PCC Natural Markets – Greenlake Aurora

Meh.
At first I was super stoked that there was a PCC just a block or so from my new offices and for the first few months of my patronage they really had it going on… different soups almost every day, a hot bar with killer options that changed regularly, tasty hot sandwiches, and the coffee’s not half bad either.
…then things started to change…
Now the soups rarely change (in fact they’re often broken which indicates excessive reheating), the hot bar features the same boring stuff for weeks on end (do people really want buffalo tofu and corn pudding day after day after day??), the hot sandwiches are crumbly and tired… so what gives? Did this PCC swap their previous all-​stars with a bunch of benchwarmers from some D-​league team? If that wasn’t enough, some of their crew have serious attitude problems; one person does the famous Seattle «tsk-​siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh» whenever I move his hand truck to get at the produce, one cashier is crazy friendly to everyone in front of me in line then mopes like I just kicked her puppy, still another cashier glares at me as though I alone invented the patriarchy or something. I don’t know what happened… maybe they’re just tired of seeing me spend money every day?
Well, not anymore. While this PCC does have some awesome treats (just spotted some new cheese curds! aces!) the astronomical prices, lazy and lackluster lunch options, and growing hipster surliness of the employees dictate that I start finding breakfast and lunch somewhere else.

Super healthy options, lots of organic produce, tasty salads in the cold case. Fine. Great. But, it will cost you an arm and a leg. So, be careful shopping here if you’re on a budget.

This is my favorite PCC in Seattle even though there are two much larger stores near me. It’s laid out really well, has a wide variety of foods and health/​beauty products, and is just very well organized. I can find what I need easily. Also they have great, helpful staff.

Four dollars for a single avocado?! …I can’t afford this store. The options at Fred Meyer are organic… there are local options… why are people shopping at PCC? I’m confounded.

This was close to the AirBnB that my friend and I rented while in Seattle, so we walked here a couple of times.
It’s a grocery store that reminded me a bit of Whole Foods or Nugget; lots of organic and healthy things for sale. They have a deli with prepared food along with a good selection of cheeses. There is also a natural beauty section with lots of different lotions and such!
My friend and I mainly went to get alcohol to enjoy with our take out or a salmon dinner we cooked at the house. First we got a bottle of Rosé, then a bottle of Seattle hard cider. Decent wine selection including chilled alcohol, but pricier than Trader Joe’s where I often get my wine!
We also got bacon and apples for breakfast, loved the Washington apples! So yummy. Snacks were picked up as well, and the salmon sold in store looked amazing so I definitely recommend that.

For the most part, I like this quaint little PCC – my favorite of the locations. It’s still got a small neighborhood grocer feel to it, like stores on the East Coast, and that’s a nice contrast to the mega-​store explosions everywhere. I don’t buy ready-​to-​eat food there, as I haven’t had the greatest experiences with that (see my review of the new Edmonds PCC – aaack!).
Yes, PCC prices are the highest around compared to other grocery stores. But I don’t do all of my shopping here. They have certain specialty items I buy here regularly that I can’t find at other grocery stores. Also, their filtered water tastes really good, and it’s great to be able to just take the same bottles back and refill them right there – much cheaper than a home water service. They have 5-​gallon sizes and a nice 2.5 gallon size if you don’t want to hoist the 5-​gallon ones around (especially good if you have stairs, etc.)
The employees are always nice and friendly, furthering that feeling of the little neighborhood grocery store. I have fun talking to them. If you want specialty items like organic, non-​GMO, environmentally responsible/​sustainable foods, or a great place to get economical water that tastes really good (they use reverse osmosis, the best possible filtering method), this is the place for those things. On the other hand, if you just need common grocery staples and don’t care about organic, non-​GMO or have any needs like gluten-​free, etc., then yeah, it makes more sense to shop at Fred Meyer, Costco, etc. I do like this little store and the essential items I am able to find here.

We love PCC, and this location is no-​exception. Clean, well stocked, great parking options (including street), and friendly employees make the shopping experience pleasant and fruitful (ha!) I always find new and interesting products, and the sales are pretty good. My partner loves the PCC soap, and I think they have an awesome assortment of natural homeopathic products.

Would be hard-​pressed to find a better place to shop for certain items in the Seattle area. Great selection of bakery/​bread items, produce, farmed items (grass-​fed, natural), and reasonably priced.

Deli face shakes head
when I take a cheese sample.
Not for customers?

Good store. Good people. Slightly overpriced but that’s the trade off for good quality.

I, unfortunately work on the west side of Green Lake which is void of almost any decent food choices for lunch. I have, for months now, been trying to give PCC the chance to be that oasis but it is just not happening. The anxiety I feel about navigating the tiny overcrowded store is almost enough to keep me away. When I do venture in I am always disappointed by the selection of DAY OLD sandwiches that cost as much as some meals. Once I asked if I could order a sandwich and I was told «this isn’t Dean & DeLuca in Manhattan we have ‘fresh’ once in the case over there» I am thinking if you are the type of person that can tolerate a store like this then you will not be looking on Unilocal for a review of it. If you are reading this then don’t go there. You will get mad and you will leave hating hippies and the children they raise.

Not a bad store for its location. Kens Market is just right up the road & I personally like the layout better. This pcc is small & a little stuffy, hard to maneuver around.
All in all, the deli is great. They have delicious salad options, I only ever go in there to get the smoked mozzarella pasta, which is so delicious. Produce section is decent, but again not huge by any means.
Personally I wouldn’t go to this particular store knowing the size & that other pcc’s are larger with a better selection, but if I’m in the area I stop in just for their deli.

This place is awesome! Oh how I wish my southern roots carried a natural market as great as this one.
Okay, now I know the prices can be a bit intimidating but this establishment definitely lives by the motto «you get what you pay for.»
Never will I find a top selection of beer, vitamins, produce, take n bake pizza, and everything else under the sun, moon, and stars, at another grocery. Every time I’ve ventured here I’ve always received great customer service. Some time various recommendations for new beer to try — which is always a plus!
Basically folks, this place is the tops!

My favorite grocery store! Parking kind of sucks during peaks hours (after work around 5pm — 6pm). When you walk up to the entrance you will see an assortment of plants. Depending on the season you will see a variety of fruits, vegetables and flowers. When you walk in you will see a deli and to the right is the hot bar. Now I love this place mainly because of this area. The hot bar has an assortment of meat and vegetarian options, all which are very good! The food is priced based on weight so something that you guys should keep in mind when you go and get food here.
When you face the deli they have a coffee stand where you can get coffee/​tea at. The deli has also has some great food selection such as deli meats, salad, pasta and sandwiches.
Overall, the store is very clean and the staff is very personable. I’ve been here a few times before midnight on a weekend and am surprised to see that the deli is still open! (Can you say, awesome drunk food stop?).
The store is fairly small compared to other PCCs in the area. They have a great selection of organic and local items (granted you pay for what you get). So if you are into the kind of thing I would give this place a shot!

The greenlake PCC is convenient even though it is somewhat crowded. The salad bar and hot bar are my favorite. I recommend trying the perfect protein salad and also the chicken/​rice soup.

I’ve never gotten anything bad here – but some of the prices are outrageous.
Largely because I was desperate, I just paid $ 5.84 for a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. I saw it for $ 2.99 at Fred Meyer a few days ago – and I usually see it for $ 3 – 4. Eggs are also outrageously overpriced there for some reason. They sell the eggs I normally eat, but for about $ 1.50 more than a QFC.
I do like a lot of their ready-​made stuff, and their per-​pound ready-​made breakfast in particular.
It’s just… all… overpriced.

I seriously don’t know how anyone can afford anything in this market. I feel like the produce/​products carried at this store costs even more than Whole Foods, which is already expensive!
I do like this tiny/​quaint market. It is tucked on the corner on Aurora Ave. For some reason, I really like the parking lot because they have grape trees growing on the side of this beam. It is incredibly pretty for a grocery store parking lot.
Once you enter, you realize that the store isn’t too big. As I recall, the organic blueberries were $ 9.99 and one pickle was about $.99. Seriously, how does anyone afford anything here? Bread was about $ 5+. I understand that a lot of their stuff is organic/​all natural/​vegan, which is really nice but walking out of that market, you feel like you’ve been robbed.
I bought juice at this market that originally cost $ 8 but was on sale for $ 4. Of course, it was organic. The taste of the drink was no different from the concentrated juices from QFC or Fred Meyer (sp?). One really awesome thing about this market is that they take Chinook Book coupons. They have a buy one get one free coupon for pizza here. Their pizza is pretty decent. You pop the pre-​made pizza in your oven to bake. The crust is pretty crispy and flavorful.

I was completely blown away when I did a price comparison of the fresh juices sold at PCC vs. at AmazonFresh or Whole Foods… this place is SO over priced… on one particular brand of juice, approximately 50% more expensive than I’ve seen elsewhere! For this reason, I will be decreasing the number of visits I make to PCC in a year.
Per my previous review, the ingress-​egress for the parking lot is still terrible but the staff seem nicer during my last few visits!

Despite the fact that this store is very small, they still carry a ton of selections. I can wander around the store for hours finding random things. What I love most is nearly 100% of their products are all organic or all natural. Some reviewers noted that it is a bit pricey to shop here, but the products are extremely fresh and the workers are so helpful that it makes up for the high price.
They also have a hot deli section with many soup varieties, which have proved useful for me after a long day of work.
The only thing I wish is for the parking situation to improve. It is extremely small and even tho it seems like parking is plentiful, there are never any empty spaces.

A little smaller than the Issaquah location, but very much a friendly neighborhood market. The only real effect of the smaller store is that they don’t have a huge produce section, it appears; they keep some produce outside, and some in the very middle of the store. It’s a little cramped and if more than two people are there, it’s a traffic jam!
Just make sure you aren’t low on time, since it’s a small parking lot and a small store and takes a few minutes to get through the line to pay for groceries in rush-​hour shopping.
BUT They have sugar pie pumpkins and a great wine selection!
AND they make AWESOME sandwiches — big, meaty or vegetably, and very flavorful. I believe they have other kinds of food as well. If I lived closer I’d be there all the time.