Specialty Produce

best grocery / produce store in San Diego
if you love to cook come here for amazing produce & things u don't see usually at your normal whole foods(or wherever u grocery shop)
everyone that works here r very very attentive and kind
Just be mindful that this is basically a warehouse and people r constantly moving things around and restocking things!
ALSO bring a jacket bc it gets cold as f*k in the produce areas

What a special find! This is really a gourmet Restaurant Supply kind of store but equipped for consumers. You have to fill out a membership, which is free, and put on provided gloves to enter. Excellent variety of unusual ingredients and rare fruits however be prepared to pay nearly absurd prices for the rarest fruits averaging at $30 a pound. If you look around, you can find overpriced and fair priced items. Which is fine if you need them for a special meal and the bulk prices are fair. It's really nice to be able to pick up a 50 pound bag of an artisan organic flour without special ordering. This is definitely one of my go to spots in San Diego now.

Live this place! It's like a foodie fruit and veggie lovers paradise. I live coming down wherever I am downtown to see what new treasures they have. Very kind of wild exotic fruit I have seen online and wanted to try. I come back to very chance I get. It's where all of the top restaurants shop at so You Know that the quality of the items are top notch and high quality. Highly recommend!

This is a fun place if you like to cook or eat. There are produce and herbs here that I don't see at other grocery stores. The prices are a little high but I think the products are fresher. The workers here are super nice and helpful. Must sign in and wear gloves to go inside.

Wow'zer.

Child had birthday party across street. Decided to take time to see what the story is.

Entered. Saw signage. Register. Cashless. Put on gloves. No big deal. Proceeded walk towards entry . Addressed by person absent interest in being a greeter. Brown hair. Beard. Maybe he was confused and thought his role for the day was a bouncer, not a greeter. Regardless. I engage Brown Beard.

Brown beard "have you been here before"

Me "no"

Brown beard "Did you read signage".

Me "yes, before taking steps to register and put on gloves I wanted to confirm if you have organic fruits and vegetables".

Brown beard... eye contact. No reply. Continues looking down to what appeared to be baggies being folded. Clearly a complex task but a master of multitasking might be able to speak and fold simultaneously. Nada...

Me "do you have organic fruits and vegetables"

Brown beard... no eye contact "yes, but you need to register and put on gloves before you can enter"

Me "thank you, I simply wanted to look around prior to registering and putting on gloves"

Brown beard... no eye contact, silence....

Me.. "thanks for you hospitality, but no thank you"

Prior to registering and getting gloved up I simply wanted to confirm organic produce was available and peak around.

Why register if you don't want to purchase. Feels like another way to join up for yet more spam.

We spend oodles at farmers markets on the regular. The growers are friendly. You feel good spending your money with the folks selling what they produce.

Grow up brown beard. Or, request a non greeter spot if you're too cool for the job of making customers feel good entering.

First time visit. Last time visit.

Wow. How have I lived in San Diego for all these years and not gone to Specialty Produce before? Amazing selection of everything but they also have lots of things that are difficult to find at other places (kumquats, kiwi berries). Also cheeses, meats and lots of other food products. Everyone is super helpful. I was asked by 3 different people if I needed help finding something. If they didn't know, they would go and find the person responsible for that section. Definitely coming back!

Huge variety and everything is great quality! If you love trying different varieties of produce and you like to shop seasonally, this is the place to find unique and fresh food

Love love love this place! I just went for the first time a few months ago, wish I had known about this gem years ago! Amazing selection of produce, some things I've never even heard of. I purchased some Golden thread mushrooms and watercress to make a wonderful pasta dinner. They were an absolutely delicious addition to the pasta! Also bought some fiddlehead ferns and prepared them as a side dish for another night, they were fantastic as well. Will be coming back!

If you want unique produce and a plethora of other food/restaurant products, Specialty Produce has evolved to be your almost one-stop shop. We started coming here when it was really just produce. And they still do specialize in just that - tons of produce from everyday to incredibly unique. I come here mostly for their variety of peppers and herbs...the selection is incredible. In recent years they've expanded to some meats, dairy, spices, and other staples along with a good variety of boutique breads, oils, jellies, etc.

You do have to check-in with phone or email to shop, but they have several iPads hooked up to make check-in convenient. You also have to wear gloves, but they provide those too :)

Prices aren't great...I can often find the same items for less...but some of the unique items are difficult, if not impossible to find elsewhere in San Diego that's open to the public. And the produce has always been impeccably fresh, so willing to pay the extra.

Bring a warm jacket!! The produce cooler is COLD!!!

I was a kid in a candy store at specialty produce recently.

Can I just say, I have never seen such a unique array of produce! I was impressed.

Pink pineapples, black truffles, Japanese pears and mushrooms galore. I did not need any of these items, but they needed me. I couldn't wait to go home and figure out what I'd be cooking with this produce.

The place is very organized and I really appreciated how friendly everyone was. Do not be shy to ask if they have something! The employees are open to every question you have and will point you in the right direction. I really loved that they gave me a great substitute for something they didn't carry.

This place is wonderful. If you want to cook with new ingredients or are having trouble finding something, most definitely check this place out.