Grocery Shopping in SF
This is a boring “day in the life” and “citysearch” style wrap-up. After a conversation lately with some friends re: supermarkets, we agreed that:
These are the places we wished we shopped, if given more time/money/resources
- night market at Ferry Building
- Chinatown- stockton street open markets
- Rainbow
- small specialty shops, like Molinari’s deli, fish stores in Chinatown
Where we actually shop:
Trader Joe’s (me, weekly. others, once a month)
Whole Paycheck, I mean, Foods
Mollie Stones
Andronico’s
Slaveway
Other random comments:
- the produce at TJ’s just bites.
- the pot pies and Quinoa at Whole Paycheck are good
- parking in TJ and Whole Paycheck is the worst parking experience in the city, and TJ on Masonic is famous for their employees who are traffic cops
- Harvest Market in the Castro and Rainbow smell funny.
- the “organic” produce at Slaveway is not that bad.
Related posts:
The Andronicos on Irving and Funston smells like the ass of a dead cow most of the time. Maybe it’s just the proximity of the fish and meat markets that make the perfect nasal storm but it really puts me off eating any meat or fish from there. And to polsh it off walking from the meat/fish stink to the olive wreak is almost enough to make me gag every time. Ventilation is our friend.
The back of Harvest is so disgusting-smelling, and that’s before the homeless settle in for the night (the warm vents provide free heating). Is it something about health food and whole grains? I know it causes flatulence, but that’s AFTER you eat it.
People talk about how great Andronicos is, but the one time I went to the one in Palo Alto, I was so disappointed! There was nothing special there and the prices were waaay high (coming from a faithful Whole Foods shopper). Cosentino’s and Lunardi’s are much better.
I used to live in Los Gatos right down the road from Whole Foods and Lunardi’s, and let’s just say that it would have been easier if my paycheck was direct-deposited to those stores.
Now I am a faithful TJ’s shopper, and I love it except that it closes too early! As a result, I often find myself at Safeway :(
For me, add “the insanely sketchy convenience store next door.” Seriously, this place is selling cereal that expired in October of 2005. But hey, I’m not about to walk fifteen minutes one way to TJ’s to get a half-gallon of milk, even if it is 40ยข cheaper.
Oh, I also shop at Costco for some stuff.
If you’re sensitive to malodorous markets, you might want to avoid the Stockton Street Chinatown area.
Why oh why is good produce such a pain to come by? Safeway… no way. Best to hit Golden Produce across the street (the one on Church). I live in the Mission and generally find ok produce at the corner markets… but sometimes it’s all nappy. We live in the best produce region in the country and we’re stuck with crap stuff?! Unless yes you hit the farmers market… the one at Civic Center on Wed is ok but can be expensive. Friends from out of town think it is utterly bizarre that I don’t drive to a supermarket, park, load up a cart and drive it home. The ‘market’ concept escapes them. Oh and the Trader Joes on 9th St… smells funny today.
Oh god, I miss Golden Produce so much. I also forgot to mention East Bay markets, which are the best f-ing veggie markets ever: Monterey Market and Berkeley Bowl! The cheese board is also amazing.
tell me if you agree: I think the pre-packed dinner & salad refrigerator aisle (also has potato chips) at Trader Joe’s is replacing the single’s scene at the Marina Safeway. Anyone agree?
Anna– I think you are DEAD ON! I work by the SOMA one and trudge in there for lunch foods and yes…. there is very much that vibe!
I’ve never checked it out, but I remember that when I lived in Santa Fe, the Reporter said that the best pickup spot in town was the olive bar at Whole Foods. Didn’t work out too well for me, but maybe if I’d been a few years older.
The problem with Trader Joe’s and their bad veggie selection, is that flirtatious singles can’t fondle the melons/cucumbers. It just doesn’t work to stroke the shrink wrap, you know? That was the Marina Safeway’s big lure, I’m told.
But asking which pre-prepared salad is tasty, or if blue corn chips go with guacamole for a rooftop party, that does work (well, not for me). Hey: the beer is near the single-food prepared foods too. Is it all a plan?
Golden Produce rocks; plus there is this cool Buddhist employee there who sometimes writes these zen-like affirmations on my receipts.
The produce at Rainbow is the worst in the city; plus only like 3 of the employees there are nice (and I know them).
The gay pickup scene at Safeway Castro is super-fun to watch; it’s also the best 3am people watching experience on the weekends (myself included). The Cala Bell Castro, however, could collapse from its own inertia and the quality of food shopping in the Castro would be improved.
Andronico’s in Berkeley is amazing; no other Andronico’s compare to that one.
Trader Joe’s in SOMA is now open until 10pm and it’s actually quite a pickup scene; I actually walked out of there 2 weeks ago with a phone number from a guy I felt was *way* out of my league which made me impressed with the pheremones or whatever is in their air vents there (I didn’t call him). I see lots of het action in the frozen food aisle. There were rumors that a Trader Joe’s was moving into the Castro; they even put in some local sign orders for the space where the paint store is on Market, but nothing has happened yet.
oooh…the beer isle! That’s a good idea: peruse the beer selection and ask the cute guy for a recommendation. But don’t know if the Trader Joe’s at Almaden and Blossom Hill Road in San Jose is exactly overflowing with single guys. I would guess that the Whole Foods in Los Gatos has the better singles scene. Or maybe someplace more up towards Palo Alto?
Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods (live half a block from WF) but I can’t wait for the new high end grocery store that’s opening in the new SF Center in the fall. Don’t know what it’s called but can’t wait.
Trader Joes’s and Cala,Whole Foods..are my shopping places..Wednesdays at the Civic Center Farmer’s Market for orchids and flowers,eggs,mushrooms,some produce..tomatoes in the summer from Santa Cruz that are the best in the City. I shop at Safeway twice a month for some things/things on sale,frozen entrees..Lean Cuisine,South Beach,Weight Watcher’s,etc.It is hard to cook for one..and if I just throw in a salad with a frozen entree,or a dinner from Whole Foods[the turkey and grilled vegetables is my favorite],that is enough for me..add a Weight Watcher’s dessert,and who needs to go to Jenny Craig? Do it yourself at home.The produce at Trader Joe’s is the best and freshest..yet.I just prefer the TJ experience and the paper bags.Classic grocery store..friendly staff..not rude like at Safeway or overcharging.TJ shopping and Whole Foods makes me feel better about myself after shopping there.
Somebody needs to start a store like TJ’s but with better produce and an integrated dating service. Maybe they should merge with Consumating or something.
Damn, I feel lucky living in Berkeley. I didn’t know it was so hard to get good produce in SF. As someone else said Monterey Market and Berkeley Bowl have uber cool veggies at decent prices, on the other hand the Bowl is insanely expensive for everything else so I don’t shop there.
TJ’s is a direct competitor to Whole Foods so I think that WF prices have come down in the last few years. If you do a comparison they’re really very similiar on pricing. Where they get you is that you’re probably buying more specialty goods (truffle oil, fire roasted organic salsa, rock shrimp, etc) as opposed to the old school generic brand sludge foods most of us grew up on.
I know I’m not planning on giving up my sun dried tomato and basil pesto addiction any time soon.
*sigh*
One thing that is cheaper at Whole Foods than Trader Joe’s: reusable bags. Whole foods sells these great green bags for only $1.99. Unlike canvas bags, they stand up by themselves for easy loading. I use them all of the time, including shopping at Trader Joe’s, where the checkers usually give me a hard time about them.
It was during one of these discussions that I found out that they are opening a Whole Foods on Blossom Hill right across the street from the Almaden Trader Joe’s! This will be so handy because right now, the closest Whole Foods for me is still back in Los Gatos. The guys at Trader Joe’s said that they are actually happy that it is opening because it will bring more of people like me to the area who like these types of stores.
(Anna, who knew that a post about grocery shopping would spark such a discussion!)
Weird that this thread is so huge, but then again, SF people and their food… a very close relationship.
Cute little market on Russian Hill, on the North Beach side: at Union St. and Mason. Reminds me of Golden Produce, but not as good as GP.
Btw, Cala Foods at the top of Haight street is closing soon. Word is that the landowner refused to renew the lease. Take heed all ye residents of the haight, panhandle and cole valley. I guess we’ll be seeing more of y’all at Andronico’s in the inner sunset.
Yeah, what’s up with the Cala Foods closings? I live in the Inner Richmond and ours closed, too. Luckily, I’m the same distance from Cal-Mart, so it’s walkable and the produce there is better. But that closing HAD to have screwed up a lot of people who don’t live as close to Laurel Village. Topping my wish list: A natural-foods store should open up in the empty Busby’s (sp?) space on Clement. Hell, I’d take a Whole Foods; I would single-handedly keep it in business.
The Cala Foods in the Castro is also scheduled to close - though I heard another grocery store is possibly on deck to replace it. TJ’s backed out of its plan to open a Castro location. Tug of war issues regarding parking and interuption of traffic flow were the (typical) killers. Apparently, the owner of the paint store/current location (15th @ Market) “now says he is committed to creating a multi-vendor fresh food marketplace in the existing building.” Translation: I’ve heard upscale gourmet chi chi.