A foodie haven at Castro Valley Marketplace

Last Updated On Jul. 20, 2022

Live music on the Paseo at Castro Valley Marketplace. Photo courtesy of Castro Valley Marketplace.

Food halls are ubiquitous in Europe where you shop for the freshest, most seasonal foods. We’re slowly catching up here in the US, and the Bay Area is home to some pretty spectacular venues like the Ferry Building. East Bay residents have the Castro Valley Marketplace, which opened in 2020, and provides shoppers with a fresh food hub and community space to shop and meet up. It's a bustling, airy space that has the allure of hosting both restaurants and shops. Places to dine and drink include Akemi Sushi, Cannery Kitchen & Tap, Oculto, and Night Owl. It’s a quick nine-minute walk from BART’s Castro Valley station through a quaint residential street. Grab your appetite and your shopping list and explore. Operating hours vary.

Organic produce at Castro Valley Natural Grocery. Image courtesy of Sophia Markoulakis.

The largest tenant in the building is Castro Valley Natural Grocery. Its sister location is Alameda Natural Grocery. The produce and prepared foods department greet you as soon as you enter through the string light-lit Paseo, enticing you to shop for fresh veggies and cheeses, hot dishes and rotisserie chicken, and cold prepared salads and deli meats. The grocery has a commitment to organic produce, sustainably made food and wellness items, and earth-friendly products.

Reader tip: For another natural grocery store in the area, head across the street to Health Unlimited in the Castro Village Shopping Center. This store includes affordable organic produce, bulk organic dry goods as well as many other food, health, and personal care items.

Cordial Bottle Shop draws shoppers in with tastings and happy hour in their basement lounge. Image courtesy of Sophia Markoulakis.

Situated in the center of the bustling marketplace is Cordial Cellar + Lounge’s new bottle shop. It’s where a curated selection of wine and spirits are for sale for this basement-level bar and pop-up dining room. They host local wine and spirit makers here on the ground level with free tastings in the afternoon. They recently hosted Berkeley’s Home Base Spirits with one of the owners pouring samples and talking whiskey.

Lots of gifts to choose from at Amphora Nueva. Image courtesy of Sophia Markoulakis.

Amphora Nueva is positioned perfectly between a trinity of foods—meat, spices, and bread. Their olive oil and vinegar shop not only has dozens of specialty olive oils from both hemispheres but also has aged and flavored balsamic vinegar. It’s a great spot to learn about the nuances and health benefits of extra virgin olive oil and the staff is happy to offer tastes so you understand what that ”burn in the back of the throat” means.

The spotless meat and seafood case makes it hard to decide what to cook at Baron's. Image courtesy of Sophia Markoulakis.

Butcher shops are a dying breed so Baron’s Quality Meats & Seafood is not only novel but necessary for shoppers sourcing ethically sourced meat, poultry, and seafood. It’s the third and newest location for this legacy business. They have signature items like house-made sausages and a marinated tri-tip, but really anything they feel worthy to put in their meat case is worthy of a purchase.

The endless array of spices at Oaktown Spice Shop. Image courtesy of Sophia Markoulakis.

Oaktown Spice Shop is the Bay Area’s preeminent spice emporium. It’s where chefs and cookbook authors like Samin Nosrat and Nik Sharma source hard-to-find spices like single-origin turmeric and Maras Turkish Chile. Spice shopping is the cheapest way to travel the world and Oaktown does a great job of offering different size packages and jars. They offer great custom blends for grilling and roasting like their Persian Lime Curry Rub and Bombay Orange Seasoning.

Fresh bread and pastries are a draw at Seven Hills Baking Company. Image courtesy of Sophia Markoulakis.

Freshly baked batards and kouign amanns are just some of the swoon-worthy baked goods at Seven Hills Baking Company. French chef and baker Julien Wagner is the real deal and there's always a crowd eyeing the pastry case. Coffee (hot) and beans from the East Bay’s Proyecto Diaz are also served. Don’t miss the fresh pretzels, daily offering of Roman-style focaccia, and polenta-blueberry muffins.

Where: 3295 Castro Valley Blvd.

Station: Castro Valley

Walk Time: 9 minutes

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by Sophia Markoulakis

Sophia Markoulakis is a Bay Area-based freelance journalist covering lifestyle and human interest topics. Her first memory riding BART was while attending UC Berkeley. It was the fastest way to escape her seven roommates and head to San Francisco. She still rides BART to access the best the bay has to offer.