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    Berkeley Bowl West

    4.1 (1.6k reviews)
    ModerateCafes, Bakeries, Grocery
    Closed 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Berkeley Bowl West Photos

    BERKELEY BOWL WEST ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Classy
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Berkeley Bowl West

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    Reviews With Photos

    Entrance
    Brian V.

    Really popular grocer that has been serving the greater Berkeley community for decades. This location was opened in 2009. They're known for their organic produce or just their produce variety and selection in general. I know for a fact that they are one of few places that get stone fruit from a central CA farm that I am very fond of. I've heard of this place through several of my family members who went to UC Berkeley and been wanting to go. Finally got that chance recently. The folks here are friendly and I would say the vibe is similar the popular grocer chain that started in Austin, but with a more organic community vibe. I came through looking for some fruits and stumbled across their craft beer section, which I have to say, had a pretty impressive selection including some rare, esoteric beers that some of my craft beer buddies would geek out on. I then went to the cafe across the way to get a beverage. That cafe is great too! (I think they're affiliated). Didn't have much time to explore or shop, but me and my fam got some stuff before we left. A true gem and am envious of what the denizens of Berkeley or students have here.

    Blue eggs?! Don't mind if I do!
    Zinia G.

    Wow! This place is huge and has so much variety. When I went to this location a few weeks ago, I was absolutely blown away. All kinds of meat, fish, produce, snacks, and it's pretty affordable. When I went back with my husband yesterday, I did see some moldy vegetables, but ehh, it happens. They have sushi-grade fish and all the fixins and accoutrement-- I'm talking ginger, wasabi, sushi rice, seaweed, imitation crab, kewpie mayo, ALL OF IT! Be prepared for a lot of maneuvering your cart! It takes a minute to find parking and the spots are tight. When you first enter the store, it's a little challenging to find a way to get into the store. Don't skip the outdoor area! The meat department is organized and while it feels like the wait will be very long, you just pick a number and it goes by pretty quickly. The checkers/ cashiers have been less than friendly both times, but they worked quickly. The first time they had samples of drinks. This time, I had to ask someone in the cheese department for a sample. I'd love to see some more samples at a massive location like this! Overall-- the options are too good not to go here, both when you need a big haul or if you're looking for speciality items.

    Goodies for the home!
    Jacqueline F.

    See my last review. This is generally a good store and all the details is in that one. However, they do have issues with taking returns and that is a problematic for me. And it makes me not want to try new things. But they have all the fruits and veg at a good price and the sales are pretty good too. Things are more expensive now, but they are not impossible. At some point, they will have sales on all the gluten-free flowers and stuff and that's when I can stack up on all of my baking goods and get ready for the holiday season. I do like coming here. I do respect their prices. And the people are generally nicer than they've been in a while. I will continue shopping here. The store is generally clean and I've never had a complaint about anything like that. Sometimes their products are a bit hard to find, but it's not a big deal.

    Mango, Strawberry/Red Bean & Strawberry/Chocolate mochi - handmade treats!  VERY GOOD!!
    Hillari A.

    Been shopping here for decades now, but thought I'd post something recent. These past weeks a new Tokyo Central has opened and I thought would give BBW a run for its money, but no. I went this am to BBW and they again had fresh strawberry mochi! JC did not - too funny! I'll stick to my BBW for my weekly items and even some of my fav "Japanese" items as well! Keep doing you, BBW, I'm here for it!

    Abi H.

    I come to Berkeley Bowl West once a week and always have a stellar experience. Yesterday, I was even more impressed by their teamwork and ability to work through high stress situations! It was crazy busy, as usual, and it was a Saturday, so the checkout lines were super long and all of the cashiers were going as fast as they could. All of the card readers went down while we were in line for checkout, we were next in line and were pretty bummed to either have to pay with cash or write our card down. It only took about 30 seconds before the leadership team came out and helped to direct everyone on next steps. None of the team members appeared to be phased by this situation which, to me, is a sign of great training and support! They pulled out their backup card readers where they had to manually input our totals and were ready to keep rolling. Thankfully the main card readers were back online before it was our turn and checkout resumed as normal for everyone. I'm always so impressed with how the Berkeley Bowl West team gets through their busy days in general, but this was the cherry on top. You all are the best! Also, if you've never been to Berkeley Bowl West make sure you set aside AT LEAST one hour, if not more, to explore the entire store. They always have bright and bountiful in season + local produce. And typically, each produce item has multiple suppliers so you can usually find one within your price point. I'm a pretty particular shopper and will seek out deals, so my weekly produce hauls at Berkeley Bowl West usually cost me about $25-$30. That's just on produce alone and for high quality local produce, you really can't beat that! They do also have a bargain produce section all the way in the back corner by the meat/seafood. This section has bags of produce for about $2/each and even whole cartons of berries for $1. Because it's the bargain section, you will definitely have to peel through the bags when you get home because they are older items. But you can, and I have, totally get your entire week's produce just in the bargain section for under $10. You do have to beware of narrow aisles just because of how crowded it gets, but the team does an amazing job at keeping aisles clear of hazards/trash as well as maintain a gorgeous farmer's market style aesthetic for the produce.

    Black Pearl Cherries
    Lloyd C.

    When my wife lived in the East Bay, she frequently shopped here at Berkeley Bowl West. I've shopped here a handful of times. I love the sushi grade seafood and produce here! I mean there is so much variety and such a huge selection, it makes your head spin. In a good way of course. She stopped in to see what kind of fresh fruit she could find. She ended up only buying some bananas and cherries.

    Figs and tomatoes galore!
    Howard B.

    Hands down this is the best grocery store that I've been in. Is it crowded with challenging parking? It sure is! Just breathe deep, be patient and kind and this grocery store will deliver a treat that will dazzle your taste buds.

    Ohh
    Stefan T.

    I suppose I'm as enthusiastic as some people are of Costco - which I can't understand. At Costco they always gave less: shorter shopping hours. Don't even bother to put your groceries in a bag. Fewer items and selection. Impossible to buy smaller quantities - which is odd for a person coming from Germany where you can even open any package of almost anything and just buy one - one soda can, open a 6 pack of bottles - just buy one... At Berkelely Bowl you get more: more customer service, more produce items, more shopping bags. And I like it. Whole Foods and trader Joes is probably still my normal spots but if I lived closer to here I'd leave those two in the dust. Especially around the holidays I'm looking for something a little better than normal. Something maybe where price is the last concern. Sure you will pay a little more but its worth it if it plays a part in your once a year holiday meal.

    Big avos for $1.59 each.

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    2 years ago

    Nice stuff and nice to shop at a local business but they didn't make enough parking, avoid on weekends.

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    Great service, selection and prices! I drive all the way from Lafayette just to shop here.

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    Berkeley Bowl West Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Berkeley Bowl West

    Do they still accept ebt?

    Yes, but not for hot food. The Cafe doesn't accept EBT, gift cards.

    Is the deli organic?

    Not really. They may have some organic things, but in general it isn't.

    Do you take EBT?

    Hi Melody! Yes, we do - at the point of sale, you can use your EBT card as you would any payment card. Thanks!

    Has anyone noticed a time of day (or day of the week) when the store is not so filled with Instacart shoppers?

    Is there a time of day or week that is not too crowded?

    I was there on 3/27 at 11:45am and it was a 40 min wait. On 3/18 at 11:15, it was a 10 min. wait. They are keeping the store at about one-half customer capacity. I would think it's a little more crowded during the weekends.

    Is there a difference between Berkeley Bowl & Berkeley Bowl West when it comes to flowers, the amount and the different types? Thanks…

    Can't speak specifically to flowers but the Heinz store is a much larger store than the Shattuck store and I have definitely found larger quantities and greater variety at the Heinz store. One small issue for me: I need specifically Chinese cuts of… Read more

    Are dogs allowed in Berkeley bowl?

    No.

    What is your address thanks?

    920 Heinz Ave Ste 200, Berkeley CA

    Does Berkeley Bowl have bulk cooking oils?

    I don't think so

    Thai ice tea?

    They do have thai iced tea in cans/bottles. It's in the same aisle as their non-dairy cheese options and the refrigerated tofu.

    Does anyone know what kind of mushrooms they carry here besides the generic button or portabello ones?

    In the organic section they usually have those, cremini, shiitakes and a couple other kinds. In the non-organic section many other kinds as in season such as black trumpet, porcini, chanterelles, morels, etc. in this area Monterey Market usually has… Read more

    What are the yummiest and or the best hard to find items here?

    Definitely check out their produce section. Chances are you'll find fruits and vegetables you've never seen or heard of before.

    View All 15 Questions

    Review Highlights - Berkeley Bowl West

    ORGANIC PRODUCE: Like the original Berkeley Bowl, all of the organic produce is in its own section.

    Mentioned in 45 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Mi Tierra Foods

    Mi Tierra Foods

    3.7(209 reviews)
    1.0 miWest Berkeley
    $

    It came to my attention yesterday that some people don't know about Mi Tierra's cafe or their taco…read moretuesday. Let me say that louder. CAFE. TACO TUESDAY!! On Tuesdays, tacos are $3 and fish tacos are $3.50 And they are effin GOOD. Jeebus they are good. I got the fish taco grilled for the first time yesterday. It was all I could eat. I'll be visiting for that more often. Even at full price ($5) that's a steal. IT WAS SO GOOD. They also have cheap, high quality meat. Which, in this economy, is a frikkin' god send. I go here for the meat a lot because I'm broke. And they are always so nice. I've never had any experience here where anyone was even approaching rude. Also, I am very shy about my bad spanish. But often, I'll try in Spanish and they will be patient with me about it. And I love them for that. They'll switch to English when they can tell I don't understand. (It's actually usually just me thinking. I think slow, lol.) Yeah. Lots of words, sorry. They have good meat. They have good tacos. They're nice.

    I love going here to Mi Tierra. It makes me feel as if I am in Mexico. They have a little…read moretaqueria in the back of the grocery store. My husband and I have been getting the fish tortas, which are big and we often share, here for ages. But recently we started to get tacos on Taco Tuesday. OMG. I think these are the best tacos ever. You get three tacos, loaded with your favorite filling, meats are great, lime and radishes, nice green salsa, and so cheap! Very friendly place. Great market too. I

    Photos
    Mi Tierra Foods
    Mi Tierra Foods
    Mi Tierra Foods

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    Middle East Market - Chicken Thigh Kabob

    Middle East Market

    4.6(437 reviews)
    1.0 miWest Berkeley
    $$

    I stepped in to grab food before realizing there was a separate cafe next door…read more Decided to come back after dinner next door to pick up some dessert and I'm so glad I did! I got an assortment of Turkish delight and some pistachio baklava ($2.99). The Turkish delight is sold by weight across all the varieties and goes for $16.99/lb. The guy behind the counter was super friendly and offered us a sample of one of the flavors to try which I thought was a nice gesture. Everything looked so good, so we picked a couple different pieces of Turkish delight to try. To my surprise, my favorite ended up being the saffron, though rose petal with pomegranate and sour cherry with pastachio were close seconds. I didn't like the coconut or the chocolate one that much, so reminder to myself to skip those next time. After picking up the dessert, I did a quick circle around the store to see what they had. It's not a big store but they manage to cram a lot of stuff into the limited space!

    I usually stop by either the Middle East Market or its sister spot, the Middle East Café, during my…read moreweekly laundromat run down the block. The café bartenders are always kind -- once they even let me use the bathroom before I realized the laundromat had one. I've ordered a beer while waiting for my clothes to dry and was welcomed to sit with my dog on the back patio. The atmosphere is warm and accommodating. The market itself is a treasure trove: shelves filled with Middle Eastern dry goods, nuts, dried fruits, spices, blends, and condiments you can't find anywhere else. Kofta, shish kebab, falafel, sumac, garam masala -- it's all here. They also carry pita, lavash, labna, and other breads and yogurts that make cooking from scratch feel like heaven. Bonus points for the large assortments of delicious house made baklavas! Even without a full kitchen, the prepared foods are excellent. I ordered falafel, eggplant dip, hummus, and cucumber salad from the to‑go counter -- a mini feast for $26 that didn't disappoint. **Verdict:** Courteous service, respectful staff, and a fantastic selection. Whether you're cooking at home or grabbing a bite, this place is a gem. Highly recommended.

    Photos
    Middle East Market - Persian New Year table on display.

    Persian New Year table on display.

    Middle East Market - Falafel Wrap. Cut Falafel, w/ cilantro, tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, shallots & lots of yoghurt! CREAMY!!!

    Falafel Wrap. Cut Falafel, w/ cilantro, tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, shallots & lots of yoghurt! CREAMY!!!

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    Menu

    Berkeley Bowl West - cafes - Updated May 2026

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