items for lunch options. Their pumpkin soup is very tasty. Not a place to shop day to day, but a great place to pick-up that little something extra. Plus they have all the sizes of yogurt you could ask for!
Walnut Creek, CA
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Walnut Creek, CA
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Lafayette, CA
Category: Grocery
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There are a lot of different places to buy a lot…
I love Lafayette, but those stupid stickers drive…
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