Berkeley Bowl
Good for: food, atmosphere, Solo Travellers, local vibe, fresh produce
Not good for: service, crowds, tourists, sanity
- Address
- 2020 Oregon St Ashby Station Area
- Phone
- tel, info: 510 843 6929
- Hours
- 09:00-20:00 Mon-Sat, 10:00-18:00 Sun
Lonely Planet review for Berkeley Bowl
A Berkeley institution since 1977, the Berkeley Bowl got its name from its original location in a former bowling alley. Its narrow aisles offer the absolute best and worst of Berkeley: produce, deli goods, wines and organic dry goods of the very highest quality threaten to topple off the shelves, while incredibly cranky and arrogant shoppers try to navigate oversize carts through the gridlock.
The self-centered rudeness amidst piles of celery and bulk granola bins can be exasperating and at times downright laughable. (Yoga, so popular in Berkeley, doesn't seem to put people in a positive mindset for the Bowl.) Get a picnic lunch here (weekdays, well ahead of the dinner rush, are relatively sane) and escape with it to Tilden Regional Park or the Berkeley Marina.
Traveller reviews for Berkeley Bowl (5)
-
-
-
Great selection, but not a destination for travelers
andy_murdock does not recommend this,
Berkeley Bowl has an amazing selection of produce, it's true. If you're in the area and you desperately need a kiwano melon, a basket of gooseberries, and some phak bung leaf, then this is the place to go. Otherwise, it's just a market, and a rather annoyingly crowded one at that. As a local I go once or twice a year because I can't stand the shopping experience in there, as a traveler I'd say spend your time doing something that's actually pleasant in Berkeley (explore the Berkeley campus, hike in Tilden Park, wander the UC Botanical Garden, eat good food, etc.).
Good for: local vibe, fresh produce
Not good for: crowds, tourists, sanity
-
they've got 20 different kinds of apples
nickisonline recommends this,
the first time i heard of this supermarket, i was starting my first semester at uc berkeley and i thought we were going bowling. i ended up someplace even better than expected, and took to it immediately. this supermarket is a cultural establishment that is a must-see for any out-of-towner who wants to get a glimpse of the miracle that is berkeley, ca. it represents the city's demographic well: hippies, college students, professors and professionals who all want to make a solid meal for a solid price, all with a clear consciousness and a want for a bill of clean health. talk to an employee and ask them about the supermarket's philosophy. this is a city where everyone knows who alice waters is and starbucks is so demonized that it's been successfully run out of business. it's also quite bourgeois but so endearingly so.
in-season fruits will be represented by the usual 10+ variety, which is daunting until you realize that they don't mind it (too much) if you tried one of each. there is also a daily cheese sample, which i would make a point to stop by four or five times during each shopping trip. the bulk food section also a lot of fun: i've tried just about every variety of granola that they have. also, ask them where you can find the kombucha.
Good for: Romance, atmosphere, food, service
-
A Pilgrimage to Produce
lsquared recommends this,
I enter the store and veer right – I check on the dessert offerings of the day, maybe grab a vegan doughnut and a cup of shade-grown coffee. Next I pick up a loaf of fresh bread, some walnut sourdough, perhaps. A sampling of olives from the antipasto bar would be nice, too.
I snake through the aisles, skipping over most of the stuff on the bare-bones display shelves. Most of these groceries can be found just about anywhere. Nothing really special here. Besides, this is not why I’ve come to The Bowl. I know nirvana awaits me on the other side of the 40,000 square foot store. I weave up and down each row of boxed rice and canned tomatoes as part of the journey. Upon turning down each aisle, my heart rate speeds up a bit. I take deep breaths in anticipation. I’m getting closer… closer… closer to my destination. This is my pilgrimage… to the produce section.
As I enter the vast section offering tubers, herbs, berries, tropical plants – you name it – I pause. I take in the scene with all my senses. I probably tick off a few people because I’m standing in their way. But I don’t care. I’ve traveled 3000 miles for this.
I meander among the mangoes, amble around the artichokes and saunter past the strawberries, looking at, touching and smelling the vast diversity of Mother Nature’s abundance. I count six types of basil, fourteen kinds of sweet potatoes and the goddess only knows how many variations of citrus fruits. I know what it’s like to be a newborn child in a stroller on the streets around Times Square. This is over-stimulation at its finest.
Alas, I can only select a few items of the bounty since I’m headed home within days. Still, the journey to this agricultural Mecca feeds my soul and my senses. And isn’t that what a pilgrimage is meant to do?
Good for: atmosphere, food, Solo Travellers
Not good for: service
-
Everything you've heard about Berkeley Bowl is true
torped0 recommends this,
Berkeley Bowl is at first incredibly daunting, in the same way that climbing the face of Yosemite's vertical Half Dome may be daunting. It's not for everyone. But fear not! For once you get to the top, it's totally worth it. You just have to keep your wits about you and take the smart route. And don't do it in a snowstorm... er, I mean after 4:00pm.
The secret to this market is the produce - if you stick to this section and buy things in-season you can come out with a brimming grocery bag for under $20! Keep an eye out for daily specials. The selection is IMMENSE (you want four varieties of yams? how about a durian?) and there are usually organic and regular varieties of everything. Asian produce is particularly well-represented here. There is even a dirt cheap bin in the back of various "over ripe" grab-bags for the intrepid bargain hunter. Next to this section are the popular Dry Goods in Bulk, where you can buy practically anything from nuts and granola to flax seeds and fifteen varieties of beans.
The other sections of the store are similarly primo, but here the prices are too. The cheese section is absolutely worth it. The prepared foods are pricey and not spectacular. The variety of packaged dry goods can be overwhelming, in a good way. If it's not here, you may never find it. Or you'll probably pay more for it at Whole Foods.
Good for: food, Solo Travellers
Not good for: service
Advertisement
Nearby things to do and see
Advertisement
