Ralph’s Grocery & Deli

Wishing you all the best. Wishing I knew more before writing a review. I stand by my observations, but could have easily given a four star review and knowing you’re local makes all the difference. This is why I changed my review. I’d like to apologize as well.
I don’t know if you’ll read this or if other Unilocalers will, but I think it’s important to realize the gravity of a review. My 3 star review sat on top for nearly a year without me investigating this locally owned and operated business. Now that same business is bowing out and so am I.
We can’t write such swift reviews before understanding the business. It’s unethical. I know this review doesn’t undo the damage. I wish I responded earlier. I made a mistake.
Let’s Unilocalers say no to one time experience reviews, yeah? Investigate who funds business and their business practices. These are important markers of the consumer experience.
My sincerest apologies and best wishes for the future to the business owner and employees. Chessie

Well it’s been about a year since I’ve visited Ralph’s, and I’ve stayed in hotels near this grocer about 3 times since my first visit. About 2 weeks after my 21^st birthday I stayed in the Warwick and chose Ralph’s (out of convenience) as the venue for my first legal alcohol purchase. Low and behold, after 10 minutes of staring at the liquor selection and discussing the different stories that might come with each alcohol, the man behind the cash register took one look at my ID and immediately refused to sell me any alcohol because my license was vertical. I didn’t get my license until well after my peers, and it didn’t expire until one full year after my 21^st birthday (which is weird, yes, but totally legal). The guy looked at me and said, «Can’t sell you this. Store policy,» as this big ol’ grin appeared on his face. Aside from this less than impressive experience, the pricing was insane, even for Seattle (which is saying a lot), so you better come prepared to crock pot in the hotel room.

The deli is always out of turkey and French bread sandwiches! They only have ham, it sucks and they need to make more of the turkey sandwiches for 7.99!

My friends and I came by last night to pick up some water, snacks and wine, since it was right across the street from our hotel. As we were checking out, the cashier was extremely rude and what came out of his mouth left us all completely speechless. The wine selection was slim too.

After traveling all day I decided to stay in for the evening so I walked across the street from my hotel to Ralph’s to grab some food at the deli. The guy behind the counter was great. I ordered a roast beef sandwich, and went about my business to find myself a drink. He came out into the isles to ask me if i wanted my sandwich toasted, which in my opinion was above and beyond. He was friendly, chatty, and the sandwich (roast beef) was pretty damn good.
My only real complaint about the place was its prices. Granted, they might be pretty average for the city, but I am not sure.
All in all though, good experience, great sandwich and friendly people working there.

If you can stomach the prices and write them off to convenience, you still have to get past the other aspects that point to an ownership only eager to milk the customer. Pastries are often one-​day old. Freshness is a wide-​spread problem, if you ask me. I have often seen food products that are on the shelves past the expiration date or with a new expiration date inked in. I understand the life of a product is greater than what is marked, but it is not re-​assuring. Sandwiches are generous, but they come on awful bread that is way too thick. The pizza is to avoid. And the soups are not always kept fresh. To add insult to injury, you will often find a tip jar at the check-​out counter. Not for pennies… but just in case you feel you haven’t paid enough already for questionable freshness.

Very nice environment and service. Good selection of wine as well!
Highly recommend this and it’s open pretty late.

We ate at Ralph’s Grocery in Seattle last night. There were flies everywhere because the door is left open. The chicken they had brought out and put in the warmer trays was cold. And, the floor was filthy. I would not recommend eating from their deli.

Came here for lunch to check out the deli/​hot food area. Unfortunately, when I came in there was not much ready for lunch by the deli crew. Pizzas werent ready, not much displayed out for sandwiches, soups werent ready yet, salad area didnt look interesting, so I just went to the hot food bar and got me a box and filled it up with some stuff. It was ok, nothing special but I was hungry so I ate it. Good amount of seating inside if you dont feel like eating at your desk.
Also, good amount of drink options from water, juices, sodas to beer, wine and liquor. Nice looking little neighborhood grocery store, pricey but convienient if you live, work or staying at a hotel nearby.
Ehhhh…I dont know, I may come back here & there.

Ralph’s is right by my office building in Belltown. I really appreciate the convenience of having a place to get decent hot meals for lunch and a ton of other deli options as well. They also have a great craft beer selection.
I’ll say that it is a bit pricey for my style, but that’s kinda what you expect for this kind of higher end market. I guess sometimes I still come in and try to find a deal and seem to always be spending a little more than I’d like for a quick bite. But I will still totally chalk it up to the particular market they are serving in that area and the high quality of products they offer.
Also, I used to go into work at 5am and would regularly see that they had left out some of the leftover hot food for the homeless community in the area. It’s always cool to see a business recognize where it can help out. Even if it’s what may seem like a small gesture, it probably made someone’s day.

A seven eleven with higher prices. And some better labels. Just a stop off for most city dwellers. There isn’t any other option in this vicinity. Whole Foods five blocks away. Better to go there.

I am in Ralph’s twice a week, it seems. I’m in it for the hot bar (find me a better deal in the middle of downtown for someone who eats like a bird) and the salads, occasionally a local pop. My office is right down the street so it was inevitable. It’s definitely not a place to buy staple items, but for a quick, healthy lunch with great customer service (seriously the cashiers are super friendly) it’s an A+ in my book.

Summary:
A good lunchtime deli if it’s convenient, but not a destination.
Food:
Quality ingredients made in front of you. Ordered the egg salad sandwich and the turkey cranberry sandwich. The bread was a nice thickness, super fresh, and soft. The serving size was large. I got so full I shouldn’t have finished my whole sandwich (I did though). Wrapped up with a pickle in a signature way that was slightly a pain as it covered everything in pickle juice.
Service:
Helpful enough but not overly friendly. Got the job done without complaint.
Value:
Not a steal, but quality food that will fill you up for a fair deal. Good price for the half sandwich small soup deal too.
Location:
Not in the hype of downtown, but would be good for a pre-​matinée movie. Inside had a nice seating area set apart from the grocery. Was comfortable to stay and eat.
Comments:
I only ate at the deli, didn’t look at the grocery at all. They do have a by-​weight breakfast buffet (average price) and a few well priced breakfast sandwiches.

The store is OK, but 16 $ for a bottle of orange juice is outrageous also for downtown Seattle. It’s probably the only store in Seattle where the wine is cheaper than the orange juice. Thanks god that there are plenty of other groceries in this area!

Fantastic deli choices, but $ 8.00 for a loaf of bread? Dang, Ralph’s. Now that I work downtown, it would’ve been fun buying my lunches here… but I simply cannot afford you.
I’m guessing the high prices are due to the fact that a bazillion million-​dollar-​priced condo highrises are going up there in the new Amazonville. Those people… can afford Ralph’s. This working woman not so much.

Conveniently located downtown grocery store and deli. Great sandwiches and salads to go that are made on-​site. Good breakfast options as well and a nice wine selection. Also, if you’re getting pizza to go from Serious Pie around the corner (because the wait is too long for a Tuesday night and you just wanna have a pizza party in your hotel room), a convenient place to pick up drinks from. Overall, a nice grocery option if you’re in Seattle for a slightly longer visit and don’t want to eat out everyday.

I would say this place deserves 3.5 stars.
pros: location, hours, selection.
got a little bit of everything, from fresh food (ex. sandwiches made to order, produce/​fruits, dairy products, deli meat) to packaged snacks and dry pasta, down to toilet paper and OTC meds… and booze, this store has every little thing a traveler (or even local) might need whatever situation may arise.
cons: pricey, sketchy pricing.
found this place listed on the «gluten free Seattle» map; says they serve hot breakfast items for $ 7.99/lb. costly, yes — self-​serve scoop or two of home fries, scrambled eggs (with scallion & cheese), and two round sausage patties set you back about $ 10 — but still better than a $ 17 breakfast plate at any sit-​down establishment nearby that gives you about the same amount of food. and no tips.
got a quart of milk from Organic Valley, listed $ 3.99 on the shelf, but somehow rang up $ 4.39. really not in the mood to argue 40c this time of day, but that’s a reason i couldn’t give it 4 stars at the end.
meanwhile, though grateful that they actually provide quite a decent amount of GF options from deli meat (Applegate brand) to crackers, a Glutino box of round crackers is priced at $ 6.99 (who knows if it’ll ring up more at the register!). makes one question if they reeeeeeally need it right now, or ever. but hey, at least it’s there shall your heart desire.
then and again, can’t complain about the price when convenience is a priority in terms of location and operating hours.
and they accept major credit cards. and have a good size seating area.

i got a can of hansen’s ginger ale soda there. i couldn’t find the normal canada dry.
it was quite expensive in my humble opinion. came out to a buck and a half… for a SINGLE can of soda. but it’s okay. we really needed it before our movie at cinerama.
the store is really nice.
lots of selection.
lots of eclectic items.
easy to buy one quantity of whatever you want.
i think they upgraded the store design quite a bit over the last time i was there.

A cute little grocery/​deli on the corner of 4^th and Lenora. They are open until 2 am so it makes it convenient for any hotel guests.
You walk up a few steps to a great wine selection. For a small little grocery store, they have about 30% of the store dedicated to wine. I think I like this! Ralph’s also has a great coffee bar for those specialty drinks. For their deli options, they make fresh pizzas, sandwiches (breakfast and lunch) with fresh salads and desserts. They certainly offer a lot for a little store.
It’s very clean and the employees are helpful. Prices are reasonable so I would stop back in a heartbeat.

***This is not one of those big Ralphs grocery stores; it is actually a small market featuring an interesting and good variety of dry goods, sauces, chocolates, and so on; this grocery store also has a nice looking deli and sandwich spot on site; unfortunately, it is not really a complete grocery store; it lacks the fresh meat counter that you would often see at good independent grocery stores***
Metered street parking is available. There are also several very expensive pay lots near this store.

Quelle petite phrase bouleversante au coeur d’un être?