North Park Produce

Great selection of produce, this place improved so much since the new owner took over. Clean and the staff are very friendly.

I’ve been wanting to try this store out for a while but never made the trek.
I probably won’t come back. Not because it was horrible, only because it didn’t really carry the fresh produce I assumed it had.
I made an assumption (from the store name) that I would be walking onto a produce Mecca. Instead I walked in to a dirty market that had a huge variety of middle eastern foods.
The produce itself was not impressive. It was picked over and kind of a mess. The prices didn’t seem better than Sprouts.
They have a meat counter but it smelled so bad, I was afraid to buy anything.
What was apparent was the multiple items from other cultures. If I were looking for Persian food, I’d come back. But I wouldn’t come for the produce.

I heard bad things about the old management but I’ve only been here since it was changed. We come almost daily as it’s close to my house. The meat prices are great and they have a great selection of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern items. Also, the veggies are kept fresh daily. Great little store that I can go for most of my shopping needs.

Upon viewing this place from El Cajon it seems nice! Don’t judge this book by its cover! Literally everything I bought from here was rotten? I got a bunch of avocados, they weren’t even that soft but upon cutting not one two three but all four were black inside and were disgusting. I got bell peppers too which were black and nasty inside. Initially I was excited because of all their foreign goodies, cheeses meats breads but now I’ll never go back! Especially after reading more reviews! Plus as I did my initial rounds about the store this older man behind the register kept staring me down? Like anyone wants to steal this shit anyways? It should be shut down for sanitization reasons. I can’t imagine what their meat and dairy health standards are if people are getting moldy bread and rotten veggies. Yum!

My how this place has changed! I’m beyond impressed with the new management. I love a clean polished gem and this place is it!
The gourmet tea selection and vast variety of middle eastern spices is incredible.
I vowed never to go back since I had a bad experience with the previous management however this place has cleaned up nice and is now my go to spot for Mediterranean necessities!

It’s been under new ownership for several months, and what a difference! The deli is always stocked (it didn’t used to be, it was hit or miss) and has new items to include: cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, kale tabouleh, feta cheese dip, and a cranberry coleslaw. All delicious. The price is so much better than ordering these items at a restaurant. The aisles are clean, and there is a greater selection of nuts and grains, that have been moved to a more convenient location in the store. I am sure when the renovation is completed (they are doing something in the back – I think a new deli counter) I will give it 5 stars.

Wow this place is much better since the new management. No longer smells funky when you walk in and there arent insects all over the produce. Also most items actually have prices listed. Great place for all types of feta at very good prices. The lady at the deli counter was very friendly and helpful. Much better than before.

I’m somewhat of a fan of this store because they carry a wide variety of tea selection. They sell this authentic China Tea box of 100 bags for about $ 4. I think this tea is somewhat popular because when I ran out I came in once a week to check if this particular tea was in stocked yet but wasn’t. Lesson learned and bought 2 boxes the next time it was in stocked. I don’t purchase anything else unless I see that fruits or veggies are on sale and they look in close to fresh condition. Parking is good and staff is pretty nice too.

So glad to see that the store is getting stocked on a more regular basis. Store is much cleaner in appearance too. Was getting worried there for a while! Please do put a date on the homemade items like the hummas and babganoush. Love that stuff, but don’t want to have to throw it out. Also, please have some smaller containers on hand for the sour cream and grated Parmesan.
Love the bulk items, the spices and the array of fancy cookies.

***NEW OWNERSHIP*** for North Park Produce
To the new owner:
1] Read your Unilocal reviews they will help you improve on your store
2] Label your foods ESPECIALLY the Deli Foods, the hummus, tabouli, etc.
…if I don’t know WHAT IT IS, or WHAT BRAND IT IS or WHEN IT WAS PACKED, etc., I ain’t buying it.
3] Congratulations on the new weight scale that is visible to us irritating customers
4] Don’t label Canola /​Olive Oil blends as, «OLIVE OIL»
5] Do something about the dam FLIES– put a forceful blowing fan, facing OUT at your entrance, eyyiyiie!
6] Train your people to be customer service oriented.
7] Take down your rude, stupid sign at the deli that reads something like, «You buy
sliced meats and food and you have to pay for it and cannot return it «WTF?
Wrong again, if you sell me crap I can’t see until I get home– I’ll be back with my receipt for a return
8] Crack open the Home Depot card at the Paint Department and paint that ugly building. Please.
9] Clean up the place in general
Cheers.

I like going to this place because they sell middle eastern food, sometime the produce is fresh and sometimes it’s okay, I go there once in a while looking for a special produce and special Spices, I buy my basmati rice from here which I am very fond of, The bread is also fresh, but I am very fond of his cheese collection to have, but lost but not the least the sweets, they have the best baklava, also the dry fruits, it would really be great if they clean up the place a little bit, specially the meat section, The prices on the meet is really cheap, I bought my rice cooker from them, which makes excellent Persian rice, I wish you guys the best please do your best to clean up and you would be fine :)

You really have to know what to buy here, and what not. They’re unique packed items are good such as the European chocolate and cookies. Unfortunately they aren’t the cleanest and kept up with refreshing their products, and keeping the shelves stocked.
I was mouth watering for Barbari bread (Persian bread with sesame seeds), and was happy to find it here. However, I found out that the bread was all moldy and there was even a fly inside the bag!
The friendly girl told me that they don’t get fresh bread on Sundays. However, how can bread go that bad in just a day? Same thing I came across when I bought deli meat: Turkey with Pepper on the sides. Once I got home I noticed white mold on the sides.
YUUUYKS!
I will just be back here if I need packaged stuff. For produce, bread and deli items I will have to drive a couple minutes extra to Balboa market.

Eh.
The good: The prices (as of 3÷30÷15). Avocados are $ 0.39 each, bananas $ 0.79 per pound and various apples ranging from $ 0.69 per pound to $ 1.29 per pound. These are the only prices I can recall off the top of my head but there were some other really well-​priced items like lemons and strawberries. Oh yeah, strawberries were $ 1.50 for a small plastic container!
The bad: The supply is always ravaged and looks like it’s not stocked on a regular basis. Maybe it is because I do most of my shopping in the evening and they refill it all in the morning but it is always picked through in disarray.
The ugly: The quality can be piss-​poor. The red bell peppers and the roma tomatoes are what stand out in my mind as being the worst veggies on the shelf and you really have to dig for some that aren’t bruised or damaged. On another note, buy only what you are going to use quickly — there’s not much longevity to the produce when you get it home.

Hello fellow Unilocalers! First of all, I am a proud of my Lebanese heritage, and love cooking up tasty tastes from my parents’ homeland. Too often I have settled for substitutes of necessary ingredients that are hidden in the ever crammed «ethnic food aisle» of big chain grocery stores. Luckily, I stumbled across this gem because my boyfriend wanted to expand our grocery horizons. I hardly ever say this, but he was right!
This place is simply AMAZING! I can whip up baklava, hummus, tabbouleh, kafta, falafel, and other dishes like a pro thanks to the quality ingredients that North Park Produce provides. Granted, fresh produce is not their focus, but the prices are hard to beat. I always stock up on pita bread and extra virgin olive oil at the very least. Lastly, I have to speak to the service this place offers. They are ALWAYS welcoming and catering to whatever request you may have. My boyfriend and his appetite are definitely happy about this find.

This place is the bomb for fresh veggies and fruit! The prices are crazy — we can stock up for the entire week on veggies for $ 30.00!
They also have tons of European and Middle Eastern chocolates, treats and teas as well as a large selection of olives, feta, hummus, babaganoush, and tabbouleh. They also sell egg noodles from Germany and Hungarian — they are the absolute best.
The place is a hole in the wall, granted, but the service is friendly & helpful, the store clean, and the produce always fresh! And with these prices, you can’t beat it.

The biggest issue is that there are no price tags on many food items. How am I supposed to make a decision without knowing the price? In addition to that, many items are more expensive at this store than at most other stores. I don’t think I would go here again.

Oooh… I wouldn’t step foot in here again.
I had a dinner party that night and I volunteered to make vegan banh cuon for my friends. My boyfriend and I went to, I think, 5 different stores that day to get the right ingredients and whatnot, and when we were about to go home, I realized that we forgot to get bean sprouts! If you’re Vietnamese, or if you grew up eating Vietnamese cuisine, you’d know that bean sprouts are crucial when it comes to this dish. Since we were already in North Park (which is where we live), we decided to hit up the usual stores (Trader’s, Ralphs, Sprouts, Whole Foods…) and unfortunately, no luck.
We were going to go back to the Asian Supermarket, but then we decided to give North Park Produce a call to see if they have some. The girl that picked up was nice, and told us that yes, they do have bean sprouts. Success! We rushed over and parked in the front… and then realized that the entrance was in the back. No biggie, kinda weird, but it would’ve been nice if the front of the store could at least look pleasurable…
Anyway, we walked in and went straight to the «produce» section (which looks poorly maintained) and asked the workers nearby where did they keep the bean sprouts. They stared at us as though they had no idea what we were talking about, and the two of them started asking each other and it was just terrible. I spotted the bean sprouts in the back and grabbed it without the help of the workers.
To sum it all up:
— Poorly maintained produce section (luckily the bean sprouts were in an already concealed bag, but they didn’t look fresh…)
— Unattractive building
— Unknowledgeable workers
I had high hopes for this place, because the one in Scripps Ranch was so much better.

Great place with lots of… character… to get incredibly inexpensive produce, international products, bulk foods (nuts, grains, legumes, etc.). Get past the fact that this place is as basic looking as it can get and you will fall in love. They carry tons of fantastic products of mostly middle eastern, russian, and asian origins. You also honestly cannot beat the prices. Good lord it is cheap.
They also have a great feta and pickle bar. They always have about 10 fresh varieties of feta to choose from that I always get for parties or randomly when I am there to snack on with some of their pita or flat bread. They also have great hummus, dolma, 5-​ish olive varieties, pickled veggies like cucumbers, cauliflower, etc.
Ask when their main produce shipment days are and go then to find their freshest produce. Sometimes it is hit and miss but I can always find great staples: lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, onions, tomatoes, garlic (whole pound peeled for $ 4!), chilies of all kinds.
Three starts only because it is in a terrible location, the store itself is a tad run down, and well, it’s not Sprouts, but hey, it’s still great!
Do check it out !

unfortunately they sell old… old groceries.
I just bought safflower there and go to open it up and it is covered with little white bugs, but you know that if you buy groceries there, that when you come home with them many items are old
this time instead of return it I will put it in the trash and NEVER go back. Too many times I have bought rancid groceries there… they should close down… forever…

Where can you buy 10 lemons for $ 1? North Park Produce!
I enjoy shopping here because all their produce is inexpensive and fresh. I compare NPP to Trader Joes and Sprouts. A few things… there are no organic options on produce. As many times as I’ve shopped here, (roughly 30+ visits) I have only seen a handful of times organic strawberries. You will find just about everything here, except Asian specialties. NPP is predominately Hispanic and I like that part because everything is priced well. There is also a butcher section that is clean and well stocked. That section does not interest me because I am vegan, so I cannot comment on their quality. In the back of the store is the deli, and that consists a variety of olives, pickled items, homemade hummus, tabouli, grape leaves, cheeses, and deli meat. I’ve bought the tabouli, hummus, grapes leaves, and sun dried tomatoes and I have liked it all.
There is also a bread section that mainly has pitas and wraps. There is a pita that is all whole wheat made with 5 ingredients. Now that’s how pitas should be made… fresh and wholesome.
I speak highly of NPP because their prices and quality is just right.
So your wondering why I give them 4 stars? The store does not have many people on staff. Which can create a line at the check out, and some times searching for the person in the deli department. Next, the parking situation. Small parking lot. If you have a large vehicle, impossible to fit. I park across the street at the doctors office. I have to give a disclaimer here… should you choose to follow my parking choice. Be careful, there are signs that say they will tow you away if your parking here and not visiting the doctor. I have only done this twice because there was no space in the parking lot or the street surrounding it.
North Park Produce is located at El Cajon Blvd and Wilson Sreet.
If you can shop in the morning I highly recommend it.
Enjoy the savings! No coupons needed.

I will say, there’s a good chance I will give this place a second try since it’s walking to my new house, but if I had to drive here, here’s a list of why I wouldn’t waste any gas on this store:
The humus I bought expired two weeks earlier.
There were no carts or baskets available, except for one I found abandoned in the store that was stolen from Staples.
The balsamic I grabbed wouldn’t ring up so the cashier couldn’t sell it to me. No bothering to call a manager (she may have even been one) no looking it up, no offering to put my order on hold while she had someone check on my behalf. Just NO. She put it behind the counter and told me to grab another brand.
The two onions I thought had picked out carefully after hearing the other reviews turned soft in what seemed like a matter of hours.
While I normally help out a cashier and bag my own stuff, this lady just rolled all my food to the end and didn’t bother to lift a finger. I know a lot of stores are having people do their own bagging these days, but for my first time in the store it through me off.
The ONLY reasons I’ll be back: Unique selection and I love feta.