Fresh Plus Grocery

First, this place gets five stars as a neighborhood grocery. It’s not a supermarket so don’t dock it points for not having five brands of toilet paper. As a neighborhood grocery, I think it delivers on everything I’d expect plus a little extra. Pretty good beer selection too.
Fresh plus has been around Austin for a long time and, as you might expect, is geared more towards the old-​Austin crunchy granola subset of foodists. I like granola so I’m not complaining. I’d guess they could pick up a full star on their ranking if they’d just stop selling muffins and cheese and start selling paleo/​gluten-​free breakfast pork rinds.

Great atmosphere, great selection, and friendly staff. I was impressed by the selection available and the produce is the best I have seen in Austin.

I really dig the produce and meat department here. The gentlemen who work the meat counter are always informative, and quick to offer suggestions.
I appreciate Fresh Plus because on the days I just need a few items, I can pop in, get what’s needed and go. All in under 20 minutes.
Service has always been efficient and friendly.
Only suggestion: I do wish they’d expand their bulk item section. That is the one thing I miss about the stores that operated previously in this location.

I really want to like this place, in part because it’s locally owned (I think, right?), and in part because it is definitely the closest grocery store to my house. And if you just want some dry goods, they have a surprisingly good selection for such a small space. They carry a lot of local items, and the beer cave is pretty rad. In addition, the customer service is pretty consistently good, in my experience, and the store is rarely crowded.
Unfortunately, after about 9 months of trying to use this store as my primary grocery, I’ve had to give up because the goods frequently aren’t, well, fresh. I’ve often brought pork or chicken home, only to find that when I unwrap it to cook it, the same night, it has a really strong odor. Strawberries last a day, two if you’re lucky. For items that have an expiration date, I highly recommend checking it. On separate occasions, I’ve nearly bought queso fresco that was already expired and dog food that was a *year* past its expiration.

Yes. I am so sick of fighting the hundreds of thousands of people found in any given HEB at any given time.
Fresh Plus has all of my regular needs, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the skincare items I normally buy at Whole Foods (because no one else carries them), are a couple of dollars cheaper at Fresh Plus. Great news! They also have a good selection of locally farmed eggs.
I have no complaints. I also have to disagree with the other reviewer who is actually mad that the kids at Fresh Plus don’t talk to them enough. Are you kidding me? I find the constant, automatic, insincere greetings that retail employees are forced to give to be completely annoying, and I’d rather not have to stop and chat and assure every employee that I’m fine as I try to shop.
Wait, I do have a complaint. The baked goods wall is too overt. They’re just sitting there, uncovered, right in your face! Firstly, bugs can get on these things, and secondly, I don’t want to see them, because I don’t want to end up buying them, damn it.

I live about a mile from the Allandale location and I probably spent about $ 100 per week on groceries there. The first time I went, I fell love. I had just moved back to Austin from Chicago and this store was a dream come true after dealing with city grocery stores for several years. It’s small, never crowded, and clean. It is very overpriced, though.
After almost two years of shopping there though, I’m finally to the point where I would rather drive to my other grocery store, Central Market or even Costco. Why? Everybody that works there except for who I think is the manager (younger-​ish guy, I think he has a beard) is just rude and has zero customer skills. The clerks and greeters at Wal-​Mart down the street welcome you to the store and thank you for shopping there. Not at Fresh Plus, not even when you initiate. I work from home so I’ve run up there at all times of the day over these last two years and it’s always the same. The employees don’t want to be there and there and they make sure the customer knows it.
Just once it would be interesting for someone to say, «Good Morning,» «Good Afternoon,» or even «Thanks for coming in today.» I think I would go into shock.
First thing in the morning when they open, the only clerk that is ever there is an older woman and she won’t even look at you when you walk in the door. Don’t dare say «Good Morning,» to her. She doesn’t like that and generally won’t respond except with some sort of grunt. The evening clerks are just as bad. They are about 16 – 17 years old and they have absolutely no people skills. Here’s a hot tip: if a customer says, «Have a good day,» since you didn’t, it might be a good idea to reciprocate. A half turn around in acknowledgement along with a grunt is certainly not the right thing to do. It’s just good manners. It’s become a joke in our house when we shop here wondering how rude the staff is going to be.
Ultimately it’s up to the owners of this establishment to teach their employees proper manners, which they are not doing. If I owned a small business such as this, considering the nearby competition and the fact that this place is ALWAYS empty, I would be focused an customer retention along with bringing in new customers.
Well, they’ve just about lost someone who spends upwards of $ 400/​month at their little store. I can go to Central Market, Costco or even HEB, get the same merchandise for less money and attitude.
What’s funny about this entire write-​up is that I’m only concerned with the way the employees treat customers. If the people that worked at this store at least smiled at you when they checked you out, I wouldn’t be writing this. But since they act like they don’t want to be there no matter the time of day, I’ve decided that after two years and no contact information on their website it was time I wrote this review. I also wouldn’t consider it overpriced if the employees weren’t so rude.

Great produce and beer selection! I’m there a couple times a week and I love it because I can walk there from my house. My only complaint is the woman who works the morning shift always looks grumpy. No hello or hi or how’s your day. If at all possible I try and go to whoever else is available for check out. But that will not stop me from going there almost daily!

A lot of selection for the small space. Go to the meats and beer cave. You’ll come out smiling.

Location very convenient! I shopped here for produce and specials. The staff are super friendly! Expensive, just take advantage of the deals!

Stopped in for the first time today, and I really liked it! If you’re like me, you’re always on a quest for the perfect grocery experience. Probably doesn’t exist, but I think this place has plenty to offer. I’ll do a side-​by-​side with other local grocery stores below:
Fresh Plus v. HEB:
I’m a pretty die-​hard HEB fan, so it will be hard to ever completely tear me away. Overall, I think HEB has better prices than Fresh Plus. (Like Cheerios were about $ 1 more at Fresh Plus.) But Fresh Plus was way less crowded. A much more relaxed shopping experience. And they gave me a free paper bag.
Fresh Plus v. Sprouts:
I’d say these two are fairly comparable. Sprouts is bigger and has a bigger selection in certain departments, but they have similar prices and the quality of the produce seems equal to me.
Fresh Plus v. Trader Joes:
This is a hard comparison because we all love Trader Joes for its delicious, inexpensive house brand stuff. Fresh Plus cannot really match that. But I’d say that Fresh Plus has TJs beat in the produce and meat sections, for sure.
Fresh Plus v. Whole Foods:
Whole Foods is just an exciting shopping experience that stimulates all your senses! Larger selection at Whole Foods but prices are similar to Fresh Plus. I think Fresh Plus is an excellent substitute for big ‘ol Whole Foods unless you’re looking for something specific that you can only get at Whole Foods or you’re really into WF house brand.
Fresh Plus v. Natural Grocer
These two seem very similar. Same kind of small, neighborhood-​y vibe. Lots of specialty and natural groceries. Similar prices.
Overall, I think that I’ll be a regular at Fresh Plus because of its proximity to my home, its relaxed atmosphere, and the good selection. Maybe I’ll still go to HEB for those big shopping trips because I’ll save more money, but it’s nice to know my neighborhood grocer can meet so many of my needs.

Ever since Fresh Plus took over the old SunHarvest, I have gone in there more and more frequently, and it has become my absolute favorite local store. The staff is awesome — the atmosphere is fantastic — the produce is really fresh and it’s so incredibly convenient that we are changing the way we cook and grocery shop. Local businesses like Fresh Plus are where it’s at! Go visit your local Fresh Plus today and you’ll see what I’m talking about — it’s definitely become a family store staple and I feel so privileged to have one in my neighborhood!!! BTW: You can ask them to order your favorite staples and they do!!!

they have fresh produce that is cheap: burdock, turmeric root, dandelion greens, red russian kale etc all cheaper than the co-​op and central market, and a clean bulk section.
plus they have daily made vegan blt sandwiches. that is whats up.

First of all, their fresh organic grass-​fed yada yada yada hippie beef is great! After a rough work day, I crave red meat for some strange reason, and I stop by Fresh Plus for a cut of steak. Their Nolan Ryan steaks do something weird though. When I rinse them under water (cold or warm), they change color from red/​pink to grayish. The yada yada yada hippie organic beef doesn’t do that. Hmmm… Weird. So I stick with the hippie stuff now.
I also love the prices on their coconut juice. One of the 3 brands they sell is always on sale. And that stuff is delicious!
But as for their fruits and veggies, not so much. I’ve tried to buy there multiple times, but each time the poor quality of an entire stock of 1 or 2 things makes me question all of their fruits & veggies, so I don’t buy. I go to HEB instead. They have organic stuff as well.
Overall, this place is like Whole Foods but with fewer items at lower quality, for the same price (or sometimes higher).
The employees are nice, and it’s nice that it’s small, but meh. I pretty much only go because it’s 1 block from my house.

I love this Fresh Plus! I like most of the employees– they make my stops in a lot of fun. Some of their other employees are just warm (barely warm-​maybe warm) bodies that have frosted over eyes and stare into space but Hey that makes me laugh so I like that too! They have an awesome Beer selection and a decent wine selection. Pretty much everything you need. It’s easy to get in and get out. So glad you are here. Thanks Fresh Plus!

I love Fresh Plus! Perfect little grocery store in Allandale. It’s my go-​to for fresh produce. They have a great selection of organic (and not) products, as well as a great meat dept and beer cave.
Skip Whole Foods– the crowds, parking, and prices… Fresh Plus has many specialty items with the feel of a small neighborhood store. Staff is nice and informative, and sometimes they Have wine or good samples as you walk in.

I adore the staff at Fresh Plus. They are so nice, wonderful and friendly. It truly is a neighborhood store vibe.
I also like that they have an interesting fashion sense. One guy likes his 80’s bands although it looks like he was born in the 90’s. Another girl looks like she is in Chanel suits at times.
They are a charming bunch.

Wow, gotta give them an extra star — they contacted me and said that they now have grass fed organic beef! Super cool! I’ll definitely be checking that out!

OK, so last night was first time ever going into Fresh Plus. They have the Great Bean Bars that hubby and I wanted to try, plus our kiddos’ allergies are bothering them and needed something to assist. So we went.
VERY friendly staff. Not referring to the cashiers though… (not that they were unpleasant in any way… just did not interact with them… in any way)
But the guy on the sales floor… wow. Amazing. We were looking for some allergy medicine (homeopathic or hebal) and needed some help, he was right there… asked us if we needed anything before I had a chance to ask him!
He was SO HELPFUL. and that is truly putting it mildly. I will not divulge every detail but please understand… he was so amazing. I truly appreciate his patience, his knowledge, his willingness to help, his apparent love for children, and his kindness that seemingly comes natural. Thank you!
The store itself. not really bad at all. We shop, religiously, at Natural Grocers, Sprouts, Wheatsville and Peoples Pharmacy… and I know my prices EVERYWHERE! :) Some things were a little more expensive, but then others… MUCH CHEAPER than other places. I scoured the entire store last night… was so excited about the HUGE selection of RAW ORGANIC HONEY. and the price. Wow. Thanks for that too! I found certain items (like the organic broccoli slaw mix) that I have a hard time finding elsewhere. and the TP we like. So it will be worth it to stop in every now and again for those things… I will be a customer. for sure. Nice place. Friendly staff… including the guy in the meat department… very helpful with smiles all over from everyone.
Glad we went!

Every time that sliding glass door opens, there is a smiling sales clerk! EVERYTIME. They are friendly, have what I want, and the prices (although not WalMart) are good. It’s a great store and it’s right across the street. Priceless

Fresh Plus is my go-​to for produce. They always have a fresh selection with an interesting mix of products. I just got these organic coconut date rolls. They are freaking amazing!
Plus, awesome beer cave, plus a supplements, plus it’s a stress free shopping environment!