New Frontiers Natural Marketplace

You would expect this SEAFOOD restaurant in SB by the water. But it is in a declining mall far from the water. But food is fresh enough. The raw bar was tasty and shucked fast. And the chowder was as good as any place.

My husband and I shop at New Frontiers when we’re in the Solvang area. We used to shop at the SLO New Frontiers location every week until Whole Foods took over. The store in Solvang is very small and doesn’t have much of what the larger store had, so I can’t always find what I would like in the Vegan foods. The only real complaint I have is that when I tried to order (in particular) the Vegan tofu-​based «egg salad», I found out after driving down to Solvang, that it wasn’t ordered for me. The person I talked to by phone had not told me I had to give out my debit card number in order to put in an order. That isn’t the way I want to do business, but was told it was the store policy to be prepaid. If the store is enlarged, I’m sure there will be more Vegan foods available for us and we won’t have to order anything over the phone.

I’m letting you know my secret indulgence. This is my favorite tiny grocery shop. I’ll travel up or down the coast for hours just to shop here. Sure, the locals shop at IGA, but it’s too big and supermarket-​y for me. I like the intimacy and quaintness of this store.

Great little healthy supermarket that reminds a little of mothers market but with much more selection of stuff.
Everyone here was friendly & locals seemed to come here a lot.
Great place to visit to pick up some healthy foods for a picnic before you head to a winery.
Vegans, vegetarians & health conscious people would love this place.
Loved the small tables & chairs outside, made it nice to just order some food at their café here or pick up something from the deli & sit down & eat it.

This is where locals shop and eat, and it’s not in tourist central. Two medium container sized salads and a fresh made sandwich from the deli fed two adults and not so hungry 4 yo for $ 18.
We had the kale and spinach beet salad. Both were tasty though I was disappointed to read that maple syrup was added to the beet salad. The roast beef sandwich was good but probably better if I had been smart enough to ask for the bread to be toasted.
Would definitely stop here again because the food is healthy and prices are reasonable. Plus no tourists!

Only shop here if your a hard core organic freak who never shops with a budget. If u call whole foods, whole paycheck, do not go here. Example: organic cherries were $ 14 for ¼ lb. At Nielson’s $ 2.99 for 1lb, conventionally farmed.

First!!! Grab a number if your wanting to buy anything at deli! Cashier isn’t supposed to assist only check you out. They don’t let you know your sandwiches are done so check often.
Really nice market. Plenty of parking. Area to eat your meal at a table inside and out.
Came here due to the many high praise Unilocal recommendations on their deli and bakery. Great salads, pre made meals, soups, bakery delectables, salad bar with many fresh options and deli has something for everyone.
Great market full of healthy choices. Fresh Fruits and veggies.
Bathrooms too.
Locals aren’t very friendly and the staff could use a refresher on customer service. Kindness and helpfulness would give them a fifth star and even more business!
Sandwiches run around $ 8 on average. My combucha was $ 2.39.

When you charge premium prices you should give premium customer service. Although this store has a good selection of products and the prices are «normal high» as expected in a So Cal health food store, this review is about an experience during check out. As I approached the cashiers I could see that they were very engrossed in a conversation and I was barging in to make my purchase. They just kept on talking while she rang me up with the perfunctory hello. That was rude. The real problem for me though was the content of their conversation. They were going on and on about a meal at a restaurant that was some type of «chicken wrapped in bacon» and how delicious it was etc. This was particularly offensive to me as a vegan and I think a lot of their customers are vegan or vegetarian. I don’t expect all employees at a health food store to be vegetation (it would be nice) but at least they should be sensitive to their customer base and put the conversation about meaty meals aside while ringing up purchases. That would be the type of skillful customer service that one would expect at a store like this.

Several healthy products available, although highly overpriced if compared to other natural food stores. We shop here when we are in the Santa Ynez Valley, because there aren’t many other options nearby. We find the staff to be cold and detached. This reflects on the general attitude of the customers, who hardly ever greet the other patrons. Guess it goes with the territory…

Great little market, we went here for lunch and got a couple delicious sandwiches. They have many veggie sandwiches and meat which makes it easy for the family. We also had a slice of coconut cream pie and it was delicious. One slice is more than enough for two people.

My Dr. Wants me to go «Vegan» I dreaded the thought, but boy oh boy, this charming place makes it so easy & inviting. The best deli on earth… No really… & desserts WoW… Everything is made on premise from scratch, everyday, & clean as a whistle. I am so impressed with all the work that goes into making the customer feel like it was made just for us. And guess what? It was… How delightful.

We almost didn’t stop by this place. The BF drove right past it and shrugged his shoulders while trying to make good time on the way to Santa Barbara. But a mile later he discovered how pouty I was and turned around on a two-​lane road. That’s a good man! :) Had he not turned around, I would have never discovered one of the most amazing, chocolatey deliciousness that I’ve ever had! Feast your eyes on this bit of food porn:
This Chocolate Tofu Cheesecake was so rich and so creamy, I was in dessert heaven! Although I would classify it more a pudding-​pie than a cheesecake, the texture was smooth, the Oreo-​like cookie crust added a perfect crunch, and the chocolate shavings on top was a tasty garnish. The gal working behind the counter gave me a pretty hefty slice too:
I especially like that the ingredients were listed on the label to confirm its vegan-​ness:
As far as the rest of this market is concerned, it’s pretty cool. For those of you that are from or been to LA, it reminds me of Rainbow Acres, Erewhon, or Santa Monica Co-​Op. Basically a small local market version of Whole Paycheck or Sprouts. Lots of fresh produce, a significant amount of vegan items on the shelves, and their café has vegan options on the menu. I would absolutely make it a must to stop here if ever passing through Solvang again. I don’t know how often they offer the Chocolate Tofu Cheesecake but I hope it will be there when I finally do revisit :)

The deli offers fresh salads and sandwiches on gluten-​free bread. Service at the deli has been helpful, accurate, and friendly both times we’ve been in. Even some of the reps who distribute products here are very pleasant to talk to since they’re experts about their products (at least the ones we spoke to). We didn’t purchase additional groceries or produce but the place sure was busy. It’s a great lunch spot for less money when going between Los Olivos and Solvang while wine tasting.

I love love love the deli counter here! Delicious healthy food with such a variety. They make these chicken pot pies in house that are amazing! They also make german chocolate cake that my husband and I like to treat ourselves to pretty much whenever they make it because it’s simply irresistible!

Enjoyable, small Natural Foods grocery store in Solvang…
I was extremely happy to find this charming independently owned natural foods market in the touristy, but picturesque town of Solvang.
They have a fair amount of merchandise in a small space including health and beauty products.
Deli and bakery items looked tasty. Got a turkey sandwich which came standard with 5 veggies. Very good– all ingredients were fresh including the turkey. Also came with chips and salsa, yummy!
Also got a few packaged snacks, organic strawberries and one of them house made natural cookies.
Friendly service. A great place to stop on your way into downtown Solvang!

The Deli offers excellent dishes for vegetarians. Their roasted veggie lasagna was exceptional. We also tried their quinoa salad, kale salad, and brown rice salad… all three were bursting with flavor! Their meat items are good too… Tried their chicken sandwich and like all other dishes, it was delicious. This is a great place to get quality food. We took ours «to go» and had a very nice picnic at one of the local wineries. A visit to this deli will not disappoint!

No trip to Solvang is complete for me without a visit to New Frontiers. It’s like a mini Whole Foods on the edge of town, but with a «mom & pop» feel that no Whole Foods has. There’s always a little something in the bakery for a vegan and lots of familiar and not-​so-​familiar products in the rest of the store.

This place is like a mini Whole Foods but way cuter. You walk in from the back entrance and are greeted with fresh baked pastries and goods, a salad bar and a deli. Their sandwiches are made to your specifications or you can choose a template of many sandwiches they have as well.
I ordered the black forest ham sandwich on rosemary bread and it was delicious! It tasted so fresh and was just really satisfying.
All throughout the store they have organic products and the staff was super helpful and nice.

Come for the organic, healthy grocery options, stay for the amazing food!
The food counter in the back of the store is A-​MAZE-​BALLS! I had the nitrate-​free bacon, arugula, goat cheese sandwich which was absolutely delicious! The kelp noodle shiitake salad was also amazing and the Gingerberry Kombucha was just u icing in the cake!
A amazingly healthy alternative to the eatery options in Solvang!

How far have you traveled for your favorite sandwich? Devoted vegetarian foodie that I am, I persuaded one of my friends to drive, not once but twice in 2012. A couple hours away from L.A., it is a nice way to unwind along the scenic Ventura County Coastline. If you can leave in the early morning, it helps to avoid of course, the snarls of traffic.
Arrived about lunchtime on a Saturday afternoon in August and then again in December. Unilocaler Delmar was right, «the Hot Vegetarian Reuben is to die for.» As far as Hot Vegetarian Reuben sandwiches goes, the ones here beat Native Foods by a long shot, actually by hundreds of miles.
My friend enjoyed his turkey wrap and I was most satisfied with my Hot Vegetarian Reuben sandwich. The crisp texture of the toast was one of perfection, the quality of the sauerkraut simply superb and perky. It etched a deep yearning in my palate to return at soon as feasible. With my weakness being cheese and just the right amount of it, I was very tempted to order another sandwich.
Sticking to my self imposed discipline, I managed to eat my crudités with the Ranch Dressing, plus the spinach pie instead. I did not want a stomachache on the drive back, so I thought it best to refrain from ordering another sandwich.
Got into a conversation with deli help, they were very friendly. Actually everyone in this town I encountered was extremely cordial. As we departed, my eyes glazed over those luscious treats in the dessert case, ah, sweet memories of Solvang.