Lakeshore Produce

I love this shop! Family owned and operated, friendly, and they have a unique selection of produce. Their fruit cups, Pad Thai, and spring rolls are my staple. I buy them frequently. If I am not mistaken, the spring rolls /​Pad Thai are made daily by a friend exclusively for the business, and the fruit cups are prepared right in the back of the store. They’ve been on Lakeshore forever and I love supporting them! Some of the employees have even gotten to know me by the products I routinely buy! They might seem a little pricey, but it’s worth it (nowhere near as pricey as Whole Foods). It’s refreshing to shop for produce at a dedicated market, rather than the big chain grocery store.

Although I will say that they do sell some good, hard to find items, I do NOT recommend buying any type of produce or perishable items here. Once I bought an item only to realize when I got it home it was past the expiration date (like wayy past, not just a day or two). Today I bought a seemingly fresh red bell pepper and when I got it home and cut it open, it was full of mold. Disgusting!
They clearly don’t rotate their stock or care about freshness!

Not the largest selection but they have some great produce. The real steal at LP is their pad thai and spring rolls, the pad thai is the best around and is cheap. Only downside is they have set amounts for each day, so you have to get while the getting is good

For being there for me through the thick and the thin… 5 stars to the corner store.
Kale is on the expensive side, but also on the high quality side. Go into trader joes for 40% off the price, and off of quality.
This place is run by nice folks, the food here is amazing, the bulk section here is where you get ahead in life. Get those lentils, popcorns, etc., and you are good to go. Always this place has citrus for me.
I once asked when the pomegranates (which are great here) were coming in, and he said thanksgiving, but the pomegranates came more like in October. Way to under promise and over deliver, can’t argue with that as a best practice, kudos folks, a well-​deserved 5 stars

Small place it’s a quarter of what they would carry in whole foods. It’s great if you need to run in and grab supplements or a snack. Friendly staff very helpful.

I love this place for it’s produce selection and other odds and ends which keep the pantry stocked. They have some nice vegan selections such as cashew cheese, ice cream, and veganaise. It also feels good to shop here and know we are supporting an independent neighborhood market.

For my artistic soul, I thought I’d venture into this teeny tiny place and observe if I felt the following: a) guilty for being in a fruit and veggie market while a farmer’s market was just outside b) proud for supporting a mom and pop place in my neighborhood and c) a little less homesick as this mini store feels a lot like the tiny stores in NYC and the boroughs. Verdict: I felt none of the above; it was an intellectual exercise. But I was glad to see they carry Eden canned beans, etc., which, though pricey, are the only canned products I know of that have avoided the BPA thingee. Got some cilantro, chickpeas, and lettuce. It’s got a slightly Chinatown vibe. It’s got a Latino market vibe with those hanging spice packets.

I go to this place all of the time and love it for the always ripe produce. I don’t think they do organic, but when it comes to the routine stuff they are an excellent source. Trader Joe’s is next door and I usually get my meat and dairy over there, then swing by this place for anything on the veg or fruit end of the shopping list.

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for this place. It’s tough selling fruits & veggies next to Trader Joes, ya know? But, TJ’s produce is so bad that it’s worth making the extra stop at this green grocer on your way out. The selection reminds me of the country fruit stands of my childhood. Brightly colored seasonal items all crisp & fresh, with tiny aisles made for shopping with a basket, not a cart.
I stocked up on some juicing goods: kale, apples, pears, carrots, lime, ginger. Then, I noticed some freshly cut Manila mango in a little container by the check-​out counter, for just $ 3. It was bright orange and thoroughly ripe (unlike the hard yellow pre-​cut mango you find at TJs), and SO delish. Like, a revelation of fruit enjoyment. I walked away with a bag full of healthy loot for $ 13, plus a clean conscience for supporting local biz. Now that’s tasty.
They have a good selection of healthy pantry items and bulk foods, plus ethnic spices & sauces, and lots of boxed tea. The Vietnamese spring rolls looked über fresh & homemade — if I had room in my bag, I’d have grabbed one.
If you can’t stand the supermarket crowds, and just want a few goods to get you through the week, Lakeshore Produce is a lifesaver. Long live small biz!

I come here all the time to get various odds and ends like herbs. You hardly ever have to wait in line and there’s a surprising amount of stuff here, like lime leaves and thai basil and various kinds of chili peppers. The prices are reasonable and they have a bargain table too. It’s a good place to get Asian ingredients when you don’t want to go to Chinatown, but they also have things such as organic yogurt and bulk goods.

I like my mangoes not-​quite-​ripe– a little on the sour side. I thought it was great when the cashier at Lakeshore Produce noticed this and alerted me to sweeter options before I paid. That’s a kind of attention that you can only get at a small grocer.
A few other advantages that I’ve noticed at Lakeshore are:
–fresher ginger than Whole Foods has
–Riper avocados than WF, Berkeley Bowl, or even Monterey Market.
–Organic portabellas for super cheap.
I’m always shocked at how wide this store’s selection is, and how low it manages to keep its prices. Nice work, guys.

I waltzed into Trader Joe’s and promptly waltzed out. Being in a bit of a pinch, I hadn’t the time to fight off the crowds and wait in the long single-​feeder line. But soft! A neighborhood produce stand.
I walked in and asked about the strawberries and the woman pointed to a table outside the store where a variety of berries sat in full sun. While live berries appreciate ample sunlight whilst growing, dead ones are only helped along to the compost bin. That aside, a quart of strawberries was priced at $ 5.99. So let’s forget that unpleasantness and move on to the bulk section.
I fill a bag with long-​grain brown rice and the lady at the register asks if it is basmati – double the price of your run-​of-​the-​mill brown rice. I think its worth noting that the two are markedly different in appearance and that this marked difference ought to be apparent to someone who stocks the damn rice.
I should mention to anyone new to the bulk section: you want to be buying from someplace with high turnaround like Berkeley Bowl or Rainbow Grocery. Admittedly these places are expensive but the bulk foods are typically less expensive and are replenished frequently so you don’t end up with year-​old beans. That said, I would skip Lakeshore Produce for bulk food.
I think I’ll skip it altogether.

Just opened my 4^th quart of spoiled milk from here in the past year. *yuk* Never again.

I went there on a Tuesday morning right after I had gone to Traders Joe’s thinking I would like to support the local store too. I was excited to
find they have a great selection of bulk items and veggies. So excited I was telling myself this is the place I’ll shop at from now on. Well that all changed as soon as I had contact with the one person working there. First I waited at the register while he stocked right near the register without acknowledging me. It’s a tiny store, there no way he didn’t notice I was there! Then I asked him the price of the tofu rolls and he answered like I was bothering him. No hi, no smile, no how are you, and no thank you after I paid, just handed me my change. Seriously?! If you can’t be bothered with customers then o won’t bother shopping at your store!

So I go in there for a tomato, thinking OK, I live nearby and sure it might look janky on the outside, but maybe when I go in I’ll get the warmth and customer attention you expect from such small neighborhood markets.
So I find the tomatoes, which are clearly divided into organic ($ 3.99) heirloom ($ 3.99) and typical nonorganic ($ 1.99). I grab the nicest nonorganic tomato I can find and head up to the register … then I’m promptly priced for a $ 3.99/lb tomato.
«Are you sure that’s organic?»
«…» (Puzzled look)
«There’s no sticker on it.»
«…» (Ponders how he’ll pull off the upsell.) «It’s heirloom.»
«It doesn’t look heirloom.»
(Note: I buy heirlooms all the time; I know what an heirloom tomato looks like! Besides, the heirlooms here had flies crawling on them. Seriously.)
So he goes back to the tomatoes, and I dunno, what, compares them? Then he comes back and says, «It’s heirloom,» and continues to ring me up.
Lame! If I’d wanted an organic or heirloom tomato, I’d have gone the farmers market! Ugh. Last time you’ll see me there.

I love this place! It’s small but has big heart and the staff is really friendly.
They have a great variety of fresh produce and dry goods along with some obscure items that can be hard to find at any regular market.
They carry nice cheeses and some meats as well.
If your a foodie that wants to utilize some fresh neighborhood goodness in your cooking, shop at Lakeshore Produce.

I want to love this place so much, but the produce is terrible and expensive. Don’t try to get anything refrigerated. I’ve tried getting yogurt a few times, and despite the fact it wasn’t going to expire for a month, it was really off. The potatoes are squishy and the fruit is moldy. Don’t do it.

Do you ever have those creepy moments when you are talking about something and then it comes true?
I was in another fancy health store up the street and I was complaining about how my local whole foods no longer carries this delicious vegetarian sloppy joe mix and I had been craving it for a while.
The man and I head down to Lakeshore Produce and low and behold I spot 6 boxes of said vegetarian sloppy joe mix!
I end up buying two boxes but I also admire their selection of fresh organic produce and a freezer full of Amy’s frozen entrees.
This place is a little vegetarian oasis and should not be skipped over just because it is so close a Trader Joe’s!

Great little store. True some of the things are a little pricey, but there is a lot of stuff here that you cant get at Safeway or the TJ’s down the street.
I love their spice section, they have everything I swear!
Always a large variety of produce.
I love it.

The service is not particularly friendly nor is the the selection particularly large, but the produce is certainly better than at the adjacent Trader Joe’s.
So when you need to make guacamole (or at least need to gather all the ingredients and then never get around to making it) and all the TJ’s avocados are inevitably teeny and ROCK hard, this place usually comes correct with ripe ones and saves you a trip to Whole Foods.