Andronico’s Market

Good riddance. All of their stores are overpriced, but this place was a dump to boot. See ya

Soooooo EXPENSIVE!!! For example, the same bottled water costs nearly twice as much here as it does at safeway. The reason for the two stars is their selection. They have some amazingly tasty treats. Bring the prices down, Andronico’s, and you will get five stars.

We like Andronico’s well enough and supporting local grocery chains is always nice. In the end, they have decent high end groceries, but to overall price and selection leaves something to be desired.
I have never had a bad experience in the store, which is one significant advantage over Berkeley bowl. However, the bill seems to stack up quickly and I often have to head to the bowl or whole foods to complete shopping for non basic recipes.

Definitely wins on convenience since it’s right around the block from D’s place. However, Andronico’s is expensive compared to other places, and honestly it’s playing us in trying to be the hipsters of supermarkets. But it aint! And it’s not fooling me. Well, maybe it is.
So why 4 stars? The customer service is always nice! And always sweet. They’re just friendly here, and sometimes that makes a big difference. Btw, CAL students get 5% daily and save 5 cents for bringing your own bag. it’s not much, but it’s not bad!

Holy moly overpriced. Nice, clean store, friendly staff, but compared to the other bunch of closely located grocery stores, this one is my least favorite. They have a good selection of items, but nothing I can’t get elsewhere. Feta cheese was $ 5 and the same brand one at the other stores nearby is $ 2.50-$ 3.00.
The best thing about this store is their samples… they definitely have some great goodies to sample (ie: macaroons, cupcakes, cookies, scones). This was just the one day I stopped in to grab something I needed on the way but other than that, I don’t think I’ll really be shopping here. With so much competition in the area with the same/​better products and for lower prices, there’s really not a good enough incentive to come here. Sorry Andronico’s!

TIP: Everything is overpriced – except for the meat (and even then, mostly the beef). On certain days, my boyfriend and I have scored a slab of kobe beef for $ 3 and nice cuts of steak for $ 4 each. It certainly looks and tastes fresher than Safeway, and is way cheaper than at Berkeley Bowl or Trader Joe’s. Skip the seafood and chicken though.
TIP: Lots of free samples! I haven’t quite figured out when the best samples are out, but there was one weekday evening when all different types of oranges and tangerines were sliced and ready for consumption. Another time, there were copious amounts of peaches and nectarines. Sometimes there’s garlic bread. Other days, the sample areas were empty. There are almost always pastry samples though, on a little platter that sits atop the cake and cookies display!
TIP: Just steps away from Willard Park, so if you’re having a BBQ and you need more charcoal, ice, or beer, walk a couple steps down the street to Andronico’s.
My boyfriend and I can literally zip through this Andronico’s in 10 minutes flat: try the samples, pick out some meat, shudder at the prices for all the other items, pay, and leave. Then we hit up other grocery stores for all of our other needs.

Everything here is so expensive!!! I’d rather shop at Safeway! They have the 15% off deal for students and faculty, but when I was an undergrad they only had it on Tuesday. I’m glad they have it every day now.
They have lots of selection here but it’s just not worth it. and the workers here aren’t that friendly or patient. Good thing is they sell pieces of cake for $ 3 or bread if you want a late night snack (funny how when we pay more for smaller portions it doesn’t matter as much to us… whole cakes are more worth it of course)! It’s located in a really convenient location because there’s a bus stop, plus, I lived three small blocks away: D

I often forget the this Andronico’s is even around. It’s South of Campus and students probably wish that there was a cheaper grocery store choice between this place and Whole Foods further down Telegraph. However, the selection, quality, and parking are still here.

$ 3.49 for a huge slice of Tuxedo Cake. The second best cake I’ve ever had.

I think everything here is grossly overpriced. Even their ramen– I mean come on! HOWEVER, their deli is super awesome. They’re always great samplers and the food is reasonably priced as well as fresh. The soups are a great deal, I believe I got a hugeeeee thing of clam chowder for less than $ 6.
They have a 15% off now everyday for students and faculty which is great. The staff is very friendly too. Even though tons of things here are overpriced, I must admit that they do have some unique stuff here. I have found some spices here than I would never have thought they carried (Grains of Paradise? Whoa) The staff is also very friendly and cordial. I love their little wine specialist who is always willing to tell us what goes well with which kind of food. They have some fresh marinated fish as well.

This is a clean and well-​organized supermarket that offers top quality food in a reasonable-​to-​high price. Hmm, 3.5 stars.
It has a huge selection of ingredients for Italian food. If you want weird-​shaped pasta, or ingredient like polanta, or anything less commonly seen, come here. They have them all!
They also have an olive bar, and a wonderful selection of high quality imported cheese from all over the world.
What I like best is their fruits selection. Compared to Safeway, Trader Joe’s and Berkeley Bowl, Andronico’s fruits are THE BEST in terms of quality. They are all very fresh and tasty! But it is also THE MOST EXPENSIVE place to buy fruits, among all the supermarkets I just mentioned.
While Andronico’s is admittedly rather expensive, they do have good offers and discounts from time to time. In addition, if you’re a Cal student, they give you discounts on Tuesdays if you show your Cal ID.
Having said that, I sometimes wonder how they stay in business though. Compared to Whole Foods, business is pretty bad here. I often see 10 cashiers open, but only 1 or 2 (very short) lines of customers waiting to pay. Of course this is great for us shoppers, as this supermarket is rarely crowded. I just wonder, with competition coming from all these big-​player supermarkets, how do they manage to survive?!?

EDIT:
Demoting them again from 3 stars to 2.
I just got back from Andronico’s again, and the groceries were pretty cheap (about $ 15ish). Then again, I didn’t get much. However, the reason for the extra deduction is that about 75% of the time I’ve gone, they’ve overcharged me for groceries. Today was no exception, and I was charged an extra $ 2 for vine tomatoes when I had Roma tomatoes. It’s a big problem since they make this kind of mistake all the time, and I always have to watch each item swipe through as they’re adding them up on the counter. You’d think that given how often this comes up, they’re doing it on purpose to alleviate some of that 15% off money they’re losing. Just keep this in mind.
The only reason I’m giving them 2 stars instead of 1 is that it’s convenient, and they have the 15% off which makes the prices reasonable.
END EDIT
Dropping rating from 4 stars to 3.
Okay, I lied. Stuff here really does cost an arm and a leg. However, if you go on Tuesdays (15% off), it’s about the same as any other grocery store. I go on Tuesdays every other week, and I usually only spend about $ 35 worth of groceries.
Despite how good their meat apparently is, it’s still really expensive (eg: they only have free-​range chicken, which is $ 8 or $ 9/​lb, depending on which one you get).

Just moved a block from here and a craving for gumbo and laziness/​lack of car prevented me from hitting up Berkeley Bowl. Gumbo ingredients cost me $ 52 for 12 servings. Same amount at BB was $ 30. The cashier told me he was giving me «the discount». When I asked what it was for, he said it was a student discount. I’m Indian, so I’m used to lying, but for some reason I decided to tell him I wasn’t student or faculty when he questioned me. He actually canceled the order and rescanned my groceries to delete the discount. WTF?
Walked back 90 minutes later, drunk and sans can opener but they were out. A very pleasant employee helped me find a bottle opener that he insisted would do the trick, and we both agreed that the gumbo needed crab, so I bought it. Same clerk asked me again if I was a student. As I was contemplating lying, he said, Oh I remember you. No discount. WTF?
I got back and cut my finger opening the can of crab with the janky bottle opener. I stabbed it with a hammer and eventually created a hole big enough to shake some of the crab out of the can. I’m in pain now, but the gumbo was delish. I miss my car and Berkeley Bowl’s bulk spices. And my $ 52. And my old roommate’s can opener.

If you’re a Cal student, go on Tuesdays and take advantage of the 15% discount… that applies to alcohol too hooray.
The only reason I go to Andronicos is to get their Adult Brownies. they’re the best thick dark sweet chocolatey brownie eva

Dang! Andronico’s seems to have standardized their egg salad recipe so there’s no longer a variation between stores and it’s not good. Too much mayonnaise and none of the onions, celery or other crunchy bits that used to make this deli’s so much better than the other Andronico’s delis’. Either we’re going to find another egg salad resource or I’m going to have to start making it my own self, something I’ve never done. Feh!

Pricey fruits and everything else but if you want quality you go for Andronicos.
Everyone is very willing to help you out and making sure that you find what you are looking for. I love the fresh produce aisle. Parking is pretty easy.

Sure, this place is pricey, but if you don’t go here for all your groceries and stick to specialty stuff (which you should already know costs more), it’s totally reasonable.
I’ve been here a few times. The first time I needed actual groceries but didn’t feel like walking all the way to Safeway, so it was a little frustrating when I saw the cost of some normally cheap items. Also, some of their center store stuff, I couldn’t find prices anywhere.
My latest trip was a much better experience. I went only looking for food in their deli area, and bought a delicious sandwich (salmon with spring greens and dill dressing) and a chocolate mousse cup that was out of this world.
Stick to the deli area with the expectation of spending a little more than usual, and you’ll not be disappointed.

Back in the day (mid nineties for me) Andronico’s and Whole Foods were the shizzle. I liked Andronico’s Olive bar and selection of produce and meats. It can be pricey — so I am not sure if these day’s they’d merit the 4 stars.
They have convenient hours and locations.
I enjoyed shopping there when I lived in Berkeley and Oakland.

Ten years ago I moved to Alameda from San Francisco where we were a block away from Andronicos in the Inner Sunset. That was a 5 star store. Now I rarely get to go to an Andronicos. I went again today.
The deli section is sub par. At times the staff is quite unfriendly, though when I went there today, the one person serving was pleasant.
And it is terribly overpriced!

Super easy parking, next to no lines and the roasted chicken from the service deli is usually pretty moist and flavorful, and the mac n’ cheese will never let you down. Creamy rich goodness with just a hint of spice.
The rest of the market is well stocked, with lots of obscure and interesting items. Pricey though.