Parkside Farmer’s Market

This review is long overdue since I’ve been coming here for almost 20 years for my groceries.
It’s a little gem in the neighborhood, you can find all kinds of ethnic foods, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Eastern European.
Halloumi, Kasseri cheeses for a special Greek appetizer– I was looking for these in Andronnico’s and it’s staff didn’t know much about these rare cheeses, but I was able to find them in Parkside F Market.
Bulgarian and French Feta cheeses by the pound
Different types of olives by the pound.
Marinated Herring, smoked salmon, pickles, spreads, all Eastern European style.
Also they carry an enormous variety of spices.
You can really find anything what you need in here– from breads and dairy to grains and sausages. Most of the breads are Middle Eastern, lavash, pita breads, but you can get your baguette here as well if you come early.
You can also get here ALL your fruits and veggies, however lately I was NOT SO HAPPY to find out multiple varieties of fruits with 3 thousand something number the labels – these are genetically modified. (these are 4 digit numbers on the labels. For genetically modified number starts with 3, regular is 4.) Yes, they are cheaper, but probably for a reason. Also, I noticed that I find much better oranges at other places. I still get my groceries there, but just more careful what I get.

Good place to grab some fruit or veggies!
They always have the best grapes! I do know what it is about this particular market but there grapes are really good!
The store is a bit a small but they have just about everything you could want in a market.
The staff here is great and everyone has such a pleasant attitude which goes a long way for me.
I especially like the bananas here as well. It almost seems like their is a surplus of bananas here. I saw some bananas outside and inside, good for smoothies!
There are some seasonal fruits that are here as well which is always nice.
Parking is on the street and rather easy to find if you are driving.
The prices are respectable and honest. That is a BIG win if you want to stay away from places like WHOLE FOODS, they charge a lot!
#grabanapple

The good: the selection of produce is fantastic and very fresh. This little market is my go-​to spot for my weekly shopping trip. They also carry an excellent selection of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean spices, grains, olives, breads, and more. I’m particularly fond of their bagged nuts and snacks, and the stands outside often have some terrific bargains. I always pick up fresh grapes in the little cardboard trays when they are in season here
There’s a lot packed into this small market!
The not-​so-​good: The staff are often cleaning up vegetables in the narrow aisles during the busiest times. This happens without fail. It can be hard to move around when it’s busy and there are carts blocking the aisles.
The bad: the service, as others have mentioned, can be borderline rude from the cashiers. I’ve been going here two years, and the service depends entirely on the cashier’s mood. Today, the cashier decided that she would surf the web on her cellphone during my checkout, even though there was a line waiting.

Just stopped by to pick up some fruit and got the most rude service. Informed older lady behind counter I have decided not to get one of the fruits I have selected which I saw her acknowledged by nodding but she still puts it on the scale to weight. I had to inform her again I did not want the ONE fruit and she gave me a look of extreme annoyance and a big sigh. Customer service 101 is completely lacking here. Will never return back to this place and will inform friends and relatives of this type of behavior at this business.

, this market is a neighborhood gem… 5 + stars it is spotless, quality fruit and vegetables, it carries ethnic specialty foods (primarily Russian & Mediterranean), and conscientious employees. All sites should be this week presented, stocked& priced.

I have been shopping here for almost a year but after today’s visit I decided to never return to this store again. I asked the lady behind the counter how much their bread cost since it wasn’t marked. She answered me but I could tell she was annoyed. When I went to check out I asked another lady behind the counter to take one item off the ticket because I needed to pay for it separately and she gave me the biggest sigh. The kind of sigh you would expect to get from a communist-​era sales clerk in an Iron curtain country. Horrible customer service. Bad attitudes. It can take years to win a customer and only seconds to lose one. People who can’t grasp this simple concept have no business working with customers.

It you’re looking for some Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, or Eastern European cheeses, this is your place!!! They have all sorts of good stuff — nabulsi cheese, labne cheese, halloumi cheese, farmer’s cheese, queso blanco, Greek feta, Bulgarian feta-​style cheese (by the pound), French feta-​style cheese (by the pound), etc, etc. They also sell refrigerated and frozen falafel, lavash bread and various sizes and styles of pita bread, all at very affordable prices! They do have a minimum of $ 10 if you’re paying with a card, so be prepared for that — I’ve found myself blindly grabbing the nearest candy bar/​pack of gum/​piece of fruit to round out the $ 10 many a time.
Looking forward to my next visit!

My family is healthy and happy because of Parkside Farmer Market. The staff is friendly, the prices excellent, and the quality far surpasses any other grocery store or veggie market in this part of town. The ethnic foods are a huge draw for communities throughout the city, and as locals we get to try out and enjoy exotic imports and interesting produce every week.

Great selection of fresh fruits and veggies along with some interesting ethnic foods.

World market. A Plus! I shook the owners hand when i snapped the photo. Nice people! Good to great prices, awesome selection. I rode 30 minutes to get here but glad I did.

I love it here! Conveniently located near the L metro, this little corner grocery store has those hard-​to-​find things.
There are a lot of Middle Eastern specialties like baklava, pita bread, spices, and many more. There’s also some Eastern European goodies too (yay!), such as pirogie, Alex’s Meat (kolbasa), and kefir. However, the best thing about this store is that it sometimes carries off-​season produce– in the middle of December, there were pears and nectarines. I’m a fan! :)

My go to produce store, Parkside always has a great selection of fresh vegetables and fruit priced at well below what Safeway is going to try to rip you off with for their stale and limp produce. They specialize in Russian and Middle Eastern canned and bottled goods, as well as specialty meats and fish and cheeses. Great selection of spices (again middle eastern in focus) hanging all over the store. You can get sheets of fresh lavash (regular and whole wheat) and crusty french bread. All wrapped with some of the friendliest staff you’ll ever run across.
Before I found them I tended to shop weekly at the Safeway or Rainbow Groceries — the lines and crowds were too much for me to want to deal with. Now I shop almost daily for what I want to cook that evening — and have the freshest, tastiest food as a result.
Tip — the produce outside tends to be a little older, and as a result much cheaper than the produce inside. If you don’t care whether your oranges are a week or two older (for example if you juice) — buy them outside.

This place is RAD. It’s like the Turkish corner store from heaven. They have a great selection of middle Eastern dry goods, fresh fruits and veggies and OMG, their middle eastern cheeses, etc, make me wish I lived closer to this place. Plus, it’s right down the street from a great butcher so I can get my lamb, Romano beans and *everything* else I need to make killer taze fasulye in one quick shopping session.
Oh, and the clerks are quite friendly and the selection is AMAZING.
Seriously.
Cootz OUT!
({})

Don’t go to the Safeway 2 blocks down for your produce! Go here instead!
I wasn’t even planning on stopping by, I was scoping out the butchers at Guerra Quality Meats and spotted this market while walking around. I did an initial scoping of the prices here before I went to Safeway, then came back to make my purchases.
With VERY few exceptions, this market is cheaper than Safeway for produce, and the quality looks better. The only things that were more expensive than Safeway were berries, and cilantro at $ 0.69 instead of $ 0.50, and jalapenos. Oh noes!
I ended up with cilantro, avocados, bananas, red onions, shallots, nectarines, and mushrooms. All for only $ 9.65. And they take card too!
Now the real test is if everything tastes good! Will report back.
Parking is okay. There’s 2 hour residential parking off on all the sides streets of Taraval, but you gotta find a space. I got lucky and found a completely empty street right after street sweeping!

My favorite market!
Everyone is so nice and the produce has been pretty good and cheaper than the Safeway down the street. On top of the great produce, they have a bunch of other specialty products from meat, cheese, dried fruit, etc.
They also have a huge array of spices for cheap too! I get all my spices from them because it’s so cheap!

Should have put more then one quarter into the parking meter. Got the produce on my list, then went down another aisle. Meter expired by the time I got to my car.
The quality of the produce here is way better then the market closer to me. Looks like a great variety other products judging by that second aisle I investigated.
Glad I’m in this neighborhood once a week. I’m definitely going to put more money in the meter on my next visit!

Parkside Farmers Market is great! The produce are fresh and decently priced for San Francisco.
They have a lot of Persian produce which is the biggest plus for me.
I found persian bread, dairies, pickles, sweets, and pretty much anything I need. When in season, they also bring Sour green plums (Gojeh Sabz), fresh grape leaves for Dolmeh, and unripe almonds (Chaghaleh)!
This is pretty much my to go market. They also have a very good variety of middle easter and San Francisco bread and olives. I love their whole wheat, walnuts and scallion loaf.

My biggest regret about my first trip here was– why didn’t I come here sooner!
If you know or want to learn how to make Mediterranean food, this is THE place. Majorly cheap spices, tubs of tahini and olives, and any other ingredients you could imagine! But let’s be real, this review isn’t just about that.
This review is for all you non-​Mediterranean people who dreamt of having a Mediterranean mom who will make you homemade falafels that you just can pop in the oven like pizza rolls. A Mediterranean mom who, instead of bringing home a pan of cookies, brings you a pan of delicious, gooey baklava. If you are one of us, then let me tell you, this place will make that dream come true.
Just now popped some falafels in the oven for 5 min, stuffed them in fresh pita bread along with delicious hummus from this store: best falafel pita sandwich in the comfort of my pajamas!
So yeah, don’t make the same mistake I did. Check this place out if you’re around the area!

This place is so my jam.
First off, it’s majorly cheap. You are a damn fool to buy your spices anywhere but here, and why anyone would want to buy produce at the Safeway down the street instead of this place is beyond me considering its proximity to far superior and well priced veggies at this market.
Secondly, the insane variety of what you can get from such a small store will surprise you. Stacks upon stacks of excellent products of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern persuasion. Let me tell you, I may be Asian, but I love me some Persian food. This place hooks it up with Sangak, Barberries for Zereshk Polo (naturally), and plenty of Sadaf products that I would otherwise be deprived of in this city.
Lastly, I’ve been going here for the past 7 years and I really love the staff here. I used to be intimidated by the ladies behind the counter, but they are totally rad once you get to know them, and the other guys that work there are extremely friendly and helpful. Definitely a neighbourhood gem that I love having access to.

Wow,
I have driven past Parkside Farmer’s market a million times… and never gave it a thought.
Ever since Haig’s closed I have been looking for an alternative for all of the spices, baked goods, and various sundries… that one would need for Mediterranean foods.
I found it… Hands Down The Best Place to Find all kinds of Mediterranean items.
From packaged spices: (think dried sumac, Saffron, shawarma seasoning, kebab seasoning, curries, tikka masala, …so many many things, hard things to find)
Baked goods: Awesome Baklava (four or five types), pita bread (super fresh), flat breads.
Cheeses, meats, fresh veggies… super hard to find middle eastern preserves.
Great selection of humus, baba ganoush, feta, dolma.
Sorry for the long rant… check it out if you are into great Middle eastern products and a good selection of produce.
Prices are reasonable as well!