Festival Foods

Festival foods is a fine grocery store. Location, is 100% their best attribute. I have lived downtown for three years now, and it was a godsend when Festival moved in...No more driving to get groceries or miscellaneous home items/medicine you need fast. I buy 95% of my groceries here.

Their liquor section, being on the corner of East Wash and Livingston is amazing and the selection is great. A few times this summer, there were some loitering homeless people right outside the doors. It seems to not have been an issue since the fall of 2016.

As far as the grocery selection, i have mixed feelings. Their produce is good, and i can easily make a run here to buy a weeks worth of groceries, no problem. Often, they do not have something in the form that i would like. Some examples of this would be, individually packaged peanut butter servings or Splenda in bulk. However, they always have work arounds available like regular peanut butter in jars and Splenda packets /half and half Splenda and sugar mix.

I have purchased muffins and cookies from their bakery a few times now. I can't say i am impressed with these items taste compared to other Madison grocery stores. In fact, after a third let down, i do not plan to buy from their bakery again.

Pricing, i would say, is fair. I have found generally, my groceries cost the same here compared to other Madison grocery stores. Different, products are more or less. Examples of this would be my beloved Halo Top ice cream is sold for $5.49 at Festival versus $7.49 at Hy-Vee. So that is great for me!

So Happy they are in the neighborhood. A little pricey , but they do have some good specials.

When it first opened, we were thrilled. Close by, clean, great produce; however, that did not last long. Now, it is to be avoided. Their produce is OK, but the packaged salads, etc are usually wilted and rotten, even well before the expiry date. If I do not diligently check dates on all dairy, I will inevitably get home with something, usually more, that is expired. If you dare to use paper bags at the checkout, you will be there all day. First, you have to go round them up from a register, because there are none at u-scan (often the only check out option). Then you have to find one with both handles attached, which is not easy. Then you have to wait for the attendant to stop talking to a coworker or put down their phone to realize that you pressed the button for assistance. Yikes! This would all be an inconvenience if you were not being charged more than any other store in town. Save yourself time and frustration, not to mention money, and go somewhere else.

They have a rotating selection of local products, and a wide variety of GMO and organic alike. Staff is about 40/40/20 Friendly & Helpful/Unhelpful/Disgusted A decent selection of pre-packaged hot/cold items as well. I will split my review into pre/post-pandemic:

Pre-Pandemic:
Produce was hit/miss with restocks every 2-3 days. If you came at the tail-end, expect rotten vegetables, bags of fresh produce expired far before expiration (probably from being left in the heat before re-refrigeration), or a need to check expiration dates closely on packaged items. The hot bar was well rotated. The deli section is nice, but the quality of available meats and cheeses cannot hold a candle to other grocers in the area with higher quality brands. Prices were reasonable across the board, though the seafood and pork items were fairly overpriced.

Post-Pandemic:
Some fresh meat, dairy, and produce is completely absent from shelves for a week or longer. Sanitation wipes for carts almost completely gone by 5pm each day, with no restocks until the next. Produce is even more hit-miss, with far less frequent restocks. (Save your receipt and expect a refund every 3rd trip).

The hotbar is back, but it's limited (understandable). Some of the fresh cold items like pre-made sandwiches/snacks are still on-point.

I don't think the store can be blamed for this, but I've seen these items at other grocery stores in the area:
Amy's MARGHERITA PIZZA flew off the shelves there. No longer stocked. WHY?

Chameleon Mexican Cold Brew. They had it for 2 weeks then it disappeared. I had to get there early just for a chance at ONE bottle!

I understand supplies are tight, but at least properly message why/if you can't restock something.

Easier Things to Consider Improving:
Bring paper bags back to self-checkout
Message why something is out of stock and be more explicit about WHAT is out of stock in aisles with multiple of the same brand.
More diligent produce checks, PLEASE!
Also hit or miss, but they've been getting better at offering fresh pre-packed things. More diligent checking on expiration dates, even on marked down items. I've brought items home marked expiring that day that were completely spoiled. Seemingly for 2-3 days since.

I know they're Festival Foods, not Fresh Foods, but let's try to keep the festival out of people's bowels, yes? They could be 4-5 stars just by fixing these things.

I love that Festival was fully stocked. I'm no marketing expert, but I noticed that they made every effort to show the label / brand of their products. I was especially impressed by the candy aisle. All the M&Ms were neatly placed with the label facing the aisle, compared to other stores that have them in a pile.

The prices here are very low. They usually have $1 bakery goods. When I was there, I got an eclair and a whoopie pie for a dollar each. They weren't the best tasting, but hey, they were a dollar.

The hot foods were kind of bland, which is why I docked a star. Their seating area is so nice, so I had hoped they would have better food.

The homemade deli chips are amazing. They're fried to perfection and I wish they weren't so unhealthy.

Awesome location - be sure to check it out!

Heaven sent grocery store! Although I have shopped here several times in the past few years, this particular visit meant the most to me. My significant other and I shopped here this weekend and noticed all the genuine friendliness and professionalism of the staff but lets back up a step. The first thing you will notice is that this store is sparkling clean and well stocked. Then along comes the personal contact you will be thrilled to experience with the staff and I can assure you that everyone employed here greets customers with a smile and makes sure they are finding everything on their list. Like Kojak always said "Who loves ya honey?" Well, the answer is Festival Foods!

The thing I appreciate the most about Festival is their use of local trees that they've incorporated into their design. Otherwise, staff is nice enough, service is good and specials are always valued.

The one thing I hate about this store is their overuse of stickers. Buy a pack of cigarettes? It needs a sticker. Buy a single bottle of beer? It needs a sticker on it. Buy an apple? It needs a sticker on it. As long as it's not in a bag they'll want to put a sticker on it; it doesn't matter if you're headed straight to the exit.

I tend to avoid this grocery store if at all possible but they have decent deals and items I can't always seem to find at other stores.

The reason I tend to avoid it is because parking is a NIGHTMARE. They have a parking garage and there's always a ton of traffic and the spots are really tight - I'm always nervous that someone is going to ding or scratch my car.

I love that they sell Madison Sourdough baguettes - although if you go later in the evening they tend to run out. It's also convenient that they have a full liquor store and you can grab stuff and pay for it at the regular register.

They have a decent and good looking produce section and also a pretty decent meat counter. You can always find some sort of meat thing on special on any day of the week. I'll do this on occasion if I'm at a loss for what to make.

They have a fun artisan cheese section with all the accoutrements and a good selection of crackers and spreads.

They have the best ready to go meals, and deli area, out of most of Madison. Great parking for being right downtown. I like going here because it's often not crowded, and I feel safe. The prices are incredibly reasonable, the produce is fresh, and the selection is better than most (excluding Woodmans). I love coming down here outside of normal business hours.

Having grown up with nostalgic feelings toward grocery shopping trips, and large Wal-Mart, Target, Pick N' Save, Copps sort of visits, this Festival Foods makes me feel at home. It's massive, has just about everything in low (cheap) to higher (pricier) quality. I have grown to love smaller, locally sourced markets, and specialty stores (the idea of buying better/higher quality, but using, consuming and wasting less overall)...but sometimes, a one stop/area shop is what I desire.

The produce is mostly high quality and all food/non-food items are always in stock - sometimes the greens can be a bit mealy depending on time of year and when you hit up that particular supply. Both organic and non-organic varieties are available. I love the natural foods selection and stop at this location anytime I'm looking or hankering to make a large one-pot Asian or Indian dish for weekly work lunches and dinners.

It always seems as though staff members are piled up at the registers or scattered throughout the store, which I believe to be a good thing. They are always incredibly helpful or willing to greet you kindly.

The largest criticism is out of their control...I only wish there was a more frequent, direct bus line heading east down Atwood Ave, but it's a great stop if I'm walking over to James Madison Park for a picnic in Spring and Summer!

Also, I wish Kin-Kin Coffee was open more frequently!

I'm not sure how many of these high end grocery stores Madison can support, but enter Festival Foods as the latest entry.

In this arena FF does not disappoint. Most impressive was the circular deli counter allowing maximum use of space and what feels like unending selection. We picked up some veggies which we will roast & kabobs from the meat counter. Bakery was also impressive but we're currently "on the wagon" with our healthy eating so we resisted temptation there.

Other notables -- they have dog kennels to park your furry friend while shopping (15 minute max), they sell bus passes & have a community room available although I didn't find any info available on cost, etc.

Staff was attentive but not annoying. Got there when they weren't busy which likely contributes to my positive review. I'm sure we'll be back if our travels take us that way.