Down to Earth

Recently bought apple cider vinegar and quest bars in the shop on George’s street. The staff were very friendly. The shop is a good size and they seem to have a wide variety of products. Will go back again when I have more time to have a better look at their alternatives to plain flour.

So I went into this shop yesterday, I admit I was a little late coming in and the girl was nice enough to let me in, however that’s where the experience ends. I grabbed the 2 items I wanted and proceed to the counter. I purchased super greens powder and liquid vit D. The price was € 58 which I thought was very expensive for the 2 items. I paid by credit card. I received my credit card receipt and ask for the actual till receipt so I could see the break down. The girl told me I could not have the receipt as the transaction had been already processed ???
I found the price tag still on the items and went to another health food shop at the bottom of grafton street (a street notorious for it’s high over heads and rent) to compared the prices. The greens powder was actually € 5 CHEAPER and the vit D was € 3 CHEAPER on grafton street. Needless to say I will never cross the door of down to earth again. Way way over priced !!!

Broad range of stock, be it health food, supplements, cosmetics or eco-​friendly household goods. Consistently reliable. Can be a bit on the pricey side (they go up and down) so worth shopping around first if you’re on a spending spree (Nourish just down on Wicklow Street is closest competition). But without doubt the outstanding upside of Down to Earth is the fact that they have recently taken over where Nelsons of Sth Anne Street left off, and now offer a comprehensive homeopathy service, with experienced practitioners, some of whom used to work in Nelsons, managing it.
So if you want to treat minor ailments the alternative way, you’ll be well advised here. And, for practitioners, they can get their clients’ prescriptions serviced here.
I’ve used homeopathy for years to good effect, so am really glad to have this service available in Dublin — and the staff are very good.
The Holland and Barrett health shop model has its uses but the down side is that it and its like are killing off the independent health shop sector. And what seems like great value often isn’t in the long run, not in a system that places emphasis on a sustainable business model that values its suppliers and an independent spirit, anyway. Which is at least to some degree what the whole hippy health food project is supposed to be about, isn’t it?
It would be a real shame to stand by and witness the death of independent health food sector in Ireland, and Down to Earth is a good example of what it can be.

as a naturopath and herbalist in training, i have much need for the sorts of things you can get from Down to Earth. that said, it’s a far cry from the megaplex herbal/​organic shopping experiences i’m used to back in San Francisco (of course). it does make me happy though that i can find things like rescue remedy in any pharmacy, but i digress.
as far as health food shops go in dublin, this is by far the best. you can get just about anything weird and alternative to eat, take, or apply to your person. they have a huge selection of loose herbs/​teas and i often find myself walking all the way over from D4 to buy oat milk here. the only place they fall short (for my specific herbalism purposes) is in their selection of tinctures. i really wish they carried the full range. i mean where else am i supposed to go for cleavers tincture? gather up the stuff from a nearby dog-​piss covered patch and make it myself? ew, no.
they have a lot of stuff, but they don’t have a lot of choices for most things — a mile wide and an inch deep as they say. the prices are high, and i expect this because of the niche market they provide; but for a lot of things, i *can* go elsewhere. it’s when i need something strange and specific, i always head here. if they don’t stock it, well i guess i pick it up on my next trip back home :)

It’s a bit pricey and I wish the opening hours were a little longer… but it would still be my favourite health food shop in Dublin I think.
The range here is good-​you can find pretty much anything you
might need. I’ve emailed a couple of times asking for extra things to be stocked-​they answered once, and didn’t the second time so they haven’t won me over totally on their individual approach. The range of vitamins and supplements is extensive though and I like their little cosmetics area at the back. It is pricey enough-​but so are most of the non Holland and Barrett health shops and I don’t think Down to Earth is the most expensive. A major bonus is that the staff don’t hound you and try to peddle diluted water to you-​if all you want is a pseudo-​healthy bar (organic chocolate being calorie-​free, obviously), then that’s fine by them. I particularly love the white-​haired man on the till. He’s really chatty and friendly and I always leave the shop smiling after dealing with him. A smile on my face after paying silly money for a bar of chocolate takes real people skills!
All in all, a good option if you’re looking for something in particular and especially for the higher end supplement brands. Also if you just want a pleasant shopping experience in peaceful surroundings…

Maybe I’m a bit biased since this is the first health food store I ever walked into when I moved to Dublin all those years ago, but I love Down to Earth. I use a lot of Dr, Hauschka products and I used to have these sent over from Germany because I couldn’t find them here and the same goes for Yogi Tea. The staff are very knowledgeable and can give you advice on the sort of herbs and supplements you should use. Yes, they are a bit on the expensive side for most of the products, apart from the mentioned Dr. Hauschka, but to me that’s worth it because of the personal attention and friendly atmosphere.

Definitely Dublin’s largest health food store. It doesn’t compare to places in the US like Whole Foods (this place is pretty puny), but they do have a decent selection of vegetarian goods you won’t find in Tesco or Dunnes. As others have said, the prices aren’t super cheap, but I think that’s just because it’s Dublin. The staff are all nice and friendly, and you can’t beat the location in the city centre.

I really like this place — it has a great personal touch. The two men that own it (I think one of them is Colin Farrell’s father!) are always there themselves, serving behind the counter and helping customers looking for assistance. They do a wide range of health foods, supplements and the like, and I often go in to stock up on sesame sticks, which are surprisingly hard to find in Dublin. Too many health stores in the city are part of some bigger franchise so it’s nice to have an independently-​owned one smack bang in the midst of town. Full marks all round!

I stepped into Down to Earth and was literally blown away by the breadth of their selection. The first thing I looked at was a box of quinoa. Maybe it was fate, because I had just been complaining that Dublin doesn’t have the kind of delicious and healthy «natural» things easily obtained in the States, where I am from. I did a little internal dance of joy and grabbed the box. Warily of the insane prices in this city, I searched the box for a price… hold the PHONE. € 5. € 5! I put that box right where I found it and proceeded to pick up and put down just about everything I found in there.
People talk about how eating healthy isn’t prohibitively expensive. Those people have never been to Down to Earth. Granted, they are a small independent shop but WTF. On the plus side, the selection is awesome and they have tons of stuff, including fake meat (which I love), tofu, all kind sof soy milk, grains, beans, vitamins, beauty products and more. But boo to the prices.

As health food shops go, this one is ok… since it’s an independently owned one, I suppose it should be supported. They’ve got all the usual health-​food-​store paraphernalia — vitamins, dried fruit, nuts, snacks, herbal remedies…
However, for me, they’re still too expensive. OK, so I’m totally inured to Holland and Barrett’s’ prices, with which perhaps it’s unfair to compare a non-​chain. But facts are facts, and it’s more expensive. Though it does sell chocolate brazil nuts in less than 200g packets (which is a dangerously high volume… particularly if you have little or no self-​control)…

A pretty decent health food store on Camden street run by Jack Irwin and Eamon Farrell (Father of Colin) is handily located smack bang in the city centre. The place is very well stocked and run too.
They have lots of healthy stuff, Teas, ear candles, organic Chocolate (Green & Blacks) soy, pulses, beans, lentils and skincare stuff, Dr Hauscha (apparently its the business, according to female friends) and is apparently the cheapest place in Dublin to get the stuff. Check it out.

This is my all time favourite health food shop in Dublin, it is a great place to buy vegan food such as yoghurts, cheese or soya milk etc. It is located in a great place, surrounded by many vegan outlets! The prices are okay, not exactly cheap but the food is worth it and not made of any nasty cheap products. You can also buy ready-​made food from their takeway counter, so you can buy things such as pasties. There is quite a lot on offer so it is worth a visit. I used to go down this shop a few times a week, but studying in London has its drawbacks, once I’m back at home in Dublin I know I’ll definately go ‘Down to Earth’ to buy some fresh healthy snacks, plus I know the staff, who are very friendly.