Berkeley Bowl West

Reviews 7

CL

Clinton Alexander

This is a great grocery store; but its not my absolute favorite, which is Andronicos. I think the closest comparison would be Whole Foods, but Berkeley Bowl is not as "fancy" as Whole Foods. This one on Heinz in Emeryville is pretty nice, however, especially compared to the older one on Oregon in Berkeley. My main reason for coming here is the bulk foods. They have a ton of bulk items with a much bigger selection than Whole Foods or Rainbow in San Francisco. I always get pecans, cashews and other nuts in bulk because they come at really good prices here. I also get fruit and nut bars here, like Lara Bars and Kind Bars because they have every one that you could possibly imagine. They also have a very large tea selection and chocolate selection. I buy those things here as well. They have tons of produce items, even more than Monterrey Market. There are many specialty items that I cannot get anywhere else, like wine grapes. They have a bigger health and body selection than Whole Foods, but the prices are about the same in that section. The staff is very efficient and fast, and many of them are warm and friendly; but not everyone. Today the cashier was efficient, but she never looked at me even once, even when handing me the cash back. She just handed it and moved to the next customer. But I didnt have to wait in line long, so it doesnt bother me that much. My biggest pet peeve here is the butcher area. I know from going to Andronicos that the butcher area can be very clean and tidy, which makes me want to buy the meat more. At Berkeley Bowl, the meat is everywhere. There are so many butchers back there and stacks and stacks of meat out in the open. It bothers me to see that. Overall, this is a really good grocery store. I will always come back here to buy my bulk items and a few other things. But I reserve my meat purchases for the butcher on Hopkins or Andronicos.

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RA

Rakesh Kumar

I love this place because it provides fresh produce in reasonable price. It has good collection of vegetables and fruits. You can get to see some exotic vegetables and fruits. People are generally helpful. In case you are confuse about anything you can ask for their help. They also have separate organic section for vegetables and fruits. Those are generally expensive. I do most of my grocery shopping from here. I would highly recommend this place for those people who live near Berkeley, Oakland or Emeryville. They also have plenty of parking space. you would not find any difficulty in finding parking spot if you choose the right parking lot. They have three different parking lots. 1. underground parking lot which is full. I would not recommend to go this parking space because you would waste most of your time finding the parking spot. 2. Front of the building which is small and hard to find parking spot during rush hours. 3. Heinz Avenue parking lot (North side of Berkeley Bowl) which is bigger and you can always find parking spot here even during the peak hours. They have multiple check out points so generally lines are not that long. They also have awesome prepaid food sections where you can find multiple fresh items. They also have fresh salad sections where you can make your own salad. They generally have 4 different soups which is tasty and healthy too. They also have restaurant section where you can enjoy your food.

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JE

Jeff

A quick reality check for the Berkeley Bowl... If Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Safeway had a love child it would be the Berkeley Bowl. It goes without saying the have 10 of everything, sometimes a 100 of everything. Their produces section, divided into organic and conventional is amazing! The bulk food, bakery and deli, equally impressive. There isnt a thing you could possible need that isnt here. My only issue are the prices! THEYRE NUTS! Not even Whole Foods has these sorts of margins! Its great that everything, and often the best of everything is under one roof, but the prices are just over the top. Here is my best example. I found cans of chickpeas from Western Family Foods selling for $1.99 at the Bowl. These are the same chickpeas at Safeway for .50¢ and .25¢ at the Dollar Store. I love the place for the variety of stuff they offer, but its just to pricey for daily shopping.

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AM

Amy Linari

My favorite supermarket nearby, Berkeley Bowl has a lovely selection of organic produce, lots of bulk goods, good prepared foods, a cafe for dining (you can bring your purchases over from the grocery side too). Their asian isle is even more like a condensed asian market than a typical american grocery store. Prices are usually better than whole foods, but noticably more than the typical suburban american supermarket, probably due to costs in Berkeley. With all that going for them, they are, naturally, quite popular, and almost always crowded. Thus, shopping there can be more stressful than other local stores, though at least their parking lots work well, unlike whole foods. The original Berkeley Bowl is a bit smaller but otherwise similar, and I go to whichever is most convenient, with a slight preference for west.

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KR

Krystyna Nitschke

The ample warehouse-like space will let you navigate the oversize carts in seemingly countless wide alleys. You can get all your weekly groceries, supplements and cosmetics under one roof, which doesnt mean its not a good place to stop just for a prepared Chinese meal, a tray of sushi or a cup of artisanal coffee with a yummy piece of pastry from the bakery. The building next door offers a spacious cafeteria where you can eat them at your leisure. The restroom though is not very conveniently located on the top floor. Back to the store.. I recommend the fresh meat, fish and a separate sushi meat sections with a rich selection of products coming with recommendations from the knowledgeable staff. Warning: shopping at Berkeley Bowl can be a hit to your budget so travel the alleys with a calculator in your hand.

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AN

Ann Ruengvivatpant

I can never stick to just my shopping list whenever I do grocery shopping here. When you start walking through the store, you might think: "Oh, this place has a pretty good produce section" then continue walking and realize that that was just the organic section. (FYI - organic food isnt actually better for you and still uses chemicals, but well save that discussion for another day.) Berkeley Bowl West has such a great variety of fresh produce all the time. Most grocery stores will give you a choice of 6 different types of apples-- but how many grocery stores have 6 types of eggplant for you to choose from?! Many fruits and vegetables are sorted by size so you can get small avocados, perfect for cutting during lunch; or you can get 3xlarge avocados for making a large bowl of guacamole!

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MI

Misha Metrikin

Pretty much the best version of Berkeley Bowl. Aisles upon aisles of fresh produce coupled with a dried goods section which has everything you could want and a fresh sushi and Mediterranean sections with delicious pre-made snack and some of the tastiest olives I have had in a long time. This place takes the Berkeley Bowl philosophy and extends it into a fresh and vibrant store that offers a ton of variety that not only offers the best of a number of staple foods, but also serves up more esoteric fruits, veges, carbs, and proteins for your gastronomic journeys. The only downside is that it is expensive, but for the number of things in the fresh vegetable aisle(non-organic section) which can periodically be a great steal. Try the coffee too! It is really good.

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