Orchard Fresh

Orchard Fresh used to be a great place to find specialty food items in the Southtowns. I worked just a few minutes away and would often frequent for its salads, soups, and other «hot bar» type of selections that were healthy and freshly made. As time has passed, shopping at Orchard Fresh has become arduous at best. As echoed in other reviews, the service is downright terrible. I am vegetarian and the sandwich counter does not have a pre-​made sandwich or wrap sans meat — totally ok with me. What is not ok is the 20-​minute wait that ensues or the snarky looks while making it. Yesterday, I was talking to the woman at the deli and I had two sandwiches to order. She picked the first one out of the case, wrapped it up, and went back to what she was doing, however I clearly had another order. When I clarified that I had another order, she snapped «it will be a minute.» This was on a Sunday night and traffic was not by any means heavy! In another situation, bad service at the pizza station. These individuals have no customer service skills whatsoever; this has been consistent in my visits over the last year.
The nail in the coffin occurred yesterday. The store manager, a woman, was busily typing away on her phone as I was asking a question about the selection in the sandwich case. Not once did she look up at me while I was speaking, and she was muttering away about how they were hosting a group of people coming in and I could not have anything out of the case even though the store was still going to be open for another hour. They could make it for me — but see above — it takes forever. The previous store manager, Kevin, was amazing — went out of the way for his customers, was open, honest, and outgoing — this woman could not even take time to look up from her phone at me. And guess what? I’ll never, ever go back. I’d much rather take the 20 minute drive up the skyway to Lexington Co-​op to find what I need.

Best Fish Fry in town! Fresh Fish with your choice of several sides. Very reasonable at 11.99. It’s huge! Plenty to split for 2 people with leftovers. We had the french fries, hush puppies, and salads. All were outstanding. Two good size tarter sauce, Large chuck of marbles rye with butter and lemon wedge Delicious!

I worked here when this store first opened years ago and was really impressed at all the training we received and all of the upper management’s knowledge in their departments. Today, it’s a completely different store. I went in for a certain type of apple and couldn’t find it. They only had maybe four selections… in the beginning, I loved the fact that we carried hard to find produce items. There’s many specialty items I go in there looking for that I know they used to carry and no longer do. The produce section is so much smaller than it used to be.
I also went over to the cheese counter and asked if they still carried Manchego cheese… this is the only store in the area that I know of that does. The girl looked at me like I had two heads and said no. I then asked if they had Pecorino Romano… she scoffed rudely and said she’d never heard of that. SERIOUSLY? You’re working the cheese counter in a specialty store and you’ve never hears of Pecorino? I then looked into the case and, low and behold, there was a block of Manchego. I told her I could see it sitting in there so she came around to look. When she saw it, she rolled her eyes while asking me how much I needed. After slicing and packaging, she practically threw my items across the counter at me and turned away with a sigh. Nice.
The only reason I still even support this store in any way is because my fiancé and I both work in culinary professions and we need a lot of the specialty items they carry on a regular basis. It’s not always worth the drive out to Premier for us. This store is nothing more than a glorified specialty pizza shop with a coffee counter and a huge selection of organic snacks. I just wish this store would get it’s act together and be on par with where they were in the beginning…

Bad service at the pizza bar. Stood waiting for a long time while people working at the sandwich station to the left and the salad station to the right. I locked eyes with everyone and was simply ignored.
Finally a young man came to help me.
A smile and «somebody will be right with you» goes a long way…

The best thing Tops Friendly Market ever did was open Orchard Fresh. All of their baked goods, pizza, meals, fish are top notch. I think their prepared food section is way better than Wegmans and that says a lot, even though they do cost a little more. Everything is prepared in store! Their soups are always good, and it’s nice that you can sample them prior to committing to a full container of something you are not sure of. Their chili is very delicious! The staff is always helpful, and the store is always clean! Some items can be more costly than Tops or Wegmans, but the bakery, deli, seafood and butcher are on par (cost wise) but better than their competitors.
My husband and I shop whenever we cook, so we stop here multiple times a week picking meat/​fish up for dinner or fresh vegetable. There are always specials, so we typically buy what’s on sale at that time and doing this ensures what we are buying doesn’t really cost much more. I like that they offer veggies from local gardens in Eden too.
I consider Orchard Fresh to be a grocery store rather than a specialty food place. I go there for almost all all my groceries. I would not pick up tin foil, paper towels, face wash, soap, or detergent from here. For those things… I would go to Walmart.

I’ve given Orchard Fresh another chance ever since I started working in the area. I’ve been pleasantly surprised. While I can’t say I can regularly afford to do my regular grocery shopping here — sorry, Wegmans will always have my allegiance. I have become a fan of the fresh salads, sandwiches and pizzas. I don’t think they offer the hot bistro meals anymore. Albeit with the pizzas I would prefer less black char on the bottom — they are fresh, and the people making them and the sandwiches and salads have been very friendly and accommodating, even at times making custom orders for me. Also — the red pepper Gouda soup is probably my favorite soup of all time.
As far as the dining experience it appears they eliminated the café cash register, I never saw it open anyways so now you have to go through the normal lines which can be annoying. I’m not sure if you are supposed to pay before or after you eat. I could see people walking out with unpaid goods.
The café has been cleaner than in the past but it seems like the garage cans are always overflowing.
All in all Orchard fresh has finally gotten the quick lunch scene right.

Love their lunch specials kick butt!!! Their workers in the café are always so friendly! And the service is always fast!

I was actually pleasantly surprised that they weren’t as overly priced as I anticipated. Nice set up — almost reminded us of a Dash’s — but more gourmet. Had a gelato shop in the middle of the store, which is a nice touch!

Ive stopped in here when in the area a number of times. First thing I noticed the first time was the ease of shopping, which was largely due to:
Large aisles
Easy to see merchandise
Very few other customers
The third point I felt was likely just «lucky» and that next time it would be busier. It has not been. Any time I have been. Granted, I’m not there after 3pm on a weekday, or a Sat morning. I freely admit I’m there midday. But I still am surprised by the lack of other customers.
They have a terrific selection of greens. Many things you may not find at other local grocery stores. All fresh and well kept. And easy to see prices.
Moving along to the «prepared foods» section, think that counter at Wegmans where you pick a main and get two sides for xx price. The first time I went there the young lady behind the counter was not sure how the process worked etc. OK, I get it, you are new. But there was no one there to help her either. I left the counter and went back some time later when she had someone to guide her. I will say, the portions are generous and the food was quite good, although I cant remember exactly what it was, we did enjoy it that evening. I would happily buy from there again if the selections proved interesting that day.
On subsequent visits Ive been to the bakery counter, where the employee has been rude. RUDE. As in, I don’t want to be bothered putting cupcakes into a box for you etc. Really? hmmm. OK, they weren’t the best cupcakes anyway. I have not been back to that counter. Cupcakes were fine for the price though.
The cheese dept has puzzled me. This is a store that prides itself on «exotic» and «hard to find» things. You’d think the cheese selection would be out of this world. Nope. Not close. I could not get Camembert there any visit, and once the employee did not know what Camembert was. I grant you, not cheddar, parmesan, or even mozzarella, I get it, but Camembert is not some cheese never found in America, its found at Wegmans regularly. They did have some Gouda once when I was there though. But I would think the employees in the cheese dept would be familiar with cheeses in general?
They have a bulk foods candy selection that is out of this world. Things you cannot find in the area, some I would have trouble finding in NYC. I don’t know the names of these candies, sorry, but if you like candies (not chocolate bars, but hard and soft candies), this could be a fun stop for you. They are not cheap, but the quality has been there for those we have tried.
The breads and bagels look terrific. We have tried one of the rolls and were pleased. Ill pick up a loaf when there next time to test it out. Tough competition with Elm Street reasonably close by, but you never know.
I have not bought, or even looked at, the meats, fish or shellfish areas so cannot comment on those.
This store is nice. I will happily stop by when in OP. I find things there I have to get creative cooking with. I enjoy that. I am sad they are not busier, but maybe its a function of timing. I love that the aisles are wide and easy. That the carts all «work», and are not squeaking.
Parking has been easy when Ive been there.

I really love shopping at Orchard Fresh. I do have one suggestion.
Sometimes I cannot find the produce I went there for. I have asked and
It turns out it just is not stocked. The employee runs in the back and they
DO have it.
Other than that, it’s a great shopping experience! Love it.

Okay, so one year in, I finally feel like I’m ready to write a review. I admit that when Orchard Fresh opened I wondered if the store would be able to survive or whether the specialty items might be phased out after the newness and originality of the store got old. I’m happy to say that Orchard Fresh is going strong and that I still shop there regularly.
I love that their deli features Boars Head products. I buy all of my lunchmeats here for this reason.
The prepared foods are a nice choice if you don’t feel like cooking.
Great selection in the cheese house.
I have also enjoyed the ready to cook items in the seafood and meat departments. Sometimes they forget to give cooking instructions but just ask! Also, the meats we have purchased from the meat department have been great.
The bakery items are delicious. (The slice of chocolate cake I bought last week was actually cheaper than a slice at Wegmans.)
Yes, there are overpriced items at Orchard Fresh but not everything is. If you want to treat yourself to something new, this is a good place to go. It is easy to find organic and gluten free items. Oh, and I almost forgot, try the gelato!

Orchard Fresh is a great idea that is long over due in WNY. High quality, harder to find foods that for the most part are healthy choices. The prices are certainly higher than what you would find at the average supermarket, but this is supposed to be a higher cut isn’t it? If you are looking for anything outside of produce you should be ok. The produce on the other hand is below Walmart quality. Fruit and vegetables that have mold and fungus should never be on the shelf! That said everything else seemed top notch. Their seafood section made my mouth water! I also found the staff to be very friendly and helpful. Overall stay away if your intent is just produce, everything else is worth the trip to Orchard Fresh.

I finally made it down to Orchard Fresh early on Saturday. Overall, I liked my visit. Would I come here all the time, probably not. I do like and am willing to pay for some higher end items, but truth be told, I can get a lot at Wegmans. I suggest keeping an eye on some of the weekend specials they have and advertise on facebook. I have described it to people as a Whole Foods in the footprint of more of a Trader Joe’s. They have specialty stuff but just less of a selection than Whole Foods, but more than Wegmans in some cases.
I tried a cup of coffee from their barista bar and it was very good. Seems like some fancy press machine since it took a good 5 minutes to get it, unless it is just because I was the first one through the door.
Picked up some of the in-​house made pork and chicken sausage that was on special and it was delicious. Tried the Buffalo Chicken and the (Pork) Pesto, Garlic, Tomato. Tried a couple donuts and they were great as well. All the pastries looked good. Also go some of the LynOaken farms apples on special and they have been excellent. They have a pretty large selection of unique/​specialty frozen items.
Overall, I like having options/​competition. All the workers were very friendly and helpful. Prices are pretty much what you would expect for a higher end grocery, but I wouldn’t recommend doing your weekly general trip here. I look forward to coming back and trying some more things.

I keep going on about this place and I will stop after this update. I make my own fresh salsa and bruschetta however my tomatoes are taking their sweet old time. I have volunteer onions… which are waiting patiently to meet the tomatoes and join with them to form a tasty snack that is good for me. It ain’t going to happen anytime soon. My Black Krims are just starting to turn. Anyway… this place makes the freshest, best tasting, lo-​cal, no added ingredients salsa. And bruschetta. And also a salsa with a middle layer of guacamole… makes my freaking heart sing like a canary!
If anyone out there is suffering from Late Tomato Stress… maybe you would like to try some of the packaged tomato products. I SEE THE PEOPLE PUTTING THIS STUFF TOGETHER!!!
I’m cool, I can wait a few more days! Thank you Orchard Fresh!

I’m a fan but lately its been slipping: the selecitons aren’t always the best (and rather telling I’ve noticed more employees in the store than shoppers!). The prices are high vis-​v-​vis Wegmans and Lexington Ave CoOp but the quality is excellent — — for example Wegman’s BBQ beef skewers have lately been slipping in quality, here they were lean and delicious (but were actually twice the price). Orchard Fresh’s made for you salads are excellent and they keep me coming back (but the last two visits they were out of something I looked forward to and had to substitute).
I’d love this concept to expand — I’m a huge fan of Whole Foods and its a shame we don’t have one in Buffalo (although Wegmans is a fine surrogate for Whole Foods). This one carries a lot of great brands we otherwise wouldn’t have access to in WNY and for that alone I’d like them to open a full size store beyond the boutique store in Orchard Park (maybe in their next go-​around). I do hope they keep up the level of quality and service — although there are a few odd things that feel more like they belong in Tops (the Boars Head meats — which to me is nothing special, I prefer Wegman’s deli.
Perhaps «baby steps» it is — it feels like a Tops parody of Whole Foods adapted for WNY instead of something truely awesome and groundbreaking. The service is excellent here — but its very hard to compete with Wegmans, which does almost everything — except lately those meat BBQ skewers — right.

I loved it! The donuts and baked goods were very good. The carry a lot of specialty items, making it an interesting and fun place to shop. It is refreshing to see a store that isn’t loaded with their own brands, as wegmans is. I will definitely shop there instead of wegmans even though it is a bit more expensive. The store is very clean and I like the small layout. A pleasant shopping experience.

What a great selection. Very clean, and easy to navigate. I just wish there was one in the north towns!

I went back a second time and I feel like I am over Orchard Fresh, after being super excited on my first visit.
The stuff is either too high end (expensive) or not worth the trip to Orchard Park. The Lexington Coop and Wegmans have my bases covered.
If the unique items had been better, I would go back for them, but my frozen vegan sesame chicken wasn’t great. I’ll update on the pot pie when I eat it.
Their fake cheese isn’t vegan. I don’t know why Go Veggie cheese exists… who goes through the trouble of making dairy-​free cheese just to, add casein back in to it?

Not at all what I expected when we pulled up. It’s a small store in a plaza with a few other chain businesses. I was so glad that there were several samples available when we walked in. Apricot blue cheese, cold-​pressed apple juice, potato salad, some type of sausage, falafel chips… All tasty little samples! Ended up buying the blue cheese (we’re having pork chops for dinner– I think it’ll pair nicely with a salad on the side), and a bottle of raspberry apple juice and tart cherry apple juice– AMAZING! The juice brand is Red Jacket, made in NY state, Geneva to be exact. And they’re probably the best tasting juices I’ve ever had in my life.
Anyway, we walked the store. Reminded me of a small Whole Foods. In fact, it was pretty much the same exact store. Though I was really disappointed that they didn’t have a hot foods bar or many things to choose for lunch at 1:30pm on a Sunday. It’s not really a place I’d choose to sit and eat at. They need a salad bar, hot foods bar, other options besides sammies, pizzas, and sushi. We got gelato– I got blood orange sorbetto, which was AMAZING. We also got some produce, a loaf of fresh Italian bread that feels like a cloud in a bag. Though everything looked great, I understand the trap of Whole Foods. Everything is at least 3 times more expensive than what you would pay at a regular grocery store and though some things are good, if you don’t have dietary restrictions, I’m not sure why you’d shop here over Wegman’s.
I wouldn’t drive out here from East Amherst again unless there was a true reason to… It’s okay, but I don’t have a money tree in my yard and I think Wegman’s unique offerings suit my lifestyle better.

Very expensive but the food is phenomenal. Great place for specialty foods. deli and bakery are top notch. Just wish I had a bank account to be able to shop there every week.

Is this a weird location for me? Yes.
Is it overpriced? oh heck yes, for the most part at least.
But did I find all sorts of fun and unique things I haven’t seen elsewhere, all in one beautifully designed store? Yes!
I happily left with a tub of duck fat, 2lbs of Amish butter, some organic red pears, fresh pressed cashew butter (I got to make it myself… kitchy yes but I loved it regardless), some gluten free goodies, salmon pinwheels, and all sorts of fun things to make a great charcuterie/​cheese board when I got home. It’s a primal/​paleo funhouse in this store (but avoid the bakery at all costs if you have an ounce of weakness in you!).
The meat and seafood section was impressive and I will absolutely make the trip down to OP the next time I’m planning a special dinner. There were things I’ve never seen in WNY (alligator patties? rattlesnake? I don’t know who’s buying it, but it’s there) and the seafood was so fresh I coudln’t smell any fish even while standing on top of it. I regret not buying any oysters. I was also happy to see grass-​fed beef that could be purchased outside of the Wegmans we-​decided-​for-​you pre-​packaged weights and cuts, and lots of milk options — something for everyone in that section for sure.
I thought the produce section was just fine… but produce can be vastly different from day to day. My recommendation, as a former Tops produce worker, to all you Unilocalers out there looking for good produce: find out what day the deliveries come to your store of choice (usually Wednesdays and Saturdays) and shop then. Tuesdays and Fridays are generally the worst times to stock up!
I ignored most of the middle of the store because it was riddled with preservative-​laden lunch meats (inescapable in America of course) and delicious looking sandwiches that I just didn’t want to eat… but a good ¼ of that section was filled with a cheese case rivaling the one at Premier Gourmet with similar prices (but in an actual grocery store… much more convenient).
All in all… I wish it were closer to the northtowns, but at the same time, with it’s prices, I’m glad it’s not!
If the prices were 10−20% lower it would have been a 5 star review, but I can’t ignore the fact that I somehow spent $ 100+ on 2 canvas bags full of groceries! :-/

Specialty foods ≠ overly expensive foods only affluent people can buy. Orchard Fresh is bad philosophically, bad practically, and expensive no matter which way you cut its not-​as-​good-​as-​they-​look confections. Orchard Fresh is a fail grocery store.
To start, Orchard Fresh is larger, in sheer square footage, than many full or nearly full-​service grocery stores in Buffalo, let alone New York (such as Dash’s on Hertel, Ni Hoowa on Sheridan [which is listed as *grocery*], and likely even the Lexington Coop on Elmwood), yet I DARE you to use Orchard Fresh as your sole source for food. While it possesses shelves and shelves of pastries, «artisanal pizza» baked by high school students, and so on, it’s very difficult to find a can of pinto beans… especially a can for $ 0.79. Though they have half an aisle dedicated to seltzers, the produce selection is lacking, enough so that you cannot find ripe avocados or bananas. Though their meat counter boasts frog’s legs and quail eggs, ground bison and an endless variety of unnecessary sausages my Italian friends from Brooklyn would quiver in anger at, cereal is nary to be found, much less Wishbones for my Italian greyhound or a roll of toilet paper. Is this store really implying that rich, white people don’t poop?
But buckle up! You can gorge yourself on «freshly» baked cookies, cakes, and so forth. Take a bite of the cookies or brownies in particular, as I did, and you will find yourself retching from the combination of sickly-​sweet batter and uncooked chocolate, from the overwhelming power of overpowering sugar. Realize, folks, likely only one or two, if any, of these items are much more than assembled in store. As with Whole Foods or Wegman’s, these messes are all readied by plants, shipped in overnight, and glazed, or buttered, or re-​frosted for your delight. Gag me.
I really do believe that Orchard Fresh is trying its best Whole Foods imitation. Two differences separate it from Whole Foods. 1) Whole Foods has much, much, much, much greater variety of grocery items. 2) Every Whole Foods will have more kosher items, an Indian buffet, and so forth, a nod to the diverse populations that should theoretically visit it. (Hint: They don’t.) I would call Orchard Fresh a poor man’s Whole Foods, but… heh…
Unilocalers, do know that the next time I need foie gras, nut butter, and blackberry seltzer for my dinner party with Isabella, Dominic, Dylan, Chelsea, and Herb… yeah, no.

Headed off from Clarence with high hopes. Actually disappointed with what we found. While there are many exotic and hard to find foods, our main goal was for the fresh fruits/​veggies, fish and meat departments. The produce did not look very good with some items having much bruising/​soft spots. While the types of meat available was good, the meat in the cases looked old and much of it dry, especially the chicken. Maybe the cases need to be kept cooler. The fish all looked just ok and very over priced. If thy expand to the north towns, we wouldn’t bother going again.
We mainly shop at Wegmans. For some speciality items we go to the Lexington Co-​op and when it comes to fish, there is no better place than Dash’s Market. Once summer rolls around, the Elmwood-​Bidwell farmers market becomes the best shopping destination, especially for beef from Hanova Hills Farm, goat cheese products from First Light Farm and Creamery and veggies from Native Offerings. All the other vendors there are fantastic too.

Wow. I am so excited for this store. I have been looking for a place to get exotic meats in Buffalo for the last few years and when I read Julie’s review that this store carries Alligator, I knew I had to drop what I was doing and make my way over to Orchard Park. To my bewilderment, it’s actually even better than I imagined!
Not only is there alligator, but there is kangaroo, Burmese python and camel meat too! I purchased a pound of ground kangaroo meat and made some delicious kangaroo burgers and I didn’t even have to go to Australia for it. The prices are high, but where else can you find snake meat in Buffalo? It’s about $ 33 for a pound of the snake and Alligator costs a heavy $ 20/​lb as well. The store also carries frog legs in the meat section (the more exotic meats are in the freezer, not the butcher).
Other parts of the store are nice as well. There’s a huge coffee station with much variety at around $ 10.99/lb. Sushi at reasonable prices and a lot of fresh produce. That only scratches the surface as it’s a pretty large store with many offerings. As we were shopping a man gave us a bag of Kale & Spinach chips to sample and there were lots of little sample stations set up, so it’s nice to be able to try a bunch of different products while shopping.
All in all — I’m excited for this store and applaud Tops for being adaptable and opening up something like this. The playing field just got a lot more interesting for when Trader Joe’s is slated to enter Buffalo later in the year. I see Orchard Fresh as being a huge success already, so I only expect it to get better going forward. And for me, personally — I can’t wait to more of these exotic meats. Yum!

This beautiful new place to grocery shop is a wonderful combination of the Lexington Co-​Op, Wegman’s and a Whole Foods. Located in the Village of Orchard Park, it is easily accessible from anywhere in the Southtowns. There is really no other store like it in Western New York right now. The closest would be the Co-​Op but this facility is a very sleek and sexy space that makes you feel cool just being there. The set-​up and even the lighting is upscale. Make no mistake, this is not anything like a Trader Joe’s. This is his older, more handsome, and successful brother. The prices seem a bit higher than Top’s or Wegman’s for some items but the quality is better, especially the fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses. Don’t expect your usual brands, either. There are many unfamiliar, organic and imported brands that I wanted to try. No Coke or Pepsi here! But there is a great coffee and tea bar with fresh gelato! Also some really delicious-​looking prepared food; nice for a quick meal on the go. Definitely my new store and judging by the crowds, I’m not alone.