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Categories: Specialty Food, Nurseries & Gardening, Beer, Wine & Spirits
Neighborhoods: Porter Square, North CambridgeDavis (Red)
Mon-Fri. 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 7:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
I was really impressed with their nursery selection. I actually had gone in to buy some fruit, but then when I saw their garden section I wound up browsing it for a while and leaving with some basil to plant.
I got some great nectarines, but it was more than I was hoping to spend. You have to be very aware of the prices, because things are pretty expensive.
Stopped in really quickly to grab a housewarming gift, thinking this was a garden center. Imagine my surprise to see row after row of delicious treats from all over, Zapps potato chips from Louisiana, every nut and dried fruit you could need, spices, baking decorations... This place was amazing. THe chocolate and candies, and cookies.. oh MY!
I just want to say how awesome the people of Pemberton Farms are and in particular Mark in the Garden Center. I was part of a group that took part in Park(ing) Day (as you can see in my profile pic for Yelp) and we couldn't have done it without the generous and totally flexible cooperation of the Garden Center at Pemberton. They allowed us to borrow plants, any plants we wanted, for no charge and they have some really beautiful perennials. We borrowed some lovely evergreens, a beautiful hydrangea, an amazing switchgrass and some spirea - it was beautiful. Not to mention, I had a sandwich there and the Mayflower on sourdough was yummy! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
Great spot for plants and the associated accessories. I got a spider plant about a month ago, and it is thriving. Also my lavender and mint are thriving on my window sill. Knowledgeable staff and great selection is an equation for a good greenhouse, so this is definitely one of my favorite places to shop!
A variety of fantastic food at reasonable prices.
I live right in the heart of Davis, so, when the freezer's empty, I have a lot of options for dinner. I could spend $6 on a sub, or $7 on a burrito. Or I could spend $5 and get a pound of fried chicken. Chicken that was fried that day. Or half a pound of eggplant parmesan. Or fish so fresh it'll cut off the pastor.
Pro tip: sometimes I go in there and see locally made cookies that are a day before their sell-by date, significantly marked down. I buy these cookies, because that's the kind of man I am.
Great place outside of the filthy restroom.
i can't technically afford to shop here every day, but i like splurging every once in a while. i really enjoy wandering the aisles, seeing what they have, getting ideas for new recipes, etc. and the staff always say hi and are friendly. if only i made more money so i could shop here more often! the fall plants look really nice already :)
I just spoke to Chris at Pemberton farms, and Chris knew his shit about the plants in the garden center. Now that I have the number, I'm siked to use it. He was able to know what I was asking, but threw in some other useful info as well, including his own personal observations about different plants and the details on what's for sale at what prices. I felt like he understood what kind of customer I was, and spoke to me in that manner. Meaning, he's smart. He had a total townie accent, so don't let that mislead you. I don't, but I'm not sure if other people don't.
SIDENOTE:
And related to townie accents... in Ohio (where I am from), sometimes a townie accent means country, which might mean a more isolated experience, which could mean... more ignorance, not less intelligence, but just a point of view based in being exposed to less. But I've noticed that the townies of Greater Boston are some of the smartest, well-informed, and wittiest folks I've ever met as a large group of "local regulars".
So what Boston townies are grumpy! (Chris wasn't, he was quite neutral). But maybe it's because they're smart enough to be upset. Ignorance is Bliss.
Time to Yelp the garden centers!!!
So I'm a food lover and professional gardener. I was on…
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Ariston. Olive Oil. It's among the best olive oils I've ever had. Since Wild Oats closed, it's not available in many places, but Pemberton Farms carries it! And it's in a big giant keg, and you refill your bottles when they're empty. It's great.
Plus with all of their nice plants and their fine selection of Hogan Brothers Coffee, it's worth a trip from pretty much anywhere.
Malkovitch malkovitch? I've seen John Malkovitch here a few times, but that's neither here nor there.
This place is great. It's a bit pricy but a lot of it is actually not bad compared to say Whole Foods. They have really tasty prepared foods and really good panini. Fresh produce, fancy chocolates galore, Iggy's bread, nice deli counter, fro yo, lots of good stuff. I also really like their salad bar, that's what brings me in here more often than not.
If it's good enough for John it's good enough for me.
It's the smaller, local pre-Whole Foods upscale organic grocer-and-more. No, the items aren't cheap but they have so many delicious looking fresh produce, deli items and locally sourced goods that it makes my head spin.
I really love grabbing a pastry and a hot chocolate and enjoying a weekend breakfast in their attached greenhouse. The cost of both is actually way less than what you'd pay at Starbucks. A word of warning against the scones, though: it's not as light and crumbly as a scone should be and has a slightly weird mouth feel.
Fool me once, shame on you, scone. Fool me twice...
This place used to be a combination canned food/stale veggies/Boar's-head-in-rusty-cabinets deli-market/liquor store.
Now they just have liquor, empty shelves, rusty fridge cases and some funky looking ground beef up front. Since they're somehow connected to the nice Pemberton Farms market across the street, maybe they'll just turn this one into a liquor store and keep the other as the market/nursery.
Wine and beer come in rigorously sealed containers, so there shouldn't be any threat of contamination. The prices aren't bad - some of the beers are cheaper than other stores nearby.
I've never felt ripped off here, I guess, but it's a little creepy. Has that 70s wood panel convenience store vibe.
If you like shortbread cookies, try Pemberton's "Lakota Bakery" cookies. SO YUMMY!!! And they come in cute shapes like penguins and hearts and flowers. Very sweet, and not too pricey. Also, I tried a black cherry cream soda from Pemby's today and it was one of the greatest soda experiences of my life. Staff is very helpful and down to earth. I upgrade my rating from 4 to 5 stars!!!
I really, really love this place! I've been frequenting Pemberton Farms for a lot of years now… Read more »
this place has its ups and downs. Its great around the holidays because you can by a x-mas tree there, which is what my roommates and I did since we didn't have a car. They have a great selection of oraganic products like food, detergents, etc. and a greenhouse for plants. The food in the cases always looks good and I am sure if I feel inclined one day, I can walk over and pick up dinner. Its cool because it has things you might find at Whole foods, and i don't have a car which is good.
On the down side, the produce always looks like a crap! Its ugly or bruised and expensive. I guess in a pinch, you might want to chance it but for that you might as well go to shaws in porter sq. I agree with the Yelpers on this one, the staff is always so cold and rude. You couldn't strike up a convo if your life depended on it! Also, please, please, check the expiration on stuff. I don't know if it is because they have too much stuff or what but some stuff just doesn't move as quickly.
You gotta love that these guys are here. If you live in the city, there aren't many choices.
Any place that sells plants in the City, gets a thumbs up from me. I know a bunch of car-less folks who really rely on this place.
Orly, there's a Cambridge game- "Seeing John Malkovitch". My friend Libby lives behind him, and told me about it.
I grew up with the Pemberton Market family, so I do have a soft spot for the place. I like how they've created an independent niche market, right in the neighborhood.
I love this place mostly because it is a gardening center that's only a short walk from my house. They've got a good (not great) selection of seeds and decent gardening equipment. Spring through fall they've also got a very nice outdoor garden center.
As far as organic markets go, it's smaller, but well organized and stocked. Prices are decent for what you're getting, and they make up for their small produce selection with a good selection of sauces, cheeses, and spices in the back.
I love this place and really need to shop here more.
It's a great independent grocery store outside of Davis that also happens to have a really nice greenhouse attached to it. I can usually find a good selection of orchids or succulents there.
They have a great deli counter, strong cheese selection, the produce always looks fresh and vibrant, they have a great olive oil selection, their pastry selection is ok, they have chocolates, treats, pre made food, a decent salad bar...in general it reminds me of a really posh farm stand that happens to be in the city. Which makes sense because that is what it is.
I really need to go here more.
Fresh fruits and vegetables along with a great assortment of specialty foods make it a pleasure to shop here. Even though its not that large, you can spend a lot of time browsing all that they have to offer - including a wonderful 12-year aged balsamic vinegar of Modena in a refillable bottle (they have refillable olive oil as well, but haven't tried it yet). Tough to compare prices as they have things you can't find in other stores.
Oh, they have a great garden center as well. My garden always gets a jump start using their starter tomatoes and other vegetables as well. And they offer all kinds of flowering plants and shrubs for decoration both inside and outside of the house.
My wife and I have a problem. We hit at least three to four different grocery stores for stuff. Whole Paycheck usually sees our business for meat and fish, TJ's for most everything else and Food Master for "It was on the list and we still forgot it but need it for dinner..." Yes, I realize that we're food snobs.
Where does that leave Pemberton? It's generally the place where I pick up my deli needs. Read above, I'm a snob and when it comes to my cold-cuts, I'm the worst. I don't want to come off as a shill for Boar's Head, I'm just saying that their stuff makes my lunch half-hour a more pleasant experience.
Pemberton carries the aforementioned brand and a whole lot of other organic and gourmet things.
No Malkovitch sightings to report, though.
Much more convenient for last-minute dinner grocery shopping than the Porter Shaw's (shudder), even putting aside the assorted gourmet products and superior produce. If you're looking for obscure South African peppers or Portuguese cheese, they probably have it, and you can be in and out in 5 minutes (though you'll probably want to browse for longer).
The deli is the best part, with friendly, quick service and great sandwiches (if you don't get a panini you're missing out).
Great produce-- both organic and conventional. Great selections of condiments-- all sorts of jams, vinegars, oils, mustards, etc.-- and chocolates. They're cheaper than Cardullo's for specialty foods (but then, who isn't?). Respectable cheese selection. Cage-free eggs.
Pemberton Farms is a great place with all kinds of things I like, including baked goods, cheese, plants, and luncheon meats. The only problem I have with Pemberton's is that they are so expensive. And in this economy, I find it hard to justify spending that kind of money on goods, so sadly, I don't go there all that much anymore.
This store creeps me out, mostly. But I always check the dates on things religiously so I can't really complain, plus I've eaten from here on more than a dozen occasions and never gotten sick or died, so it's cool. Stay creepy and dilapidated Pemberton, see if I care!
They are apparently trying to turn this building into a huge thing of condos (as they have done with the rest of Cambridge thus far) and then just retail space on the top bottom floor. Oy, imagine the traffic pattern getting even more screwy... Such a bad idea.
*edit* when I said top floor I really meant bottom...
I like that they have falafel, chocolate cake, cheeses (from soy and rice milk too) and also greek… Read more »
I love this place. They have great plants, knowledgeable/friendly/helpful staff. The plants are not too expensive, either (I got a nice small mum for $5). Nice selection of pots as well.
Good food selection. In the summer, the produce here is great and reasonably priced (plus, much of it is locally grown). In the winter it is not as great and pricier, but it is New England and it is winter.
Good coffee... and cheap. A medium is $1.35.
They carry Iggy's bread, which is quite hearty and delicious. Negative points on the veggie side for sandwiches: I'd like to see some sort of really good veggie option at the deli counter, but no such luck.
So wonderful! The sandwiches are perfectly done- great bread, good quality meats and fresh veggies. I really recommend their pumpkin butter and the olive oil they sell straight from the vat in a refillable bottle- I've never tasted olive oil this good!!
The prices are high (although when I've compared the same products from Whole Foods, Pemberton is always cheaper), but totally worth it.
So, this place is right near my house but I come here rarely, and only if I'm really in need of something and I don't feel like trekking to Shaws in Porter. They have a great selection of, well, everything-- lots of gourmet, organic, etc. Great deli section where you can get pre-made foods to go. I came in one night and bought a couple slices of roasted chicken for $1.50.. not bad. That said, I find them fairly expensive, so I don't like relying on them for everyday stuff that I can find cheaper elsewhere.
I've got to say, their bakery counter looks great, but I've ordered items from there on 3 different occasions, and I am literally always let down by the taste-- it always tastes stale. Always. How can this be? So I don't come here for baked goods anymore.
I go to Pemberton's a lot. So do a lot of people I know.
I mostly go for the deli at lunchtime. It is great to have so many options. I always browse the case to see what is on offer that day and if nothing tickles my fancy I get a sandwich (if you go there a lot make sure you pick up a sandwich card). There is often a deal in the case if you look hard enough. My only complaint is that a few of their items are not very good (like, surprisingly, their mac and cheese).
I shop there as well and can get some excellent produce. The place is expensive in many areas but it is also surprisingly cheap on a few items (like, weirdly, they charge less for a Snapple Ice Tea or Coke than any "convenient store"). I splurge on an expensive stinky cheese now and then and they have an excellent selection.
The people who work behind the deli counter and the cashiers are all very attentive and friendly. One of the best staffs I have seen in a deli/grocery.
I want to give it a 41/2 as they only lose points for price.
I stopped into this place last night, after having gone to a wake around the way. I wanted to pick up a few things, which always turns into a spending disaster. I cannot resist gourmet chocolates and fancy organic candies oh and 45 different kinds of salts.
The large Boars Head sign caught my eye, so I figured I would go in to take a look. The pastries and imported truffles went into the basket pretty quickly.
The deli section had a nice assortment of salads and pasta dishes. I picked up some pumpkin ravioli's for a quick and easy dinner. They ended up being really delicious. There is nothing like pumpkin raviolis this time of year in New England.
We usually shop at Whole Foods, so it was great to see so many familiar brands and products on the shelves. I was able to go in and out pretty quickly without being overwhelmed by choices but still found really good quality items. Of course the salt selection is another story....I have to walk away in these moments. It becomes absurd.
I don't spend much time in and around the Davis Square area but I would definitely go back if I was in the neighborhood.
You would think they would take their stock and apply it to the weird back area of the "farmstand" across the street. It would make that location sublime and they would probably up all the liquor prices to be a TRUE Dean and Deluca wannabe.
It's not even convenient for parking. You're best to head in either direction on Ma Ave for a proper liquor store.
I haven't been here in years and found myself stopping in for produce today as Mass Ave was… Read more »
The garden center rocks. The staff knows their stuff cold about light, placement, soil, and so forth.
The store inside has a nice selection of organic foods and a fantastic deli section where they make some of the best sandwhiches around. The staff inside is great too especially the stoner kid who gets these brain freezes for like 5 minutes at a time on the cash register (Note: if he is disabled actually let me appologize in advance). A good spot to pick up that special cheese, or a quick yogurt or something. But to do a regular shopping run, no f*cking way. Tthe place is ungodly overpriced. And they play this death rattle Peter Paul and Mary crap on the sound system that drives me from the store.
Hands down Pemberton Farms is one of the very best sandwich makers around. Try the buckwheat walnut bread which they slice to order or else the yummy french bread. Take home some of their great cold cuts or tuna/chicken salad and make you own.
With the exception of a few items, you could make this place your everyday grocer. They have it all - "green" cleaning supplies, cage free eggs, lots of organic produce, fresh bread from all the local greats (iggy's, clearflour, etc.)
I'm disappointed with Pemberton Farms recently. They've raised their prices on everything. I know that some things are more expensive, but does it really now cost them 25 cents more to make a 2 inch by 2 inch sugar cookie? I used to bring my toddler son to pemberton and get a coffee and he would get a cookie. I didn't think the cookie, at $1 was worth it, but it was sort of part of the trip. Now the cookies are 1.25 EACH and they aren't those big chocolate chip nut cookies either. They are SMALL. So needless to say, since I realized the price change I haven't been back to Pemberton Farms. Bye Pemberton...sniff sniff...
The sauces, honey, olive oil, fruits, cheeses, crackers......everything looks so good....I bought chocolate pancake mix......yum! It is a little more expensive but the quality matches the price.....I don't go here all the time but when I am in the mood to try something new, this is the place to go.....Sometimes I am in the window shopping mood and I like to see what is out there....They have a great selection and their veggies look great too! Their prepared food looks yummy too....just one of those places you can get lost in!
This gourmet grocery store reminds me of the days when I used to frequent Dean and Deluca and drool over food options. If you have a deep wallet and a desire for a delicious lunch, head here and grab that Thanksgiving sandwich I've been craving.
Pemberton loses points for Pemberton for the slightly disorganized back section and sometimes does not restock items fast enough, but all in all the selection of gourmet products is very solid. The imported chocolates, however, are extremely overpriced.
Reminds me of the mid-size "gourmet" stores that existed pre-wholefoods. First, there's parking which is a rarity. The selection of cheese, bread and produce along with various gourmet ingredients is good tho I have had some less then fresh produce (not that I each much of it haha). To me the selection and convenience are worth the extra coin to avoid Fresh Pond Wholefoods which while awesome selection is frequented by the most rudest most self absorbed people on Earth. You know, the ones everyone makes fun of Cambridge about. My mom likes the garden center so I take her word on it
Now that spring has sprung and the weather is beautiful, it's time to swing by Pemberton Farms and pick up a few items like for a little urban garden action on the back porch.
The garden section at Pemberton Farms is a little oasis for nature-starved urbanites. They have a koi pond, people! We picked up a large jade plant and a strange and slightly evil-looking cactus called a Haworthia, and in doing so, we have already doubled the plant life in our condo (formerly consisting of a gifted Boston fern always on the verge of death -- it doesn't even try -- and an unidentified leafy house plant that we've taken to calling Carlos who was rescued from a Somerville Market Basket for $7.95. As much as we've grown attached to Carlos, the Pemberton Farms plants do look considerably healthier and happier than their Market Basket brethren. I like to think that John Malkovitch (who others have said shops here) could have the very same cactus in his living room. I only hope we can handle this new level of responsibility.
I love this place, great sandwiches, BOARS HEAD!!! and great selections of fruit and veggies and well as cheeses and other specialty items, try their aged balsamic vinegar-really good stuff!
A good Sunday afternoon is made up of TBS cheesy romantic comedies and/or a marathon (not running), a Pemberton Farms sandwich , some Dirty Brand potato chips, and chocolate in any form.
My sammich of choice is their veggie panini - eggplant (baked?), mozzarella, and roasted red peppers with basil mayo on a baguette. WHOA. Basil mayo, where have you beeeenn all my life? Not gonna lie, half of the sandwich never actually makes it back to my apartment. And as the days are getting colder I like to eat at least half of a hot sandwich. Their roast beef with tangy horseradish mayo is also good and there's another sandwich with boursin that I like... but then again, I'm just a fan of the boursin. They have several menu sandwiches and paninis, but you can basically order whatever. Also note, they're a little generous on the sauces, so tell them to go light if that's how you roll. Prices are typical gourmet $6-$7. I've had some of their pre-made deli goods as well (stuffed shrimp, sausage with onions and peppers, mashed potatoes, chicken, lo mein, etc), but it's kind of expensive. For me at least.
At the deli counter they also sell day old bread and baked goods (hmmm.. what up blondie bar goodness). After I grab a sandwich I usually allow myself to peek at what's on "sale" or I head over to the glass round across from the deli counter that has pre-cut slices of desserts... blueberry pie.. carrot cake...chocolate raspberry cake.. sigh.
The rest of the store sells a variety of goods (as described in other reviews - everything food to garden supplies). They often have a lot of locally owned products which always gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from me. There's a local company that makes gelati with no artificial anything but I have yet to try it. I limit myself to whatever I can carry in my hands and holding a pint of gelati wasn't hand friendly the last time I went.
4 stars because my wallet feels a little naked after leaving this place, even when I charge it. No worries though, once we get home and Pretty Woman is on TBS, he feels all better. Not that I talk to or hang out with inanimate objects. Uh... yeah.
I stoppped in there for the first time the other day. I'd never been there before, but I needed some salad fixins and some fresh bread, and this was on the way home, so I gave it a try. I'm glad I went in. I didn't really check out the garden stuff, but their prepared foods, cheeses, baked goods, and salad bar were really good (what I tried anyway) and good looking. Prices are high, but on par with what you'd pay at a place like Wilson's farms (which is sometimes less convenient).
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