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Categories: Grocery, Health Markets [Edit]
Neighborhood: MissionVolume discounts on vitamins, food supplements, bath & body, health and beauty aids: 10% on $100; 15% on $200; 20% on $400.
Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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 through everything. They have bulk EVERYTHING. Tons of organic stuff, including skin care & beauty products. Their vitamin section is ridiculous. Lots of yummy snacks. You just have to see for yourself. Prices are a little steep for some things, but I think the bulk section is pretty reasonable considering the quality and variety. I LOVE their olive selection and they even have bulk dried soup. Try the split pea, it's delish!
I've come to realize that eating healthy and smaller is a bit more expensive. Doesnt matter where you go, it comes with the territory.
Rainbow Groceries is a great place to buy food. Huge Selection and had everything I was looking for.
I am gonna be shopping here all the time!!!
I found the pot of gold here! :D
My pot of gold: Double Rainbow pumpkin ice cream ($2.39), I found you! Trader Joe's used to carry Double Rainbow ice cream, but now I know where to find this ice cream when I'm craving it!
I came here twice in 3 days for the first time!! I've been wanting to come here for over a year!! It's great that it's a worker-owned co-op store! I loved browsing through the isles! I think I could've spent over an hour just wandering around. Wide selection of yogurts, cheeses, honey, chocolates, candles, etc. I liked how you can measure out just enough ingredients: olive oil, granola, flour, rice, etc. like Whole Foods! Some of their prices are a bit high, especially their produce. They're kinda between a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods in price range.I still love them cause it seems like they have everything under one roof!! I wish there was a Rainbow store in the south bay. =\
Next time, I'd like to get
- Saint Benoit yogurt in a jar
- soy candles
- measure my own baking ingredients
- organic snacks
- almond butter
- cheese
And yay, they take coupons and AMEX! :)
Tips:
- bring your own reusable bags ($.10 off)
- small parking lot, so carpool/bike/walk
Go green: about a 30 min walk from the SF caltrain station (1.4 miles)
I almost never went to Rainbow because I looked it up on Yelp and found all these reviews saying that the staff were mean, they were super-overpriced, etc. But then some friends of mine recommended it, and, well, friends top strangers.
I'm really glad I listened to my friends, too. I've been here a number of times and have had nothing but great experience with staff. Maybe it's because my prior experience in working in a very busy store with lots of different inventory allows me to know how to deal with them better? I don't know. When I've asked for help, I've gotten it, and I've often been offered help when I looked like I needed it. They've never looked down on me for always forgetting to bring my own bags, either.
It's true that not everything in the store is cheap. Just like ANY OTHER STORE, some things are good deals and some things aren't. I don't buy produce here unless it's something I can't find somewhere else, or unless I need organic. Or unless it's in the bargain bin!
Things that are good to get here:
Pomona's Universal Pectin. Cheapest place to get it, in town or online.
Dried herbs. They might looks expensive, but you're not buying a POUND of them! They're only really good for a few months anyway, so get a small scoop for $1 or two.
Rice, beans, grains, pasta, etc.
Honey, miso, etc. Remember to bring your own containers or you'll have to buy one! (The cheap plastic ones are like $0.40 each.)
Vitamins and other supplements. I got a month's supply of Vitamin D for $1.20.
I'm one of those bargain-hunting and quality-hunting people. In an average month I'll have made the rounds of Rainbow, Trader Joe's, FoodsCo, my neighborhood meat, fish, and produce markets, and maybe even Costco too. But I'm REALLY GLAD to have Rainbow in the mix.
I was in a midweek, in the neighborhood, check it out mood and had heard about Rainbow's wide selection of organic everything and decided to grab my canvas grocery bag from the trunk in case they didn't offer any bags that killed trees.
I was impressed with the wide selection of bulk everything, rice, honey, olives, white miso, vitamins, more vitamins, fish oils. Produce section was neat and all signs indicated organic. The prices were good for organic, less than farmer's market and less than supermarket organic.
A healthy book section and just lots and lots of healthy choices everywhere. The workers are very helpful and I think they are all part owners....United Airlines? Very helpful and friendly.
I was glad I checked it out and now will keep as a reference if I ever need a pound of bee pollen or raw Kim Chee.
I really hate to rate this two stars which I was considering one. The parking here is TORTURE !!! I drove around the block 4 yes four times. Finally I parked three blocks away and was not happy about that.
I know Rainbow can`t control the amount of people coming here BUT they can find a better location since they charge such HIGH PRICES.
I`m not sure if I will be back because I have more things in life to do than sit in my car blowing carbon.
Blah, I can find the same stuff elsewhere at better prices. This place is blown. Granted they have everything under one roof almost, but I would rather spend my money in other local places vs paying more because it is all under the single 1 roof.
This place is also located in dumps-vile. Forget it! I wouldn't walk in that neighborhood if my life depending on it.
Also, what's up with some of the coop owners forcing their boycott of Israeli goods? I guess these people don't get how the Jewish people of Israel are separate from the policies of the Israeli government. To them though, they are probably all the same. They might as well try and close down the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco.
You can find me by the bulk pretty much any day of the week, getting down with my Guru by the trail mix ( makes me feel like I may be hiking at some point in my life) or Inca berries. I love Rainbow, in fact Rainbow is the only reason (other than the love I have for my bestest friend) I came to San Francisco. He said to me on the phone, " you know Rainbow lives here" and I immediately kayaked online until I found myself on Folsom every day of the week. It's shameless, but it's organic.
They have the best bulk dried fruit, oil, nut buttah, and chocolate anything. The fruit is priced for the cheapest people on the planet and I love the vitamin section. Rainbow, if you were human you would have no chance to be with anyone else.
Rainbow is my favorite grocery store. As someone who has worked at a vegetarian health food store before and shopped at countless others, I have to say Rainbow is my favorite. First, their bulk selection is amazing! If you want to eat organic on a budget (generally) the bulk selection is well priced for what you are getting. I love that you can buy things like miso, pesto, and olive oil in bulk. I also love shopping here as a vegan. They have a huge vegan selection! They carry sweets (like violet sweet shop and sugar plum) that you can't find many other places. There is a good vegan cheese, meat, and prepared food selection too. They also carry almost any supplement you'll even need and tons of beauty products. I love that's it's worker owned too, and all encounters I have had with employees have been good. Yay Rainbow!
This place is way too expensive. It is more expensive than whole foods. Just try comparing item by item. It is even more expensive than my family owned corner store. I'm talking about staples like alvarodo st sprouted grain breads. How can the tiny corner store afford to give me a better price? I am frustrated that there seems to be no way to shop here on a budget.
Well, you could show up for coupon days. But those just aren't humane. I feel like I am in a bread line somewhere. Why not just charge a reasonable price all the time instead of making us scrounge through phone books and wait in line for hours?
This actually makes me feel sad to give Rainbow only two stars, as I have been a customer from the days of yore when they were located at Mission and 15th Streets. They truly have a great selection of both bulk and packaged items as well as beauty and health and home items. Moreover, I like supporting a co-op.
However, I seem to notice that the prices are really high...like higher than Whole Foods and Mollie Stones prices on same items...egads! Consequently, the only day that I go in to shop is on coupon day, and that is usually just a stressful mess, so now I am not even doing that.
Too bad. I used to love Rainbow. Now, I'm pretty much just sticking with the farmer's markets and will probably augment from other stores. I think I'm coming out way ahead financially. I should mention that like others, I've also been surprised at the attitude. Don't come in here thinking it's all peace and love. These days, it's sort of short tempered and irritated.
Whole bean equal exchange coffee in bulk! Rachel Perry skin care line! Summer solstice Anderson Valley beer! Bulk dry soup mixes with cooking instructions! Friendly Service!
Whatever your hard to find, can't get it anywhere else item is, chances are Rainbow will have it. I'd give it 5 stars if the lines weren't so long every time I went! You'll spend 20 minutes waiting to get in&out of the lot so just park on the street or walk/bike/bus if you can.
The selection here is great and there's a lot of stuff you can get here that is hard to find anywhere else, but the produce is REALLY poor quality. I expected produce that was at least in good condition, but I got more than one bell pepper with mold inside, onions that rotted after a few days and oranges that were bad.
Worse, the prices are also very high, although that's to be expected from our city's weird form of yuppie-dom that exalts a deranged form of haute couture out of earthiness and vegetarianism. Hit the farmer's market or one of the places in the Mission instead, unless you sold your Bentley for a fixed gear and the rest as budget for this place.
This is the best grocery store you will ever walk into if you: (a) like to cook; (b) are vegan; and (c) tend to favour organic, fair trade and generally conscientious shopping. You will never find a better place.
The bulk section is pretty amazing, especially with regard to herbs and spices and such like. Their produce section is not huge, but not small either. While not my thing, they also have a very large section devoted to herbal remedies and vitamins and such like.
Join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, and get a 10% discount every time you shop here.
My friend has been harassed twice by a guy in Produce for having his service dog with him. Seriously? Harassing a person with a service dog?
I stopped going there years ago because I had a couple really snotty "worker-owners" give me attitude. Now I'm never going back.
I have chosen not to support Rainbow Grocery. I can get pretty much any of the goods they stock at a variety of other places. And the things that I can't find anywhere except at rainbow, I probably don't need that badly anyway...after all, they're not selling cures for cancer or anything like that.
I believe in exploring the multitude of other markets that San Francisco offers. Markets where the only reason the employees might not speak to is because of a language barrier not because they consider me to be some sort of "spoke in the wheel" of society. I won't support people who are condescending without even having to say one word.
And everything is overpriced.
This place makes PCC look like Safeway. Actually, Rainbow is probably exactly what PCC was many moons ago. A refuge for those in search of bulk grains. Spirulina granola. Vegan pesto. Raw Cacao nibs.
They sell any and every kind of nut butter here, probably 271 different kinds of oils, wet yeasts, bulk pickles, olives... it's out of control.
Prices here are actually amazingly reasonable; a little less than Whole Foods, which I found quite refreshing. Kombucha is around $2.39 a bottle, which is much less than anywhere else I've seen it in SeaTown.
I love Rainbow and I can't wait to shop here again, which I'm sure will be sooner rather than later.
Best product selection in the Bay Area. Freshness in unbeatable too. What I like the most is the alternative medicine selection. Pretty much everything decent in the market is there. No other place in this country sells my German shampoo. Not to mention other unique items that I can only find there, such as my chipotle cheddar or my vegan pizza. Quality costs though, so if you are not willing to pay for good selection and freshness, you'll be happier shopping in Walmart (were you'll have much better parking) or the budget store across the street. I love the fact that this place is vegetarian. In every other supermarket it is gross to see all the death bodies of animals exposed in the fridges. Here you are totally relieved of such a creepy spectacle.
I've been shopping at Rainbow since 1985 when it was at the old location, i have always known that some of the employees are a bit standoffish, but it still never ceases to annoy me, especially when i'm paying 4x more for food that some hippy farted on and now calls organic...fine, i still go there occasionally when i need something from the bulk section or just feel like i have too much money and want to waste it on corn tortillas that cost..get this...$5 fucking dollars!!!
i don't really complain about rainbow much since i do appreciate their whole scene and stuff, but today i went in and asked this woman to help me find a certain product to help with a certain ailment..she acted like i was really putting her out from pricing all those bottles there..and would give me a short answer then walk away...not allowing me to finish my question..at one point i asked again about a product and she said..."yes..IT"S A MINERAL." with that classic "you-are-stupid-and-i hate-you" attitude that just makes me want to push her face into a tub of extra dark miso. then she turned to another employee who had just interrupted us to talk about her sore throat and the chick with the attitude ran off with her to find some overpriced lozenge or some such thing.
excuse me? do i look that much like a jerk? am i wearing a baby seal parka and baby alligator shoes? no, i am not, so wtf?? i am paying good money, don't treat me like that. i have been eating organic food and doing all the usual PC stuff since before your sorry wannabe stink-eye was born. i hope you choke on your quinoa and get that herbal enema hose stuck up there in your tightly clenched vegan ass.
ahhh, i feel better. it must be the minerals. bitch.
Every time I come here, I end up leaving with more than I came for. It's so easy to spend money here. It can get a bit pricey, but it's soooo worth it. I know that whatever I'm getting is just plain good for me. Everything from cosmetics to produce to bulk items, I know that I can get it organic, local, and environmentally friendly. For someone who is picky about the ingredients and where the stuff comes from, and usually would take hours at a store like Safeway reading through the labels thoroughly (like my vegan friends), Rainbow is great because you pretty much know that you can feel good about buying anything. Whenever I am looking for something that is in the holistic category, I can find it at Rainbow.
Rainbow is one of those places that make me really feel like I'm an SF local, and think, "I love SF!"
Rainbow Grocery is heaven for a single girl.
Let me repeat that.
Rainbow Grocery is heaven for a single girl, not for the men (or women, I suppose) that shop there, and not for the all-natural personal care or beauty products.
No, it's heaven because of the formerly intimidating bulk section. Normally when you think "bulk," you think "mass," as in a Costco purchase. But bulk goes the other way too. You can save tons of money and make peace with your limited apartment pantry space by shopping the bulk section and only buying the exact amount you need. It's freaking magical, people.
I needed someone to walk me through the bulk section so I could get familiar with it, so now I will pass the torch. You just take one of the containers they give you (a free baggie or a little jar for a nominal cost), get as much as you need out the bin, and write the bin number on the little twist tie you put around the baggie. Then the checkout crew knows what to do. Also, this accident-prone girl can assure you, the bins will not come flying open and spray you with spelt flour, which was a real concern of mine. Nope, you're safe. Scoop away.
In addition to bulk options, Rainbow stocks beloved hippie food of all kinds, including non-GMO products, organic produce, soy in all its manifestations, and happy-chicken eggs. In addition, you can stock up on groovy unscented bulk lotions and such, if you wanted to whip up fun concoctions at home with essential oils.
They also have a lovely home section, with good-for-you cleaning products, biodegradable disposable goods, and adorable towels and aprons. You could easily pick up a birthday gift here while on your weekly grocery trip.
The only thing keeping me from giving Rainbow 5-star love is the general crowd that shops there. Sadly, Rainbow is not immune to the bizarre phenomenon in California where people shopping at discerning-palate locations (TJ's, Whole Foods, and the like) throw elbows without the slightest regard to fellow shoppers. I don't get it. Didn't your mother teach you manners? So just to screw with the inexplicably angry granola people, I'm fiendishly nice to them and watch them squirm. It's satisfying.
Thankfully, the staff who works here, especially in the checkout lanes, are delightfully patient and kind, far more than I would be when hurriedly trying to tell the difference between a nectarine and a pluot.
I would've given this place one star...but I'm gonna try and be a bit more fair.
The selection: this place is great for people who are vegetarians or vegans. They have a terrific selection of a lot of stuff that's a bit difficult to find, such as gluten-free food, which is the reason my boyfriend and I recently visited. Some things are overpriced, others are actually cheaper than Trader Joe's (which I love).
The staff: crap, to say the least. Upon my first visit I was met with a condescending cashier who I gave a piece of my mind to. She proceeded to "ban" me (uh-huh, yeah, whatever) after I let her know she was being a complete and total bitch. Seriously, what is up with the attitude of the staff there? They're on a power trip it seems.
The locale: easy enough...and the actual store is pretty clean. I suggest walking to it though. Parking seems to be a bit of a nightmare for most.
Overall...for things you need to find that are hard to find...it's a good place. But if you want a great place to shop that has excellent prices, excellent/healthy food, and a staff that is 1000X friendlier and treats you as you should be treated as a customer...I would stick to Trader Joe's.
Okay, so I AM in the habit of only writing reviews for businesses I really love. I guess I prefer to put my attention on things that make me happy.
Let me tell you, Rainbow definitely does that for me. No matter what's going on for me, the minute I walk into the store I feel better.
It's really more than a grocery store, it's a therapeutic experience. And I've got to say, I'm certainly a lot healthier because Rainbow exists. It's practically a pharmacy for holistic remedies as well as the very best place to get your grub. Likewise, I can't tell you how many times my nutritionist and naturopath have prescribed some product I can find only at Rainbow.
Additionally, you will find some of the most attractive, peaceful, yummy granola men here. You heard me ladies! You ain't never gonna find a straight boy to play with at Yoga class! But you just might find a very sexy, crunchy, meditation instructing male counterpart at this hippie oasis.
I heart you Rainbow!
This store is collectively owned by its workers and prides itself for having an open mission statement that includes socially responsive ethics that reach across its operating structure, business decisions, labor practices, and providing customers with affordable vegetables and best possible service. These intrinsic beliefs and values are printed on their paper bags but my shopping experience today did not meet the expectations they have set for themselves when it comes to customer service.
Originally a guy working at Philz told me about this place and their incredible tea selection. Wanting to buy some fancy tea for a good friend in Michigan, I decided to stop by this morning before going to work. The place was huge like a warehouse and more impressive than Berkeley Bowl with its selections and layouts. Tucked at the corner was their tea section which spanned across two aisles with more than 200 choices to choose from. I was impressed. Not knowing what types of tea my friend in Michigan was looking for, I proceeded to ask someone to see if they have a list of teas that I can bring home. The guy looked around and decided to bring me to this guy who works in the backroom right next to the tea section.
Here's where everything started going down hill:
When the guy came out of the backroom, he then told me "No, we don't have a list you can bring home. Come back next week and we'll see if we have any; and if we don't we'll see what we can do." The guy then went back to the backroom to continue his deeds.
If? Huh? IF!!!
Now, I 'm not going to freaking come back next week all the way from Berkeley just to see IF you have a piece of paper. Sounds like a brush off remark to get me to go away. Unsatisfied with his answer, I proceeded to take pictures of the tea with my phone so I can send it to my friend in Michigan to help me make a decision. That same guy then stormed out of the backroom and said in a condescending tone, "Hold it, hold it, what are you doing? Is this (pictures) for a newspaper column or something?" After I explain to him what my intentions were, he then said in an authoritative tone, "Go ahead, yes you can take pictures."
What? Are you on a power trip or have you gone mad drinking these teas?
After calling my friend who told me to ask for suggestions for a fruity green tea, I then went to look for the same guy to ask him for advice. His response was, "Well, I don't really know any of the teas, but this one might be sweet (pointing to Jasmine green tea) because it has flowers in it." He then proceeded to randomly point to the entire green tea collection and told me that they all might be fruity.
Wow, I'm impressed by your educated guess that just made my life even more confusing.
This is a classic case in point of someone who simply lacked the passion for the product he sells, did not care for his customers, provided the kind of service that made the matter worst; and displayed a very poor attitude towards his customer who was on his first visit to the store. If it's not for my friend I would have walked out already.
Due to his incompetence I bought a little of each green tea flavors for my friend to sample such as dragon well, bancha, genmaicha, regular green tea, hojicha, and jasmine green tea. I also bought her a huge bag of Irish breakfast which is her favorite. Total came out to be $37.60, not cheap. 2 stars for their incredible tea selection but the guy completely missed the point on why he was even a part of it all.
I had a pretty decent experience here. I came here on a hunt for above all things...molasses.
I was at Trader Joe's around the corner and to my surprise, they didn't have any?! I was going to make my special pancakes for my boyfriend and one of my homegirls.
The guys at Trader's suggested this place and wow, if you want to go somewhere that has that neighborhood feel, where the entire staff is friendly and willing to help and had every single option for every type of foodie lifestyle, this is the place to go.
When we walked in, since I had never been there before, I asked the guy at the customer service desk where the molasses was, and he came from behind the desk, told a coworker of his to cover for him, and he showed me the aisle himself "to make sure [I] got there okay." After finding more than enough selections of molasses (they had about 5 different kinds), my boyfriend wanted to know if they had artichokes, so we wandered to the next aisle over and met a rather tall guy who wasn't sure where they were, but directed us to the produce person who then showed us the artichokes...wow. Service at its best. Seriously, that's never happened to me before.
Upon looking at the price tag of the artichokes, I nearly swallowed my heart. $7.00/LB!?!?! WTF MATE.
Uhh...okay, so maybe not the artichokes...what about some asparagus? OH GOD! $8.00/LB?!
RUN!
Then as I was trying to escape the overpriced produce section, I was overwhelmed by the smell of the organic beefsteak tomatoes...it was 3.00/lb and the one I picked up was about a pound...I don't know, I kinda felt guilty spending that much on a tomato, but it was one of those things that I really wanted in my omlette...
We went up to the counter and bought the molasses and the tomato and my boyfriend found some Hibiscus juice for $2.00. The tomato was $1.50! Perhaps it was mislabeled? I didn't care I'll take it.
This place was interesting, they have good prices on some items while their produce is out of control...and I would stay away from it. You're better off going to a farmer's market and getting a better bang for your buck. Their bakery is pretty great, they have vegan and gluten free recipes.
100% my favorite place for 3 years and counting! I love Rainbow. Need I say more? Ok,Ok, no Kombucha cultures, but I have plenty at home anyway. There's always a SCOBY around if you need one, just ask a friend!
Now this is really as good as it gets in the co-op world. Not only might it be the largest co-op in the country, but it's quality all the way. I've known it for about 2 years+ now and I love it.
They have an amazing bulk section where you can get anything, anything you want. I love stocking up on olive oil, nuts, grains, beans, herbs, spices, tea, coffee, dried fruit, honey, maple syrup...oh, I could go on and on! But I'll spare you. (In terms of bulk, "tare" is in their basic vocabulary - which is not something you can say about grocery stores in general and even some co-ops - and they give you credits for each bag or container you re-use.)
Also a beautiful selection of fresh vegetables and fruits, an awesome cheese section, fresh breads and baked goods, beauty and health stuff, kitchen stuff, books, and so much more.
No meat products, for you meat lovers out there.
I've found the cashiers a bit aloof but often friendly. Most of the workers seem busy running around but will stop and help you navigate or locate things.
The only quibble I have with them is that some of their products are tres expensive (like beer, smaller packaged items). But overall, great values for high-quality, high-road, organic and local groceries.
My favorite place to spend an early Saturday morning. I roam the bulk aisles and produce inventing concoctions in my head of fabulous things to cook.
My man and I ended up purchasing beautiful vegetables and all the fixings for the most amazing curry ever. I need to stay away from all the aisles of fun products- I could blow a paycheck in here. I stick to the mantra: "shop the perimeter", just like a fatty on a diet. All the fresh and healthies are on the outside :)
I love the bulk section, produce.
The guys that work there are always hot also!
We love Rainbow. The bulk section is fabulous simply because you can buy what you need when you need it. You can also find some harder to find items. Prices can be high for some things and lower than other retailers for other things. Great selection of beauty products.
The downside to Rainbow is...well the parking situation (don't even ask on coupon day-what a nightmare! We like to carpool). Their staff is either really helpful or downright rude. Their politics are a bit...confusing? We were told a while back they no longer carry Vitamin Water since it was bought by Coke (and big business Coke is the devil-at least that is what was implied by the tone in her voice) yet they continue to carry Burt's Bee's (which is not owned by Burt, but by Clorox). Hmmm. Also, some people who shop here don't shower or use effective odor control (despite an amazing deodorant selection) so watch out.
It's hard. I live up the street from the Safeway from Market, with its huge sign acting as a beacon near my house.
So that's why I haven't made my way over to 14th and Folsom, where this local grocery coop exists.
However, one day I needed to find some shredded coconut for a savory dish I was making. Safeway only offered sweetened shredded coconut in the baking section. That definitely wasn't going in my food.
I had a feeling that Rainbow would have this stuff in bulk, even though I've never been there. And lo and behold, there it was. Shredded organic coconut in bulk.
And yes, sometimes I still go to Safeway for some quick shopping, but it doesn't feel nearly as good as going to Rainbow for fresh, quality, and local products.
Yowza! Who would have known that a grocery paradise for gourmet chef's, health food nuts, bulk food hoards, spice enthusiasts, organic beauty product users and the like is located a mere stone's throw away from where I live. Apparently, it seems that everyone in San Francisco, besides myself, knows about this fabulous grocery store known as Rainbow Grocery discreetly tucked away under the freeway.
Having lived in the SOMA for a year now, I have been ignorant to the fact that such a paradise existed and have been paying $$$ for pre-packaged spices, pastas, coffee beans...the list goes on...most of which gets tossed because I don't need that much. Rainbow Grocery is the Mecca for organic bulk goods. They carry everything from bulk dehydrated split pea soup (very delicious and nutritious might I add) to bulk organic lotion. They also have a huge variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and cheeses, however, they do not carry meats.
I went in on a Wednesday evening to buy brown sugar to bake cookies and ended up staying there for over an hour. And when I left, I realized I had forgot to buy the sugar because I was too distracted by the kazillion other items this store carries.
A few pointers for newbies like myself:
1.) Do not go on a Wednesday unless you like playing bumper carts or being pushed and molested by people trying to shop the aisles.
2.) Make sure you write the correct item number for your bulk goods otherwise you'll end up paying $8.50 for a tiny bag of corn flakes.
We went to Rainbow Grocery since we drove to SF and we had a 20% off coupon from the AT&T Yellowpages that my aunt gave me. It's good on Wed & Thurs 1 coupon per month until Oct 2009.
We got there at like 8:20pm and I wanted to see everything but there's just too many people shopping and the aisles are small & narrow. It's like Berkeley Bowl before they opened their 2nd store.
Things I got:
Niepoort Ruby Port $17.99 - oh, the lady checked my ID!! Yay!!
Organic Gravenstein Apples $1.79/lb (it came out to 4 for $2.15)
Saint Benoit Yogurt $2.69, but then there's a bottle deposit $1.50!! Yikes! I must return these bottles here next time!
these flavors: Blueberry, Meyer lemon, plum
Fizzy Lizzy 4 pack $5.59 + CRV .20c
PMS Tea $4.79
Bariani Ca Olive Oil $11.39
Pure honey Mt Shasta honey Star Thistle Mowart Apiaries 24oz for $7.49
Snyder's toyon berry Honey 24oz for $11.79
Claires Squares $6.99 for 3 large squares.
With my 20% off it was $67.85! Credit cards taken. You gotta bag your own stuff here. Paper bag or boxes available.
They have an Express lane 10 items or less though it still takes Forever!
I'll buy less next month I hope.
Parking across the street in the Rainbow Parking Garage & on both sides of Folsom St. Up the road is Foods Co. Close to Van Ness & Hwy 101.
Hrs: 9am-9pm
This place is bulk grocery heaven! The Blueberry Flax Granola is my life force.
On the other hand, shop anywhere other than the bulk section, and you're likely to spend more money than your life force is worth...
I'll never give my money to Whole Foods ever again. This place has better food, more of a green focus, and the staff is very friendly as opposed to the sullen/rude people working at WF. I actually look forward to food shopping there. And their cheese dept is the best!
Rainbow Grocery made me cook QUINOA.
WTF? One minute, I'm peacefully browsing Rainbow's extensive tea aisle and the next? My eyes are glazed over and I'm grabbing at the cornucopia of bulk bins filled with everything and anything you could ever want, like a crazed person on an organic flour high.
Somehow, purchasing a grain you can barely pronounce, much less cook, seems like the only thing to do.
But thanks to the trusty interweb: http://bit.ly/GiuCq
This Pseudo Chef was somehow able to turn this: http://bit.ly/kpAVb
Into this: http://bit.ly/cu8Vk
BOOYAH!
Behold the power of Rainbow Grocery.
What's up with this Rainbow Grocery I keep hearing about? You'd think there was a pot o' gold there… Read more »
So I used to work here, sort of. Back when it was located at 15th & Mission, like 15 years ago. Boy, those were some fun times. I won't get into everything that went down there, but I will say I was really glad I was hanging with that crowd when I turned 21. The Tonga Room will always have a special place in my heart because of it. As well as the Japantown Denny's.
First off, the selection on just about everything at Rainbow is amazing. The cheese section... mmmmmm... wow... I often buy the sample cheese as a treat. My husband is gaga over the yogurt selection. The bulk section - fantastic - if you like to cook, the bulk spices are cheap cheap cheap. Same with the bulk teas. The produce - all organic, and they have *everything.* Lots of really good cleaning products. The cat food I buy here is cheaper than anywhere else. They have great local honey. I can't always afford it, but there's a reason that honey prices have gone up. Rainbow workers know what it is. They also will be able to tell you how much you need to eat to help with allergies. I practically became a de facto herbalist/holistic physician when I was there. If I want a non-alcoholic Echinacea/Goldenseal tincture, Rainbow has it. Several kinds.
I still see some people I used to work with when I go there. It's that kind of place. People stick around. Their kids have grown up, gone to college... it's incredible to me. But most workers don't recognize me, and sometimes when I ask questions, I get a worker who responds in a less than friendly manner. So I take one star off for that. I always was conscious of being nice to people when I worked there, but I like people and it was easy. Since going to a grocery store is not really about service like it is at a restaurant - where you are really going to be served by someone - I'm not as fussy about service here. But it does matter, and I hope the workers who are not as kind as they could be get a clue, though I'd say they are few and far between. Most workers want to help. They are there because they *do* care. I worked there at the height of the AIDS crisis in SF, and Rainbow offered a discount to AIDS patients, which god knows they desperately needed.
Most workers there are very dedicated to good quality food, and sustainable agriculture. I think that's great. You'd have to be pretty out of it not to see the writing on the wall about which way things are going in the world. We need people who care about this.
A lot of pregnant women shop here, I think, because they know you get the real deal here.
Rainbow is authentic, it has integrity. That means a lot. They are not perfect, but in an imperfect world, what they do offer is very, very valuable.
P.S. I will say the coupon days look scary. Bring a book to read in line - I do that at my local post office now, kind of a bummer. I always park in Office Max and have never had a problem, though technically you can get towed. Best Buy's parking lot is fair game too, I would say, though I would suggest being sneaky about it. I think Rainbow was thrown off by the popularity of coupon days. Tues - Thurs used to be the slowest days, but when the economy fell apart the coupons became like gold.
Man, I don't know. This place doesn't do it for me. I don't mind strange folks, but people here look and sound like they are from a different planet. It's like a new generation of hippies trying to run a business, and are conflicted between wanting to be "for the people" and making a profit. Frankly, I'd rather go to Safeway. At least there it's real.
Here's how to save your pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. The AT&T Yellow Pages phone book has a 20% off of your total purchase coupon on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It's an amazing deal!
And if you're as lucky as I am to know where there is a whole stash of unclaimed phone books, be sure to cut out all the coupons and share with others. It will bring you good karma especially in these economic hard times. :o)
One more thing... everybody who works at Rainbow is awesome and super helpful. The staff is very knowledgeable. I just wish every grocery store had such excellent customer service.
I think everyone else covered this market's pro's and con's very well. Personally I used to come here for hard to find bulk items and gluten-free/dairy-free desserts for my allergies.
These days since Whole Paycheck opened a branch near my chiropractor and my local Costco has expanded it's organic offering I don't think I've gone back. Frankly I just go straight to the bakeries they source from as many are nearer to me anyways. I live in Fremont where the East Bay meets the South Bay and both are easier to get to than the city.
Yes the selection on hard to find organic items is VERY good, and they have some varieties of tofu I usually find only in Asian stores but the customer services is AWFUL!!! If I shop here I am paying for you to have a job and in these times you should be grateful to have a job that you get to wear practically whatever to and don't have to hide your piercings and tattoos for PR reasons.
And while as an anthropology major I understand WHY you no longer carry meat, you didn't have to answer me in an "asshole" tone of voice when I asked where the organic butchery that used to be in the store that my mom shopped in back in the mid-70's to mid-80's went. I've lived in 8 cities (and 2 other countries) since then and had JUST come back to the SF Bay Area after years all over the place so how was I supposed to know you went vegetarian? Hum? You could have conveyed the same data in a nice manner rather than saying in an asshole tone, quote "You must be joking we haven't sold meat in nearly fourteen years." We'll you lost all the vegan gluten-free cookies I now by from my local Trader Joes & sometimes Whole Paycheck. In fact I estimate you've lost a good couple hundred dollars of sales from me because of it over the last 3 years or so since I last shopped there.
You could have easily been 4 stars if you didn't treat me like an asshole just because my philosophical ideas about how to solve the food crisis were slightly different to yours. Wankers! So now it's one star only because you have nice murals.
Neighborhood: Castro
Category: Meat Shops
Neighborhood: Haight-Ashbury
Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Specialty Food
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
Category: Health Markets
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