Smart & Final

Smart and Final is great for your basic prepackaged foods like chips yogurt canned goods etc. I’m honestly not a fan of the meat department (really small) the fresh fruit & veg had been hit and miss for me (I’m very picky on those).
I am impressed with their First Street store brand. The canned corn and green beans are great, my only issue is that they only sell spinach in huge restraunt size cans. I would love some smaller cans of spinach. I prefer their split top bread for a filter and change.
The store is clean and the staff are excellent. One gentleman pulled down an item that was on top of three others on the top shelf. Cashiers are great and very cautious with your squishable items.
I will continue to shop here.

This store is great as far as value goes. It’s pretty close to my work and is very convenient for me to stop in here fairly often to pick up odds and ends on my way home. It’s always clean and fairly well organized.
The only reason they get a three stars instead of four or five is because the staff seems very disorganized. Particularly in check out, I understand that there are difficult customers, but it seems like every time I come in, check out takes forever because the person behind the register doesn’t know how to assist their guests with rainchecks or whatever randomcircahappenstance is going on. The shift leads need to coordinate with one another better as well, because there have been two occasions now when they have tried to call someone to the front lanes to assist with checkouts during the unfortunate back ups, after that person had already been sent home for the day. However, the staff has always been very friendly and they will have my continued patronage.

Never shopped here before, just was in the area and stopped by because I needed something. Will definitely never be shopping here again lol, asked for a manager and some woman named Robyn says «yea that’s me» I asked her my question which just seemed to annoy her as she shuffled about with some papers. Extremely rude, no smile, or hello, or even eye contact. I ended up just leaving after trying to speak with her. Don’t bother with this place, go somewhere else

This used to be a good store. The staff was courteous and cared about customers. The prices were comparable and the restrooms were taken care of.
This store is steadily slipping in its quality all the way around.
I was in there yesterday and I had a problem with one of the products literally exploding when I picked it up. I went to one of the staff who didn’t seem to care whether I had a problem or not. When I went into the restroom to get cleaned up, the water pressure was very low and there were no paper towels. I had to walk around with oil in my shoe.
The checker was really slow and pretty arrogant. Not a very good finish for as bad of an experience as I had.
Their prices were high. I’d have a much better experience going to Costco. At least I know what I’m getting into with Costco.
I’m going to think twice about going back to this Smart & Final!

I know that in the past I have spoken ill of the Peking Dragon, a restaurant which on and off I have frequented since their inception. Through the years there were times when the food lacked certain qualities that before we had gotten used to, other times it has been right on the money, but now after our visit yesterday around 1 PM we chose from their lunch menu items, which keeps increasing in price and somewhat decreasing in size, I finally realized that the Peking Dragon is nothing to scoff at. It finally dawned on me that this place, with its better moments and their not so good, is the one place that one keeps coming back to, specially for those lucky enough to live in that beautiful area which is Dana Point. Plate ordered:
Mandarin Prawn, around $ 13.25 a plate. The beauty about the Peking Dragon is that one can request light sauce, less or more spice, and they will make it no questions asked. The Prawns dish has shrunk a little bit, and come to think about it, so had the dish in which it was served, but it arrived to the table hot and crispy, with a side order of fried rice (not spectacular for it is the most basic rendition during lunch), and it was very tasty. There were 4 of us, and two had this dish. Eaten with no problems, really enjoyable, all imaginings of diets and conservative options, were put on hold. The lunch comes with soup (egg flour, not too shabby, sometimes a little more watery, but so easy to eat), and the choice of two pieces of fried chicken or egg rolls. I have to say that Peking Dragon has the technique of the fried chicken down to a science, making this selection almost addicting, never seem to be enough. Shane, one of the owners, has the audacity to charge for this same fried chicken on the appetizer menu $ 9.25 for 4 chicken wings! Yes, and I buy it almost every time for I have been hooked from way back. Is it the high temperature in which these wonderful morsels are seared, the simple but enticing coating applied? Go ask the Chef, but I warn anyone, entering their kitchen and getting answers is nearly impossible. Believe me, I tried. 5 Stars.
Peking Dragon Beef, $ 11.25 or so. Two of these were ordered by the lovely ladies in the group. Soft and tender slices of meat with green onions and special sauce. Perhaps not the best lunch selection, the shrimp with vegetable I would have ordered before that one, but each one is entitled to what their little hearts desire, and they seemed to enjoy the selection, although one of the ladies gave me like half her dish, something she has been accused before of doing, which secretly I love! She also gave me one of her two pieces of chicken without having to ask. These were ordered with steamed rice and the same egg flower soup. 4 Stars.
Service very expedient and the waiter, Tony, I have known for several years, and frankly I like the heck out of him. He doesn’t say much, but listens well and is prompt with refreshing water and more tea, as requested. Now the Peking Dragon waits for the patrons to request water in honor to the conservation efforts the beautiful State of California is going through because of the drought. Had to throw that in.
Total bill: around $ 53 plus gratuity, which Tony from I do not know what part of China he is, was awarded happily and little bit more that what is correct these days.
Yes, must hand it to them. Lunch at Peking Dragon is a blast, and the numbers of patrons prove this is the place to go when that particular craving demands it. Been there for 30 years? Far out! 5 Stars.

It’s very rude and disappointing when you are waiting in line to pay, but have to wait even longer because the cashier, Carmen, had to finish her personal conversation with the customer in front of you… in Spanish. After she said goodbye, she greeted me and asked how I was. I responded and asked how she was, to which I was ignored because the previous customer came back to ask another question. She finished talking to them, in Spanish, again, and then proceeded to greet me AGAIN and ask how my day was AGAIN because she wasn’t paying any attention to me. Perhaps it was because I didn’t speak the correct language. Very rude and very unprofessional.

Funny how different Smart & Final stores can be, depending on who is running the show.
Went today because they are the only store that carry bulk buy, Lipton iced tea bags that make a gallon of tea per bag. Way cheaper than using the small, single cup tea bags and S & F has a good enough price to make a trip rather than order from Amazon or something. Now I’m not so sure after visiting this location.
SO MANY pallets in the aisles making it hard to navigate certain areas of the store but bigger problem yet is that all the food was sitting there with no one putting the stock away! Unbelievable… hams in boxes sitting out near the deli case for who knows how long with no employees in sight. Plus, only one cashier so it’s not like everyone suddenly had to open up some more lanes. I would hate to be the poor bum who bought one of those hams that sat out of refrigeration.
Unless there is a big change in how this store does business I will only buy our gallon iced tea bags, and not any potentially spoiled food items.

I love it here. Great prices on anything you see and it’s all top quality. This is one of the few stores in Temecula Valley where you can buy dry ice.

This review is not for this store in particular, but for this company as a whole. You might as well buy your supplies at a retail store, because their prices are pretty much the same. Wholesale prices, I don’t think so. Pretty much catering to organizations that don’t have to make a profit and have no overhead.

I have never been to this store before today. My wife sent me to get some party favors for the upcoming holidays. I was having some trouble finding what I was looking for so I politely asked the first employee I passed. Robyn was her the name on her tag. She was possible the rudest person I’ve spoken with in a very long time (and I was in the Marine Corps for over twenty years), to make matters even worst, I’m pretty sure she was a manager. I feel bad for her subordinates and I will NEVER shop here again.

I love that its a block from my house!

I shop here for my business just about daily. Best price for Torani syrups when you buy 6 at a time, total bargain and if they don’t have the flavor I need I can order it no problem. Torani fruit smoothie mix is also great price but I wish they carried more flavors. I see some reviews complaining about crowded aisles but the employees are very accommodating about moving things out of the way. Personally I am glad they are always restocking so they have everything I need in stock. Checkers are no nonsense to get through the lines quickly so we can all get where we need to go.
large selection of San Pellegrino, no chinotto though :(

This place has good stuff. The customer service however is disgustingly rood. All the cashiers are extremely rood and don’t want to do there jobs.

I shop here for my catering jobs and find that they have really great prices on almost everything in the store. My recommendations:
–don’t buy produce here, its usually not ripe or old
–if you buy meat use it immediately or freeze it
–watch for their little red stickers that will give you 50% or 25% off your item
–their store brand is really good and cheap
–the lines can be VERY long, so don’t try and rush in and out
–they more than likely have more of whatever you are looking for so just ask
The cashiers have always been very nice and friendly when we have been in, and I will continue to shop at this location.

pretty good decent prices

I love Smart & Final! They carry things you just can’t find anywhere else and they don’t extort you at the price register which is a bonus. I’m a huge fan of Costco and Sam’s Club, but good old Smart & Final comes through every time.
Big bonus: They just upgraded this one and it now has a huge produce section, again with reasonable prices.
Keep it up S&F!

Very helpful. They always help me to carry my heavy shopping card loaded with theire goodies to my car. I can find every thing I need and I don’t have to wait in a long line… It’s a fast check out and never more then 2 people at a time at the register.
Will always shop at at smart & Final. They added more meat and fresh veggie/​fruit sections…

I come to Smart and Final pretty regularly to get paper goods and coffee. Their can coffee prices are comparable to Costco, which means I don’t have to fight throngs of people, which I like. Their paper coffee cups, plastic forks and plates, etc are reasonably priced. Their food section is somewhat limited but you can probably get most of what you need there.

Just walked in for pizza dough and they didn’t have it. I did notice their prices and they are expensive.

Smart & Final has a great section of Torani syrups if you like to make Crackbucks creations at home. I also love that I can buy Chinese take-​out containers in bulk which I use to send people home with my baked goods and fill with picnic goodies (easy clean-​up) when I’m headed to the beach. Smart and Final is also the best place to get ice cream sundae or whatever? supplies (toffee bits, sprinkles, sauces, whipped cream, giant jars of maraschino cherries). Have fun!