Bfresh

Pros:
–Usually a couple of free samples in various spots
–Tons of options to get food to-​go (grilled meats, salads, soups, paninis, pizza, and more!)
–Cool vibe!
–Every week there’s a $ 10 off $ 20 coupon in the circular (!!!)
Unsure if pro or con:
–Small parking lot – smaller lot than any other grocery store I’ve seen, but at least it has one?
Cons:
–Limited selection. Lots of Whole Foods-​esque organic brands + only 1 – 2 typical supermarket brands for any particular item
–Prices are high and you could look through every aisle and barely see anything on sale. Examples: Shady Brook Farms ⁹³⁄₇ Ground Turkey: $ 5.99. It was $ 3.99 days ago at Stop & Shop (and from what I could tell, not on sale). Cheapest frozen broccoli I could find was $ 2.49 for a pack containing about 1 cup. You can definitely get this amount or more for around $ 1 at a regular supermarket.
–Aisles/​shopping area/​self-​check out line can get pretty crowded
I’ve been loving using the $ 10 off $ 20 coupon when I go, but it recently occurred to me that I might still be paying more (or breaking even) as I have to buy much more expensive options than I would at a typical grocery store. Unsure if I’ll be making this a regular trip…
As a grocery store: ²⁄₅
FOOD-​WISE, I got the grilled chicken sandwich ($ 6.99 + tax), which takes 10 minutes to make. It’s advertised as chicken breast, tomato, mozzarella, arugula, red shiso greens, pesto, sundried tomato spread. From what I could tell, though, there was no arugula or red shiso greens on it – just sliced up lettuce. Odd…
The first bite was amazing – tons of flavors with the pesto, tomato spread, and fresh mozzarella. I envisioned myself coming back often for this incredible sandwich! However, my enthusiasm soon waned and turned into regret. High points: the chicken was tender and the naan was certainly the star. I’m no naan-​connesiuer, but it was seasoned, fluffy, and delicious. Low points: the mozzarella, while super fresh, was so mushy and watery that it made a mess (literally dripped out) and became unpalatable. A thicker mozza that held its shape would have worked better. The pesto was meh and the tomato spread reminded me of chipotle mayo, but without the kick. Wouldn’t advise eating the whole thing in one go, but with all that wetness I doubt it would hold up well the next day.
Prepared food: ³⁄₅

I think this place is a huge bullshit!
Trying to steal people with very high prices, especially on the vegetables! Imagine an apple that cost 2 $ (yes 1 apple) … Another striking example: a brand of cherry tomatoes that can be found in any other store like Stop & shop or shawls, with 30% higher price !!!
How about 2 filet of chicken in 18 $ ??
However, some other products like milk is comparable to other shops.
Not a fan !

Just walk the extra 10 minutes to Stark Market or Trader Joe’s down the street. Seriously this place is overpriced and not worth it. They don’t sell anything special; most of it is mainstream brand name items you’d see elsewhere.
I question their sanitation practices. They had grape samples one day. One of the bakery employees ignored the tongs and just shoved his entire hand in there, which turned my stomach.
Also, the day I happened to go, this place was crawling with dumpster divers. Just a trashy location in general.

Great service from the guy selling the meats. Great service from the girls who made our pizza and sandwich. Great service from the cashiers. Overall, most wonderful grocery store experience I’ve ever had.

Living right around the corner, this is life changing. Not only for the groceries, but also the prepared foods. I anticipated the opening because all of a sudden, it came out of no where.
What to expect:
1. The prepared foods: They have lots… pasta, sushi, stir fry, fish, steak, chicken, pizza (amazing), sandwiches, salad… basically anything you can imagine. The good? The pasta/​pizza/​sandwiches are all delicious… with the pizza being brickfired, fresh dough rolled out in front of you… i would give it a 4.5÷5. The bad? The price (a bit overpriced), and the wait (20 minutes for a pizza).
2. The groceries: the basics… good cheese… good fruits/​veggies… frozen foods, dairy, basic store bought items, and lots and lots of nuts/​healthy items. The good? They have what I need, they have what I want… they make it super convenient and its much needed in the area. The bad? It’s more expensive then the normal grocery store that I go to. Convenience or price? It depends on the day.
3. The staff: Every person is always very friendly, very attentive, and very welcoming. They seem to be friends and are often gathered in groups… but there are always employees in site and they always ask what I need.

The selection here is definitely vast, spanning the full obscure-​oatsy-​groatsy to conventional-​chemical-​normzville goods gamut, though some of my favorite brands fell through the cracks. Still, they’ve got an overwhelming amount of stuff, stocked efficiently. The aisles are a bit tight and it’s not a layout that I’m used to, but that’s just what happens in city grocery stores.
Price-​wise, most of the stuff that I could get at Whole Foods would be cheaper at Whole Foods, likewise Trader Joe’s. Earth Balance, vegan cheeses, ice creams, extracts, organic this ‘n that… There’s usually around a dollar difference.
But then random things are cheaper. Bob’s Red Mill products seemed rounded down a figure, the same with certain chocolate bars, and Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups (which I sort of live off of) have a fixed price that’s equivalent to the WF sale price. I’m sure there are other things in this random score category if you look/​have priorities beyond flour and chocolate.
Didn’t get a price on the bulk goods, but there’s many, including some liquid sweeteners, which I haven’t seen elsewhere. Produce prices seemed roughly comparable to other grocery stores, with the usual sporadic organic options.
My pathetically favorite thing of all is that they have Rising Moon Butternut Squash Ravioli, which everyone else in the area randomly cast aside around a year ago. You can even get it in a slightly-​more-​for-​slightly-​cheaper bag! It’s amazing and I need it and I will go there for as long as they have it.
There was also this vegan gnocchi that I tried to buy, but apparently had no price. It led to a bit of a search followed by a generous resolution. Both the woman behind the register and the (I believe) manager were very accommodating and sweet throughout the process.
Overall/TL;DR: it is a new grocery store much like other grocery stores in a place where there did not used to be a grocery store. People nice. Miserly yuppies will be ambivalent.
(Also: the e-​paper price tags make it feel like it’s the future. Then you notice they still put physical stickers over them. No más futuro.)

bfresh is the quintessential modern corporate scheme. It is owned and operated by Dutch retailer Ahold, an international corporation controlled by wealthy shareholders with an annual revenue of around $ 30 billion. Ahold is the same parent company that owns and operates Stop & Shop. This store is a Stop & Shop with a more limited selection in a pretty package meant to fool millennials into thinking they are shopping in a hip, modern, sustainable grocery store. The items for sale all mainstream, mass manufactured food products that you can find in almost any grocery store and the prices are not competitive. bfresh is an example of a major corporation taking advantage of this generation’s desire to make more sustainable, ethical choices by packaging the same old food in an attractive modern building. It is the most evil form of capitalism, as it feeds on consumers’ desire to consume more thoughtfully and destroys it.
The Dutch Chocolate Milk was delicious.

Great store that combines organic and artisan choices with brand name favorites. Fresh baked breads are awesome. Get the ribeye sandwich. It’s huge and amazing.

Can I just ask that the employees that work here not group up behind the registers in packs of 5 or 6? I get it, it’s a grocery store and things can get boring especially when it’s slow, but it’s a little awkward getting to the check out counter and a big group of employees all look at you and I’m just standing there like ‘hello yes here I am buying a smoothie cool thanks.’
It’s not that big of a deal, just a suggestion from someone who gets shy really easily. Otherwise, all the people who work here are super sweet and friendly and helpful. I work in the area and it’s nice to have a place where I can grab something healthy and affordable in a hurry.

This place is amazing! The associates were so happy and helpful. I had the mushroom pasta which was made with homemade noodles and made to order and was very tasty! I also made fresh ground honey roasted peanut butter. I wish one was closer to me.

Outstanding mushroom pasta! The pasta is made fresh on site daily. The clerks were friendly and knowledgeable. I chose the mushroom pasta fir my lunch. From start to finish it took about 6 minutes to make. I also bought a store made vanilla cookie. Yum! If you are a foodie, like I am, this is a store for you! I will come back the next time I am in town!

I love this store!
Great overall selection and quality, as other reviews have noted.
Also, every single person who works there is wonderful, incredibly nice, attentive, knowledgeable, happy to go out of their way!
Some say it’s expensive, but most of the time it seems comparable and often cheaper than other grocery stores. The produce is usually extremely fair, just certain items tend to be expensive, like fresh parmesan. Overall, I think it’s wonderfully reasonable!
I’ve eaten from the sushi, a ribeye sandwich, and the salad bar, all were fabulous! It’s much higher quality than general supermarket sushi, and even better if they make for you fresh. The bakery is also fabulous, I’ve tried out most of their offerings, and from bread to sweets, they got it down.
2 ways to improve:
1. Espresso drinks are much smaller than advertised. On multiple occasions, I’ve gone to cashiers and they’ve agreed and charged me for a smaller size because the cup was half full.
2. Illustrations or some detail regarding the offerings at the prep stations.
I’ve walked by them so many times and wanted to get something, but have hesitated because I have no idea what I’ll actually be getting, particularly with regard to the stir fry, the hot meal (steak chicken or fish on naan or with veggies and potatoes), and the sandwiches.
Also, we eat with our eyes, so a sample pic is very likely to push me over the edge into purchasing.

Prices are largely comparable to Stop & Shop, but the selection is worse. It’s a bit cramped inside, so it’s better for quick stops than big shopping. Navigating the cart through the tight (but well organized!) produce section is incredibly awkward.
The grocery and check out staff is always hanging out in groups and chatting. Definitely not attentive. Then again, it’s a grocery store, not a Sephora. But it does kind of make me feel like I’m interrupting an intimate conversation when I’m ready to check out. Hm. Not comfortable.
Overall: clean-​ish, convenient, and inexpensive. That’s good enough.

I live about 3 blocks from bfresh and normally shop at the small Whole Foods on Beacon or the larger Whole Foods on Washington, but have been to bfresh a handful of times as it is right on my way home. While the produce, baked goods, and general grocery selection at bfresh is fine, it is the horrendous attitude of the employees that has prompted this review. During previous visits most of the employees have simply been indifferent, but the cashier who rang me up yesterday was downright rude.
I had placed a paper bag of wheat dinner rolls in my basket and when the cashier grabbed the bag from my basket it broke and the rolls tumbled all over. She looked at me and, with an exasperated and accusatory tone, said, «You put the bag in upside down.» I was like «Whaaaa? Isn’t the bag supposed to be sealed?» To which she replied, «I don’t know.» We stared at each other for a few seconds as I waited for her to say «I’ll go have someone grab you a fresh bag.» Instead she started picking up the rolls between two fingertips and putting them back in the bag and asked me «Do you want to get another bag or just keep these?» I was so annoyed that I was tempted to just keep those, but went to get another bag. When I brought the new bag it was indeed sealed with a sticker. When the cashier noticed this she said, «Oh, well, l guess that’s our fault. My bad.» Really? Wow.
Yes, WF is more expensive and out of the way for me and is certainly not a flawless example of Conscious Capitalism, but I’m too old and too busy to be treated like that by some rude kid whose mother didn’t teach her any manners. I really hope someone from bfresh management is keeping tabs on reviews as there are other negative reviews regarding employee behavior and attitude.

Huge fan of this place!!! Finally a health driven, forward thinking grocer that is the perfect hybrid between your average shaw’s esque market and whole foods
I like that they carry a huge assortment of produce, tons of stuff I’ve never even heard of! It’s Apple season now and I was greeted at the store entrance with 10 types of apples I’d never tried before and the best part is they were all from local farms!!! In addition to caring about the assortment of fresh produce they carry, I love that they also offer organic and local varieties for the more popular and seasonal items. For example, you can snag local pumpkin and squash here right now.
Their bulk bins are stocked with the usual suspects and at fair prices. Extremely perfect and convenient for city dwellers with precious cabinet space
They have a fresh juice and smoothies bar and also a sandwich and salad station so you can customize and order meals to your liking.
Their bakery section has also been extremely impressive! Their breads are made in house and the ones I’ve tried are super delicious. They were also giving out free samples of their brownies so I got to try that. Obviously that proved to be pretty dangerous very early on
One of my favorite things about this place is they use digital price tags on shelves. That way they’re easy to change, more likely to be up to date, and way more eco-​friendly and efficient.
They have an amazing drinks selection! It’s tucked away in the back.
I also love that they carry my favorite beverages here. They also have a larger than Norma selection of vegan products like cheese alternatives and veggie patties.
Even though summer is over, I highly recommend anyone with a sweet tooth to try Steve’s ice cream and sorebabe (bonus: they’re vegan!)

Great selection of prepared foods. I also really enjoyed the atmosphere, sort of a urban/​modern but not flashy vibe.
Prices seem to be competitive overall, especially for the local fresh items.
The sushi was excellent and I was surprised by the softness of the bagels!

You can have them make your personal pizza right in front of you with fresh ingredients!
I’m not from that area so i cant say too much but .
I like that they had some more varieties of the things i usually would get at stop and shop and trader joes. ie more varieties of shelved goods.
I do want to point out that some of their things cost less while others are more than what i would find at stop and shop and shaws.

bfresh is the best! The fact that they’re a 2 minute or less walk from my apartment makes it even better. If you think they don’t have it, they have it. Including cookie butter.
RIght now I wouldn’t take any bad reviews of this place seriously. It’s awesome, give it a shot.

Here are bfresh prices compared to Trader Joe’s (x indicates cheaper):
± — — –± — — — -± — -+
| | BFRESH | TJs |
± — — –± — — — -± — -+
| Meat | x | |
± — — –± — — — -± — -+
| Seafood | x | |
± — — –± — — — -± — -+
| Grains | x | |
± — — –± — — — -± — -+
| Nuts | | x |
± — — –± — — — -± — -+
| Bread | | x |
± — — –± — — — -± — -+
| Cheese | | x |
± — — –± — — — -± — -+
| Produce | TIE | TIE |***
± — — –± — — — -± — -+
** I gave produce a tie because both places have their pros and cons at comparable prices. Bfresh has cheaper apples, while TJs has cheaper grapes. Bfresh has cheaper greens (kale is $ 3 a bunch), while TJs has cheaper bananas. And so on.
Other pros of bfresh:
— They have really reasonably priced grains, such as quinoa, farro, etc. My favorite part of the supermarket is a ‘buy by the pound’ grain and nut section (like those cereal dispensers in college dining halls).
— Beans are cheaper than TJs.
— Really great vegetarian/​vegan section near the cashiers.
— Has a deli counter, a fresh meat/​seafood counter with a bunch of pre-​marinated stuff.
Cons/​comments:
— The hot food section hasn’t been open any of the times I’ve been there.
— Salad bar and sandwich section look lackluster — with improvement, this could be a killer place for quick food in Allston.
— The sushi looked dull (mostly California rolls) and were overpriced.
— If you like to buy frozen food their frozen section is pretty slim.
— The meat section isn’t open, but instead behind closed doors. There’s a ton of condensation on these doors so it’s hard to see any of the meat unless you open and close each door in the meat section.
— A box of spinach was going bad, and I noticed it was 4 days past its ‘sell by’ date. I’ve also encountered this at Trader Joe’s and Shaws, so I suppose it’s (frustratingly) not uncommon.
Those who live near Harvard and Comm Ave know the guilt of living 15 minutes away from Shaws, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods, but still feeling too lazy to schlep all the way to any of these locations. So I was glad to see bfresh opening up — hurrah for convenience!
Haven’t yet decided if this is a weekly grocery shopping place. For now, it’s an incredibly convenient supermarket for most of your basic home-​cooking needs.
–UPDATE 12÷3÷15−−
— Freezer doors are no longer super misty
— Sushi selection is MUCH better!
— The hot food stations are open! Choose your own veggies/​meat for stir fries and pasta.
— Employees sometimes walk around dropping f-​bombs at each other and throwing food at each other?

Allstonians have been waiting for you bfresh. You’re the answer to when we are too lazy to trek it out to star market or Trader joes and when the local store doesn’t have enough options.
You have way more stuff than I thought you would including most things a bigger grocery store would have. It basically all the same things minus the cleaning isle.
But The produce is pricier than I had wished for and may still go to TJs or other places for this. Like an $ 8 melon even though it’s still summer?
But there is a nice selection of ready made food options and a fresh baked goods corner.
It’s obvious you are trying to be hip with your black and glass shelving. And yes you look pretty.
You even researched your new hood making sure to celebrate Allston Xmas with us by giving away free fruit.
Your convenience though is really what makes it so that I’ll probably return.