I shop here every Sunday early in the morning to avoid the crowds. The produce variety is amazing - stocked with many hard to find items. Cheaper than Whole Foods! read more

Highly impressive store overall. Of particular note are: 1) Staffed cheese display, with wide variety and absolute willingness to let you sample varieties before purchasing; 2) Comprehensive produce section featuring more options than I've seen anywhere, including highly unusual vegetables AND edible flowers for whenever you want to score points for presentation! And just when you think the produce section was enormous, you discover the separate Organic produce section that is fully half the size of the main section; 3) Extensive organic, wheat/gluten-free, and specialty grocery items mixed in with a full assortment of regular brands, so it still feels comfortable for the typical supermarket shopper; 4) Impressive bulk food section including numerous varieties of flour, beans, oats, tea, and spices! On the flip side, I wasn't thrilled by: 1) Often challenging traffic patterns exacerbated by narrow aisles near "stop and look" displays like the bakery; 2) Requirement to purchase bulk items at a separate checkstand; 3) No stairs in/out of the underground parking garage; 4) Modest offerings at the deli/prepared foods section, although this concern will be alleviated when the cafe' across the breezeway opens. read more

Great service and convenient location, a wide variety of foods to choose from. Good for groups and families. Reasonable prices too. Would recommend. read more

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This one is the bigger one of the two locations. It still gets pretty crowded but definitely not as much as the other one. I like the people come to this location a little bit more also, the other location the customers are really snotty and just down right self righteous. It's pretty gross. The selection of produce is as vast as it is fresh and the prices most of the time can't beat. I can buy all the veggies for the week that I need to my hearts content -- and I still don't seem to spend more than $20. read more

Not only is this the best grocery store with the best produce department ever, the employees are above and beyond. Today while walking in, a man outside was verbally harassing me and told me he would "catch me on the way out". When I was finished and walking to my car, I saw an employee going to the parking lot to gather carts and asked him to walk with me, he didn't hesitate and escorted me out. Total sweetheart. Thank you! read more

This is hands down the BEST grocery store I've ever been to. HUGE organic and non organic selection of quality produce, nice selection of ethnic foods, in store bakery, meats, bulk foods, herbal supplements, and some housewares are all available here. Prices are competitive with the larger chain grocery stores. Always plenty of parking available with 2 lots and an underground garage read more

When I am wrong, I am wrong. I was wrong, there are a multitude of tidy restrooms on the second floor. The associate's did not mention this group of potties during my first, second and third visit (yes, I did ask every single time)...possibly because they assumed I wouldn't want to trek up there with my fruit chucking, glass bottle breaking but fashionably dressed 2 year old. Not a fan of assumptions, however I can see that this one was fair. Given this update: The Berkeley Bowl has garnered the ultimate 5 Star Grocery Rating. read more

Having young children in my life, I am very familiar with expressions of pure happiness and joy, like the time my daughter lost her first tooth or every time my son gets something related to his favorite super hero or every christmas morning. For most of us, that kind of innocent, wide-eyed, pure state of euphoria somehow does not last beyond our childhood years. The first time I walked through the BBW store, I felt that joy. I was six again and I had just walked through the biggest candy and toy store imaginable! My eyes widened, my jaws dropped and I let out a loud squeal followed by a series of giggles. Literally. I think I had to consciously refrain from skipping. When I finally came back to reality and wiped off my drool, I looked around and giggled again as I realized that I was not alone in my euphoria. There were lots of other silly ass grown people acting like fools in there. read more

The one and only time I've been here, I ordered the 'classic burger'..and I ordered it medium well, as I don't like it raw (my meat that is)..OK maybe I do but, not in my burger. I waited for 20 minutes for this burger, so, my appetite was all fluffed up like a porn star returning from a smoke break. While I waited, I chatted it up with one of the friendly patrons and then this guy who works here came over and offered us a full slice of pizza while we waited. SCORE. They get bonus points for that..the pizza was great! When my burger was ready, I said goodbye to my new found friend and high-tailed my late ass back to the office. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into this burger.. goddamn I was starving by now.. I opened it up, it looked great..even had the perfect burger bun. Took a bite into the weirdly fishy tasting, hockey puck of a patty with the wonder bun and was less than stoked on its flavor. Tell me Berkeley Bowl Cafe chefs.. why does my burger taste like grilled fish? You better be lucky I like fish and didn't have time to come back and hurl this over-cooked excuse for a burger at your heads. I'll stick to grocery shopping and skip the cafe unless I want a pastry or something else. Perhaps the cheese danish here will taste like burger? read more

I don't know how anyone can give the bowl anything less than five stars as it is literally the best market in the Bay Area and most likely California. Which might make it the best market in the US due to CA proximity to fresh produce. Sure someone might have a problem with this or that but if you compare it to any other store it comes out head and shoulders above the rest. read more

Parking blows... and unless you drive a smart car, prepare to suck in your stomach while attempting to squeeze yourself in between your car and the vehicle whose wheels are invading your personal space. There is no exaggerating taking place here. But wholly guacamole (organic even!), BBW's concoction of the ever delectable Cioppino (amongst a variety of gumbo... and chowders of the clam persuasion) are worth a little parking lot stress. And for their prepared food section alone, a four star rating is non-negotiable. Pros: - Prepared Foods. - Sit-down Cafe out front. - Selection of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. - Selection of non-dairy cheeses (for those of us who have lactose intolerant boyfriends!). Cons: - Long checkout lines (not lunch-break friendly). - Shitty parking lot. - Shopping cart collisions, everywhere. read more

It's individuals like a guy name, Alfred that works & has outstanding customer service which keeps me coming weekly to purchase average $100.00 worth of grocery's at Berkeley Bowl. I use to buy from Rainbow in SF but there horrible stuck-up ungrateful so I rather pay to cross the bridge and spend money in Berkeley Bowl. Thank you, Alfred.... it's people like you that keep the doors open in any successful business. read more

Berkeley Bowl West - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Amazing grocery store with lots of options. If your in Berkeley you have to go here! Absolutely delicious. Selection. Lol. I'm just typing now for no reason. Oh well bwt go here read more

It has a great variety of produce, bulk items and breads. It also has some raw dairy.

Everything you have heard about Berkeley Bowl is true! The selection is unmatched by any other grocer, ranging from high end products to affordable, so you can find what you need on any budget. The produce section is huge and the produce is often more affordable (and fresher, in my opinion) than other stores. And the Bulk section is awesome! Huge variety of trail mix, grains, nuts, pasta, etc that you can throw in a bag and pay by weight. Whenever I am looking for unusual ingredients, I make a beeline for Berkeley Bowl. I used to drive from grocery store to grocery store for a single recipe, only to find out they don't stock the items I need or they have some ingredients but not others. It's a one-stop shop at Berkeley Bowl. Note: Avoid Berkeley Bowl mid-day on the weekends if you can. It gets so SO busy. read more

Berkeley Bowl saves me multiple trips to ethnic food stores, natural food stores, farmers market, and grocery stores. You can get it all here. I could probably hit up all those aforementioned places in half the time it takes me to wield my cart through the precarious, unpredictable storm of hippies, children, carts, and the person who randomly stops in the middle of all the craziness for no apparent reason. As much as I love all the products, I don't know if it's worth shopping here. It's so damn stressful, not just because of the crowd, but also the people who are constantly all up in your business. Today, I was merely trying to leave the organic food area, and I was accused of trying to cut in line. I think Berkeley Bowl should start a VIP shopper's club where you pay like $20 a month to come shop before or after hours. They shouldn't let more than like 30 people in the store at a time. Can you tell I'm stressed and irrational right now? Okay, time to unwind, sip some wine, and cook some of that food I bought. read more

Finally got to check out Berkeley Bowl West. It was pretty packed for some night time shopping but it was the weekend. You have to keep on moving or you stop everyone behind you because the walkways are a little narrow. There is a lot to look at. The deli and bakery goods look sooo good! Wish I lived closer so I could be a regular. read more

AVOID!!!! Obviously the store was laid out by a madman, and then idiotically overstocked by his sadistic sidekick. Two carts could not pass in many sections because of the way-too-copious fruit displays. And tables of tomatoes are augmented by crates that take up valuable and much needed space for movement. It was AWFUL. Claustrophobics and those prone to panic attacks would have to be institutionalized after this nightmare. Aisles are much much too skinny for this volume. By the way, what kind of crazies go BACK to this place??? I'm honestly disturbed that someone would willingly go back. That's insane!!!!!! Profoundly terribly organized. For example, cream cheese is nearly at the opposite end of the store from yogurt. The two (yes two!) produce areas are not arranged in the same way, at all. Whole celery and cut celery are not remotely near one another. Hand-written (!!) price signs by the produce are not clear. For example, which green grape is the lower-priced "Thompson" grape? The packaging does not reveal this mystery. I could live with the hippy-dippy handwritten wackiness if the sign did the friggin' job. Sigh. Oh, Berkley. Then, because Berkeley Bowl West had clearly conspired to make this nightmare as excruciating as possible, this happened: the checker did not want to lean over the twenty inches to reach my purchases. Seriously. She asked me to push things closer to her. Yes, i know how ridiculous that sounds. While juggling my keys, purse, open wallet, I push my groceries forward and my avocado goes rolling off the table. It was closing time and there were lots of people in line behind me. Not practical to go get another. So I have a badly bruised avocado because of that lazy bitch. And when I said something, she said "oh, you think it's bruised now?" Ya THINK?? it just dropped thirty inches to the floor and rolled eight feet. The LEAST she could have done was comp me the avocado. And if she's not powered to do so, shame on management. I did not know that grocery shopping could be so awful. In fact, I'm thinking that was the worst shopping experience I'm ever had, period. To repeat, AVOID AVOID AVOID! read more

Everyone that goes here is a jerk...the patrons, the employees, babies were even giving me the stink eye. By the end of the trip I had transformed from a jovial, polite shopper to the privileged, I am better than you, a-hole that inhabit Berkeley Bowl West. Yes, they have a good selection of fruits, vegetables, and everything else and their prices are good...but the atmosphere makes the place unbearable. The thought of "we're going to berkeley bowl" is worse than "we're going to the dentist" No thanks, I'll just go to farmer's markets and be limited to 5 or so different types of apples. read more

Best food ever, we will be back SOON!!! Good selection of grains and just about anything you're looking for to help improve your diet. Good stuff here, you should visit if you're in the area. read more

Ugh...I'm one of those people who truly loves grocery shopping and cooking and have been known to spend a couple of hours at a store cruising every aisle for fun. That said, this store takes all the fun out of it and drives me bat-crap crazy! Produce and bulk prices are good and meat prices are consistent for what you get, but anything else is disgustingly expensive. Don't get me wrong, they do have a nice selection of produce and meats, and I enjoy the bulk/spice section immensely, but it isn't really worth it to me to deal with all of the nasty, rude, inconsiderate 'people' who wield their carts around like it's Return to Thunderdome. Really, that is why I absolutely cannot stand this place. Mother Earth, Hippie enclave? I think not! More like uppity, designer recycled skinny pants made from Honduran bat guano and cold washed in mineral water wearing, I bought my Volvo in Europe isn't it cool yuppie who bring their holier-than-thou attitude along with it. I don't know how anyone else could afford to feed a family here unless they fed them an entirely raw diet and nothing packaged. Sorry Charlie, doesn't cut it in the real world, and I'm not paying upwards of $2.00 extra per item for the luxury of shopping at the produce mecca. Call me a bad Bay Area native for not liking this place more, but I have a budget and a family to feed. I also can't afford all of the Xanax I would have to take just to maneuver through the store. Arghhhhh!! read more

I stopped shopping regularly at the original Berkeley Bowl years ago because I am too irritable. I just couldn't deal with the cluelessness and the crowds. I could not deal with the parking situation, no matter much I wanted Forbidden Rice or purple carrots, or to face dive into the olive bar. I like Berkeley Bowl West. I live in El Cerrito, and I like that it's right off the freeway so I don't have to trek into the far reaches of Berkeley. I like that there is parking. I like that it's not crowded. I can get all the same yummies I used to get at the original, but without the homicidal feelings and brain boil. I've been coming here weekly for organic produce to make into grown up food for the adults and whir into fresh baby food, olives and cheeses, and Baby H.'s special Voskos full fat greek yogurt that he is totally into. Tonight we will all be having curried purple carrots and purple cauliflower. I tried the Cafe yesterday. I had their fancy tuna sandwich on wheat, which came with their house made potato chips. It was great, but not so great that I wouldn't try something else next time. The potato chips were awesome, but I only had a few because the sandwich was very filling, and I am trying to be more like a French person and stop eating when I'm full. I also had a taste of my Mom's curry lentil soup, which was hot, tasty, came, with a great looking bakery roll and seemed like it would be very filling. Thanks Berkeley Bowl West for making it possible for me to buy Berkeley Bowl type items without having to go to the original Berkeley Bowl and having an anger stroke. read more

My eyes have been opened to the wonders of Berkeley Bowl! Varieties of vegetables that I've never seen before. Types of fruit that I last enjoyed in Asia. Yellow cauliflower. Various sizes of artichoke. Arborio rice in bulk. Amazing cheese area with samples -- tried the creamiest brie Three types of plums Limes, organic limes AND key limes Excellent bread -- ciabatta, sour, baguettes My son teases me that I'm an almost-vegetarian. If I lived close enough to this Berkeley Bowl, I just might become one. I was overwhelmed, I have to admit. This place is HUGE, and everything I saw fired off a "maybe I can make THIS..." in my head. I suppose I should be glad that I was overwhelmed, as if I hadn't been that one-two combination of AMAZING produce and the hunger would have caused me to over shop even more. As it was, I bought some key limes and graham crackers to bake a key lime pie -- and I'm not even a baker (come to think of it, I have to see if I have a pie pan left over from Marie Calendars; otherwise I'll have to go buy one). I bought pine nuts in bulk and a block of Parmesan to make pesto (with basil I'd purchased at TJs earlier in the week). I bought brussel sprouts to bring to a potluck on Sunday since I discovered there are some brussel sprout fans attending. I bought yukon gold creamer potatoes for . . . no apparent reason, just because I like them. I bought a few different kinds of stone fruits. I bought one orange -- I don't know what I was thinking, how can the family share ONE orange -- so I brought it into work. I will be back FOR SURE! read more

The workers here suck. Dropping (literally dropping) fresh tomatoes and jars in the same bag. What kind of brain limping fool are you??????? The produce here sucks. Moldy onions for 2 weeks straight! WTF!?! The workers here suck. The guys in Produce push their carts around with wild abandon and shove produce in bins like they're building fences with rocks. The separate organic area here sucks. You want me to wait in 2 lines now?!? The workers here suck. In case I forget to mention it, the workers here suck. Really suck, like whoever is in charge of hiring people should have rotten onions and potatoes thrown at their head until they bleed and realize the errors of their ways. The sunlight shining through skylights all over the meat and wine areas not only sucks but is completely mystifying. Looks great though! I'm absolutely ebullient that so many idiots love the new BBW. The less crowded BB on Shattuck is an absolute pleasure to visit now--I can even use a cart!!. I do, however, give points to BBW for the generous parking space and the wide aisles. But that's it. Clean up your act people! Don't make me celebrate you shutting down and declaring bankruptcy, which can't be that far off. I can pretty much guarantee you're leveraged to within an inch of your life, so you don't have too much room for such insistent and compelling mediocrity. read more

Gets a little or should I say a lot crowded, but for good reason. This store has everything an organic foodie would want, not to mention the boys in the seafood area are cute! Sure its pricey, but we are in the bay! If you want a true Berkeley experience, head over. read more

"Jack! I need cilantro!!" So he brings me here of all places. It's HUGE. and Packed. So now I'm fighting for parking... seriously fighting, complete with *Fuck You's* all around. SUV vs. smartcar, guess who won that one. Dude, I had my blinker on for like 15 minutes while some douche actually took that much time emptying his cart, single bag by single bag, stopping in between each for a rest and a drink of water... I won. I'm hesitant to actually go in this place-- I hate crowds. I haven't had a smoke for hours out of respect for Jack. But, despite the crowds, and out of respect for Jack, I walk in. Cart clusterfucks, bumping, grabbing, aggressive grocery shopping at it's best. First thing I see after coming out of my personal Post Traumatic Parking Lot Stress Syndrome is the meat section - umm, rabbit's and chicken feet proudly displayed. Sweet, that's on my list, right after cilantro. Umm, no. I really only need cilantro. Which is not near all the other herbs, but instead situated near the radishes, so directed by the produce guy. Oh! I get it! No, I don't. But yes, we picked up like $40 worth more of things that caught our respective eyes, bc the produce is beautiful here... and they have all these little specialized sections... olives, cheeses, baked goods, sushi, you name it. I'm not doing this justice... and a cafe, and yeah, whatever else you can think of. I was here on a Saturday late afternoon, the crowd was insane, the check-out lines horribly long, the cashier smacked her gum like a cow chews cud. But my produce is damn good. If I ever go here again, it will be early in the morning before Berkeley wakes up and fights over parking and carrots. Pics of chicken and rabbit feet to be posted soon. read more

I am certain that I am the only white person in Berkeley who hates shopping at Berkeley Bowl. They have a large produce area, but the quality is not what I'd call good. The entire store is so poorly laid out, including the produce department, that stuff gets knocked on the floor often and some yuppie and her kid will bump into you every four seconds so you can't really look closely at anything. The other sections are just as bad and it's very hard to maneuver around. Because you often have to hunt if you care about price or are looking for something specific, every aisle or walkway is filled with people standing stationary. Customer service is really crummy as well. I bought a small block of overpriced cheese, but they wouldn't slice it and gave me attitude when I asked. The checkers are slow and really don't want to bag your groceries either. The prices are beyond even what Whole Foods charges. In the hectic cramped aisles you will also not find too many regular items that you'd get at a regular store which compounds the expense. For normal things like Tillamook cheese and "cheaper" bread you will pay 50-100% more than the exact item anywhere else. Despite being cost conscious and buying mainly ingredients my 14 items came out to $77 today. I can't imagine someone being able to stock their pantry from Berkeley Bowl, but it is great for events where you're trying to impress people or when you just need to grab lunch/dinner for a night or two. read more

I never thought I'd have a FAVORITE grocery store. I mean, who drives over 30 miles to a grocery store, especially when near 99 Ranch, Marina, Mi Pueblo, Safeway, Raley's, Lion Market, Lucky, countless India Cash and Carrys, Middle Eastern markets, Sprouts, Trader Joe's AND Whole Foods. It might seem a bit much to build an entire day centered around going to Berkeley Bowl, but once you go, you'll see it's totally worth the drive. The parking situation is horrid over at the original Berkeley Bowl, but there is plenty of free parking in the outdoor lot across the street from the Berkeley Bowl West location. Amazing selection of high-quality cheese, exotic produce (did you need dragon fruit or a buddha's hand?), bulk bins filled with dried beans, nuts, organic bulk popcorn, various flours, dried spices, matcha green tea powder and whole grain fruit-filled bars filled with blueberry, apricot, raspberry. They sell a yummy low-priced blue-veined cheese called Mindoro blue cheese. Great selection at the olive bar, which includes peppadews and Castelvetrano olives. I've never seen so many varieties of hot house English cucumbers! Last summer, they were selling mesh bags of 10 small (the size of a large egg) avocados for $1.00! If you are on a budget and don't mind slightly older produce, there is a discount produce section that is stocked several times a day. The produce is bagged and most are tagged for $1.00. When the guy pushes out the cart stacked high with boxes, the hoard descends, me included! The best deal I got was 3 bunches of asparagus for $1.00, which I cooked up the next day. Yum! If you love browsing foodie-oriented grocery stores, especially ones that sell hard-to-find ingredients, organic and/or local foods and drinks, sustainable seafood and offers ready-to-eat hot and cold foods, Berkeley Bowl West could very well be the foodie mecca of your dreams. read more

This is hands down the best place to buy produce and assorted groceries. The selection is bountiful with a range of price options, the staff is lovely and I find everyone in the community to be very kind and conscientious! To be honest there have been a couple of times where I have been flustered and in a hurry and bumped into another customer and was met with nothing but kind words smiles and laughs! On top of this I have filled my cart with piles of produce on multiple occasions and paid under 100 every time! It is amazing! I highly recommend this store for all your produce and boutique or international grocery needs! They have it all! read more

I have two words for you: bargain produce Seriously, bargain produce. If you're a cheap bastard like I am, check it out. 89c for a bag of perfectly good organic apples, yes please. Giant bag of herbs for 89c, mine. Weird exotic fruit that I would never buy unless it was 89c a bag...for 89c a bag, in the cart! read more

This place has really gone downhill with their produce. Almost everything we bought was extremely poor quality, or already molding. The peaches were actually moldy inside. The apples were firm on the outside, but soft and mealy on the inside. The edamame was actually fuzzy and moldy before the expiration date and I didn't notice until we got home because it was in cardboard, and get this, from China! The salads were two days before expiring and bad when we went to eat it. What a huge waste of money! Almost all our produce was moldy inside upon arriving home or within a few days! Why pay more than Safeway or Sprouts when we receive lower quality produce? Lower quantity for more money? No thank you! read more

This review can be for both Berkeley bowls. I avoid this place unless I happen to be free at some strange hour like 1pm on a tuesday otherwise its a terrible shopping experience. The only reason I was there today was because a friend game me a gift card. Number One Reason Why I think this store has serious flow issues ....THE CARTS ARE TOO BIG. THE CARTS ARE TO BIG, THEY DO NOT FIT DOWN THE AISLES....TWO CANT FIT DOWN THE RAMP ITS DANGEROUS. (I'm not yelling here, just hoping someone will read this plea) SO please if there is room for a miracle, now is the time. Please hear this cry, get little carts. Donate those big a** carts to Costco or Home Depot. I suggest some of the small regular one and some of the double decker mini type whole foods has, please. The carts do not fit down isles, you can not get around people, its chaos, people are stuck. This store is overprices and offers little selection in value options... i.e. 4 cream cheese brands all 8 oz $2.59, why not just have one cream cheese brand? The point of multiple items is to have size and price variations. Milk, organic whole milk. 8.00 no matter how you buy it, its $8.00. Half gallons ~$4.50. Just crazy. Also people are rude and get this...I pressed "yes" to the cash back option after entering my debit pin and the cashier said, "oh you can't do that cuz we'd have to give you like $40 and they it wouldn't cover the cost of your food"??ummm what are you talking about?? There isn't even a sign that says "no cash back", she just looks at me like I'm nouns and then gives some nonsense answer..that I at this point can not even respond to. They have unique veggies and a big bulk section, but unless you need something specific I suggest doing your shopping elsewhere, even the new Safeway on College has more organic options and lower prices. However...I would shop this local store more often if...YOU GOT SMALL CARTS, please get rid of those huge metal things- they suck. Also the hours are awful 9 am and 10 am opening are ridiculous, you close by 8am. The Berkeley Bowl on Oregon street is worse than the new one, but has the same issue mentioned above PLUS awful parking. Also they are extremely concerned about theft at this store, they have tone of undercover workers ready to run after you if you eat something form the bulk bin or a strawberry or something. BEWEAR... read more

If Berkeley Bowl were the only grocery store left in California, I'd still be as happy as a clam. That doesn't really mean anything though, since none of us really know how happy those clams are... So let me enlighten you. By now, everyone in the area has caught on to how great BBW is - the continual flow of foot, tire, and occasionally paw traffic around here is evidence enough. Luckily, there is parking not just in the surface lot, but also in the underground space and across the street. If you do come from across the street, you'll most likely run into someone soliciting for a humanitarian cause. Spare a minute if you can, they're usually polite and funny characters. There's a HUGE selection of organic (indicated by green signs) and non-organic produce, as well as drinks and snacks. Maybe I'm just in my own fantasy, but just being here feels HEALTHY. They also have the best to-go meals of any grocery store I've been to. My only gripe is the discouraging wait time at each step to order your food, receive your food, and pay for your food. But for reasonable prices, you can get a huge tri-tip sandwich with fries, fresh fruit tarts, hot soup, customizable Chinese and Mexican bowls, to-go boxes from lots of local restaurants... The list goes on. They also have fresh house-squeezed fruit juice, and not one but TWO coffee bars. The cafeteria located in the small building across the main entrance is a nice place to enjoy your meal if you can find a seat, and the bathrooms are located two floors up in the same building. Go through the door on the landing into a seemingly deserted hallway to locate the men's and women's stalls. Sometimes I think BBW could also serve as my one-stop gift shop in addition to a grocery. They have a beautiful selection of flowers, cards, and garden trinkets in the entrance across from the cafe, as well as hair and beauty products in the center. Not to mention, all sorts of dried, packaged, and foreign foods for your friends that love to eat. Don't forget to gift yourself. ;) read more

With the encroachment of winter and its colder temps, I'm a firm believer in the power of hot food to balance one's chi. For me, that means less salad, and more cooked veggies. Fortunately I've never met a Brussels sprout I didn't like. But, with Whole Foods just a 5-minute walk from my home, why has Berkeley Bowl West wooed my business for produce and higher-end granola-yuppie wants? First off, the produce selection, which speaks for itself -- fresher and far more varied. I like as well that the organic produce is separated from the rest of the green herd. The cheeses are sublime -- today I found the Point Reyes Toma variety featured in Osteria Stellina's phenomenal grilled cheese sandwiches. And for those with 'special-food' needs, BBW is a godsend -- a wide variety of gluten-free, ethnic and other niche specialties. If I'm trying a new recipe which calls for items "only available at specialty stores," odds are I'll find it here. Two things that once vexed me but I've learned to deal with or work around: -- Parking, which admittedly is better than the other BB. Weekends later afternoon, and weekdays mid-morning seem less manic. -- The wait at the meat counter. If the store's anywhere near crowded, and you will be getting meat, grab a ticket first and start in on the rest of your grocery shopping (just don't tarry *too* long lest you lose your spot). Prices generally better than Whole Foods as well. read more

Eighteen gazillion times better than the original. I almost gave it four stars, with the proviso that the fifth would come as the new Bowl proved itself over time, but there is really no need. As others have noted, aisles are far wider and it's easier to navigate because the place feels much more spacious. The parking situation is so easy that I can throw away the blood-pressure medication mandated by the original. However, I'm happy to report the cheese samples are still alive and well (and in exactly the same spot as the original store) and when we were there today, there were even free samples in the produce section! I thought that was verboten at the Bowl, but apparently not. Free tote bags, a better and more spacious bulk section, and a generally much better feeling. I'll be back, and back, and back. Oh yeah -- if you're looking for the bathrooms, there's a single Unisex in the cafe area across the way, as well as male and female bathrooms in the second-floor community room (another nice touch). read more

They have everything here. Absolutely everything. Almost half of the entire building is devoted to fresh vegetables, meat, fruit, etc. They have a rather large organic section also and everything here feels fucking healthy beyond belief. There were so many different kinds of pineapples, a ton of different bananas and apples, a whole section of mushrooms, a multitude of oranges like cara cara and blood, natural honey roasted peanut and almond butter, and an entire section on legumes and grains. I could go on, but it would take me weeks to tell you how much money I've dropped here looking for a very particular obscure item they have, only to find that they've got more varieties for you to choose from. I haven't begun to tell you how much this also applies to their healthy offerings in their non-perishable aisles either. Berkeley Bowl puts to shame every supermarket, grocery, and health store I've been to. There is no competition at the level that Berkeley Bowl operates at. Tips: - Their "asian" lunch section is a total steal. You can get a large two entree meal for under $7!!! - There is a crap ton of parking underground, in front, and across the street. There is no such thing as "I couldn't find parking" - Be sure to write the SKU/product number on the twisty ties if you scoop up any bulk items like oats or nuts. - The green bags are for organic items. That's how they can tell. - Do not come here high. Definitely do not come here high. read more

This is not hippie enough. I've been hearing about this magical unicorn market for about 2 years now and since now I commute to Alameda almost everyday, I was in luck to shop here for some items to make a Japanese dinner. The $ I think are above avg. i.e Japanese cucumber for $3.49/lb. They do have some Medocino wakame for $5.29/bag which is something Safeway wouldn't have. But to be serious. Do hippies eat Hungry-Man dinner entrees? read more

So..apparently I've already reviewed the BBW...but they had curry leaves AND kaffir lime leaves the last time I was there! That and my 5lb flat of Sumo oranges made me ever so happy. Nowhere else can the hippie yuppie foodie who likes to cook a lot of different ethnic cuisines find all of her bliss in just one convenient location. All the fruits. All the veggies. All the meats. Even though when I Emailed Berkeley Bowl and told them to open a San Francisco location they totally didn't respond to me...I love them. If you cannot find something to eat in Berkeley Bowl, I'm just throwing it out there...there's something wrong with you. I was house sitting in Oaktown for 5 days and I felt the need to come here 3 times. Oh...and they had actually ripe avocados. Now excuse me whilst i eat my delicious okra made better by delicious curry leaves. read more

Pros 1. best selection of fresh produce 2. prices were reasonable 3. good place for ready to eat food - limited selection but at a good price Cons 1. parking can be an issue read more

I am so thankful for this new store! I love Berkeley Bowl! The original location is / was a zoo but the new B Bowl west? Woo Hooo! I can walk there! If it's raining I'll drive and there is parking! In addition to the underground parking, there is more parking across the street! The entire back of the store is produce separated in two; organic and regular. Where else can you find 7 different kinds of lemons? The prices on the produce are incredible! The meat department is first rate albeit a little expensive. The Olive bar, the cheese area, it just goes on and on. Weekend afternoons are ridiculously crowded. Avoid going during that time if you can. read more