Alfalfa’s Market

Alfalfa’s is the winner of Winter Bike to Work Day! With hot fresh scrambled eggs and sausages combined with fresh-​squeezed OJ, no other breakfast station came close.
They also have a great deli, nice café seating, and a commitment to new and different apples (did you know there are 15,000 apple varieties in the world?).

A great place to go when you have $ 60 for a small bag of groceries and want to be treated like an employee at the checkout line… i.e., bag your own (is this a discount food place? No!). Boulder’s Ten Cent bag rule allows them to treat everyone like they are on their own when it comes to customer service. Storefront clerks are unfriendly and rude to their customers, distracted while talking to other employees. But on the other hand, it’s an excellent place if I have an extra $ 9 to pay for dozen eggs…

Selections are amazing. Prices are outrageous. You can get coupons for $ 25 off $ 100 which makes it a little more reasonable and comparable to prices in other grocery stores. I appreciate all the organic produce and local products. If they could make their prices more reasonable I would give them 5 stars.

It saddens me to give Alfalfas just three stars-​because I find it important to have another option besides Whole Foods (which keeps bringing more and more conventional food into its store to offer more reasonable priced goods-​so now you really have to watch what you buy there too!). I wouldn’t mind the prices much at Alfalfas-​because I believe this store holds truer to offering all organic products that you dont have to pay attention to-​and they seem much more particular about the what they shelfl-​than WF does. This Store also has *** THE BEST BREAKFAST BURRITOS IN BOULDER*** hands down. (Trust me-​I have tried them all everywhere…) that being said though: The customer service is just lacking. The barristas at the coffe bar are TERRIBLE! I have learned to never go here for my am coffee if I am heading to work because they are so darn slow-​its like everyone is stoned-​and the coffee is just OK. I did the Breakfast Burrito and Coffee deal for $ 5 (AMAZING DEAL) – but was told by a Barrista that they could not give me a decaf coffe… the next day when offered the deal-​I mentioned that I drink decaf and cannot do the deal-​they said the COULD brew decaf (obviously…). then they overcharged me-​and the coffee was so aweful I didnt drink it anyway. Also, the cashiers at checkout lack customer service skills and are overall unfriendly. :(So Sad. * I also used to love the doughnuts, but the last two times they were so undercooked-​I didn’t even eat them. When I let an employee know-​they said «Oh. Sorry» in a sarcastic tone… no offer of a refund for my five purchased-​or a sincere apology. No thank you-​Part f shopping is the experience-​and this place nearly always gives me an overall negative experience.

They get their Croissants from the Med around 9.30 am and they are really good. They make a great espresso as well (They get their coffee from Ozo coffee roasters).

Not only is alfalfa’s terribly over priced, I’ve witnessed them profiling homeless/​transient people, people of color, and people with dreadlocks again and again. They do a good job at creating the illusion of a compassionate, community centered store.

Alfalfa’s tows you if you eat breakfast and end up doing work there through the morning. They have excellent expansive seating that’s comfortable and quiet. In fact, so much so that apparently I didn’t hear them reading license plate numbers over the intercom (what customer pays attention to the grocery store intercom?). They were bureaucratic and unapologetic about it all. This was after I had just spent $ 14.50 on sushi, and $ 10 on things to eat that morning. I think I bought coffee there too. Oh well, back to Whole Foods.

Has a extensive hot food deli, gourmet baked goods (inc entire gluten free case), and soups that rival Whole Foods. I often find items I can only get here because they’re local.
After returning two different brands of «healthy» cardboard-​like bread loads to Whole Foods, I eyed the $ 6.67 loaf of Colleens organic 10 grain (uploaded pic) with reluctance. It is so delicious in taste and texture, I felt compelled to write an Alfalfa review.
Not just a whole food grocery, but it has a wine shop with tastings 5 – 7 Tues & Fri, the deli hot food is delicious and they have a fresh salad bar too, and outdoor seating.
Too many natural grocery stores don’t have extensive gourmet delis so they don’t compete with Whole Goods. This one does. When in Boulder I come here.

Alfalfas is an unmitigated disaster. The most overpriced and overrated place in all of Boulder. Much more expensive than WholeFoods, and yet is like a cheap knock-​off of WholeFoods. I only pop in here when I absolutely have no time to drive the other 6 miles to WholeFoods on Pearl. Save yourself some money and enjoy VASTLY higher quality food by doing likewise.

I’m a little bummed. Doing a juice fast and I thought Alfalfa’s would be a great help with their juice bar. Their orange juice though organic is bottled. Why would they chose to do that? Oranges of all things are the easiest to juice. Are their apples fresh or in a bottle as well? Can’t call yourself a juice bar and use bottled ingredients.

This place is normally crazy-​expensive BUT the best (and biggest) burger in Boulder is only $ 5 during their Saturday Alf-​Fresco. Cooked to order, quality beef and a relatively quiet outdoor venue. A real find.

Horrible. I live 2 blocks from here, so I try and try again to find something edible to eat. I end up wandering around frustrated and hungry, usually leaving with prepackaged old humus and whatever flavorless cardboard cracker I decide on from their pitiful selection. The deli food is disgusting, and looks like it was made weeks ago, the salad bar has looked rotten and/​or dried out everytime I go in there, the soups used to be decent, but now… meh. the pastries are stale, I’ve even had to return chips that were so old all my coworkers tried 1 bite and spit it out. The lady was super rude to me before she realized that they had EXPIRED 6 MONTHS AGO. Last time I went everything looked so terrible that (thinking ‘how could they screw this up’) I settled on hard brie and slimy prociutto. I don’t mind paying more for quality food, but I don’t know what the hell is going on here… They’re more expensive than Whole Foods! Like 7.99 for a bottle of Simply Orange juice??? Or 8.99 for a small bottle of the cheapest mayo? Its insulting… How do they even stay in business?! And who are all these people that love it there, I’m so confused!

Checked out Alfalfa’s this weekend and was not disappointed!
It could almost be considered a café destination with the thought and attention they have put into the layout and Foodservice options. A coffee bar, a juice bar, extensive hot foods, and made to order options, as well as a very nice sushi prep area and bakery station! They even have real plates, bowls, and utensils if you are looking to eat there and remain environmentally conscious.
Overall, one of the best supermarkets on my tour of the Denver/​Boulder area.

SO great to be staying within five minutes of this market. My guy and I browsed the store and loved what we saw. They have a wonderful selection of organic, gluten-​free, vegan products — we will frequent this store throughout our vacation, I’m sure!

Yes, Alfalfa’s is expensive across the board. But my interactions are less for groceries and more for a quick bite to eat.
The coffee is reliably great and the baristas are always fantastic. While I have had some rough interactions with cashiers and service folks, the baristas are always spot on. Whether I’m there for loose leaf tea or a fresh cup of coffee, they know what they’re doing and they do it well.
I am a huge fan of their breakfast burritos, but I’m always got to get there before 8am if I want any hope of getting a meat-​free burrito. On one occasion, I picked up a potato, egg, and cheese burrito, labeled with it’s obligatory «PEC,» only to get into the office to discover that the burrito was mislabeled and I walked off with a handful of warm pork. Bleh! Now, I live with a lingering fear that my purchase may betray me.
The create-​your-​own sandwich option for lunch is great and they’ve got a nice selection of toppings. Their basic sides — cole slaw, potato chips, potato salad — are all mediocre at best. However, when they remember to drop a pickle in my to-​go box, it’s a welcomed addition.
Alfalfa’s is certainly not the place to blow through regularly — unless hemorrhaging money is your thing. But it doesn’t hurt to indulge time and again with a quality, quick bite to eat.

Great neighborhood market in Boulder with a variety of organic, gluten free, juice bar, beer/​wine selection, just what you need from a grocery store in Boulder. My friend is gluten free, so she was delighted to find a huge selection of gluten free items as its hard to find in Ohio.
I did enjoy a fresh cold pressed juice as the juice bar wasn’t busy when I was there, reminds me of Dorothy Lane Market back in Dayton

Alfalfas is expensive. I don’t mind expensive if the quality is there. Alfalfas suffers from the problem of wanting to have attractive display cases full of great fish, meat and other items. The problem is that they don’t turn the products fast enough for them to look fresh. They should get out of the fish business as their fish do not look very fresh.
Their meat case is not bad except the people behind the counter must be the butchers that no one else will hire. There have been two times when I have asked for a cut of meat and told that they don’t have it. I looked myself and found it both times.
Their pizza looks like it has been sitting there for hours.
The other issue I have is the attitude of the people. Most employees are not happy and you can tell when they wait on you. Do not ask for a special request as you will be told that management instructed them not to do any special requests.
They only happy and positive people are new. I assume that they will have that beaten out of them in a few weeks so they fit with the rest of the miserable others.
I live two blocks from Alfalfas and only go there for a few things. Unfortunately I usually get in my car and drive to Whole Foods when I want fresh food from happy, knowledgeable and helpful employees.

I have a love/​hate relationship with Alfalfa’s. The store is nice and clean. I enjoy doing my shopping there. The produce is very good and the shopping experience is rather pleasant. The deli section is remarkable and everything I have from the bakery and ready-​made food are also good.
What I don’t like about Alfalfa’s is the price! This grocery store is hands-​down the most expensive store to shop in locally. I swear their profit margin must be huge! I understand it’s the only grocery store downtown, which makes it extremely convenient but charging that much for food is insane. It’s where only the rich people can shop. Granted, I do find myself here more often than I should, basically due to convenience but I kick myself in the ass every time I leave. It’s too bad the prices can’t be lowered a bit to be more competitive with Sprouts or Natural Grocers (Vitamin Cottage).

I absolutely love that Alfalfa’s uses organic ingredients for their bakery, deli, green juices and more. I love this store and the staff is always really friendly. My one wish: Organic fresh mozzarella.
Thanks Alfalfa peeps!!!

Being new to the area, and having heard tales of Alfalfas, I finally chose to stop in for the experience one afternoon when craving a fresh pressed juice.
Wandering around a bit first to take in the selection, I enjoyed seeing a lot of products that Sprouts and Whole Foods don’t offer. Alfalfa’s pricing, I’d say, is comparable to Whole Foods… So I’ll stick with Trader Joe’s when it comes to my grocery essentials, but it was nice to see what options were available here.
Now the juice/​smoothie bar: Apparently mind reading is a necessary skill for ordering/​purchasing here if you’ve not done it before. (Protip to Alfalfa’s: put up a sign that let’s people know the process! It’ll be a godsend to your busy little workers who don’t have time to let new customers in on how it all works!)
I understand it’s a hot spot in the store and they stay quite busy, having quite the disorganized hoard of people just standing around — but their customer service could be a bit more attentive and professional. The staff seems to just assume everyone knows how their ordering/​purchasing system works, and will just let you stand there for ages while they buzz around doing whatever, until finally their customer service instinct kicks in and they ask if you’ve been helped.
So what’s the ordering system, you ask? Simple (but not self explanatory by any means) — grab a laminated order sheet and pen, and mark down your order. Hand it to one of the pretentious kids behind the counter and wait for them to give you a little laminated card with a number on it. Take that card to the cashier and pay (hopefully you’ve done all your shopping already, bc otherwise you’ll be checking out twice, sucker!) Get a receipt. Take said receipt to the juice counter and present it to the juicers who are holding your order hostage. Leave the store. Don’t come back (because honestly you can make a better juice at home for way less.)
Overall this place was meh. I’d come back if, and only if, Alfalfa’s was the only place I could get a particular product.