Royal Market Food & Bakery

A great Mediterranean grocery and hot food store. They have prepared sea food, lamb, pork, chicken, etc., and mannnny vegetarian options as well, and Baked goods . Wonderful variety!! If you want good authentic Mediterranean prepared food, this is a great place to visit!!

Store appearance is neat. There seems to bea good selection of what looks like Russian (and Turkish?) grocery items. The fish at the meat/seafood didn’t look fresh. Cleanliness at the deli is in question, as there was a fly flying on top of the uncovered deli food. There are a lot of baked goods to choose from; but most are pre-packaged and/or refrigerated. One star for customer service. No smile or a simple hello from any of the staff. We ordered some cooked food. Each time we ordered an additional item, the woman behind the counter looked (very obviously) more impatient. Don’t think we’ll ever return. There is a much better European grocer less than five blocks away.

What an incredible selection of Armenia and Eastern European foods. The customer service staff are amazing and very friendly. I could literally spend hours browsing. The prepared soups are delicious as well as the salads. I am not a big fan of pre cooked counter food which is on display but to each its own.

Writing this review so that there’s a single place in SF tagged with: sarma, cabbage leaves, napolitanke, kras, vegeta. For cabbage leaves for sarma they have multiple options. Marvelous.

They have such a great variety of pre-cooked as well as bakery as well as their meat section fish sturgeon deli section such a variety of alcohol incredible store highly recommend it super clean I wish there was one on all over the city I drive across the city just to go to this store

Good market. No beer available. They do have vodka and other spirits. A lot of brands I have not seen before.

My go to place for home made Armenian and Eastern European food. Great variety of everything including wines and liquors from that region. Exceptionally hospitable people. Every visit there is a treat.

Went in today to get updated potato salad called Olivier. Who’s sick idea is to toss sooo much pepper?? Is should be called pepper salad with mayo and potatoes. I can’t feel any taste besides pepper. First of all I never saw Olivier salad with pepper before. Ingredients are cut well but pepper AMOUNT ruined everything.

I am loving all the Russian cuisine I am being introduced to during my stay in San Francisco this month. So much amazing food I have never had before. Borscht Soup! How have I lived for almost 60 years with this? After enjoying fantastic food at Cinderella's Bakery on Balboa for 3 weeks, we decided to expand on our horizons, so we took a little field trip on our bikes to 3 different Russian Markets on Geary. The staff at Royal are not at all friendly or helpful with my questions, but they were quick and efficient once I made up my mind, and and packed it all to go with great care. Luckily, I can tell good food when I see it, and can just go with my own instinct. I made excellent choices here! The prepared food I took home from Royal was delicious. We had Veal Cutlet Parmegian, one topped with tomatoes, one with mushrooms. Amazing! Ground Lamb Skewers. Amazing! Tabouli Salad.....just the right mixed of herbs and lemon. Amazing! The Borscht Soup was ok, but I will get it from Cinderellas from now on, as that was much better for my taste. We pick up a bunch of fresh dill to garnish our take home food, that was a little pricey but very fresh, beautiful and flavorful. I will be back again soon with more confidence to make my selections without requiring any help at all from the staff.

Good market. No beer available. They do have vodka and other spirits. A lot of brands I have not seen before. I ended up getting some vodka and a lemon drink.

We were adequately greeted. Their food price and variety, customer service and cleanliness were adequate. Prices seemed a tad high. The access here is disabled-friendly. No automatic gratuity was demanded for my attendance here. The bill matched their posted prices. (It's an illegal Deceptive Trade Practice when the bill doesn't match posted prices) No one at this business took my picture without my permission or publicly posted it without my permission. No one at this business offered to commit fraud to reward me or pay me or compensate me for posting 5-star reviews of this business. FTC forbids the use of fake testimonials as are illegal under Section 5 of the FTC Act (15 USC 45 as they are using unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce. A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference. -- Eeyore The owners of this business like their Freedom so they have a Military and Veterans Discount as a thank you to Veterans with a publicly disclosed daily Veteran Discount which provides resource to ensure Veterans (rare 7% of the population) and GIs (rare one-half of one percent of the population) opportunity to participate in American Dream Veterans and GIs' sacrifices have made possible for 100% of the population. That earned 'em another review star. Their website link on yelp is useless. I google searched and got a facebook page but it was not in a language I know. Those two lost 'em a review star. P.S. Don't message me because in spite of several complaints to yelp, for years now I am unable to open up any messages in yelp to me :-(

Great buckwheat, chocolate, and salted salmon. The big guy (manager/owner?) helped me choose buckwheat and the woman with the fish told me when they'd have their next shipment. Colorful Russian market vibe.

I think this is the only Russian store I haven't been to and it's a really nice one. They've got a great marinated meat counter, though their sausage selection is not as broad as New World down Geary. I got these salmon blintz rolls that were pricey but really quite good.

Fresh produce. Excellent service. Thank you to provide the best produce from our homeland. Best international store. Thank you for service.

Great European food store with an even better salad/prepared hot food section. Is is slightly overpriced? Maybe. But I do not live in San Francisco, and when I am in town I am happy to pay for the convenience of purchasing all my favorite goodies in one store, and I am always greeted with a smile!

This IS THE BEST European food/deli store. I have been coming here for a number of years and they're constantly great. Quality of food, cleanliness, freshness, and impeccable service! I have ordered from their catering service- consistently great! Bravo to Lena, Angela, Lyalya - YOU ARE THE BEST

I am on my Russian kick. I have one more restaurant to visit called "Renaissance" but for now it's Covid and they aren't open. In any case, I decided to get the Russian ice cream cone with berry and the vanilla ice cream at the Russian store for a change. It was about $4 and a fun snack. The line was held up and taking too long and oh well and they have a $10 minimum with card. It's a fascinating grocery store with many items that are Russian and suitable for life in the USA.

They carry staples and fun options from the US and from around the world. My kids especially like the German thin noodles for chicken soup. They have so many awesome Nutella options that I never see in US supermarkets, but I have seen in Europe.

I like this market - staff is usually friendly, and the place usually clean. Selection is decent in spite of the small space. It is a bit run down though. Regarding recommendations, there is a fun jam, made of baby pine cones - a Siberian treat. It took me a few spoons to get used to it but now I love it! It's great and pretty on vanilla ice cream! Oh and then there is this ... a bright green Tarragon soda called Tarhun! It's originally Georgian in origin and made by a pharmacist but this one was made in Russia. It's pretty good!

1. Overpriced 2. Customer service is a concept they've never even heard of 3. Owner is rude Here's why I'll never return: I came to the Royal Market store on Nov 10 to get some pickled herring (holiday staple for Ukrainians) and some sunflower seeds for our Thanksgiving dinner. I then realized there was another international/Russian grocery store called Europa + (Russian Import?) right across the street. Since I was so close, I decided to stop by and see if there was anything else I wanted there. To my huge surprise, I noticed a 20-30% difference in prices for the items I had just purchased at Royal market: - $4.99 vs. $6.99 per bag (I got 3) for roasted Sunflower Seeds paid at Royal Market - $9.99 vs. $12.99 for Matias pickled herring. These items are of the same exact weight and brand. See receipts from both stores attached for comparison as well as a photo of the pickled herring since there are several different sizes typically. This one was a 1kg package. So, naturally, I bought the same items at Europa +. I then attempted to exercise my "free economy" rights that this beautiful country bestowed upon us, customers, to return the UNOPENED items purchased just 10 minutes ago with receipt in hand back to Royal Market solely based on the significant price difference. I was very polite about it, and even APOLOGIZED for burdening the cashier with this ask. The cashier appeared very confused and apparently had no idea how to process a return. She called the "owner" on the phone and made the whole line wait for roughly 5 minutes (she was the only one there) while she was explaining to the owner how I "went across the street and saw a lower price" and am now asking to return a few items due to price difference. She then attempted to call the Europa + store too even though I just showed her their receipts to prove I'm really just trying to pay what's fair? Not exactly sure what she was up to since she wasn't communicating anything back to me. In the meantime, I was chatting with the nice elderly gentleman in the line about his love for Medovik cakes, waiting for her to figure it all out. She then began calculating the refund MANUALLY on a piece of paper without saying a word to me. I patiently waited. Once she was finally done, she gave me my refund receipt and said: "THE OWNER TOLD ME TO TELL YOU TO NEVER COME BACK HERE". Wowza. Speechless. What have I done to piss you off so much that you'll never take my money again? I mean, I wasn't gonna come back anyway since your store is a RIP OFF. However, after this horrible treatment in front of your own customers who were right behind me shocked just as much as I was, you're getting a bonus parting gift from me that I had NO intention of giving at first - this candid review. Do yourself a favor and get out of your Soviet Russian mindset and start treating your customers with respect. There are, in fact, alternatives to your store and we're not forced to tolerate your bullshit.

Absolutely best and very favorite for quark babka, sweets, bread, and made here delicacies. I've been coming here for over 20 years every week, and this is one of my most favorite places.

We drop by to check out this market thinking it was a Russian market, but turned out to be Armenian. Full selection of Eastern and Northern European food items as well as middle Eastern style sweet and bread. We got beef Lula for grilling and chicken breasts that were out of this world. Blackcurrant jam is a hard to find item in America. and the Armenian sweet were made in store and tasted great. Go and give them some business to support a local institution.

Im so disappointed:( Ive been coming there many times, and tried to not listen to negative reviews. But today I bought Korean carrot, and it was with the mold even though they stated its fresh:( Also, I noticed that many goods are expired, especially mayonnaise. Be careful with sassages, herring and cooked food:( So bad, I thought its common only for ex USSR countries, not here. Apparently, their clients are not so important as their sale of expired food.

It's good I was looking for a Russian market turns out this one is more Armenian and I'm good with that if your looking for Armenian stuff this is the place

Never coming her again. This place overcharges 20 percent more then all the other stores around the neighborhood. I don't understand why. Very expensive. Plus the people that work there suck. No help. Plus a lot of stuff is expired. I would rather go to the other markets that are fresh and cheaper then this one in the neighborhood. I don't feel to royal when I am in that market.

The only reason why I give 1 star review is the very fact that the worker working outside the store doesn't put on his mask. He was working on the vegetables around 9 in the morning on Saturday the 18th. Come on! Why don't you put on your mask? Your mask is for fashion only? He put on one side, and let the other slide down his face. Is it supposed to be funny? He is putting the customers in danger! Very unprofessional. I didn't buy anything and left.

Love this place! Amazing deli options and bunch of European sweets to discover. The only authentic Armenian/Russian market in the city!

First time wandering into a Russian deli. I'm a huge lamb fan and was curious to try their lamb kebab. They sell them by the pound at the deli. Two foot longs were quarter pound and cost under $10. It was interesting. Not like middle eastern kebabs I've had before. I like their interesting array of colorful Russian desserts. Their lamb pilaf rice also looked really good. Service wasn't as bad as some would stereotype. I've had worse at other international markets...

My wife went to the market this evening at 5:25 pm to buy Martadella and asked the seller to slice it, but the seller told her she did not have time to cut it because she had to close the market (the closing time of the market is exactly 6 pm). This behavior is extremely disrespectful to the customer. Very bad and disappointing customer service. I think even one star is too much for this rude behavior

This is one of the best markets in the Bay Area, but it will take coming back here many times, and also take traveling to Eastern Europe, and perhaps having a babushka (grandmother) from the region to really get it. There are so many products from Eastern Europe and around the world here, with many rare and unique items. They have Georgian and Armenian wine. They have three types of raw kebab ground meat (beef, lamb, chicken) that you can roll on a skewer and put in in the BBQ and even a Persian guy will be impressed. They have eggplants with walnut paste, kachapuri; they have 3 types of feta in bulk-- Greek, French, and Blugarian-- well the Bulgarian is actually called white cheese (because feta is a greek word) but they'll still know what you mean. There's a whole assortment of sprats, sardines, mackerel and other small fish that are low and the food chain and high in the omegas (for very good prices.) The veggie case is great. There's enough dairy and kefir and doogh to put a giant to sleep. The pomegranate wine is worth trying, so is their vodka assortment (and brandy.) If you are up for REAL mineral water, tread no further than the Borjomi or the Essentuki number 4 or number 17!! The smoked salmon would make any bagel with cream cheese scream in ecstasy-- their homemade lox is way better than anything I've dug up in LA of SF in the last five years. Stuffed cabbages, bell pepper, cutlets, sturgeon fish and blintzes... they've got it. Yum. I haven't even begun to check out the sweets or the spices or the canned and jarred goods. I could go on and on. The staff are friendly, if you give them time, but don't expect hand holding. That support and research is all up to you. There's a whole universe here, but trust me, it will take a long time to explore.

Excellent Supermarket Everyone should visit. I drive here for their bread that they bake in house twice daily! and amazing variety of European and Russian products. Im not russian but I love this place.

I bought chicken Kiev and Potato and cheese pierogi . They are delicious and priced competitively. It's near #38 stop. So I'll visit again.

This place would not Honor a bottle price marked on the shelf which has been there for 2 years pricee for shipping 2 years ago increase is a lie managent is misguided as well owner never there much these days everything is jacked up on prices more than a grocery store like CVS just down the street .stay clear

Once in a blue moon, one comes across a market experience wherein upon crossing the threshold, one is EASILY and EFFORTLESSLY transported to the old world.... I'm simply astounded by this market, having passed it dozens of times before going to fix some Asian cravings, with great stuff all around it.... but inside here... oh yes, lies some Mediterranean and Russian wonders!!!!!!! As I'm learning Russian, I was slowly sounding items out... some signs are purely written in Cyrillic.... marvelously prepared seafood and Russian foodstuffs in the back, as well as the freshest butcher, alongside a whole case of delicately prepared dessert treasures....whether it's Black sea or Baltic sea treasures you're hunting for....I'm telling you... come here. You will be floored, and humbled with what you dont' know about world cuisine. I learned something new today: having sounded out a sign in Cyrillic, I asked the cashier girl what it was... dried wild rose tea? (shipovneek).. anybody? I fall head over heels for places like these, which open my eyes to everything I never knew I didn't know! Armenian bread was uber-fresh; couldn't resist! Big tubs of hummus, dolmas, large pieces of seafood prepared the Russian way.... glorious cakes and cookies, tarts, wafers, russian chocolate, VODKA!!!!!!! Exceptionally clean, very well-lit, organized, fresh stuff, full service market with the most specialised of items....it's the full market monty here!

Let me tell you - last night after picked my daughter from dance class at 8:00 pm I was dying for Golubtsi and I knew exactly where to go! Love that place: get every day food and catering for parties! No complaints at ALL! Thank you!

To everyone who is posting here - this store is actually ARMENIAN, not Russian. You can witness this by their large selection of middle eastern food - Armenian, Turkish, Lebanese, Israeli, along with food that was common in former USSR (aka 'Russian food'). This is one of the best international supermarkets in the city covering the Middle East/Caucasus/Eastern Europe region. You can buy anything from authentic Polish butter, to Turkish Yeni Raki, to Israeli instant coffee Elite. They bake their own fresh Armenian bread inside daily, and also have a large selection of Armenian BBQ and kebabs that can be ordered for to go. Enjoy!

Royal is good, but the other reviews mentioning expired food are totally right. Be careful about that - I've seen that myself. What I like here is their fresh bread - it's super cheap - only like $1.50 each. Well worth it. The hummus in their deli section is the best in the city, in my opinion. It's even better than that trendy spot called Oren's Hummus in downtown. Opyata mushrooms from the deli section are good too. Their khachapuri is pretty good, but small - I would recommend going to Moscow & Tbilisi for that. They have an impressive Turkish delights section - I've never seen that anywhere in SF. They also sell really good Kvass, as well as tvorog, sulguni cheese and other random dairy products. Service is definitely "ex-USSR" - you have to be pretty aggressive with getting their attention. The ladies in the deli section sometimes may be a bit too engrossed in their own conversations, but if you are assertive, they are happy to help them. Honestly, most of it is just cultural difference. They have a wide array of anything and everything you'd expect from a Russian grocery store, including grechka (buckwheat) and other random staples. If you can think it - they probably have it, and at a fair price too. Just be sure to check the expiration date. Overall a good store, but could use a bit more attention to detail. Everyone here treats me with respect - but the atmosphere is definitely the same as in ex-USSR. May not be the best experience if you don't speak Russian/Armenian and need to order something from deli / meat counters.

My second stop on a hunt for Piroshki's was Royal Market on Geary. This is not a dedicated bakery but a full Russian market which had a hot food section in the back corner. I usually get beef and cheese when I order piroshkis but this was not an option here. They did have some interesting options instead which piqued my interest. I ended up buying a lamb piroshki and a feta pastry. The lamb piroshki was a bit of a let down. The meat was too tough and the pieces were far too large. The filling definitely needed to be ground up more and the meat to onion ratio was just not cutting it. Again, I prefer Anda's and Cinderella's to this place. The feta pastry, while simple, was delicious and had a generous filling and flaky crust. I enjoyed this item the most. Overall, this was another miss on the piroshki front, but it wasn't a total loss in that it did have a satisfying cheese pastry that makes this place "A-OK."

Finally...a full service market in the neighborhood! We like to walk to the barber shop, the post office, the pharmacy, the bank,etc - help out the local businesses and get some exercise too. With gas prices these days, it helps the pocketbook too...and now we can walk to a full-service market. Each time we passed by the Royal Market & Bakery we wondered what this new place will offer. This weekend our wait was finally over. The store is large compared to the other markets nearby. It's a full-service market with a good variety of fruits and vegetables, fresh and well-priced. There's a meat section, bakery, and if you like Russian food, a good selection of cooked foods in their deli section. I can't wait to try their piroshki. The store is clean and bright, nice wood decor. Great service, lots of staff, friendly - the bagger even brought the bags around and thanked me for shopping at the store. It was Nordstrom service at Wal-Mart prices. One tip, if you're shopping with the kids, go earlier or later in the day to snag a shopping cart...they were as rare as a parking spot downtown (though they did have plenty of clean baskets).

Outstanding selection of european and middle eastern foods. Good quality at Fair Prices.

My friend is Russian and she always came here. This Tuesday was my first time there, and I loved their food! With $10 you can buy some fresh, organic and delicious Russian food that looks like grandma prepared! They have a microwave to warm up and it's a grocery.. so you can buy something to drink really cheap. If you are on rush and hungry, just stop there and go in the back to find some deli, crepes, salad and many other foods!

Definitely My favorite place to shop for Russian delicatessens! When I have a craving for herring or olivye or marinated pork and chicken or anything they make in-house really I go there !! Pleasant service as well !!

Just wanted to say for non-russian customers that russian-speaking customers experience the same rudeness but we got used to it. The thing is that Russians which host this place went out of early waves of immigration so they represent older generation which isn't into the right things about a good service. No one tends to be rude to someone, it's just kind of cultural things.

This place isn't "cheap" but is also exemplifies the phrase "you get what you pay for". Also the parking situation is a bit rough, though after circling the block a few times I managed to snag a free meter after paid parking hours. I had the humus at a friend's party and went to buy it for myself... OMG so delicious and rivals the best of Brooklyn's middle eastern dives that I long for... I asked the guy at the counter what the most popular dishes were and ordered those as I was bringing dinner to a carnivore friend. Although I didn't eat the meat, I was told it was incredible..some kind of pork cutlet with a tomato and cheese on top. I'll be going back any time I need to impress a meat eater or crave real homemade humus.

I used to go to this deli somewhat often because it is so near to my home. However I am never going here again after this weekend. I have now gotten food poisoning from their deli products twice (e.g. chicken or beef kebabs and cutlets in particular). My guess is that they have their meat products laying out for hours and hours or the meat itself is not handled in a clean manner during preparation. Whatever the cause might be, I continued to come to the deli after the first time I got food poisoning because I thought it was maybe a 1 time occurrence...but now twice.....forget it. Never again.

My husband and I are from Southern California. We were in the area for business and a little vacation. We found a particular item that was only sold at this store, thus the reason for our visit. We arrived at about 8:30am. The store did not open until 9am. The owners let us in early to shop and gather our purchases. We couldn't purchase our items until 9am. While we waited the owner and the others in the store gave us great conversation and pastry! Thank you guys, so much, for the kindness and hospitality. If we are ever in the area again, we will definitely be stopping in!

Were the employees at least civil, Royal Market might have received 4 or even 5 stars. When I moved to the Outer Richmond 15 years ago it was like traveling to foreign shores without having to get on an airplane! At one of the Russian groceries, New World Market, you might actually be IN Russia! My enthusiasm was short-lived. Let's just say now I've a clue how it feels to be discriminated against. Not in any of the Russian markets along Geary Blvd. are non-Russians welcomed. Service, when it finally arrives, is resentful and offered with wary suspicion. I give my business to several of these markets periodically, inured to the abuse (hey, the cherry and goat cheese pastry is super!). It is easier to be tolerant considering the lives they left behind to come to America.

Very authentic. Love to buy from the deli, food is quite fresh and they have lots of varieties. Service is quite attentive. I don't know how Amenian food tastes (it seems like hybrid between Russian and Persian) so wanted to try small portion, and they prepare them for me. Overall pastry is quite interesting, not as sweet as typical bakery. Like their meat/veggie/whatever balls, tasty and very filling.

I've been to this market 3 days in a row now! They have the best produce I've found in the city all for affordable prices. There's also a great meat selection anything from ox tail to chicken breasts.

Great selection of Eastern European foods - imported and homemade. And you can buy Cinderella bread without waiting in line.

I think it's time to update my review since 2009! I have been a regular customer and tried everything. Marinated meats, fresh fish, canned vegetables, cakes. Everything. I must say every time I crave the taste of home this is the only place I trust. Thank you so much!

The people in this store are RACIST! I shop here occasionally when in the area. They follow us (2 male Japanese companions) around the store and block our passage. One of the manager's friends spoke to us very harshly as we were leaving the store - she really knows how to give a good hate stare. The manager inflates the prices as he choses..., However, the produce is very fresh and they have many imported items that I want for cooking. But the rudeness and obvious disdain for minorities (people of color) is disgusting and obvious.

This new Russian/Middle Eastern market has potential but could be better organized. I'm particularly interested in the deli because they have kebabs and rotisserie chicken, but they didn't have a menu. They have some tasty fresh Armenian pizza (small, thin crust with ground beef) for $1 each. It's usually made with lamb but apparently lamb isn't popular with their customers (maybe Russians aren't fans of lamb?) The fresh bread is in the back and I assume they make because it didn't have any identifying information or any price information. Some of the packaged items only have Russian text. The candy that they sell by weight or in plastic bags only have Russian labels. The cashier said they were mostly chocolates and caramels. They have a bakery section with cakes that I think they bake there. The candy selection is quite large and includes all types of Russian chocolates. They have deli salads, cheese, fresh meat (including quite a selection of marinated meat), frozen goods (pelemni), fresh piroshky, juice, tea, Russian bologna, pasta, caviar, yogurt drinks, dried fruits, nuts, spices, and jams. The produce prices seem reasonable but higher than at Chinese markets. The cashier recommended Chocolate Alenka chocolates - crispy sugar wafers enrobed in dark chocolate with more chocolate (and hazelnut flavor) in the center. You can get the chocolate bar or in bite size bars sold by weight. The quality of the chocolate isn't the best but they're tasty. Sugar wafers seem very popular judging by the inventory. I bought some Babushka mustard (Nobu K.'s recommendation; my recommendation is to it use sparingly because it is extremely strong), some healthy sounding Russian bologna (Doctorskaya brand - tastes like regular bologna only it comes in sausage form and is softer), a large round of fluffy flatbread, yogurt, and Russian chocolates.

This place is definitely one of the best grocery stores in the city as far as the quality of their produce and meat. We were browsing round the Richmond area this weekend looking for salmon, only to discover that most of the salmon was farmed. Royal Market on the other hand - proudly serves up wild fresh salmon - for an extremely great price. Their fish is bursting with flavor and has not an ounce of fishiness about it - it's so fresh. Also - you just can't beat their hummus. Dreamy and creamy and goes well with everything. We stocked up on some dried figs here and spent all evening dipping it into their garbanzo magic. Trust.

Wow!!!! I'm so glad to have found this market! Having heard about it before, I'm sad it took me so long to finally check it out. Great selection of Armenian and Eastern European liquor, jams, and crackers, international selection of cheeses and meats. The deli section is really quite elaborate but the line was too long. I didn't feel like battling other customers for my place in line. Will try next time!! Definitely recommend this for anybody who likes ethnic markets and diverse selections.

A uniquely Russian bakery and market...I tried a couple of the pastries - both were basically fried dough- one filled with seasoned meat and the other filled with cooked spinach. Both were very good and it was nice to have something so different than the typical. They had an assortment of other Russian/Eastern European food items, sweets and drinks so if you're looking to try something that will break you out of your normal routine, this is a good spot.

Their kebab is pretty good. Very friendly employees. 4 stars because my kefir was expired