special place with a special vibe and great teas and herbs. Fun to browse and connect with B.read more

Came in with my mom who seen this place and wanted to look around and we were NOT disappointed!! We…read morewere able to find traditional herbs that we've been looking for, for a long time and were treated very well. The owner was very knowledgeable about different ways to utilize the herbs and all the herbs we inquired about!! We will definitely be back! Our new favorite go to place!!

I suggest this grocery for vegetarians and vegans. Berkeley Natural Grocery has less meats than…read moreanyone as far as I know.

Yeah no. Back in the mid 2000s, til about 2012, I regularly shopped in this small local,…read moreemployee-owned grocers because it was close to where I lived, I prefer small, neighborhood markets, and I liked that everything was organic. I liked the long-time manager Michael (now many years retired). I was out of state for about 10 years, and returned a few years ago. I have dropped in here now and then for an item or two (or just to use the restroom, which is always very clean), and left empty-handed each time because the prices are laughably exorbitant. You can tell a lot about a business - grocers or other - by the mood or attitude when you walk in. I don't know if employees have been burned by bad customers or if it is just more post-pandemic 'Weltschmerz,' but whenever I stopped in here I never felt welcomed, or as though the staff actually enjoy working here. I hear no customer-staff friendly banter, see hardly any smiles. It is just stony-faced, entitled (mostly white) people getting what they need, not interacting with or making eye contact with others, much less exchanging smiles or friendly "hellos." It is one more example of the bratty coldness that has taken over most of Berkeley, which breaks my heart. This used to be a lovely market to call my "neighborhood market," but absolutely no longer is. Before any employees or the manager chime in with a response to defend their laughably exorbitant prices by reminding me of how small a market they are - whoa there, little kitties - your prices are still higher than Monterey Market up the road or another employee-owned market, Berkeley Bowl. I can't even afford to puchase a bottle of mustard here, and must get it at Trader Joes. Be honest: This market is for VERY WEALTHY PEOPLE ONLY or for people who DON'T MIND MAXXING OUT THEIR CREDIT CARDS HERE so that they can feel like one of the "cool kids" for shopping here. Your produce is beautiful, your shop very spic 'n span clean, I appreciate that you offer non-GMO and Fair Trade groceries, but you could do better, truly, by making the less-than-ridiculously wealthy people feel more welcome here. You'd have to care about us first though.

PROS: -So much selection and specialty foods…read more -FREE Parking lot across the street -Clean Bathrooms- not in the store, but on the premises. -Friendly and knowledgeable staff. -Fresh produce and flowers- locally grown! KEEP IN MIND -It can get BUSY- depending on the time of day and week -with that said, even with the parking lot, it may be full and you'll have to find street parking. -Considering how crowded it can get, navigating around the store can be a little tricky, esp. with a cart. -It can a little overwhelming especially if it's your first time there AND it's busy. I always love coming here! But I go when it's not peak hours bc when it's busy, it's like Costco, so be mentally prepared AND patient- with other customers and the staff.

I never knew about Berkeley Bowl Marketplace until my wife told me about it years ago. We recently…read moretook a friend to BBM, and she was very impressed with their produce and variety. I mean you can find so many different variety of apples, oranges, mushrooms, etc. [From the internet] "Unmatched Variety: The store is celebrated for carrying dozens of varieties of single items--such as 15 different kinds of apples or half a dozen types of artichokes." For example, Chocolate Navel Oranges: a rare citrus tree variety featuring a unique deep bronze-brown rind and sweet, low-acid, bright orange flesh. The taste of a Chocolate Navel Orange is exceptionally sweet, rich, and mellow, often described as a "gourmet" upgrade to a standard orange. Starkrimson Pears: a striking, sweet, and juicy late-summer variety distinguished by its vibrant crimson-red skin and thick, stocky stem. Pink Pearl Apples: a rare heirloom variety featuring translucent, yellow-green skin and a striking, vibrant bright-pink flesh. Crisp and juicy with a tart to sweet-tart taste, offering tangy berry and subtle grapefruit notes. Come check out this local gem! Support your local businesses.

Love this place! Healthy, nutrient dense prepared foods at reasonable prices. Great to have these…read moreprepared foods to eat on busy weekdays. There's no place like it!

Awesome unique spot that I found while on a quest to try all the local ferments in the area. They…read morehave a fridge full of large-format bottles of kombucha and water kefir in cool edgy flavors such as nettle as well as more standard flavors like hibiscus. I only had the chance to try one thing and opted for the blood orange cardamom kefir made with molasses and vanilla bean. How cool. I really enjoyed it. Cardamom and blood orange are both easily overdone, but not in this case. Extremely well executed. I think the vanilla bean worked behind the scenes to help mellow everything out. Yum. I downed the bottle and returned it (for a cash refund of the bottle deposit) before moving on to my next fermentation destination.

Everything is very fresh and they have quality produce. If you want to buy bulk, there are large…read morequantities available.

Monterey Market is one of my go-to spots for produce, especially if you like variety. Their…read moreselection is huge, and the mushroom section is on another level, way beyond what you see at a normal grocery store. Fun fact: this place is famous for carrying hard-to-find and foraged produce and has been a quiet favorite of Bay Area chefs for decades, which explains why half the fruits look like they belong in a cooking show challenge. That said, the quality isn't flawless. This past summer the corn on the cob was disappointing, with a few ears already rotten at one end once you peel back the husk, so definitely inspect before buying. Also, the clientele is usually fine, but this visit featured an unnecessary checkout cameo from a full-volume Karen who felt the need to explain how standing in line works. The cashier chose silence, which felt like a statement. Still a great market overall, just keep an eye on the corn and maybe bring a little extra patience to the register.

Really good prices and everyone is really helpful at the store. If I lived closer I would get a lot…read moreof my dry goods from here! I got a jar of honey and its soo good.

What a disappointment. This used to be my "go to" for food and health supplements, but no more. The…read morecustomer service has really gone downhill (rude and unhelpful and suspicious staff) and they're selling food that is NOT FRESH. Let me start with those sunflower and date cookies that are supposed to be "freshly baked." Not so. Stale as can be! And the store refused to take them back or offer a refund or store credit. The "organic" white and yellow popcorn. STALE! I tried 3 different methods of popping with stale results all 3 times. Staff's reaction? Defensiveness and no offer of a reasonable solution...had to "match" the price to another item of the same value. Ridiculous. Honestly, I thought I was in Farmer Joe's for a minute! Finally, that bulk "large flake" yeast can be sketchy looking. Strange dark blotches of who-knows-what mixed in. This I did not take back...I just threw it out. Never shopping there again...I detest rude and unfriendly staff at a business where I'm spending my sparse, fixed income money!

There are not many places to get supplements (besides Whole Foods), so I shop here periodically,…read morebut I do not appreciate the staff's demeanor, and have not met a helpful one yet. I think I need to stop going there...the treatment by the last employee has stayed with me for days. When going to a place to get healed it doesn't help to feel like crap after an interaction.

Alex is the epitome of cool. He took my (phone) order to ensure the shipping would get to us in…read moretime. He was SO friendly and I absolutely LOVED that he narrated the clacking the computer keys "do do do...doing computer stuff." If you're ever in Berkeley, stop by!

What a Richmond gem. Glad we stopped by on this Sunday morning. I feel like they have a little bit…read moreof everything. I really liked their bulk supply section and variety of teas. Id espeacially like to thank Maria for listening to the issue we were trying to address and providing her expertise. We will be back again.

For a local natural food location this place is very good. Went to check on the Bill Gates support…read morefor Alzheimer's and memory loss that Clint Eastwood Dick Van Dyke all recommended.

Great values, nice people, very expensive, limited selection, potentially old/not-as-fresh produce…read more I've been coming here on and off for the past few years (lockdown excluded) on my way home after RSF visits. Convenient place to grab something like a spice, frozen meal, or miscellaneous kitchen item. But you'll pay for that convenience. I find items are marked up ~20% compared to TJ's or Safeway. That said, I recognize this place isn't a massive chain and goes out of its way to maintain certain standards/values that regular grocers don't. I recently bought some cookies (pictured below) and a pound of pinto beans which came out to $8 after a 10% discount (tip at time of writing: get discount by filling out survey). Cookies actually tasted fantastic. The dried pinto beans seem to be a bit old based on how long it took to prepare them, still okay though. I decided not to go for the fresh fruit because they looked battered. Overall, nice place that's conveniently located, but on the pricier side and doesn't have enough to cover all your grocery needs.

they scam you at check out they dont show you the price of anything, add a huge tip and then charge…read moreyou 2x the price of a normal store. the students who work there are scamming. the food is stale, you can see from the other reviews, the food is not super safe. not a good safe place.

Maria the herbalist was such a great friendly soul. She is a great educator and a spiritual healer…read more She gave me and my sister great service, vibes and an experience. She brings authenticity great knowledge. I would recommend her to anybody. My sister had a great experience shopping here. We will be back. 5 stars all across.

They did not have the allulose sweetener I was looking for but they delightedly helped me find it…read moresomewhere else