Monterey Market

If I could do my trip over again, I would have taken my local host's advice and stopped here instead of Costco. Wonderful fresh options and they even had my favorite veggie - delicata squash.

Clearly lots of love is poured into this grocery store.

Top quality produce and other groceries. Monterey Market is a Berkeley institution, like Berkeley Bowl but serving the north side. What sets it apart is the incredible diversity of produce available, all at top quality. The store has relationships with growers throughout the state, who I understand give preference to Monterey Market's buyers, and we all benefit.

If you can walk or avoid the busy parking area, I highly suggest visiting this treasure. This market is owned by local families for generations and the selection of colorful fruits, vegetables, herbs and dry goods is stellar. I've never seen as many types of mushrooms in one place. The selection of VEGAN tamales and dairy free alternatives is very welcome. As a vegan, I appreciate the absence of smelly animal carcasses. I think they have some fish though. This place gave the most wonderful impression.

INSANELY GOOD. How do they have such a wide variety of produce and ingredients in such a relatively small space?? Is this the most exquisite grocery store on earth? Am I in heaven? Well done. So many flavors that most stores don’t carry, everything here seems to be of great quality and consideration. Was able to balance my indulgences with deals from the discount rack! Double win.

Monterey Market is amazing. It’s remarkable how much quality grocery products, especially produce, can fit into a relatively small store. The best part of the store is the produce section. It has a remarkable variety of top quality produce and many unusual choices as well. This is the place to shop for produce. Try it. You will not be disappointed.

This is a neighborhood gem of a market with an impressive selection of organic, local, and heirloom produce. You'll find veggies and fruits here that you won't find at other markets. It also has a large bulk section and a unique selection of beans. Folks from all around the area come here to shop, so be prepared for long checkout lines.

Extensive variety of produce, fruits, local, organic, very good prices and selections. On sire, busy parking. Excellent service.

Best produce in town, unpretentious, good prices on the fresh stuff. Sometimes pricier on packaged items. Large selection, albeit not as huge as Berkeley Bowl, with what seems to be a more local focus.

One of my fave places to shop – on the planet!! (5/5 green stars)
When I moved to the Bay Area I was lucky enough to stumble upon Monterey Market. It’s really a wonderland of fruit and veggies for anyone who’s not used to having such a wide selection. I usually encourage all new-comers to go there – and then pester them from time to time to ask if they’ve gone yet. Now I know that Berkeley Bowl is a larger store (and I love the Bowl too) but Monterey Market has such a great concentration of amazing produce that it seems to have a larger selection. And for some things, like mushrooms or pesticide-free oranges, does. Even for items that have fewer varieties available, they’ll usually stock a local and organic option if possible. It has much less floor space devoted to freezers and packaged snacks compared to most other stores, and that encourages better shopping habits for me! Good bulk section too, that’s often overlooked. Final thing – their prices are good (see pics for a few examples) and that’s a good thing if you want to support sustainable farming but are on a budget. Doing away with the more expensive processed food, I can buy a huge bag of fruit and veggies to last almost 2 weeks for about $35.

I’m giving them 5/5 “green stars” for social and environmental impact. I thought it would be as easy as pie to write a “green star” review of Monterey market – and in a way it still is – but I did come across some controversy in the past. Basically, Bill Fujimoto stepped down as the manager in 2009 amid some disagreements that were not revealed. There was some concern among locals over whether they would maintain their ethos. Having shopped there since 2001 my opinion as an outsider is that it’s as good, if not better than ever. They still clearly favor local produce that’s sustainably farmed (organic, pesticide-free, etc.) – much of which comes from local farms that are well-known for their sustainable practices. As mentioned above they don’t stock a lot of frozen and processed food (that’ a good thing!) and the staples that they do stock are from responsible companies. To take a few examples, coffee from Ritual, Bicycle and (my fave) Counter Culture, kitchen supplies from If You Care, bread from Acme, organic or grass-fed cheese, etc. I can’t comment on wages paid to staff but many of them stick around for years and seem to be pretty happy these days; they run the store very efficiently and seem to have a good time in the process. If you’re avoiding waste in your life, Monterey Market is a good place to come – aside from standard bulk items (flour, sugar, etc.) you can also stock up on things like good local dried beans and nuts in (or out of) their shells. If you really need a bag but want to avoid plastic, they have small paper bags beside the mushrooms – my favorite section :)

Interested in writing green star reviews? If so, contact me or check out greenstarsproject.

A unique fruit market in town, where u can get all the time fresh fruits and can get squeezed juices in front of u without any preservatives added. I always come here and try samples before purchasing a box. Thanks and once come and pass by will be a unique experience in the field of fruit markets. Thanks

This is the best market. I drive 1hr each way to shop here. Lots of organic produce and the prices are reasonable. Many fruits and vegetables that aren't found in your typical grocery store. Way better than any farmers market! The checkers and produce stockers are amazing. Quick and kind.

One of the best stores I've been to. Loads of fresh mushrooms, fruits, veggies and local products.

Few stores provide this type of quality & depth of selection of fruits, mushrooms & vegetables. It's been a solid performer for decades.

I love this place- it's like going to farmers market without having to pay eight different vendors. They had squash blossoms even when the farmers market guys had run out.

Plenty of options for fruits and veggies and lot of other stuff at reasonable price. Smiling staff. Plenty of parking depending on the time of the day/day of the week you go.

Unbelievable diversity of fresh fruits and veggies. The jewels are the reduced price bags. Wow!

Great produce and fair prices. Love this market.

Super nice market, fruit, vegetables are all high quality, decent price, and sweet friendly staff.

It's a great place for shopping in safe money. Everything fresh. The best place.i loved

Great produce and local products. If you don't like navigating a crowded environment, not the place for you. Personally I think the close quarters adds to the charm. This is the place to go for fruits and veggies. For other items like meat or cheese, there are other places in the neighborhood