"They have a wide selection of produce which is always fresh."
(in 44 reviews)
"even cheese, and and an olive bar."
(in 6 reviews)
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Golden Produce
Rating Details »
Categories: Fruits & Veggies, Health Markets [Edit]
Neighborhood: Castro172 Church St
Between Duboce and Market
(between 14th St & Market St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 431-1536
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
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"This is my FAVORITE store in the whole city!! No kidding! It's a bit overwhelming and you can literally spend hours there if you look…" read more »
159 reviews for Golden Produce
Review Highlights
On an random day in July:
Avocados:
Safeway: $2.39 Golden: $0.79
Grapefruits:
Safeway: $1.29 Golden: $0.50
People in Line:
Safeway: 8 Golden: 2
Bums in the Parking Lot:
Safeway: 6 Golden: 0
I definitely prefer this independent store to the Safeway across the street.
They have been deteriorating since they've opened the other location.
Their produce was the best in the city; it's still good, but not as great as it was. I still try to support them as much as I can because they're good people
I have no idea how their meat store is doing, but it seems utterly useless! I never buy red meat, but I do buy fish, and their fish section is not that great. They do not fillet stuff right there, and I have learnt the hard way.
I wish they had stuck to the little store; it was doing so well!
I'm really impressed with this little market. They have great produce and tons of cheeses and ethnic foods. And it's much less stressful to shop there than scary Safeway across the street. It's my new go-to market for just about everything.
Somewhat cheaper than Bi-Rite in certain items. I like how they have two locations on the same block--one has more fruits and veggies and the other has fresh meat.
The staff is very friendly and attentive. Food is great, but watch out for the expiration date on items. We've sometimes bought stuff without checking the date only to find that the stuff was expired a few months back.
A friend introduced me to Golden in the early 80s and I have never looked back! They have great prices and are cheaper than the mega-giant Safeway across the street. I keep asking myself how this family owned business is able to do this while Safeway is not? Their produce is always fresh (it can be eaten the day you buy it) and is not subjected to the spoil factor of Safeway. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Kudos!
The working man's Whole Foods.
Tip: Shop here.
I always feel slightly unwelcomed and or in the way here. Been coming here for years, because the produce is good, it's a mom and pop and it's not Safeway. The service is never spectacular and is actually always kind of rushed and you are left trying to swoop up all your change off the counter as the guy starts to ring someone else up simultaneously. Hectic!
This place does the trick, but lately it has really annoyed me and I find myself not wanting to stop by on my home anymore - mostly due to the poor customer service. Seriously, in 4 years, I cannot remember the last time someone smiled at me here or asked if I needed help.
Help a sistah out!
Best fresh produce in the area at reasonable prices. The owners are really nice. Be sure to have cash avail if your purchase is going to be less than $10.
Holy shit!!! This place makes me want to reevaluate all the time and money I spend schlepping around the cities farmers markets. Their produce is amazingly fresh and so cheap! With Safeway (ugh) across the street, this place is a literal oasis of decent food in the neighborhood. Go out and support them.
oh yea, when I told the woman at the register that mighty leaf tea was Obama's favorite brand she couldn't have been cuter. BONUS!!
I am not sure what to make of this place. While I found what I was looking for, and the produce is fresh, there were all sorts of unsavory types glaring me down.
I'll be back, with my pepper spray.
I love this jenky little family-run market at Church and Market. They have a great organic produce selection, and at reasonable prices.
This market is very limited, so you probably couldn't do all of your shopping here, but it is worth starting your shopping here. Then if you are feeling brave, you *could* cross the street and visit the worst Safeway known to woman. But I would recommend finishing your shopping at Golden Natural Foods just a few doors down.
I love this place. If you want fresh and gorgeous tasting produce then this place is worth going the distance for. I drive across town or take the Church (which stops right at their door!). People truly comment on my cooking when I go the distance for this produce. Highly recommend this place for all produce.
Shop here. Local, family-run, organic. What's not to love? Yea, it costs more. But think about what it really does for our local community to support this amazing business model. And so much lower stress than slogging through jam-packed aisles at T. Joe's.
Organic meat, tofutti cuties ... I'm committed to making the trip outta my neighborhood to shop at Golden Produce.
Like any discount place, some things are a steal, and some stuff is marked-up to balance things out and be profitable. You never know what will be a bargain, but it's worth stopping by here frequently to find out.
Whatever the case, the produce is always better than the Safeway's across the street, except for the bananas, which often look picked over.
Overall, it's a great place for a veggie lover.
I've been coming here for a few years and am always impressed with the obsessive perfectionism these nice folks take in selecting and presenting their produce. At the same time, this is a no nonsense place, with about 1/10 the pretension of a Bi-Rite or a whole foods.
Eat your veggies, and start by buying them here.
This place is a must for anyone living the area who wants fresh low cost produce. I have been going here for around for what seems like forever as being an SF native who also lives in the area it's hard not to stop in and just check out what looks fresh. They are a small family run business, run right! They take great pride in putting out some of the freshest great looking produce in the city.
Hands down, the best produce place in the city.
It's great. The produce is always ready to eat- unheard of at supermarkets where you have to buy food days in advance. Its locally run, the staff is incredibly friendly and the prices are beyond reasonable.
I love it!
GOLDEN. PRODUCE. I love you so much that I refuse to move away from the neighborhood and risk not having you around the corner.
Here's why you're good:
- You're fresh.
- You're local. In so many ways. Family-run. Local produce. Love it.
- You offer me organic and I can't refuse...
- ...and then you offer me a wide selection of cooking greens and I can't refuse...
- ...and then you offer me awesome cheese and I can't refuse...
- ...and then you offer me fresh bread and I Just. Can't. Refuse.
Sometimes you even let me pay with my credit card when my bill doesn't make the $10 minimum.
Golden, will you marry me??
Even when I didn't live in the neighborhood, I would make the trek to Golden. But, I've been living in the neighborhood for a while now and it is one of my favorite things about my area.
Their selection is amazing, the prices are shockingly reasonable and the family that runs it are so nice and friendly. For many items, they have a "conventional" and "organic" option, and the organic options are actually affordable! The produce is almost always beautiful and incredibly fresh and they usually have anything I need. There is a selection of bulk dried fruits and nuts towards the front and a smaller selections of bulk grains, rice and beans towards the back. There is a good dairy section, including some local cheeses and other products. There are dried goods, canned goods, pasta, oils, vinegars and a shelf of cookies and crackers. In the front they even have some soaps, energy bars and chocolate.
For a small local produce place, Golden is tough to beat. They also recently opened Golden Natural just up the street, which has a great selection of meats and fish as well as beer, wine and many more canned and dried items. Their meat and fish selection are great, carrying as many local, organic and free range items as possible. They also carry other household items and a small selection of refrigerated and frozen items. A bit pricey, but often worth the convenience and to support a local business.
I'm always impressed with the great selection that you can find in this relatively small shop...everything from Nutella and truffle oil, to bulk bins, to really cheap parsley and good salsa.
This place has the best quality produce that I've found anywhere except the farmer's market, and their prices are much better than Rainbow. They have a lot of organic, and if their customers request more organic, they get it. And they have a lot more than just produce, too.
If you do your shopping around Church & Market, there's no reason to go to Safeway -- between Golden Produce and Golden Natural Foods, you can find everything you need, without feeding the corporate beast.
Plus, they're local, family-owned, and really nice people.
So last night, after a very stressful Monday, I headed home and realized I was in a bit of a funk. I wasn't really sad, but I just wasn't feeling like my normal self. As I stood on the MUNI and watched strangers get on and off the train, I felt myself wondering, "Who are they going home to?" "Do any of them feel just as lost as I do right now?" "Is that guy sucking his thumb?"
Whoa, wait, um, where was I? Oh yes, I was staring at strangers and realizing how different my life is now. And then a cool looking chick got on the train with a recycled bag of groceries and it hit me. No wonder I'm lacking a sense of "home," I haven't cooked a home cooked meal in over 2 months!!
And so I got off at Church and Market and headed up the block to the little produce place I'd remembered seeing on one of my walks. Sure enough it was open and bustling with after work shoppers in search of tasty fresh produce of the original and organic variety. That's when I spotted the crate of mini portabello mushrooms and b-lined over to it to hand select the 10 little guys who would be joining some meat and tomatoes in my marinara sauce.
I also grabbed some shallots and a clove of garlic and just smelling their powerful aromas made me smile with culinary glee. I then paid for my goodies and headed home and was super excited to start chopping. From there it was a quick walk to my TV to pop on channel 950 (Italia) and I popped open a bottle of wine and went to it. Finally, I was home.
134 reviews and a 5-star average? And you're sure this isn't an ice cream parlor?
Nope, Golden Produce is what it sounds like. It's larger than the typical produce closet but still smaller than say, Haight Street Market. So why so many (and so positive) reviews? My guess is location. Church and Market is a major traffic hub, so it's on many people's commute (including mine). But even more importantly, it stands defiantly in the shadow of Safeway, prompting many a favorable (to say the least) comparison to the Soulless Corporate Behemoth across the street (am I being sarcastic there? I don't even know anymore). At any rate, GP is certainly getting people on the fresh produce wagon, and for that alone it deserves 5 stars, even though it didn't charm me as much as other places.
Not to be confused (or is it?) with its new sister store Golden Natural Foods a couple doors up. Between the two of them, you really do have a versatile grocery destination here.
I love their produce as much as I hate Safeway's...
I am so thankful for Golden Produce! It means I can usually skip Safeway altogether. And now that they've opened Golden Foods right down the street, it's even better. I much prefer spending my money at a small, locally owned business than the mega-conglomerate.
They have a wide selection of produce which is always fresh. Plus, they have a large array of organic goods. Now, if they'd only open a Wells Fargo Branch in the store I'd never have to walk into Safeway ever again.
I used to be a strong advocate for this local fruit and veggie store. Well....that was 3 years ago. Amazing how time can make a great produce store find turn into yet another buy-and-eat-in-a-day-lest-you- want-rotten-produce store. Not to mention that their vegetables are rotting in the bins, too. Such a shame because I used to love this place. Oh well - go to Falletti's now - you will pay a bit more but at least you know that there is quality behind the price.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
9/6/2006
Best fruit and veggie store in the area!
Good prices, always tasty produce and a nice organic… Read more »
The doctor said I had to eat more leafy greens. I have a deficiency, and I need to up my intake of Vitamin K, apparently. So she gave me the rundown on what I should pick up the next time I went grocery shopping.
DOC: Salad is good.
ME: What about cupcakes? That's roughage...it's good for you!
DOC: Kale, spinach...
ME: Creme puffs? Dairy for strong bones!
DOC: Collard greens...Dandelion greens...
ME: Hows about Yoo Hoo? I hear it's being tested as a nutritional supplement...like Ensure!
DOC: Arugula, endive, Swiss chard...
ME: Brownie bites?
DOC: No.
ME: Snicker-doodles?
DOC: No.
ME: Cinnamon rolls?
DOC: NO. Kristina, are you listening to me? This is serious stuff, here...you need GREEN food! Leafy GREENS!
(pause)
ME: Shamrock Shakes?
DOC: HELL NO!
Ok, I'll compromise and eat nothing but green apple jelly bellies for a while. That oughta shut her up, but good.
Note to self: RazzApple Magic Fun Dip flavor is also green.
Need salad greens, go to Safeway. . .not! Skate across the street to the slightly undesirable curb appeal of Golden Produce. Good thing too because the lack of shiny exterior might deter people from venturing inside which will keep the lines shorter (they can get long).
Golden Produce is like an oasis of fresh beautiful produce. Nice!
There are a lot of other items too that are on the fancier side of healthy like a great assortment of chocolate, cereals, crackers, breads, cheese, olive bar etc. etc.
I love this place and thank the produce gods it's walking distance from me home.
Golden Produce is overpriced, Most of what they are selling is organic, or it is claimed to be organic by them. They dont a have variety of selections, this is not Berkeley Bowl, or Monterey Market. It is a very small shop with high prices. You could get almost the same products across the street in Safeway. Anyways you need to park @ Safeways to shop at Golden Produce, why to bother and shop there, I dont know. I think people who are angry with Safeway are shopping here. My rating is 2 stars...
When I first moved in around the corner from this store, I started calling it "the bodega." Because that's what it looks like from the outside -- one of those shitty New York corner stores, that stock flowers grown in vats of pesticides from Central America, bland tomatoes, and aspirin and condoms. I didn't even go inside for two weeks, and lamented that Safeway on Market was my nearest option for ingredients.
BOY, WAS I WRONG! Stepping inside the first day, I noticed a whole wall of produce, all of it labeled "organic." They've got organic everything, including yummy summer tomatoes (though don't expect to pay Berkeley Bowl prices here!), shallots, lemongrass, and beets with their stems on. Seriously, this place has a better produce selection than Rainbow (whose forte it's not).
And then, you discover the rest of the store. This place has the million kinds of tofu (including fresh); the selection of miso; the vegan, non-GMO, non-hydrogenated margarine; the Tofutti Cuties; the egg replacer that Safeway doesn't! They have QUINOA AND MILLET IN BULK BINS, folks! Amazing chocolate and tea!
A couple caveats that, for me, aren't worth taking off stars: (1) Closes at 8, every day, and I can almost never make it back from work that early; (2) doesn't stock even remotely decent bagels; (3) you'll pay a premium for the amazing selection in this tiny store. If you live closer to Rainbow, it's probably not a good deal; given that it's 30 seconds from my apartment, I'm in vegan heaven.
Best avocado I've ever had. Hands down.
Oh, and $20 min. on credit cards.
That's a lot of avocados. Not that I'm complaining- you can never have too many avocados.
My obsession with fancy schmancy grocery stores is non-denominational. So while Whole Foods, Falettis and the like make me weak in the knees...Golden Produce makes my loins quiver with its unpretentiousness.
The tea wall alone is enough to come here.
I walk out the door with my nutella, my greek yogurt with honey and organic coffee ice cream giddy like a 13 year old girl with a new crush.
I had many a fruit and vegetable orgasm here. It was like having really great, mind blowing sex without all the mess.
Everything neatly stacked, clearly marked, and moderately priced. This was such a fashion statement in "making it work" a la Tim Gunn. All these pristine fruits, kind of high falutin, flaunting their shiny skin at me. And one waft of the Irish Creme Coffee...oh, the obsession continues. Soft, golden apricots, sun flecked nectarines, and plump peaches made for one of the juiciest days in San Francisco. I finally dipped my hand into a basketful of perfectly crisp greens, and after careful inspection, filled 5 bags. Deliriously happy, I scooted my way into the cheerful green valley of herbs and spices, carefully choosing sinfully scented mint, dill, cilantro, and basil.
They let me post-date a check once. FIVE STARS!
(plus their produce is better AND cheaper than Safeway which is right across the street)
While I certainly was spoiled when I lived a few blocks down from Berkely Bowl and I was kind of worried if I'd have access to cheap produce the way I did there; but I didn't have to worry because Golden Produce is only a few blocks away from my new location. While the prices are a bit higher than Berkeley Bowl, you can get most of the same great produce here.
As someone else said, you can easily spend $30-$40 at Safeway and not really feel like you have too much when you get home, but the same cannot be said for Golden Produce. Spend $20 and you'll come home with arm fulls of fruits and vegetables, lentils, granola and more.
Definitely a great place to stop and do some of your shopping at, or at the very least to pick up an apple to eat on your way home.
Why on earth would anyone ever set foot in Safeway when Golden Produce is only a few steps away? If you drive it's ok to use Safeway for their mega-parking-lot, but there's really never a good reason to spend any money in their store.
Golden Produce specializes in produce (duh) and they live up to their name with a beautiful selection of fresh organic veggies and fruits infinitely more appealing than the super-mega competition across the street. They have a bulk food section, grains, coffee, organic soups, teas, spices, sauces, juices, milk, yogurt, chips, in addition to a small selection of meat product and much more.
It's hard to go wrong here, and the prices are totally reasonable as well.
At night, when Golden Produce turns on the lights that are in between the produce bins, it looks just like a produce market in India. No joke. The first time I came here, I was quite nostalgic. All they need to do is get rid of those silly digital scales and go back to the good 'ole days and use gram weights to measure against your produce. Oh, and then we could bargain too! Ah, romantic.
Seriously though, I can't even imagine why you would shop at Safeway for produce, when you have this lush tropical paradise across the street. So maybe it's not exactly lush or tropical, but you get the point. Don't say I didn't warn you about getting hooked on their fresh fruit and veggies and olive bar (random right?)......like it's your job. And I'm not talking about a part time or summer job. I'm talking full time, unpaid overtime, 80 hour a week job. Seriously.
To say I'm obsessed with GP would be an understatement. My roomies make fun of me because I talk about it so much. Living on the same block doesn't hurt, so I frequent this place several times a week. Their produce is the best. period. Unbeatable prices and quality AND selection. Looking for rhubarb. check. figs? broccoli rabe? they have so much, in such a tiny shop. (even cheese, and and an olive bar!) If it can be found, I get it at GP, staying away from Safeway like the plague. Bring your own bags and pay cash, and the staff is quite friendly :-)
and for goodness sakes, GO!
My all-time favorite produce market. Fruits and veggies are always impeccably ripe and pretty - and yes, they taste good too. There's enough organic stuff to keep me happy, and shopping here makes one excruciatingly aware of what's in season. (Hint: if they're in season, blueberries do NOT cost $5 per half-pint.) It's worth it to brave the huge crowds later in the day to make sure you have all the amazing food you need for dinner. 'Cuz if you get there after they close, you are damned to shop at Safeway. GP makes Safeway look like the produce ghetto.
The one thing that could make this place any better: a butcher counter. Yeah!!
I can't believe I am blogging about a produce market. Thats how good this place is, it makes people write about BUYING PRODUCE. I guess in SF thats not THAT big of a stretch of the imagination, but c'mon.
The fact that Golden Produce is right across from Safeway is a nice middle finger up at Super Markets. Golden routinely has lower prices, better looking selection, good service. I love their pears and navel oranges. Best in the city.
