Mill Valley Market
Mill Valley, CA 94941 (415) 388-3222
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 7:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Sun 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
51 reviews
Neighborhood: Embarcadero
"The ultimate way to play hooky: it's after 3pm on a gorgeous and sunny afternoon... doing "research" for an event, my stroll through the…" read more »
44 Reviews for Mill Valley Market
Mom and Pop grocery store on 'roids. They have it all - even a full meat department with real deal butcher. and if they don'y have it just ask and they'll either get it for you or point you in the right direction to find it.
I love MVM as much as I hate Whole Paycheck. The small, cramped aisles make me feel like I am in the NYC again, except here the cashiers are actually friendly, nice and have well groomed nails allowing them to actually work. Oh, and they aren't yelling across to their friends in the next aisle while you stand there waiting. Oh, and the food is great here. Nice selection of alterna-grub (for me that means brands that look fancy and are not part of Kraft, Post etc., yet.)
Best part of the MVM, In my opinion, is the sandwich deli, bar (place, or whatever they call it.). Be sure to grab a number (there is a little red, number giver thing hidden on the support beam near the counter.) Then grab one of the sandwich sheets and write what you want. I always get cheese (swiss), avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, salt, pepper and jalapeno with dutch crunch. Yum. They give you this weird mint with the sandwich, but I have never eaten it (I always distrust those free mints.) Oh, and the second best part is that the deli counter is conveniently located in the wine shop and beer alley. Starts the weekend off right.
I really really like this place. I am back in Mill Valley every now and again (usually when the Moe-T-Psycho is in the shop) and there is Solar Pizza (tempting, and tasty), or Pearl's (Among the best of burgers with a KILLER shake selection), or sandwiches at the Mill Valley Market. The Mill Valley Market almost always wins!
1. Tasty sandwiches and fresh ingredients. The only thing lacking IMO is using actual cooked chicken breast in the chicken breast sandwiches. Aside from that, everything is just dame tasty! The specials are usually order up for me.
2. They got some great shopping here on the side. Some fine root beers, interesting selection of ice creams (oh yeah), and home made bagel dogs! Heeeeyo!
3. I can take my sandwich and eat in the center square (wedge really) surrounded by redwood trees (almost minus a star for all the spandex... but really, it's kind of funny).
4. When all is said and done, I can head over to Cici Gelato on the way out and get ACTUAL mint leaf in my mint gelato! YAY! For extra credit, stopping by the Library first can be nice... great park nearby the library and just a great place to read.
So... Mill Valley Market is a gem among gems IMO. I know I will be back again, and again, and again and...
TIP: If you are a first timer here, make like Mitchell's and grab a dame number (on the back of the wood post by the deli counter).
Fancy little market in the heart of town.
I like to come here and grab stuff before going on a picnic at Stinson Beach. Cheese, wine, sandwiches - everything you could possibly want. It just sucks that there is no parking lot. Bring quarters for the meter. Luckily, the store is so small that you can go through the whole place without running out to feed the meter.
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Good not great sandwiches. The special was interesting- cranberry sauce with chipotle turkey on whole wheat for $6.99 each.Spicy and sweet at the same time. However, a bit heavy and left our stomachs a bit rumbly after. Not good if too far from a bathroom if you know what I mean.
One of the best Deli's in Marin. I use to live downtown Mill Valley and most days would start with either a roast beef on sour or my favorite Ham and brie cheese on a french roll. You CAN'T go wrong with either of these. The market also carries goodies that aren't found in typical grocery stores, its like a specialty shop. Love it!
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My favorite supermarket of all time. Great meats, cheeses, fish, and a huge assortment of gourmet everything, all packed into a store with great energy. If they don't have it, they'll get it for you. I've lived in Mill Valley for 34 years...this restaurant has been in one family for 3 generations and has great integrity. It is the heart and soul of Mill Valley.
You will not find a better deli counter for fresh sandwiches. We stop by every weekend, order a sandwich and take it on a picnic. Made to order sandwiches, fresh, delicious. I can be fussy and I usually don't like to try new things. However, I'm pretty confident when it comes to ordering whatever special sandwich they have on the Special board.
I haven't had the opportunity to shop for anything else because I'm usually just stopping in for lunch on the weekends.
The meat counter here is weird......The guy behind the counter ignored me until I started to pout. Then he couldn't stop flirting with me in front of Michael (the dude looked like a left over wanna be from the Pink Floyd tour in the 70s).
I purchased four pork chops. I did them a la Shake N' Bake style, but I have my own recipe for it. The pork chops were lined with fat on the outside and also had a dark and white meat, which is unusual of itself because usually pork chops only have white meat.
Michael loved them!!!! He originally told me he hated pork chops but would try mine. He kept hugging on me and telling me how wonderful they were until I felt the tears coming...Oh wait, that was when, erm, never mind.
This also the only place that I have found whole fat buttermilk for my buttermilk biscuits.
This is a great little market in a great little town. The sandwiches are great, the soups have been tasty and the prepared meals are great after being heated up! It is expensive so traditional grocery food items are best bought elsewhere but for lunch this is a good stop! Oh and they have a great little wine/liquor section!
My family have been going to Mill Valley Market for years. If your looking for wine or just getting a sandwich this is the place to go. I'll be back.
A lot of expensive & WONDERFUL FOOD STUFF crammed into a TINY SPACE and . . . . . . with ABSOLUTELY NO PARKING!
AND STILL ABSOLUTELY WORTH THE TIME TO GO THERE AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN!
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Great deli, great wine selection, great produce, and great seafood/meat department. Buying produce and here makes one realize how bad the produce at Safeway is. I recently bought both the best Ahi Tuna and the best green beans I've ever had there. The down side is that it's pretty spendy. But, the sandwich prices are reasonable for the quality.
first of all, i'm a big fan of supporting local businesses. secondly, it rocks when supporting local businesses makes you feel like you found the world's best kept secret.
mvm is amazing. it's local meets friendly meets gourmet. they have a killer wine department and amazing fresh deli meats/salads/sandwiches.
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I love this store - it has everything you need, plus the most amazing selection of oils, dressings, gourmet foods, and chocolate! The deli rocks, the meat/fish counter has a good selection, and the produce is mostly local with a lot of organic offerings. Haven't been stuck with a bad avocado or tomato yet. Oh, and the wine selection, wow! Yep, this is great little store.
Early Thanksgiving!
We had a friend pick up a turkey meal for lunch and it was great!
Stuffing, Potatoes, the whole works.
They also have a wine club and a good selection of wines.
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Great market. Small selection but high quality. (Must confess I was a bit disappointed by their bite-sized chocolate selection, though.)
Produce is good. Lots of organics, natural foods and products throughout the store.
Great deli. Nice wine shop. When I worked in downtown Mill Valley, this was my go-to lunch stop ... and with the deli right in the middle of the wine shop, I often walked out with a brown bag to take home, too.
MVM is also super community-friendly. Be sure to support the Girl Scouts out front when girl scout cookies are 'in season'.
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When I returned to Mill Valley after a fruitless 6 years in college (with the exception of finding my beautiful, wonderful partner of 10 years and counting), I remember walking into the Market and thinking, "Jeez. Nice selection. 28 different olive oils. Where are the Krispy Kreme? This place sucks." Fast forward 10 years and I truly appreciate this place more and more.
I like it for many reasons. When you're talking about what amounts to a dressed-up convenience store, it really is the cream of the crop. And I don't mean that denigratingly. I would rather have that than have to jump in my car, drive down Miller to Safeway and pick up whatevah I happen to need. They also are locally owned and operated. That is actually huge for me. I'm always down to pay the indie a little more (or a lot more) than I would normally agree to pay The Man.
The wine guys are very knowledgeable, and they have a real history with many of the vineyards in our area. Like REAL relationships, not just through their wine rep's catalog book. The deli is solid. The sandwiches are serviceable. The prepped food in the cooler is where it's at. If you feel like blowing your paycheck on some delicious dolmas, I'm definitely not going to stop you. In fact, I'm going to convince you to buy 6 more and then when you're not looking, I'll be all up in your kitchen stealing your dolmas. Wow. I need to go to sleep.
Meat/fish department is tasty. Pricey, but hey, now I'm sounding redundant. I think I (and everyone else) have covered that point. Produce is good. I know vintage stuff is expensive, but I don't think that just because a fruit has the word "heirloom" in it my first-born child should need to pack his bags for the MVM orphanage. No, artard, I did not make a mistake. A toemawtoe is a froot, fruit.
Their prepped meals are tasty, super easy (unless you don't know how to use a microwave for anything other than sterilizing your testicles..), and less expensive than blowing $10 on a tedious Grilly's burrito. Which I've done way too frequently. Why am I addicted to Mexican food? Do they put crack in the flour? I'd like to see an ingredient list. Whenever I roll into a Mexican joint, they're always pulling those tortillas out of clear, unmarked bags. They must get them shipped in from Columbia. But I digress. Again.
Bite the bullet. Pay a little more. Use less gas. Patronize a local business. Save the planet. Oh, and don't forget to save the cheerleader.
Except if they happen to be one of those annoying Dallas cheerleaders on CMT. Don't ask me why I know about that show.
PS. There will be a day in the future where I will come in to the Market and grab that bottle of 50 year old olive oil (or is it vinegar? Damn Alzheimer's) that costs a hundred bucks and pay for it. I've thought about stealing it before, but the church I went to as a kid is literally within a stone's throw and I'm pretty sure the spire is a secret, fully-functioning Tesla coil (of the deadly God Variety) and it will lightningbolt me to death as I walk out the store. So rather than risk death...
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Toast Cafe..... See review below you really need to take customer service lessons from Mill Valley Market!!!!!!
No matter how busy MVM is... no matter how many customers they have waiting.... no matter what is going on their employees are always great. THEY GIVE GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
They have a wonderful produce department, meat department, wine selection and their Deli and selections they offer in the deli are simply a 12 on a scale of 1 - 10.
As I said above.... Toast Cafe... take a lesson or two.... well actually Toast needs more than two lessons to even raise the bar where they give bad customer service instead of HORRIBLE customer service
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DEvouring sandwich all hung over right now from here and it's so fukn good.. yum.. mmm.....oh.. um... rer.. yum..mmm. yum yum yum.....
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For as long as I can remember Mill Valley Market has provided the best selection at the best prices. At one point I actually compared them to every grocery store in Mill Valley for certain set items and they won, hands down. From the friendly, KNOWLEDGABLE service, to the unbelievable variety and normally hard-to-find items, Mill Valley Market can't be beat. And, to top it off, they must treat their staff and good as they treat their customers, because most the same people have been there since I started shopping there in the 70s or 80s.
Kudos to the Canepas (and Bob Hughes, and Mark and Chuck and Kelly)!
Hey, don't forget about the wine department. Doug Canepa (co-owner of MV Mkt with his brother Dave, 3rd generation to do so) is great and has fantastic, knowledgeable staff. Doug's the head wine guy. They have deep relationships with lots of small producers and distributors dedicated to the art of producing great wines.
Want an impressive brand so that people will ooh and ahh at your savoir faire? They probably have it or can get it. BUT, what impresses me much more is that they have lesser known wines from around the world that are produced often in small quantities and which don't cost a fortune but are often much more interesting. And, they don't waste precious shelf space for pedestrian, mass market brands. Whatever your budget they'll find something to meet it and probably surprise you. I drink a lot of really good, under $20 bottles from this place, and of course, they're always ready to help me splurge. Bravo, keep it up Doug, Skip, Mike and Marcie!
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after popping in and out of MVM since we've moved to the area, I've finally been moved to write... was it the cheerful counter service? friendly checkout gal with a laugh on her lips? the 50 varieties of mustard, including the one I will not live without? no! it was this week's 'specials' sandwich! something a little club-y, a little mayo-y, I don't know, but it got my dad's 'the best sandwich I have ever had' vote. and that is serious praise. less one star for the amaaaazingly slooooooooow production (it has been known to take 30 minutes to receive a quarter pound of sliced salami), but I guess it's a small price to pay for such a little gem in MV.
Stop into the deli. Grab a sandwich and then walk over to the plaza to people watch as you eat. I'm partial to the Mill Valley Market because for awhile it was the only place I could count on finding the flavors of Honest Tea I like.
they have everything organic that you could ever want, and a great deli; but, everything is WAY overpriced. You're paying for customer service-- which might be worth it to you.... It's in Marin, you can get great food and produce with a side of excellent customer service without paying extra.
My family grocery store, growing up!
Who needs chain stores when you have markets like Mill Valley Market! Great people, excellent quality food, good variety. It has a huge wine selection, and its own tasty deli!
Fab market! Great produce - some are expensive, others are ridiculously reasonable. Good selection of ethnic ingredients. AWESOME wine, beer & spirits section too! The $13 bottle of champagne was probably one of the best I've had! YUM.
The staff is great as well - never have I ever bonded as I did w/the cashier under 3 minutes, whilst my boyfriend bagged our groceries w/a raised eyebrow.
Fun market! A hop & a skip away from the awesome & classic Village Records. *sniff sniff* They're closing at the end of the month...Get in while it's hot...even DJ Shadow dj'ing there for old times sake.
There's a reason we affectionately call it the "Mill Valley Markup" - because it is so unbelievably expensive. Everything is probably 50c to a buck more than what you'd find elsewhere. However you get what you pay for. This market has high quality goods and a great selection of stuff to choose from. I highly recommend the deli too. Anytime I am in MV, I stop and get one of their excellent deli sandwiches, or their homemade soups. The tomato bisque is one of the best I have ever had. The wine selection is awesome too - I never fail to find an interesting bottle to try there. The help is great - the wine guys are knowledgeable, and the cashiers are friendly too.
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Evidently I've become one of those yelpers who only gives 5-star reviews. Please understand, this is not because I eat rainbows and shit unicorns - I just can't be bothered to write a 'meh' review. (Honest.)
I have to admit, I've only been to the Mill Valley Market once, but it had been built up to me by some Marinites, so I went in with high expectations. Upon reading the first item on the specials board, I knew what I wanted: mustard glazed ham sandwich with gruyere, etc. All ingredients were top notch, at 6.99 the price was worth every penny (especially by the San Francisco FiDi standards I am used to), and the sandwich had respectable heft. Most importantly, it was so good that as I was eating it, I was worried that I would want another after I was done.
A final word about the attention to detail here: Your sandwich is not cut in half, but instead cut into two unevenly sized pieces, leaving you three portion options: little piece, big piece, or the whole goddamn thing. Guess which I ate.
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I was kind of dismayed at the deli line during lunch hour the other day, but was shocked at how fast it went.
Wow. These sandwich makers are efficient.
5 stars for a damn good sammy.
It's like a cross between Whole Foods and Safeway. I like this place for specialty items. I love the produce and hate the proteins, the meat and fish don't seem very fresh.
They have a great selection of oils, vinegars, mustards etc.
Great beer selection pretty good spirit and wine. You can find cool things like TK chicken stock and escargot in the can. It's a really good gourmet market. It could be one of the best markets if they focused on their butcher department, made a quality cheese section, brought in better breads and went back to making the great sandwiches at the deli that I miss so much.
Better than Whole foods market.
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Anything your heart desires, in the way of gourmet food, can be found at Mill Valley Market. I look forward to the days that I actually have time to stroll down the aisles and drool over all the yummy selections. The prices are what they are for a family owned gourmet store in Mill Valley but for what they offer, I'll pay.
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A family market, a quintessential Mill Valley establishment.
The deli is fantastic!
I *love* this place, to the point that I (shock), no longer go to Wholefoods. They carry British food, not in a separate aisle but blended in, and the meat and seafood is fab. The prices are really not that horrific, especially if you are used to Wholefoods. This is the cheapest place for me to buy herbs for the bunnies and there is some very reasonable French/Spanish wine on the shelves. What more could I ask for?
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I have never seen a more impressive and diverse selection (collection?) of mustard than what they have at the MVM.
Whenever I've in Mill Valley, I always stop here, just to stock up on mustard (IMO, mustard is the best and most versatile condiment next to hot sauce).
love that they have hard to find foods. great customer service.
Huge selection of sauces, vinegars, bottled cooking supplies. Good deli. Only place in Mill Valley with excellent organic mangos. Stocks my favorite greek yogurt and sugar-free fudgsicles (a diet staple). Great wine department with an awesome wine club. There is a parking lot (community lot) right next door...
Everyone before me has already said it best. One of my offices is near here so I always roam the isles for lunch and end up buying stuff to make dinner too. Such a variety of everything. Their baked salmon dip is very yummy. Everyone in these is very nice. They are the only place in marin that sells my fave juice by the case, so you get five stars.
***Disclaimer-Don't think you can get in and get out without feeding your meter, even if its for a gallon of milk. The meter maid will get you, yes she is only 4'9'' and soooo cute with her braided pigtails and little uniform, but the girl is like white on rice!
People will chime in with what they like about this family-run operation so I'll just start with mine. Aside from the extremely nice folks who work there, I'm impressed with their selection of Punjabi sauces, Weetabix, Valrhona chocolates, mango chutney, gelato, and... the fact that they carry Yuzu rice vinegar. If you've made any dishes from the Nobu cookbook, you'll know what I'm talking about. Don't be deceived by the small front exterior, it's chock-full of goodies! http://www.millvalleym...
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Exquisite selection of specialty groceries.
When you walk in the aisles of this venerable family-run (for better or worse) institution, you will notice that there is rarely an item occupying more than one row on the shelf. That is so that the maximum variety of products can be displayed.
Want just the right kind of hand made soap? Just the right kind of wine for the exquisite ingredients in your basket? Just the right cut and right age and right marbling of the meat? Just the right kind of olives for the right gin for your Martini? Check. Check. Check...
Businesses like this don't survive just because of its location among the wealthy. Many customers travel far to come to Mill Valley market for the experience, and many customers mail-order wines and such.
It is surely one of the last remaining full-service supermarkets with a full-service butcher section. Surely, the prices are higher than your local Safeway or Albertson's, but the whole experience is something else.
Also, don't ever think about coming here for some vintage wines they buy from restaurants and private collectors at very good prices, because I buy them.
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