Ralph's Grocery Deli
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 6:00 a.m.-2:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat 6:00 a.m.-2:00 a.m.
Sun 7:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
18 Reviews for Ralph's Grocery Deli
First went to Ralph's last summer when I was staying across the street at the Warwick, and have stumbled across it several times since then on my various trips to Seattle. Althought not a full grocery store, this is the kind of local market that I've always wanted to be able to walk to -- nice wine selection, upscale food, and a neighborhood-y environment. Makes me wish I lived in Belltown.
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For many years, this was the only grocery store in the heart of Seattle.
Now, I'm not talking about Queen Anne or Madison.. I'm talkin' Belltown.
I should know. Back in 1998 when KTown was attending the Art Institute of Seattle, all of my friends resided in student housing in Belltown. They were always complaining about the lack of grocery stores in the city and that Ralph's was the only go to.
Their complaints weren't because Ralph's was a bad place to shop. Their gripes were that it was a bit pricey. Pros are that It's got a great inner city salad bar (hey, it ain't Whole Foods, okay?) and their hot food and sandwiches are pretty dang good too. Decent wine selection, and while I'd steer clear of the fruits and veggies, their chips and cookies selection rivals your local grocers.
Like I said, prices here are a bit more than your standard store, but it's smaller than your average grocer AND it's in the middle of the city. Perfect for when you need a pick me up, or a movie snack..
Also perfect if you're an AIS student and aren't looking to travel far.
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During my first night in Seattle, we got in late, and needed to find a snack. I checked YELP! and found some positive reviews for Ralphs...and that it was open late. No, this is not the same chain from SoCal, but instead an independent grocer that caters to the business and late night crowd, since they are open until at least 1AM, 2AM on weekends I believe. They carry the essentials, even with produce and a nice wine section...and refrigerated case in the back for beer, sodas, milk, cheeses, etc.
Their strength is their deli, which prepares fresh sandwiches until 1AM. The bread is very fresh and tastes amazing...nice and soft too...and full size slices, not those cheap squares. Oh, and they are sliced thick too...
I just went back for their PB and J. I'll post a photo...it was slathered with PB and oozed jelly. Good thing I picked up a carton of milk with it too. :)
Definitely a great resource to have in downtown.
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Hey! So, I live about a block and half from ralphs.. Big ups to all my 420 blanchard neighbors!!
I go in almost daily for the sandwiches, which btw are amazing and makes this whole situation actually suck..
just to let you know, in a month i spend about 400 dollars there... and i tip at least a minimum of 3 dollars, usually upwards of 5-10 each time.. Today, before work i go in and get my usual..
Today i happened to have a clothe bag with me, and i tried to ask the cashier if they gave a 5 cent discount for bringing your own bag.. as every other store in seattle does..
she couldn't understand what i was asking, so, without being rude i slowed down my speech and made sure to say everything nice and clear.. in case there was a communication barrier i was failing to break..
she rudely tells me no, and after i pay with a 10 for something that cost 4 and change, she gives me back about 30 cents and goes to close her drawer.. and at that point i said, " oh i gave you a ten " and she looks at me and says very loudly so the other customers can now listen in to our conversation, " I'm not finished yet, you just wait until i'm done " and then she RE OPENS HER DRAWER!!! at this point the drawer had completely closed...
and then as she gives me my change i decide to be a real jerk and kill her with kindness, i smiled genuine and said, " thank you " and left my pocket change from my order in her tip jar...
then as my the person behind me was ordering, and i was arranging my stuff into the bag i brought, i hear the lady go, " you need to leave *asshole* "
*what she said wasn't really clear"
so i asked, " excuse me, i didn't understand what you said what was that? " again being polite to this woman who is just doing a horrible job at life... and again, clear as day she calls me an asshole and tells me to leave.. So i walk outside, and two different people who were inline behind me come up and asked what the deal with her was... Two people gave me there phone numbers, and told me if i contacted a manager, they'd be a witness to the whole ordeal!
so i try and call the store, and i ask politely again if i can speak to a manager, and she goes, " oh god " and hangs up..
and i'm totally shocked!! and so were the two people behind my friend who i've never seen in my life.. and watched the entire thing go down..
so after i get off from work, i decide i should try again. I call, and politely start to explain that i'd like to know when i can come in and speak with a manager face to face.. and the guy on the other end of the phone tells me, " oh i heard about your incident, and i heard you called the cashier some bad names, i'm not interested in talking with you about this" and i tried to explain that i had witnesses to what REALLY happened, and not what happened in that crazy ladys head, but he didn't want to take the time to do his job. and give me 45 seconds to explain. All i wanted was an apology!
A FRICKEN APOLOGY FOR BEING CURSED AT IN PUBLIC!
So, now with all that said... After spending literally thousands of dollars there, I will never again shop there. and i also will encourage all my friends not to shop there. which, i have a lot of friends in this area.. of course, not enough for them to even notice a difference..
but now, there is the IGA just a few blocks away on 3rd and pine and a whole foods just a few blocks away on blanchard and westlake...
PLEASE! FIND ANY OTHER PLACE TO SHOP. IF YOU WANT GOURMET FOOD GOTO WHOLE FOODS.. IF YOU WANT A DECENT PRICE FOR OUR LOCATION GOTO KRESS IGA
However, if you do choose to go there. I gotta admit, there deli sandwiches are pretty amazing.. and you should totally tip the people back there cause they do a good job.. and this is purely an issue with the people at the front...
DONT TIP THE OLD GUY OR THE ASIAN LADY WHO CANT SPEAK ENGLISH!!
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I love Ralph's.. I work in the middle of Belltown & though it's AMAZING for late night drinks & lounging with friends, when talking about groceries stores - there's a lot to be desired. I'll admit the prices are a bit high but honestly - its so quiant & unique - I LOVE IT. I prob get lunch on the go there twice if not 3 times a week. They have everything & I always find little exciting treasures for dinner parties!!
Defintely try the farmers sandwich on a half a pita. I swear - half is all you need to fill you up and its so amazing. I get light mayo cause some guy who works there likes to pile it on so be cautious!!!
Anyhow - try the edamade snacks right stocked right next to the sandwich & salad bar areas!
PEACE & enjoy your pita!
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Thank the gods for Ralph's.
On my first night in Seattle (here on biz) I came to the awful conclusion that the state of Washington seems to be just like its prudish neighbor Oregon, and is thus saddled with the same sort of Draconian Alcohol laws.
It was like 8:30, and the local beer store was closed and nothing, literally, else close by was open. My friendly concierge suggested Ralph's and so I made the haul over there and picked up a 12 pack.
My only complaint was the price. I mean we're not on some tropical island--why the fuk is a 6er of beer 11 bucks??? I wasnt expecting Costco prices, but c'mon. In any case I was thrilled to pay it, considering how slim my options were.
Thank you Ralph's.
Unless you live closer to Lower Queen Anne or Westlake Ave, living in Belltown blows chunx for grocery shopping. The powers that be must assume that we're all a) driving in our BMW's to Whole Foods or b) hanging out near the needle exchange clinic, scraping up enough pennies for bum wine.
I know that Ralph's is independent and cute, but if it goes out of business, it's not because of Whole Foods, it's because of everything else. Their prices are shockingly high - for anyone to call whole foods "whole paycheck" is seriously ignorant - whole foods is actually quite affordable and you can make out like a bandit if you shop wisely. However, Ralph's is so overpriced that you have to seriously strategize - it felt like shopping in England, and not at Tesco or Asda, but Waitrose or Marks&Spencer. I understand and sympathize with the narrow margins that the grocery business faces, but come on:
Soda costs something like $2.49 for a one liter! I've seen chips that run over $6.00! A cup of chili in the bar costs about double what it should, for it tasting something like Wolf brand. The deli is open late, and that's the only reason I ever go - but their selection is very old-fashioned and limited, and asking for things like oil and vinegar results in a half-hearted suggestion to to go do it yourself at the salad bar. (The salad bar makes you seriously long for Whole Foods - it's something that seems to be a relic of the 80's, too much alfalfa).
Their wine selection is decent but overpriced, and I've never seen more weird diabetic/cacao-heavy/truffle-raspberry-chocolate in my life. Their selection is at times very inspiring and similarly disappointing - it feels like an organic supermarket as merchandised someome from the Kaliningrad Oblast - okra pickles are available, but sometimes basic condiments are not.
The fact that it's open late is its only saving grace - the friendly staff is another perk, but they're no meaner or nicer than anywhere else. I have seriously never seen such inflated pricing in my life, not even at a super-tiny bodega in midtown Manhattan.
They need to seriously revamp their product selection, cut prices in some departments, and shrink the dining hall area (which is never more than 1/2 full, often occupied by either cops or homeless dudes). I do however give them kudos for being open late.
I eat lunch here probably twice a week, staggering between a sandwich and a salad. It's always good and the people that work there are nice. I can also pick up a bottle of wine for home, and they have a great selection.
They also carry this innocuous habenero hot sauce with a nice looking lady on the label. It's ridiculously hot.
Down side, I have walked out with a $12 salad before.
What a TRULY excellent little grocery! It's not very big, and certainly not the place to do your "staples" shopping, but they've got an excellent deli, a great selection of wines, some nice flowers, and an eclectic collection of other non-staple groceries. I drop by there frequently after the gym in the morning (they open at 6am) on the way to w-k to pick up a bagle or something. They have great breakfast and lunch sandwiches, juices, fruit, etc.
The staff is GREAT. They are very friendly and helpful -- very "un-Seattle-like". Really cordial and nice.
Great place. I try to go there as often as I can.
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To me, Ralph's is a Grocery store that should be closer to the higher-end hotels a half dozen blocks south on 4th avenue.
Not necessarily because Ralph's itself is particularly "high-end", though it does stock some fancy meats and cheeses next to the indoor seating/dining/homeless people nap time zone. No, Ralph's is a store that, ideally would be patronized by those tourists that are in town for a week or so and just need to pick up some things to stock their mini-bar with and can afford a $4 chocolate bar(because it's cheaper than the $6 dollar Mounds in the hotel) and will happily fork over $15 - $20 for a six pack of some fancy microbrew.
For those who live in Belltown and have no car it is the closest "real" grocery store in walking distance. However, Ralph's is just barely a "real" grocery store. They do try to stock one item in each category of items found at a grocery store, but if you are looking for an even "moderate" selection of say, bread, sandwich meat, or frozen dinners, you will probably be disappointed(it is better than the shell station on 1st and Denny). However, if you already have the sammich basics and you are really dying to find a 2 oz, $15 bottle of Belgian mustard, you'll probably find it about knee height on the 2nd aisle from the left on the right hand side.
The bright spot, for me, is the Deli. For instance, last night, I had $6 to my name and I was lazy and out of sammich fixins. I thought about Subway but the hunger within me would have required a 12 inch and I figured that, what with Subway raising the prices to cash in on Jared's success, it would push me past my funding limit.
So I go to Ralph's and I get a Whole Tuna Salad Sandwich on wheat, with lettuce, sprouts onion, a bit of dijon, for $4.75. And none of the veggies had that 'i'm grey and wilting because i was placed in a small black bucket 8 and a half days ago' look to them. This sandwich weighed at least 4 lbs 75% of which was a 3 inch layer of tuna salad.
That's the way to make a sandwich. However, that is not the way to provide excellent prices for normal crap like cat food or milk or a bag of cookies.
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This is the most amazing store I've ever seen in my life. When I walk down the aisles, it surprises me how much they can fit into such a small space. They have all the bare essentials, as well as some very unusual items i've never seen before. Their deli is fantastic, whenever I want a damn good andwich I always no where to go. The staff is very friendly and comforting, and it makes me feel like I'm home. Thanks ralphs for being a great addition to our belltown neighborhood!
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Ralph's tries so hard! They stock fresh flowers, a good selection of wines, yummy chocolates and treats, TAB!, fancy cheeses and crackers, and then all the usual corner market stuff. In the spring and summer they have an outdoor display of fruits and drinks. How cute is that?
Ralph's sandwiches are prepared to order on really yummy, thick slabs of bread. There's uninspired but hit's-the-spot hot food like soups and pasta and roast chicken. It's open late and it's open early, and there's free wifi in the roomy seat-yourself cafe area.
This is just a great neighborhood market that's going to have it's hands full with Whole Foods a few blocks away. I say support them when you can. The guys who work there are nice like your cousin or your uncle. They want to know how you're doing. They want you to tell them how much you like the new display of Mediterranean snacks. They hand you a fresh bagel on the spot if you let them know yours wasn't the greatest.
Do not stop at the Subway a block away. Take a few extra steps and support good old Ralph's.
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Wonderful small town feel grocery in the middle of downtown Seattle. All around good quality foods and flowers. Great place to grab a bite to eat or pick up any essentials. Wish it had free wifi to offer, but other than that, definite place to check out while in downtown, especially when check out Cinerama 1!
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people are all scared that wholefoods is bad for ralph's.
pah, i say.
ralph's has a much more friendly, neighborly feel than wholefools. the new westlake one really has some pretty rotten employees which sucks since normally WF employs good peoples.
it has a sandwich bar open til 2. wholepaycheck closes at 10 and good luck getting a sandwich past 8:30.
ralph's is a nice zip-in zip-out experience? wholefoods...ahahaha, walk in and you've cashed 30 minutes of life.
also ralph's is across from the cinerama, will run you $5 for a huge, tasty sandwich, and they stock normal things you can't get at wholefoods like, oh, a roll of ordinary paper towels.
worried? i think not.
just wish they'd use better coffee for the froofy espresso drinks. that would give it a rating of total domination.
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If you find yourself hungry at 1am and don't want crappy bar food, come here for a freshly made sandwich. They also sell a bunch of gourmet candies and foods, and "healthy" grab & go treats. I got a kick out of the venus fly traps they sold at the flower section. Those things were HUGE!
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This place is two blocks from my office and I only just discovered it a couple of weeks ago. I've been here for lunch at least three times since then. Their sandwiches are great, although the whole sandwich is a little hefty - I ordered a tuna sandwich and it felt like they put the whole fish in there!
I also stopped in for a lovely delicioius breakfast sandwich this morning. Bacon, biscuit, the works. For my veggie friend, they replaced the meat with a tomato! How perfect.
Beware the mislabeled Newman's lemonade, though! Just because it says no HFC on a little sticker on the front...doesn't mean you should trust it! ;-)
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Waiting in line at the Cinerama for hours and hours? Trot on over to Ralph's for a deli sandwich or grilled cheese. Fresh fruit, wine, candy and the must-dash-to-the-store items are all here in this fairly clean and rather expensive neighborhood grocery store.
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i shop there usually in the evening . i think its a great store . there is always new merchandise i havent seen before and the staff is wonderful .
the food in there deli,especially there turkey sandwich is great ! they roast there turkeys daily . you can really taste the difference.
i expect to pay more when i shop downtown . eating in restaurants downtown is very very expensive . thats why i will shop in there deli .
there deli prices are a real bargain . i can only imagine what there rent and taxes must be . i am surprised that given the real estate boom downtown that they survived . great store to have downtown !
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