No other grocery store like it! In terms of variety, quality and price. If you go looking for one kind of melon, there will be at least ten similar type melons to pick from, for example. Fruits and vegetables from around the world you've never heard of. Amazing!!There are baked goods, cheese, nuts, any and kinds of produce, meats and seafood. The hot food items looked amazing. So much to pick from! I used to shop at the Oregon Street Berkeley Bowl years ago. This newest location is the same, but Maybe even better with free parking! read more

See all

Went here on a Saturday and the first thing I noticed is that the parking spots are narrow so leave your monster truck at home and get on your fixie bike. One can find a huge variety of foods here but they're pretty expensive. I think I would do it again but only for specific items I might need. High prices + good variey = 3 stars. read more

Unpopular opinion: I enjoy shopping at Safeway and Trader Joe's just as much as this particular Berkeley Bowl location. After 6 years in the area, I'm still not quite on the Berkeley Bowl loyalist bandwagon, but I do enjoy a visit now and again! I think this grocery store is best for their produce! I love all the varieties of my favorite fruits and vegetables. If you're looking for something specific, this is the place to be! A lot of their packaged items are overpriced when compared to other grocery stores, but I imagine they have to balance out the low cost of their produce. They also have a cafe, a great bakery/bread section, and a large beer/wine area considering the size of the store. They have some items available in bulk such as rice, some pastas, corn nuts aka inca corn, etc. Parking at this location is much easier compared to the other Berkeley Bowl too. With this store so close to me, I don't see a reason to ever visit the other one. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't been here before! You may even make it a part of your routine! read more

See all

They do not accept WIC . I came in today to get fruit and milk for my child for school tomorrow. And no one knows how to even accept the payment for WIC . At the end the manager stated they do not accept WIC why not ? read more

Have heard about Berkeley Bowl during covid - oddly enough :) Since I am always on the search for good produce that oddly enough can be hard to find other than at farmer markets I decided to check it out. Very happy I did! The parking at this location can be tough BUT once your in head to the fruit section! There is so much to pick from for a reasonable price and hands down the best tasting fruit. They have an assortment of other items - it is a grocery store - BUT be warned the other items can add up very quickly. read more

I think because it used to be Japanese owned a long time ago, I've been able to get most of my Japanese food from here consistently for years. The vegetables are always fresh and after visiting the East Coast last year, I just didn't know how good we had it. Daikon- and different types- a staple here. The meat is a little pricey but you have one-on-one contact with an actual butcher. The vegetables are a wide variety and the bulk food is well utilized and gets turned over often. I probably wouldn't eat the Asian inspired take out but do love the rice balls and containers of potato salad. The lines can be a little long so going on off days and at night seems to work out. read more

It's independent. The produce is fresh (that said, I wish they would not cut it down...go ahead and leave the dirt on, will stay fresher!) It's a relief not to have the sanitized supermarket aesthetic. And I can generally find even the more obscure items that I would go to a specialty market or search for online. Something to be said for THAT. read more

This is what dreams are made of! My friend jokes about how much I love grocery stores because I'm often there. But y'all, I really loved this one. I'm jealous of everyone who lives close enough to here to make it their regular grocery store. Parking here was a breeze. Not only do they have a parking lot, but they also have a pretty large parking garage. The market itself is also huge and on a Saturday early afternoon, it was BUSY. So I only wish their aisles were a bit larger to maneuver through, but tbh that's barely a critique because it's obvious that there's a reason why there's so many people there. Be sure to bring your own bag; as a matter of fact - bring two in case you want to go crazy on the groceries! Now, I will say, if you're looking for lots of big brand items, you might not find it all here. But they do have a lot of smaller and local brands. Plus the produce selection here is INSANE. I don't think I've seen such a wide variety of fresh produce at any other market. They have all the fruits, even the ones that are hard to find (my fiance was SHOOK that they had Buddha's Hand fruit). They also have lots of ways to get bulk/refillable nuts, coffees, etc. I loved their hot buffet, dessert area, and cafe where you could get ready made food and drinks. Seems like such a perfect spot to grab a quick lunch or treat. On the day I went, they also had local small AAPI businesses tabling so we got to try some of their food samples too. So cool that they have events like this! Anyways, this is prob one of my fav grocery stores. Do people have favorite grocery stores? I guess I do. Check it out if you're needing groceries in the area! read more

TLDR: plus: amazing selection of fruits and vegetables, cons: parking spots may be hard to come by. This amazing store may seem overwhelming. Think 10+ kinds of apples, tons of people, and it's popularity makes parking scarce, and unfortunately long shopping lines. However, if you come with a list, and stay focused, you will be able to walk out of the store with your bounty. But, always leave some room for wonder, like Berkeley Bowl's amazing freshly squeezed OJ, vegetarian shredded meat from Taiwan, third culture bakery's mochi donuts, and B Dama's sushi. read more

The best vegetables and fruit ! Great variety of spices and bulk food Lots of great pop ups that change monthly read more

Berkeley Brawl indeed ~ I love this store, but I also HATE this store. Since the start of COVID, the line to get in has typically been wrapped around the block. It doesn't seem to matter what time, it's always a mess. I've even been here at 9:00 am waiting in the line wrapped the block.... in the rain. Now I plan ahead and put on an extra layer of spf before every single visit. The checkout lines are a wreck and have taken about 20-45 minutes to get through. The cashiers all seem to have a pretty angry demeanor, which is hopefully just due to how busy it always is. I've seen quite a few cashiers be hostile to customers, which is odd for such a nice grocery store. The rush seems to have slightly slowed now that we are through the holidays, but overall, it's still a hot mess. For waiting outside so long to get in, you would think the store would be at a lower capacity? But no, just packed in like sardines with grocery carts inside. This is definitely a place that will make you want to wear a double mask. As much as it physically distresses me to shop here, I always come back because they carry some items that I just can't find anywhere else. They have a huge selection of vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, organic, and international options. This is where I like to get all of my produce. Unfortunately it seems like everyone and their mother likes to do the same, making the produce section a huge mosh pit. I'm taking a break from this place at least until COVID is over. It's extremely risky to shop here right now. read more

Berkeley Bowl West - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

If you want some quality groceries and produce, Berkeley Bowl West is top notch. I enjoyed walking around looking at bits of everything. They have a grand selection of fresh fruits and produce. Their deli had pretty good sandwich selections and such. They also have a cake and desserts section next to it. Hubbers and I came through as he mentioned they have great seafood selections. The goal was to score some clams and sushi grade salmon, but for some reason, we ended up with more stuff! How'd that happen?! (Insert chuckle here.) Some items can be pricey, but you can be sure you're getting the best quality. If we weren't in a bit of a rush, we might have ended up buying more stuff. PARKING: We went on a Saturday and street level parking was full, but underground parking had plenty of open spots. TIP: You can bring your own bag but you'll have to bag your items outside. Don't fret - there is a bagging station that is cleaned after each use. That's where they also clean your carts or baskets. Definitely planning on coming back over and over again. read more

See all

This is definitely my favorite grocery store that I've found in East Bay so far. I literally get so excited whenever I need to make a trip to Berkeley Bowl because it's so fun just to explore the aisles and find something I've never seen before. The first few times I was here and was so amazed by the options of ice cream, milk (including plant based), snacks, and even typical Asian groceries, that I couldn't help taking pictures! This store also has the most expansive produce section I've ever seen, especially the organic section. Ive never found any other supermarket that carries organic Napa, organic bok choy, or even so many organic seasonings. They also have this fresh refrigerated section where you can buy freshly made udon, pasta, and even cookie dough that you can bake yourself. My only qualm about this place is that it can feel super chaotic sometimes when you're shopping during COVID-19 times. The aisles are too narrow for carts to pass by each other and it can be so crowded that it's hard for everyone to stand 6 ft apart. I appreciate how they've been able to keep the shelves stocked, but it can be a bit stressful when shopping because of the crowdedness. Overall, I really love it here -- this place definitely made me realize that grocery shopping is fun! read more

See all

I was struck hard by a speeding cart mid-day. Hard enough to knock the wind out of me. This wasn't "crowded chaos" it was middle of the day and the shopper had plenty of room to build up speed. Adding insult to injury, the clerk's response: "Hope you have a better day" as if being hit by carts is just part of shopping here. Other stores don't feel like this. The aggressive, unsafe culture seems unique to Berkeley Bowl and it's time management took safety seriously. read more

Glad I found street parking, because the parking spot were too tight for my liking. I first discovered I wasn't lactose intolerant to Buffalo cheese, when I first tried this in Nepal. Ski queen taste like Caramel, which I first discovered in Norway. So worth it, even tho I'm lactose intolerant because I had never tasted any other cheese like this during my world travel. Too many options to select from at the mega store. First time I seen golden beets, and many different selection of teas. The produce department alone, which I probably spent way too much time being amazed by how many different mushrooms they sell here. They have so many plant base ice cream selection, but I wish it wasn't $9/ pint for the one I like. The multiple selections they have from produces, cheese to ice cream are so worth it. When I miss my world travel items, now I know to come back to Berkeley bowl because they have a high chance of carrying them unlike other stores. read more

Berkeley Bowl West - Buffalo mozzarella, ski queen, oat milk yogurt, raspberry black tea, cookie - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

If you're looking for a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, you found it! This is the must see. This store is like the year round farmers market. They have almost every seasonal fruit available. Prior to COVID, the workers would let you sample any of the fruits. Unfortunately that is not an option at the moment. One of the things I seek here is their ice cream. It's branded Berkeley Bowl but packaged by Loards Ice Cream. The mango, strawberry and cookies and cream flavors are to die for. They also used to have a large variety of kombucha that you could bottle yourself prior to covid. I would find the wide gamut of Marin Kombutcha flavors here. They have a great cafe across the way with coffee, sandwiches, pastries, and drinks. Bottom line, it's a fun place to visit even if it's just to look around. read more

Berkeley Bowl West - Entrance - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Wow! Wow! Wow! While visiting my daughter she told me we had to stop at this store. I wondered how special or unique a grocery store could possibly be. But now I understand her excitement. The produce section is humongous. There's a humongous section for organic and a humongous section for non-organic. The mushroom selection is ridiculous. The blueberries aren't in a little tiny containers it's just a huge table of blueberries. Clearly people in Northern California eat a lot of blueberries. Do you like kombucha they got kombucha they got a lot of kombucha they have kombucha on tap. Then there is the clearance section which could actually pretty cool for preserves. Definitely a super cool grocery store! I don't even know if grocery store is the right name for it. read more

See all

They have Shropshire blue cheese. They have cheese curds. They have these little toffee thingies that are cracktacular. They have this cocoa fleur roll on perfume that smells like flowers and vanilla. They have beets that come in ten colors and mushrooms I've never seen anywhere else and and and! It's waaaaaay crowded on Sundays but find a quieter day and check it out if you're a foodie who wants to see and taste all of the goodness. read more

Back in the mid 80's, when I was in middle school, every time my family members mentioned Berkeley Bowl, I thought they meant it was a bowling alley. One day, after visiting our aunt in Oakland, my other aunt mentioned that we were stopping by Berkeley Bowl prior to going home. She drove a station wagon similar to the one on National Lampoon's Vacation so there was a bunch of us in the car. I was excited since I was with my cousins so I assumed we were gonna play some bowling. Imagine my disappointment after realizing it was a grocery store. I was just as disappointed when Clark Griswold arrived at Wally's World only to find out it was closed for renovation. Well, the original Berkeley Bowl was a converted bowling alley, hence the name. Since then, they relocated and opened the main store at 2020 Oregon St. in 1999, and opened Berkeley Bowl West in 2009. Berkeley Bowl is the OG of grocery shopping when it comes to organic and sustainability. I mean they were doing it long before it became a thing. Since then, they have expanded and gotten bigger and better without losing their core. Usually when corporations become big and expand, they seem to lose their soul, but not Berkeley Bowl. In fact, they have added to their stock to include a lot of ethnic products. If I could describe Berkeley Bowl, I would say they are a combination of 99 Ranch, Mitsuwa Marketplace, Kukje, Safeway, Lucky, Albertson, Tokyo Fishmarket, Raley's, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Pacific Supermarket, Nijiya, Grocery Outlet, FoodMax and whatever else supermarket you can think of. Seriously, the quantity, quality and types of products they sell here is just phenomenal. The fruits and veggies are organic and they even carry Asian veggies that some big chain supermarkets don't sell. The meat (beef, pork and poultry) are high-quality and the seafood and shellfish are top-notch. They even carry sashimi-grade fish to complete a full course Japanese cuisine. And if you're talking high-end, they carry some fine ass caviar for the millionaires who can afford it. But, they are not exclusive as they are very inclusive with their reasonable prices. And if you don't have time to cook, you can grab some to-go food at the deli counter and hot food to go that will satisfy your hunger in a jiff. They have sammiches, salad, rice meals and pastries. And if you want gourmet food, they have those too. I was also surprised at the amount of Japanese canned coffee brands that they carry and Wifey had to tell me to put some back. Then I got to their Sake section and I was celebrating like a Yokozuna. Excellent beer selection; plenty of wines and liquor; fresh eggs including duck eggs; nuts and grains galore; all kinds of milk from oat, almond, soy, rice, goat and cow's milk; international beverage; coffee, cheese and spices. Shall I go on? I'm also impressed that they provide gloves for customers during covid and they only let in a certain amount of customers at a time. My one and only qualm is that the parking spaces are tiny and you're gonna need to squeeze in some tight spots so expect to suck in that gut when exiting or returning to your vehicles. However, that's a minor inconvenience and Berkeley Bowl is a one-stop shop for grocery items whether your Mexican, Asian or Caucasian. They've definitely captured the beat of the Bay Area and it's a strike and not a spare. #YelpChallenge2020 review No. 1 read more

See all

Love this place. Good place to meet up and have a coffee or snacks with friends before or after grocery shopping. read more

Berkeley Bowl West - Dela Curo Curry (previously at Swan's Market in Old Oakland) is now available at the cafe. - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

The other location is BY FAR WAY BETTER than this one... went in yesterday because I was in the area. The employees are HORRIBLY RUDE!!, the flow of the store is off completely.. and the Deli soup Kale, Chicken & White Beans was NOT DONE!! After coming all the way from SF to shop this is the last experience I expected. When I called to inform them about the soup today the customer service counter was so dismissive & unconcerned. I WILL NOT RETURN!! But I will be calling the store manager to complain about the $12.00 deli soup that should have been cooked!!!! Smh! ‍ really gotta cook your own food nowadays. read more

I like this Berkeley Bowl West, but hate parking in the garage, so I'll come here after 1pm and before 5pm to avoid the crowds. I usually come here for the produce, because it's so cheap. However, sometimes it's really expensive, especially organic food and veggies. read more

See all

Lentil soup or chilli & beans, beans are always hard under cooked €€€£££££££££££¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

This is a pretty amazing grocery store if you're looking for produce. It's basically a farmer's market indoors. Best mushroom selection I've seen anywhere. Prices are high, but you get what you pay for. Convenient parking in a very congested little parking lot. read more

Best grocery store in the East Bay. Great produce, good prices, friendly staff. Love it!

Very poor customer service. Prices are high for many items except vegetables. Experienced racist behavior by staff.

Love Berkeley bowl so many healthy options and so many vegan offerings. They carry our favorite juices too! Liquified juicery! Best juices out there read more

Berkeley Bowl West - The best cold pressed juices in the Bay Area liquified juicery we love all the flavors - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

I have been coming to this store for 10+ years , known some of the folks that works here too! Everything here is 5 stars for me, except the meat and fish dept. the male clerks here are mostly rude and tends to rush you. I never seen a work place that casually mocking customers at loud between themselves. read more

Once upon a time, it was good to have a grocery store in your lovely neighborhood but now it's a total mess! SUPER EXPENSIVE EVERYTHING!! I feel bad about how poor management can turn a good business into an absolute pain!! I wish they can upgrade their services more friendly, no more rotten salsa in the burrito area or organic produce section, also some terrible employees! No backgrounds are probably checked now a days before hiring a employee as their business is booming during pandemic !! I would highly recommend & hope the business owner to look forward to this issues immediately, thanks. read more

See all

This store is a zoo. I believe it was a fire hazard for so many people to be in there yesterday. What a hassle. This is my second or third time in the store. I had the unfortunate experience of getting Gigi as my cashier. Wow, what an epic failure. She looked high or on barbiturates. She made no eye contact and looked like a zombie. She made an error and then decided to come to life. She began raising her voice at me and demanding that I go and resolve her issue at the customer service desk. She told me I was rude, raised her voice at me and acted like a complete child. I left feeling sad and angry. The front end manager said he would talk with her. I am not sure that means. Very very bad experience. It's sad that you pay so much for groceries, only to be so badly mistreated. Bad bad bad. read more

Finally a store that I can find everything I want. It's clean, organized, efficient and the selection of groceries is huge. There are plenty of parking spaces. Even when the parking lot is full, it doesn't take long to wait for an empty space. I have a pretty diverse diet, and I was able to find cheese, exotic fruits, wild mushrooms, specialty bread, Japanese noodle and a few other things in the same store. It saved me so much time since I didn't have to drive to different places and I actually enjoyed the shopping experience even though I normally hate shopping for groceries. read more

The Bowl is packed with shoppers every holiday. Stay away unless you love long lines and packed parking lots. We walked out, didnt buy a thing. read more

The Thanksgiving complete turkey dinner was not good with respect to the turkey--heavily salted and smoked, it tasted dry, tough and terrible. The Mac and cheese was also pretty awful with a bechamel the consistency of glue. Brussels sprouts were untrimmed, unwashed and basically left whole and raw so I wound up washing, trimming and chopping anyway--what was the point of that? Squash was similarly meh but at least that was washed/chopped and prepped. The only good aspects were the cranberry apple sauce and the gravy. Mashed potato was ok but had some odd binder and too much diarrhea inducing-butter. Will not bother with this next year. If you have to pay almost $200 for a prepared Thanksgiving dinner it should be properly cooked and worth eating! read more

Berkeley Bowl West is my go-to spot for picking up an easy lunch while I'm at work. Check-out is usually quite quick even if there's a line. And the entire place is clean and well-organized! There's a lot of parking and it's just about a block down from the 36 bus stop at Heinz and 7th! It has a few more cool things than the other location, including a café/cafeteria space and even a fridge for Japanese milk bread (which I will be trying next time...). read more

Before I keep lagging on writing this review, let me just do it now. 10's ACROSS THE BOARD! I am so grateful to be close to this grocery store. The real winner here for me is there hot food section. For like $10, I can get a meal and share that with my hubby and the quality, quantity, and healthy punch I'm seeking is in it! I'm fighting inflation with this meal! read more

We used to frequent Berkeley Bowl pre-COVID for their fresh and affordable produce. It's no longer affordable. Their prices are now much higher than even neighborhood grocery stores. I know inflation is real, but Berkeley Bowl prices have inflated 2x more than elsewhere! Imagine our shock when we checked the receipt and found that this sad handful of mushrooms cost $5. This same amount costs $2 at Asian grocery stores. Everything else, including their vegetables and fruits, also seem pricier than what we've seen elsewhere. We won't be coming back anymore. read more

Berkeley Bowl West - A sad bunch of shimeji mushrooms costs $5.28 - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great vegies and cafe but overcrowded on this Covid Sunday. Perhaps due to rain they let more people inside. As we head into rainy season remember an umbrella for outside lines! This was my first trip to the west location and stocked up for the week on vegies. Love the signage for new crop apples and 5 different lemons as I searched for Cali. Shopping is hungry work so especially liked the fresh fish taco with crunchy coleslaw. If was xo stuffed that I needed the chips to scoop up all the drops!! read more

See all

Huge grocery store. They have everything you need including a butcher, cheese, fish, a ton of produce and more. It's a very Berkeley feel here give it a try if you're there. I would shop here regularly if I lived there. read more

Its always great to come here.third culture muffins were only 3.99. The kabocha squash was only 79 cents a pound. Lots of pumpkins. So colorful. read more

Berkeley Bowl West - Third culture mochi muffins - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great place to get your bulk items and look around for international products. Love their fresh veggies and fruit!! Just too many people here, hard to navigate around the store .. read more