San Mateo Farmers’ Market

This is a great, year-​round farmers’ market. There are lots of produce stands as well as prepared food. There are literally tons of berries during the summer months! The prices are a little high, but the variety is awesome.

I do really like this Farmer’s Market. Mostly because it’s close to where I live but it’s a pretty good sized one.
My only disappointment is that I made the mistake of buying a mixed berry selection from one of the vendors (you know the ones that sell strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, and you can mix and match, buy 3 for $X). I paid $ 13 for a 3pk of each. I got burned once, shame on you. Burned twice, shame on me. When I got home, I discovered the crappy, spoiled berries underneath the lovely fresh ones on top. Not only that, the strawberries had white worms crawling on them. Ewwww. In all my years of buying berries at the market, this is the first time I’ve seen this. It was not a certified organic vendor. I almost lost my stomach.
So be forewarned, before buying from these vendors, check the fruit underneath if you can. Because what I saw was scarring. And it pissed me off, especially when I paid almost $ 4.50 for a little green basket of rotten berries, that I could not eat.

More types of eggplant for sale than you can shake a suggestive emoji at.
Get up early-​ish on a Saturday morning and get your buns over here.
Here’s some notes for your visit:
Def my favorite farmers’ market.
It’s not too small.
It’s not too big.
The variety of vendors is fun.
You do need to prep yourself with cash beforehand since there’s only like 2 vendors that take card, but it’s a worth a stop at your local ATM.
If you come right at 9am when it opens it is just plain magical.
Warm & sunny California mornings walking around the 3 aisles of vendors is my new fave thing.
The vendors are all rad.
Everyone’s got some sort of ‘special’ and it’s ‘just for you’… even though I’m 100% positive it’s for everyone.
Fresh figs.
The best tofu and tofu ready-​to-​eat products I’ve ever had.
Sweet Dragon Baking Company with those imperial stout caramel candies.
The best blackberries and raspberries I’ve ever had.
A zillion types of pizza focaccia.
I’m pretty excited to come here every Saturday for the rest of my life… or until I’m officially priced out of housing in the Bay Area.
Same thing.
Whatevvies.
See you there?

Huge variety of produce. Live entertainment. A lot of free parking. Great food. Don’t miss it!
And remember, closing time is the way to get the best deals!

San Mateo Farmers Market has sure changed since the winter appearance i made years ago. the big change is the prescene of some food trucks (the chairman, el porteno, roli roti, Seoulfood) and a couple dozen food vendors (the usual plus some local businesses also)
dozens of veggie/​fruits vendors the usual. lots of parking.
5 stars for the numerous choices and plenty of parking.
locale: College of San Mateo, sat. 9−1p.m.
eats: Seoulfood chicken too dry, binka eats fab, as was french pastry, forgot name.
nepalese spinach and cheese too salty.
foodnotes:
–food truck pricing pricier than food stands. of course items sold are not equivalent.

Great Farmer’s Market at CSM!
Came here right before closing at 12:50 and snagged up some amazing deals on fruit (buy one get one free raspberries ;).
It’s a little hectic with all of the vendors trying to close down their canopies, but if you want to get the biggest bang for your buck, closing time is the way to go.
They also have some delicious food options, like roasted corn and pastries!
Will be back.

Best Farmers Market on the Peninsula. Variety, parking, no major crowd.

What a fun Saturday morning! The San Mateo Farmers Market does not disappoint! It is just the right size (about 5 or 6 rows of vendors… not too big, and not too small). And despite the other reviews, the vendors are quite generous here… there were quite a few offering free samples of fruit. I highly recommend… Kashiwase Farms: their fruits are so sweet, it’s like eating candy. /​Brioche Bakery: the almond croissant is delicious and sells out fast so grab one of you can! /​La Vie Tonics: very tasty tonics and juices, small operation with everything bottled from scratch.

BEST Farmers’ Market in the peninsula/​South Bay… that I have been to lol. Mind you I have only been to these: Redwood City, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, San Carlos, and San Jose.
The vendors are so sweet and if you keep going to them weekly (or even close to closing time), they will give you some sort of deal or let you know the fruits, veggies, flowers, etc. that are coming up in upcoming weeks.
I do most of my grocery and flower shopping here. Favorite vendors (that I can name: Bob from Sinbad’s, Mimi from a flower/​veggie vendor (in the third aidle furthest from the parking lot), Peiru from Sweet Aha! Bakery… I also like two to three others but I can;t figure out their names. Will update this review after I get the names from my next visit.

I like this farmers market a lot because there is a good variety of vegetables and fruit from which to choose. I’m not into the jewelry and some other things sold there but if you like that kind of thing I believe you will enjoy that there also. The Roti Roli barbecue chicken and roasted potatoes sold there is beyond delicious! I also like the fresh tabouli salads and such sold there. Plenty of fresh flowers and plants are also available. This is the only Farmers Market I have found worth the time since I moved to San Mateo from Campbell.

We go here every Saturday that we are able to. Biggest and best market in the Bay Area! I love supporting and talking to the local vendors. Plenty of organic produce (our staples are lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, herbs.) Lots of samples of fruits. I’ve found random things for the first time here like watermelon radishes. I love buying the spring rolls! Plenty of fresh vegan and gluten free options. The best sweet corn I’ve had, and I’m from the Midwest. We also get wheat grass and barley for our cats. There are also a few food trucks like curry up now. Besides the frustration of parking, you will love this market! Bring plenty of bags and cash and you will walk away happy

I can’t tell you how much we love this Farmers Market… we drive down from SF to go here because there’s so much variety. And there’s parking! Lots of options of veggies, fruit and fresh seafood. Amazing and fresh! We come home with tons of food, all organic and everything tastes soooo good. I’m so happy that they’re open on most holidays too!
Thank you San Mateo farmers market!

I’ve been to the farmers’ market a couple times. I went at 12pm and it was still pretty packed! The farmers’ market only opens on Saturdays from 9am and closes at 1pm.
You can find a variety of delicious and fresh produce here! There are also many samples that you can try. The fruits offered are super sweet — from cherries, oranges, plums, +so much more… There are many foods sold here that are not just fruits/​vegetables — ex: pita bread, popcorn, tea, desserts, bread, etc…
It is nice to walk around! Everything is fresh and good!
My favorite thing to get here is the jalapeño cheese bread! It’s so good! You have to get it! When you toast it… omg, the cheesy goodness just melts in your mouth. The kick from the jalapeño is perfect with each bite. I also enjoy the almond croissant and almond raspberry croissant which I got today :) Super flaky goodness with a beautiful glaze on top! Delicious! And you can never go wrong with their fruits! Super juicy and yummy! We’ve bought oranges, plums, cherries, and strawberries here before!
There are also a few food trucks so you can buy food from there and sit at the chairs provided.
**Farmers’ market is cash only! Only a few accept card

First time going to farmers market so I don’t quite know the norm. Parking of course was horrid, you’ll be waiting 10 minutes behind someone waiting for a spot if you’re not careful.
Worth it to get huge lemons for $ 1 each, flat fee. And 3 pack of mixed berries (blackberry, blueberry, strawberry) for $ 13, which is an amazing deal and so yummy. Some charge by the pound so be on the lookout for the better deals.
Walk around, try some free samples. Get the baguette and iced coffee at the minimum. The usual price for non-​produce goods is about $ 6 a piece, or 2 for $ 10 and so on.
BRING CASH, only a few allow credit cards.

This is a little gem hidden away. They have a berry farm sales tent, cocoa raw, great food and the bakery at the very end has amazing bread and sweets.
The fruits and veggies are all wonderful I can’t wait to go back.
The strawberries are so good we ate them all the way home. Didn’t even wash them :)

I like this place. I’m glad I found out about the San Mateo Farmer’s Market which happens to be less than 15 min drive from my place. Super convenient! And quality produce? Sounds good to me!
I’m much more of a quantity over quality person when it comes to groceries, but I’m currently living in a household of 2, so it doesn’t matter too much. Plus, quality is important. I usually spend about $ 10 – 15 for about 3 – 4 days’ worth of produce (keep in mind, for 2 people). Be sure to look around all the booths before buying produce because oftentimes, you’ll find another booth with a cheaper price for the item you’re looking for. Each booth has lots of produce, a good variety, so just take a look around. Some booths specialize in only fruits, stone fruits, citrus fruits, or some other type of produce. There are also a few booths that sell things like cured meats, olive oils, etc., so that’s pretty cool.
There’s usually 3 – 4 food trucks serving their fare at the farmer’s market as well. Many of them seem to be quite popular as they are often part Off the Grid. It seems like most if not all of these places take cash only. You’ll find a variety of foods, drinks, and desserts available for purchase.
Parking can be a bit annoying, but there’s an adjacent parking lot available as well. The farmer’s market is currently only open on Saturdays from 9am-​1pm while the College of San Mateo is doing construction.

Wow, were we impressed by the sheer size and selection here.
So many produce vendors with goods of every color in the rainbow. Everything looking scrumptious.
Plus breads, cakes, pastries, kettle corn, prepared foods, rotisserie chicken, free samples everywhere, two performers of live music, food trucks, smoothies, tamales, bottled salsas and dressings, seafood, peanuts, pita chips,
Great musical entertainment too. I tipped one of the performers and asked her to play any Dylan song. She played a gorgeous version of «All Along the Watchtower».
And now a word about jujubies. I had never seen jujubies before, not even once, They look like little tiny apples. I bought a basket for $ 5 –a jujubie tastes like an unripe pear. Lots of crunch. not a lot of taste, Big pit in the middle.
So on the same day I discovered jujubies, I also discovered I’m not a big fan of jujubies.
That’s the only part of our visit that didn’t merit 5 stars !!

Well be back for sure! This farmers market was the biggest one we’ve been to. We loved it. So many booths to browse through. Fresh organic vegetables, fruits, nuts berries… Fresh fish, meats, sausages… Rotisserie chicken, kettle corn. Flowers, honey… Everything. It was a fun day at the farmers market. :)

This is the largest Farmer’s Market I’ve been to so far. There are almost three rows, all with tons of organic choices and vendors who you don’t see at farmer’s markets often. They also have food carts, some of which I don’t think I’ve heard of before.
Great place to take kids to wander around.
There’s plenty of parking, and plenty of room. With all farmer’s markets, be sure to bring your own bags, and to do a complete walk-​through with your grocery list before making a purchase. You never know when another vendor has a bigger, inexpensive piece of broccoli head!

I know what the fuss is about. I read that a few people weren’t really sure why people raved about San Mateo’s farmers’ market, and after stumbling (yes, really) upon this market this past Friday, I think I have the answer.
My husband really wanted to visit the Maker Faire, and of course parking was atrocious. We had to park at the college and catch the shuttle. While we were hoofing it down to the shuttle, I squealed with delight when I realized that there was a farmers’ market a-​happenin’! My husband reallllly wanted to get to Maker Faire, but allowed me to stop for 15 minutes to take a look around.
This market isn’t very big. There’s probably 40 – 50 stalls and it makes up two rows.
What makes this place stand out? THE FRESH PRODUCE! I’ve gone to many farmers’ markets and over the years I’ve gone to more and more markets that have less fresh produce and more organic packaged goods (pickles, breads, butters, etc.).
This market actually has several people that sell organic, fresh produce. WOW.
If we hadn’t been on our way to Maker Faire I would have stocked up! Instead I bought some pickles (YUM!) and some flowers. My purse totally smelled like pickles for the rest of the day, and I got dozens of compliments about my fresh flowers while at Maker Faire.
I’ll be back!