Gelson's La Costa/Carlsbad

The butcher was awesome! Very helpful very personalized service. Every time I go there even though you guys are not bargain price, services excellent and products are good. That’s why I keep coming back, the five dollar coupon does not hurt.

A favorite of mine. Specialty food selection is extensive. I like the variety of gift items offered. The store is always clean and well-laid out. Staff have always been very helpful and nice. Centrally located with lots of parking makes this a convenient place to shop. The deli is my go to for a quick lunch.

A bit over priced but at times convenient, however I've grown tired of the attitude I get from one particular person, Mario, who continually attempts to skip the part where I enter my rewards number, and is always noticeably "put off" when I ask him to allow me to do so. I've noticed in general he seems to be cheerful towards women, but seems irritated by men. The rest of the staff has been polite and professional, but due to the unwarranted attitude of Mr. Mario, I will be taking my business elsewhere going forward.

First time going in the store today and I am so dissatisfied with my Hawaiian Style Ahi Poke Bowl made by the Gelson store . I purchased this poke bowl for 11.99 $ as well as other items, such as over priced fruit and cracker packages . I was not expecting the Poke bow to be as bad as it was . And I say this very genuinely because I don’t have high standards for store bought poke bowls I know what I’m getting into but it was genuinely so shockingly un-tasteful . The rice is hard and barely edible . I couldn’t finish the bowl because of how horrible it tasted and it feels horrible to feel like I wasted money . That poke bowl was priced too high to taste that bad . It genuinely feels like the company only works on the presentation of the store and doesn't focus on genuine pricing . I’m so disappointed and I wholeheartedly feel this store is not worth going back to ever again.

I love to shop at Gelson's - it is clean, spacious, bright and well stocked. My go-to items for our Bed & Breakfast Inn, are fresh squeezed orange juice, sliced ham & Havarti for crepes, and Effie's oat biscuits. For my family - Gelson's chicken & cheese enchiladas, spicy shrimp skewers from the delis

Such a clean and tidy store. Quite a difference from the one we’ve been going to. Great selections also. The staff was wonderful too.

This store has became one of my favorite grocery stores to shop at lately! I work for Instacart full time so I see a lot of stores. Gelson has always been such a great experience for me from the super helpful and friendly employees to how clean/organized everything in the store is. 5 stars all around love this location!

LOVE this place! Service is the BEST, employees take pride in what they do & it REALLY shows. Have a question, need help? It's almost as if they're GRATEFUL you asked. Old school excellent customer service. The selection is TOPS, always spotless clean & well-organized, and superb attention to customers. Yeah, for obvious reasons (specialty selections, higher quality) they're not nose-to-nose pricewise with Big Retail. If you can afford to pay a little more, promises you a luxury experience.

Amazing number 11 turkey sandwich with stuffing, super yummy, alittle pricey but worth it, young lady trainee and other lady behind deli very helpful

Great place to grab anything non-perishable, and the staff is super sweet and helpful. Terrible store if you want non-expired food. Their deli meat, yogurt, and deli food is always expired and not at all fresh. I've gone so many times to purchase produce only to be disappointed with wilted wrinkly vegetables and fruit that goes bad in 2 days. Also, I've returned flowers three times the next day after purchasing, as they also died. Not sure what the deal is, especially since Gelsons is not even that affordable, but I will unfortunately continue to drive to Lazy Acres for quality food. Such a bummer.

Love the deli! Lots of parking and friendly staff. I always have a pleasant experience here.

Wow! I love this store!!! The quality of food is off the charts! The salad bar is so worth coming to! Their avocado dressing is phenomenal and what keeps me coming back! Everything is super fresh and top quality. The service in this store is unparalleled to any store I have ever been in around the world! You can feel the people here love their job and are absolutely the friendliest kindest humans. This alone makes it the whole experience worth the stop in!

It's a lovely store with a great produce and meat department. Yes, more pricey than Vons/Staters/Albertsons but the quality is definitely higher for fresh produce and meat. It's the only place I buy filet mignon, though sometimes the selection in their case is a bit underwhelming. There is one older female butcher there who I tend to avoid (she seems not very happy to be there), but the others provide great service and will happily offer to go to the back and cut new steaks if you don't like the ones in the case....they let you shop while they prepare a new cut and will come find you anywhere in the store with the meat neatly packaged. The hot rotisserie chickens are great too! Oh and their Wolfgang Puck kitchen makes custom pizzas....you can see the fresh ingredients behind the glass case, pick what you want and they cook it in their stone fired pizza oven while you shop. The pizza is actually super tasty and a great value....a large 18 inch pizza for $18! They will even do a half and half pizza, no extra charge. I actually ordered 2 different small pizzas and the chef said I should just order one large, half and half....better deal for same amount of slices. Nice! They also carry specialty food and snack items, seasonal items, a lovely flower/plant selection, papyrus greeting cards, nice beer and wine section, yummy prepared food selections. If you're local, sign up for Gelson's rewards...nice perks.

Gelsons is one of my favorite places to stop by for lunch! There salad bar is always so fresh and has so much to choose from. For a healthy flavorful lunch it's a must!

Great food quality Good in-person customer service Clean and well lit store Terrible website functionality due to glitch-filled online application Help desk never called back.

Gelsons review was negative but the manager called me personally and apologized and made restitute. I am happy with the positive outcomes. Wendy E

I had a Too Good to Go pickup at The Pie Hole which I didn't realize was located inside of Gelson's - let me say, I'm so glad it was! This grocery store reminded me why I enjoy shopping for groceries. It felt so homey and welcoming and was very well-organized and clean. Every employee I encountered was kind and seemed happy to help which is always appreciated. We grabbed some snacks for my kids and I got a little antioxidant salad of avocado, cabbage, tomatoes, etc from the prepared foods deli area. They have a little place to sit and eat near the front of the store so we did just that and it worked fabulously. If we lived closer, this would definitely be a regular store for me!

The appetizing/deli section looks a LOT better than it tastes. Super pricey and incredibly disappointing.

My husband and I were in the area for a conference, and a local pointed us to the wine bar at Gelson's as an alternative to driving to Temecula. To say we were blown away would be an understatement. Troy provided amazing knowledge about available wines, great service, and friendly conversation. The sushi chef came out and asked about our preferences and created a delicious masterpiece for us. Definitely a unique experience that we'll remember!

So expensive but staff is friendly . Went there yesterday and their music was so loud and playing ACDC! Like a rock concert Made my ears bleed and I love rock and roll

The pizza they make is delicious. I am giving them 1 star because I went there on a Saturday during my lunch hour to order a pizza and they only had 1 person making the pizzas and he was on lunch. They told me I had to wait 30 min to order which is when the attendant was due back. Unacceptable to not have a backup for when 1 person goes on break or lunch. With how expensive the prices are at Gelsons, they should have a back up for every dept.

I don't understand what is going on with this store. It looks like it is giving up. I went to buy turkey from the carving station and it was just the breast and undercooked (Pink in a 2 x 3 inch oval. That is serious stuff someone could get very sick. I told the woman I will pass and then looked at the deli counter and the selection was very minimal. The bakery is almost non existent except from things from the Pie Whole. I then looked to get pizza but that was all dry and looked like it had been sitting around a long time. I like that the store is always roomy and clean but I have no idea how it is hanging on.

I come here for the deli and bakery. Their roasted chicken is surprisingly good. The baked goods are great too.

Because I'm done with Ralph's, I'm on the hunt for a new grocery store.... so off I go to the local Gelsons. Easy parking, check number one. Very pretty and well laid out, check two! I'm liking this place. Might be more expensive but so far I've had two people ask ME.... how can we help. I needed cut up peppers and onions and he said hold one I'll be right back and did them for me. Nice! The counter and fish/meat department is spotless and great looking stuff. The salads and other side orders call my name and I go fruit salad and potato salad... Easy check out. Not bad price wise but for sure more. But I'm ok with that to have an option and great fresh food. I'll be back for some fried chicken! It looked good. And a steak or two... and fish, yes lots of fish!

I had a pricing issue with Barbara and Chuck the AGM swooped in to fix the issue. These guys are great and the other Gelson stores should be envious they are at this store. Way better than vrie location.

This poor one-star rating is meant to apply to the Gelson bakery......or what's left of it. Just a year ago, Gelson management made an ill-advised move to trade what could be called the very best of any Carlsbad foodstore's bakery offerings......for the dark, dreary and appallingly expensive mediocrity of the "Pie Hole" and its line of drivel, unearthed seemingly from the dismal days of the old, failed Soviet Union. When I visited the store yesterday, I was shocked to see that the Gelson bakery was almost totally bereft of ANY baked products.....a sure sign of the abject lack of any oversight by the management. This is an unmistakable message to customers that Gelson's just doesn't give a hoot anymore, which is indeed sad.

I rarely shop at Gelson's because I've got closer options to me but came in to check out their pricing on items. The price of EVERYTHING has gone up so much that I needed to do my due diligence and expand, if necessary. Picked up 10 or so items to prepare dinner and items for the kids lunches and was appalled at how rude the cashier was to us. He grabbed groceries so forcefully from my 6 year old daughter who was trying to be a good helper by unloading groceries and had a can't-be-bothered attitude throughout the entire transaction. I had no idea what the total was either. I had to look. He looked so bothered as he stood there waiting for me to enter my credit card. No one was in line but I was clearly holding him up for something. He handed the receipt to me so rudely as well. Might as well had thrown it at me, he practically did. I won't ever shop here again. I'd rather shop elsewhere where there is a mutual respect. When we were in the parking lot, my daughter asked me why the man was so mean to her. I simply said. There are people in this world who are just not kind and don't have a good heart. He was one of them. Her response was perfect. He would probably be happier if he was a nicer person.

North County's best kept secret is Gelson's La Costa's talented florist. Margaret has been single-handedly creating floral masterpieces for me the past few years. You can't beat the price and selection. Margaret's arrangements would sell for significantly more at the spendier stand-alone shops in RSF & LJ.

This nice Man Jean Luc was kind enough to write Happy Birthday on the cake. So nice and accommodating. So friendly. I appreciated that he was able to write Happy Birthday T on it. So grateful.

This is a very fancy grocery store. Everything is so neatly displayed and it just feels very high class here. They have a lot of expensive brands here that I wouldn't necessarily see at a Safeway. They even have an olive oil and vinegar dispenser station where you can sample them! That is very cool. There was also a kombucha filling station. They had this special where if you text something to a number you got a $5 off coupon which was very nice and unexpected. I don't live in SoCal but I'll be sure to be on the lookout for this grocery store next time!

A very good place to get your take out thanksgiving dinner--Incredible amount of food and wonderful people working there! Bon appetit!

I have been going to Gelson's long before Gelson's. Some of the staff has been here for quite some time and quite some changes over the years. I love seeing them and love the whole shopping experience when I come to visit. Very knowledgeable employees (wine dude is on point) and very friendly. Al is a stand out- always a pleasure to check out with and catch up at the same time. His heart is in his work and I always look forward to seeing him! Thank you Gelson's staff as you draw an amazing community together with food, service, and each of your hearts!

Nice selection of goods, but overpriced. The prepared item are good, but they can be hit or miss sometimes. The selection seems a little better at the Del Mar location. When they have items on sale, they can be cheaper than at a "normal" grocery store, e.g. Ralphs. Friendly staff, but not as friendly as the staff in Del Mar. One of the few grocery stores where you don't have to load your items onto a conveyor belt. They'll pull items directly out of the shopping cart. The quality control could be better. The wife always finds bits of shells in her crab cakes. At these prices they could go down Camino Real and hire a day laborer in front of Home Depot to pick out the shells. It shouldn't be that difficult. A big issue is that all of the hot food items seem to get pulled before 5:00pm. If you are going there after work you'll be out of luck.

Gelson's Carlsbad is absolutely one of my favorite stores! It's always neat, clean and orderly. The staff is always willing to assist me when help is needed. The selection of hot or cold food satisfies the Foodie in me Gelson's is the perfect one-stop shop from their floral department to the Poke bar

This isn't my weekly go-to market because of the prices, but I always come here for pizza dough. They have raw Wolfgang puck pizza dough; ask for it at the pizza counter near the sushi area. We make our own pasta at home, but their pizza dough is better than any we've been able to make by hand. Buy it the same day you're going to use it. This is also the first place I ever had cotton candy grapes! Such a yummy treat. Service is outstanding. Parking is easy.

Great food. Even better service. Ordered a ton of food for a catered event they helped us out it in the car etc.

I do not normally shop for groceries at Gelsons but I do buy my lunch at this Fine store. I would like to add that I have returned to the deli for Kristen sandwiches in the deli department! They're deli food is delicious and variety to choose from full dinner options to soups, salads and of course deli goods. Sandwiches are unbeatable! Bakery goods are a masterpiece all deli and bakery foods are truly the best I have ever had, Delicious and fresh with highest ingredients. This store is top quality! I love their selection and friendly quality service from every employee you can tell they really care and love their job. Thank you Kristen!

Thank you Sean and Rodolfo for taking very good care of me after a miss communication with my catering order. The skewers that I picked out to replace my original order looked great and had a very nice presentation. They were huge too, however I was not told that the skewers were cold and needed to be warmed up. Everyone at my park picnic still loved the food though, but it would have been a lot better hot. I was able to get a very big discount thankfully, in an attempt for them to make up for the error on their part. There are a lot of other amazing sounding dishes that I would love to order for my next big group get-together, but next time I would want to physically walk in to place my order vs. calling in. You can also order online, but the option to select a future date for pick up, is not an option on some of their items, which is why I had to call in to place my order. Oh and they have a Pie Hole inside! Just another great dessert option they have here.

LOOKS TIRED ! I have never been inside this supermarket until Monday but my wife has dropped in to pick up a few small things every now and then. We stopped by here after charging my wife's Tesla Y across the road...again to pick up a few items that are sometimes hard to find. My first impression walking in was it looks poorly laid out.....too much clutter blocking the customer's view of the interior from the entrance. And it looks old school....I seem to remember Gelson's moved in a few years ago when another supermarket chain shut down this store and a few others. My wife bought a box of Kosher salt and I grabbed a couple of packs of Hagen-Dazs ice cream bars...one a new flavor I have not tried before. We also found some new Kelly's Kookies we liked. But they had no tubs of Treasure Cave Crumbled Gorgonzola even though we saw stacks on the shelf at their Del Mar location that morning. Gelson's stock a few things we need but at the end of the day they will always be at the lowest rung of our shopping choices !

This store is for me "for treats only" cuz it's insanely expensive here! Their deli counter has lots of hot food to choose from - i.e. buffalo wings, chicken tenders, grilled chicken (choice of organic). Staff is super cool and give you a sample if you are unsure....salad bar has plenty of stuff to choose from. The Poke bar is best in town in my opinion! Wine selections offers weekly promotions. Great place to pick up hostess gifts, appetizers & "soul food" for big game nights ;)

Yes. You will find items here you don't see at other local grocery stores. They have a terrific meat department I'm store bakery plus a nice hot food counter Price? Far more expensive than any other major grocery store chain. Smaller store so selection isn't also there

I LOVE WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO THE PLACE!!! This Gelson's recently remodeled and their new layout is truly spectacular! They even added an awesome Bar so you can have a glass of wine or drink before or after you shop!!! To me, Gelson's is a superbly balanced intersection between Lazy Acres, Vons, Whole Foods, and Albertsons. They stock higher end products, along with everyday ones, organic produce, and their prices are for the most part in line with their competitors. They have a stellar meat and seafood department, bakery, deli (they have nitrite free meats), and their dairy selection is broad and delicious. The cheese selection is outstanding and they even sell my very favorite "Parmesan Crisps". I also love their super yummy Poke area! The fish is always fresh and expertly trimmed and seasoned. As for the deli, my goodness, I seriously can live on their excellent selection of salads which are always fresh, innovative, and healthy. This Gelson's also gets my award for the BEST Fried Chicken in the area (sorry Church's). It's not overly salty, moist, flavorful and crunchy. Mmm! They also have really, really good Mac and Cheese, FTW! What makes this store genuinely shine is their management and staff! The checkers and baggers and always super cordial and dynamic. If you're looking for something on the floor a Gelson's staff member will actually walk you to where the item is located (are you listening Vons?). I recently had an incident where I was overcharged for one of the four salads I purchased. "Troy" and "Ted" handled the situation BRILLIANTLY! When I called they were quick to amiably respond and when I came in they corrected the matter immediately. They even comp'd me the salads! Yew! It seriously IS service like this that cultivates a loyal customer base and keeps them coming back! Cheers Gelson's!!

Well, Francisco did it again. I special ordered Veal shanks for Osso Buco and they were perfectly cut and ready for my pick up. And the Osso Buco was fabulous as is anything you make when you start with Gelson's meats. Thank you Francisco!

It's not nice driving to the store to pick up one last item a few minutes before closing only to find out that the doors are locked and the employees, from inside, are looking at you while knowing it's not 10pm yet... Will not use this store any more.

We enjoy coming to Gelson's to get a glass of beer before we shop for dinner. More often than not, we end up having dinner at the wine bar. Alex and Leah (and Troy) have become our friends, and we enjoy the place more because of them. Since they have expanded their food menu, this has become a common place for us to have dinner- the sushi tower is the best! Pour some Yuzu and Ponzu over it and it's my favorite dish. The happy hour is . It's everyday 4-6. Even weekends!

Most of the stuff here at Gelson's is really good. The problem is, when you leave, you feel like you got mugged. Everything is just so crazy expensive. Some of the products are fancier so they cost more, but there's a LOOOOT of things here that are the exact same product, just 20% more. The deli area and the bar to the right of the entrance are really nice to have (esp if the wife needs more than just a few things) to stop and have a snack and a drink. I've even noticed that they have their own bar regulars. They have a nice selection of bulk items that you don't usually see at regular grocery stores.

We have never been inside a Gelson's before until yesterday. We were charging our car and needed a few grocery items and saw a Gelson's so we walked over. PRICING - I feel Iikd Gelson's is definitely on the higher side of prices for groceries. I cannot say much about it as we never shop here and we were just grabbing a few things. SERVICE - The 5 star is primarily for the service. Most of the time, you go to a grocery story and the employees do their own thing and avoid eye contact with you so you do not ask them questions. However, my husband and I were looking at the hummus selections and was approached by a man. He was stocking the grapes and he immediately asked us if we had any questions or needed help. We were pleasantly surprised as he was so friendly! He even gave us a few "moon drop grapes" to try as he said they were really good. Never heard of these grapes before but the man struck up a conversation about it and was so passionate about his produce. It was great to see! If everyone at the grocery store was like him, it would be the best experience. Thank you for your kindness Mr. Grape!

In LOVE with the selection of high quality products, both local and from other places too! I love the tea from their bakery! We also had sushi and noodles from their bar area! So so happy they have this location!

Their bagels are delicious...I wish they had a bag of more than 2. The bagels are light & not too doughy. As for the service tonight, I'd give them 1 star. The checker couldn't bother to say hi. All she said was our total. So I asked her if she greets her customers...she had the nerve to say yes. I told her we didn't hear one. SO RUDE!!

So as a professional driver, I spend a lot of time checking out new places throughout the county of San Diego. Craving an old fashioned deli sandwich, I wandered into Gelson's after seeing a sign out front that said SERVICE DELI. Boy was I impressed! I nice new deli service person named Frank, who was "in training" made me a bomb roast beef and Swiss. My only let down was that they did not have a sour dough sandwich roll, only sliced (which I'm not a fan of... must be an Italian thing!) The store has prepared food, hot and cold, a place to sit and eat and a lot of things you wouldn't find in a normal grocery store. Definitely a classy joint, pricing reflects.

Great new addition to Carlsbad and a much better option than Haggen which it replaced. This particular Gelson's has some pretty good organic fruits and a nice selection of Kombucha. There's also a nice warm food bar and decent salad bar. My only beef with this place is that the food almost appears as if it sits out for a bit longer than most of the health food stores which is negative a couple of stars in my book. The pricing is also a bit odd as some days it's reasonable but other days it's really expensive. Overall, my go to is still Jimbos, but I don frequent Gelson's for more of the grocery type purchases. Pros- Nice selection of organics Good produce Kombucha Always stocked Friendly staff Plentiful parking Great wine/beer selection Cons- Warm food seems old at times Pricey Limited vitamin and holistic selection

Honestly, I will never go back here. I am an instacart shopper and I also do a lot of personal shopping here as well as my entire family. As I was doing an order about a week ago, the cashier was the rudest employee that i've ever faced. The app was having technical difficulties and so a few things were holding up the line and I asked him to add something and then void something. Annoying, sure, but pretty standard for a GROCERY STORE. he was so rude to me that other customers who were staring had to tell him "it's ok, really I don't mind waiting" because he was being such a dick. A regular came up to me in the parking lot after and asked if I was ok and remarked how rude he was being. I don't want to get into the intricacies of how rude this dude was, because why or what he said doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, but it was so bad that I won't ever shop here again, my family won't ever shop there again and I absolutely won't pick up any more orders from here. I'm 33 and have NEVER made a complaint about an employee in my life and I don't really care if people aren't always in customer service mode, it doesnt matter to me. The fact that I'm making this complaint like a week and a half after shows just how much vitriol and hate this dude seemed to have for me. i PAID FOR A 75 DOLLAR INSTACART ORDER MYSELF KNOWING I WOULDNT GET A REFUND JUST SO I COULD GET AWAY FROM THIS DUDE. I wasn't going to blast his name but I don't want it confused, his name was Chuck I think, I know that because the regular he was talking to, you know the one he embarrassed himself in front of, said it. I will be TRULY shocked if this is his first complaint. (I looked at a few more, it looks like other people felt the same way I do. I'm sorry, I've worked in customer service for a long time and if I were management I'd be HUMILIATED if multiple people felt strongly enough to write a review.) I never thought I'd write a review, but I had to go into my car and cry and calm down for a few minutes before making my delivery. I talked to my friend who he also treated like this, who also went in her car and cried. Your cashier is literally making women cry after they deal with him. I ended up PAYING MONEY to get out of there faster. There is also now about six people who will never go there again and we will take our money somewhere else. **There is a manager there who is AMAZING, though. He helped calm my crying baby and was so sweet to her a few months ago, and i wish i knew his name, because that guy is awesome. ** Sucks because I liked shopping there.

I work for insta cart. Today i stepped in to do my job as usual and I ran into a lady with glasses and a black sweater. She was rude mean and a dissapointment to your store. She made a closing announcement and even her voice was irritating. I hope she was not one of the managers? On the other hand I walked over to the deli department and was greeted by Marlene and Dawn. They immediatly offered to help and although the counters looked clean they didn't mind helping me with what I needed. You need more workers like them. They are dedicated to what they are doing especially in a time like this. I would rate them as employees of the month if I was given the chance. So I really encourage you guys to praise them. I did thank them for their help and told them we need mlm ore people like you guys. They were the only department that seemed like they were enjoying their job. Hopefully a manager sees this review and rewards them as for the other lady I have nothing good to say!

So, 5 stars ? Yes. Stopped in as traffic jam on I 5 . Took Camino Real and stopped by. What stood out 1st was how helpful / friendly this place is. My bartender "Alex" was very attentive and knowledgeable about the grocery store as well as the craft beer wine bar selection. Expect exceptional food here. Lobster Sliders and short ribs are popular. You can stop by, have a relaxing break and they will pull all your groceries. No charge. Looking forward to grocery shopping now.

As a premium supermarket, you'll find a wide assortment of grocery, meat, deli, and produce items that you won't find anywhere else. Expect to find slightly higher prices than a regular grocery store, but most people who come here aren't looking for the same everyday items you'd find at Vons. The quality and service are truly excellent. The employees and management are invested in making your experience delightful. I really appreciate the bakery. It is phenomenal in its offering, quality, and service. And I learned that you can ask for samples anywhere in the store. I'll be back to explore!

Highly recommended the cheese boards they make. Pre ordered one for a shower and it was a huge hit, looked great and they worked with our budget which was fantastic!

If you plan on coming here for the poke bar: don't. I was in a hurry and packed my bowl quickly- big mistake. The fish was not fresh. Some cubes of tuna were grey-ish and falling apart. It was also extremely salty- I could feel the salt granules while chewing. I have no idea why someone thought it was okay to dump a ton of salt on the poke. You can't even taste anything else because the salt is so overpowering. Lastly, the price per pound here is higher than Lazy Acres. So basically, I overpaid for a bowl of old salty tuna cubes. I am not sure if poke is "returnable", so I did not try to return to the store once I had already gotten home. This store is very clean and new, and everyone seemed nice, but stay away from the poke bar.