Specialty Produce

Oh my goodness, this is the best place to shop for Produce and Fruit near the downtown waterfront neighborhood. The staff was super friendly and I didn’t have to bag my own food. The prices are high like the rent, so save up and treat yourself to some exotic dragon fruit or fresh mushrooms 🍄. The location is primarily for restaurants, so a little improvement in curbside customer loading would make a big impact on ease of access. Great products with nice people makes this my new favorite place to shop.

Great place found some produce I haven’t since I was in Hawaii. Good selection of mushrooms.

I love this place! They carry all the seasonal items I grew up eating from our 7acres in Northern Michigan, and soooo much more. Reasonable pricing as well! Knowledgeable Staff, friendly and helpful. Wild Mushrooms galore! This isn't just for restaurants, open to the public. Foodies and amateur Chefs, inspired home cooks... this is THE place in San Diego for the freshest produce you're likely to find. Now... where's the 6-star rating option?!?

Visited the facility 3/16/24. I was very impressed with our Tour Gide Janet and all the employees as well as the facility. It’s a fabulous place. i was unimpressed with the produce I purchased; namely Tomatoes. I purchased the Momotaro and Heirloom variety which were pricey which is OK, BUT as its March 16 they are Hothouse grown and. The flavor , texture was VERY POOR. I had too high of expectations. I’ll likely return in the July August when the tomatoes are better, I hope. Very nice business. Just be aware of whether what you’re buying is in season. I’m not cheap on good tomatoes, this was just a bit of a disappointment . Highly recommend this company.

Fresh of the fresh produce. Everything from bulk to regular size to purchase. Clean organized facility. Along with amazing friendly staff willing to help. Rare items like pink pineapple, edible flowers, ect. Variety of all kinds of tomatoes colored carrots and so so much more. Definetly resturant quality food.

Horribly run place, do not give them your time and money. I had a scheduled interview, show up on time and proceed to wait fifteen minutes in their lobby. Finally, the interview person gives some half-baked excuse as to why they aren't capable of being professional, but more on that later. Red flags during the interview as well, they require full availability and it reeks of high turnover rate. I'm honestly surprised they didn't use the classic 'We are a family here.' Interview was on a Friday and I am told that they will reach out to me by Monday/Tuesday once they review all applications. It has been more than three weeks, I guess their fax machines stopped working, or maybe their carrier pigeons ate some of their expired produce. Avoid them, completely unprofessional place.

Amazing market. They have a variety of produce and fruits from different farms. They provide a tour of their facility. They have a 4 huge walk in fridge. They also have a micro greens fridge. It’s worth a visit.

Had a great time on a field trip with my kids! The pink pineapple is delicious.

Wow. This place rules and my only complaint is that I didn't know this gem existed until a friend mentioned it! I had a dinner party with some friends planned and wanted to show off a bit so I thought this place would be perfect, and it was. It can be a bit overwhelming when first entering because there's so much to look at! Foodies could probably spend half a day here. Luckily, the staff was super helpful and friendly and helped me find my way. Special shout out to Sam, he was in their farmers market section and was my guide for the day. I explained my objective for my dinner party and he knew exactly what to give me. He explained some rare fruits (sapodilla was my favorite from my haul) and what they taste like as well as some recipes for their awesome veggie selection. He also walked around and gave me a mini tour, it was much appreciated! I got an assortment of goodies from both the farmers market and some bulk produce from their main cooler. It's nice to have options in quality if you don't need top tier stuff. Will 100% be back and I'm happy to report my friends were blown away!! Don't sleep on this San Diego jewel!

What a special find! This is really a gourmet Restaurant Supply kind of store but equipped for consumers. You have to fill out a membership, which is free, and put on provided gloves to enter. Excellent variety of unusual ingredients and rare fruits however be prepared to pay nearly absurd prices for the rarest fruits averaging at $30 a pound. If you look around, you can find overpriced and fair priced items. Which is fine if you need them for a special meal and the bulk prices are fair. It's really nice to be able to pick up a 50 pound bag of an artisan organic flour without special ordering. This is definitely one of my go to spots in San Diego now.

If you're looking for great produce and some produce that you don't normally see to make that dish you always wanted to... this is the place for you. Foodie? Amateur home chef? Like to get creative in the kitchen? They've got it all.

Wow'zer. Child had birthday party across street. Decided to take time to see what the story is. Entered. Saw signage. Register. Cashless. Put on gloves. No big deal. Proceeded walk towards entry . Addressed by person absent interest in being a greeter. Brown hair. Beard. Maybe he was confused and thought his role for the day was a bouncer, not a greeter. Regardless. I engage Brown Beard. Brown beard "have you been here before" Me "no" Brown beard "Did you read signage". Me "yes, before taking steps to register and put on gloves I wanted to confirm if you have organic fruits and vegetables". Brown beard... eye contact. No reply. Continues looking down to what appeared to be baggies being folded. Clearly a complex task but a master of multitasking might be able to speak and fold simultaneously. Nada... Me "do you have organic fruits and vegetables" Brown beard... no eye contact "yes, but you need to register and put on gloves before you can enter" Me "thank you, I simply wanted to look around prior to registering and putting on gloves" Brown beard... no eye contact, silence.... Me.. "thanks for you hospitality, but no thank you" Prior to registering and getting gloved up I simply wanted to confirm organic produce was available and peak around. Why register if you don't want to purchase. Feels like another way to join up for yet more spam. We spend oodles at farmers markets on the regular. The growers are friendly. You feel good spending your money with the folks selling what they produce. Grow up brown beard. Or, request a non greeter spot if you're too cool for the job of making customers feel good entering. First time visit. Last time visit.

Live this place! It's like a foodie fruit and veggie lovers paradise. I live coming down wherever I am downtown to see what new treasures they have. Very kind of wild exotic fruit I have seen online and wanted to try. I come back to very chance I get. It's where all of the top restaurants shop at so You Know that the quality of the items are top notch and high quality. Highly recommend!

This is a fun place if you like to cook or eat. There are produce and herbs here that I don't see at other grocery stores. The prices are a little high but I think the products are fresher. The workers here are super nice and helpful. Must sign in and wear gloves to go inside.

Wow. How have I lived in San Diego for all these years and not gone to Specialty Produce before? Amazing selection of everything but they also have lots of things that are difficult to find at other places (kumquats, kiwi berries). Also cheeses, meats and lots of other food products. Everyone is super helpful. I was asked by 3 different people if I needed help finding something. If they didn't know, they would go and find the person responsible for that section. Definitely coming back!

Huge variety and everything is great quality! If you love trying different varieties of produce and you like to shop seasonally, this is the place to find unique and fresh food

Love love love this place! I just went for the first time a few months ago, wish I had known about this gem years ago! Amazing selection of produce, some things I've never even heard of. I purchased some Golden thread mushrooms and watercress to make a wonderful pasta dinner. They were an absolutely delicious addition to the pasta! Also bought some fiddlehead ferns and prepared them as a side dish for another night, they were fantastic as well. Will be coming back!

If you want unique produce and a plethora of other food/restaurant products, Specialty Produce has evolved to be your almost one-stop shop. We started coming here when it was really just produce. And they still do specialize in just that - tons of produce from everyday to incredibly unique. I come here mostly for their variety of peppers and herbs...the selection is incredible. In recent years they've expanded to some meats, dairy, spices, and other staples along with a good variety of boutique breads, oils, jellies, etc. You do have to check-in with phone or email to shop, but they have several iPads hooked up to make check-in convenient. You also have to wear gloves, but they provide those too :) Prices aren't great...I can often find the same items for less...but some of the unique items are difficult, if not impossible to find elsewhere in San Diego that's open to the public. And the produce has always been impeccably fresh, so willing to pay the extra. Bring a warm jacket!! The produce cooler is COLD!!!

best grocery / produce store in San Diego if you love to cook come here for amazing produce & things u don't see usually at your normal whole foods(or wherever u grocery shop) everyone that works here r very very attentive and kind Just be mindful that this is basically a warehouse and people r constantly moving things around and restocking things! ALSO bring a jacket bc it gets cold as f*k in the produce areas

I was a kid in a candy store at specialty produce recently. Can I just say, I have never seen such a unique array of produce! I was impressed. Pink pineapples, black truffles, Japanese pears and mushrooms galore. I did not need any of these items, but they needed me. I couldn't wait to go home and figure out what I'd be cooking with this produce. The place is very organized and I really appreciated how friendly everyone was. Do not be shy to ask if they have something! The employees are open to every question you have and will point you in the right direction. I really loved that they gave me a great substitute for something they didn't carry. This place is wonderful. If you want to cook with new ingredients or are having trouble finding something, most definitely check this place out.

Must surrender personal information and wear disposable gloves to enter store. Employees don't wear gloves. Such a waste. Prices for produce aren't clearly displayed and QR codes on racks lead to irrelevant websites. Will not return.

Let me preface this by saying I LOVE grocery shopping. One of my favorite things when traveling is wandering around local grocery stores and markets. That passion plus a need for Pacific Beach Peanut Butter to take home (they no longer sell at the farmer's markets) lead me to Specialty Produce, both a working supply warehouse and grocer. First time here, you sign up at an iPad (later visits require just checking in), sanitize your hands, and wear a pair of their provided single use gloves*. *This is why the low stars- why the gloves?! After donning the gloves they don't care if you reach into your purse, touch everything, etc... Having clean (ahem, sanitized hands) provides the same protection without the garbage waste due to the gloves. I really wish non-healthcare professionals would educate themselves on this. Moving on though, we went in, browsed the aisles and made our purchases. A variety of items, both staples and artisanal items from spices, dry goods, to produce and dairy items. Can buy in bulk or as much as you need. It is a bit pricey but when looking for a specific item I think that is worth it!

I can't believe I survived this long without knowing about this amazing store! What an amazing array of interesting and unique produce. Lots of unique farmers market finds: cool peppers, tomatoes, and other fruits and veggies. Lots of dry products as well. Varieties of flour, beans, spices, etc. If you're looking for unique or ethnic produce, or just a good farmers market.. this is the place to go! 10/10 recommend

Really amazing amount of produce. A little overwhelming with how much they have. Different price points too depending on what you're looking for. They have exotic to everyday produce. If you're an adventurous cook you definitely need to come here. But they also just have really good quality produce for everyday things too. Bonus they have stuff from local farms.

This is a everything it's name claims to be and more. This lovely store is only open to the public certain days and times and is more for clientele in the restaurant industry, however if you have a love for food and all this world has to offer this is the place for you. For the at home chef who wants to venture outside of the box without leaving the comforts of your hometown, this is the store for you. You will feel as if you are transported to different states or as far as another country. The selection of specialty produce is overflowing. As you walk in for the safety of the staff and other shoppers you are asked to sanitize your hands, wear gloves and a mask during your visit. As you enter you see extravagant fruits, vegetables and fungi from around the world. For those who haven't had the pleasure to travel and learn about these items the store added QR codes which explain everything you need to know about the item. You will be blown away with how fortunate we are as the majority of fruits and veggies can be grown locally where as other countries have to pay astronomically more for something as common as strawberries. It's not just a shopping experience it's very educational. With my curious George hat on I splurged on a few exotic fruits to widen my palate. This was a in person live library for things around the world. Not only did I learn about the produce, cheese and products they have currently I also learned about what is yet to come with the changing seasons. Although, the prices may blow your mind think about how much you saved since you didn't have to travel while Covid is still taking victims left and right. In the ever changing monitors on the wall display pictures, recipes and fun facts. I felt like I was at the Snapple factory learning all the fun facts off the lids of the specialty produce world. Thanks for opening the store to pedestrians and not just industry workers. The ease of scanning to learn about each item as well as the abundance of price check machines make the store very friendly for anyone and everyone.

If you like to spoil yourself and family with really fresh food of the highest quality, this is definitely the place!

Out of your mind if you won't put gloves on and sign up to enter, not that hard, and takes a second. Im sure these other people are combative in general, and can be disregarded. I love this store they have the best seasonal items and the beef tasted better than Costco. It is pricey but worth it for the quality. Even Ralph's is expensive at this point. They have whole duck usually, sometimes they have other items in the back if you ask.

Absolutely wonderful local market. This is where the pros go shopping for produce. They have a fair amount of parking just outside the shop. We went during COVID so plenty of parking, suspect it otherwise is busy. They have very high quality produce mainly bulk for items such as spices. If you are making a special meal this is the place to go. The hygiene was top notch during COVID with one-time gloves, hand disinfection, ... very nice. When we again can entertain for parties, ... this will be our go to place for produce. It is a couple of steps above grocery stores and a step above whole food.

I love Specialty Produce. When grocery stores started to get too funky for me, overcrowded with too many people being weird about space and rules, I headed to Specialty Produce. It's not the usual grocery store experience and I appreciate that. Is this a restaurant supply warehouse? Yes. But it's also open to the public and you can buy as much or as little of what you need. Two tomatoes or fifty, choose your own adventure. They have great deals on some produce you might find a bit pricey at grocery stores. Need a lot of basil for pesto? Specialty Produce. Want to get your hands on some affordable Meyer lemons? Specialty Produce. Want to try something funky like Buddha's Hand? Specialty Produce. While duck eggs cost a pretty penny, do you know where to buy them besides a farmers market? Specialty Produce. Want to try your hand at making pizza and need 00 flour? Specialty Produce. The list goes on and on! Concerned about covid safety? Well they have a greeter (always friendly! the staff here is great) at the front who sanitizes all the carts, makes sure you use sanitizer and put on gloves, sign into their system, and lets you know that the staff will be happy to answer your questions if you're a little lost. In a way the store is large, I mean warehousey but not Costco-level, but because they have such designated sections that makes it seem smaller, quaint even. The cheese room (or would that be a fridge) is a favorite of mine. The conventional produce room is where to find everything you'd need produce wise. The organic produce area is smaller but full of local produce. If I remember right that's where I found the buddha's hand. They also stock a small selection of bread from Bread & Cie and bakery goodies from Sugar & Scribe. They have bulk goods from spices to rice, pantry goods like olive oils and fleur de sel, all the produce, a small case of frozen meat products, those bakery goodies, and a bunch of dairy items. They've got so many items in here that it's best to go see them for yourself. Specialty Produce is really an underrated, at least by the public, gem. Restaurants and those in the know have been enjoying this shop for years. Go check them out!

Looking for green tomatoes. Only place in SD I could find some for sale. The cool produce here is awesome. Everything is fresh, covid precautions in place, very nice employees. Very helpful. Got a great salami here too! Highly recommend if you cook things needing hard to find ingredients.

- Businesses operating during the pandemic, "thank you" review #11* - Who: Specialty Produce What: The lines are stacking up outside of Trader Joe's and Amazon just informed you that it's going to be three days before your tuna fish, boxed pasta, and bag of baby carrots arrive. Sure, you're observing social distancing but when you NEED to hit the store for essentials, skip the big box stores, hit Specialty Produce where you can get most of what you need without any of the hassle. You'll first notice that this is a different shopping experience when you walk in. It always is different, but it's very different right now... in the best way. They know each person in the building because you're required to sign in and then they make you wear plastic gloves, provided by Specialty Produce - pretty rad, right? From there you can shop, roam the floor, and checkout with ease. Some things in well supply: - Produce... you name it, they'll have it. - Olive oil - Spices - Cheese - Nuts - Milk - Eggs When: During operating hours. Please call to confirm that they are indeed open when looking to take a shopping stroll. - *As long as the world is in an unpredictable place with the coronavirus dictating our lives and schedules, I'm going to review businesses who are still operating to provide us some sense of normalcy, and this is one of those reviews. My reviews will be 100% positive when clearly indicated with the "Businesses during the pandemic" header and footer. Feel free to steal the format and do the same for the hard working businesses that you come across. -

Specialty Produce is a cook's paradise. Not only do they carry the widest selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, but they also sell a dizzying array of dried goods, spices, and artisanal items you didn't even know existed until they're in your shopping basket. It amazes me that this place is open to the public considering it is where many restaurants and professional chefs purchase their ingredients. For us small timers (aka home cooks), we're allowed to buy as much or as little as we want of most items (excluding a few prepacked things). So no need to buy that pallet of exotic mushrooms, you can just buy three to try out. On your first visit to SP, a friendly employee will walk you through the process: use a touch pad to register for an account, don a pair of provided disposable gloves (after applying hand sanitizer first due to COVID-19), and take a tour. The tour is essential so you don't miss any of the awesome things they carry. There's a big cold room and a bigger cold room full of veggies, herbs, dairy (including vegan cheeses), meat, and fruit; the farmer's market showroom with local produce; the organic cold room area; the dry goods area with bulk dried beans and specialty grains, the starchy veggies area, and on and on. Pro tip: those cold rooms are effing freezing so bring your winter coat and maybe a pair of socks. Employees are knowledgeable and helpful, the store is clean and well organized, and the shopping experience is simple once you get the lay of the land. The only caveat about SP is a pretty wild one: there are no prices listed on anything. You only know how much something costs once you bring it up to the register. This outraged me enough to avoid this place for a few months, but once I saw how reasonably priced almost everything is, I was sold. Only once or twice have items been slightly more expensive than sale prices at other local grocers. Before you pay, the cashier will have you review your bill and decide if there's anything you don't want. They're super cool about it if you decide there's something you no longer want. These are a few things that keep me coming back to SP: - their impressive selection of the more exciting varieties of dried beans including gigantes, flageolets, and scarlet runners - delicious artisanal grains like dried organic polenta from Roan Mills - a wide array of Rancho Gordo products, which are sometimes even cheaper than buying them directly from the company(!!) - beautiful edible flowers - every herb imaginable including curry leaves so fresh they taste like they came right off the plant - the best looking (and tasting) produce Is it weird to look forward to buying groceries? Because that's what Specialty Produce does to me.

Costumer service has gone out the window. Ever since they changed new management, I don't see the same bright people in there anymore. A bunch of new faces, and let me tell you one of them is a middle age woman...she's very rude! She yells when under pressure. Oh and the fact they don't take cash, bad for business! Then why are you open to the public...also safety concern! They are moving pallets around and will sometimes almost run you over w/ fork lifts driving around while people are shopping during store hours for the public. They interrupt your shopping the whole time you're in there due to the movement of the warehouse worker. OSHA alert ‼

I have to be honest, I don't get the hype and I gave the place a fair chance. I had high expectations and made a special trip here on my way out of town, armed with a massive cooler. I am used to having the selection of the best produce the world has to offer, and while the produce we get in Scottsdale is good we don't get some of the more exotic offerings unfortunately. I had seen some of the Specialty Produce social media postings, so I was thrilled to get a chance to visit, imagining all the goodies I would bring back. The hype did not live up to reality, that's for sure. Most of the produce was on the verge of spoiling, I couldn't find a single tomato that wasn't nearly rotten. Most of the produce was also incredibly common, for the most part my local Sprouts has way better offerings. There are no prices ANYWHERE, not even on their merchandise - it's insane. How do they expect you to buy anything? I picked up a few things and figured I would drop them at the cash if it was too much.. which I did and I also didn't buy as much as I would have had I known the prices because it just wasn't worth the hassle. Bags are near impossible to find for your produce, and no where near most of the produce, no one greets you, no one is helpful - you are on your own. When it comes to cashing out, the cashier has to manually find and enter everything, and it is incredibly slow, it is the worst check out system possible and the cashier has no personality to top it all off. I was going to grab some finger limes, and they wanted $32 dollars a pound, no thanks don't need them that bad. Parking is awful, there is 20 minute street parking, but even checking out if you are the only person in line will take you longer than that. Long story short, I don't think I'll be back.

Incredible selection, reasonable prices, friendly and helpful staff. Five stars all the way. The catch: prices aren't listed on anything because they are based on current market value. When my wife and I went on a late Saturday afternoon, this was not a problem. We just handed items to the checkout clerks and they looked up the prices for us. This might not be so easy when the place is more crowded, but it worked for us. As it turned out, prices were pretty low for items like dried beans and miso paste. Lemons and onions were a little more expensive. Yes, Specialty Produce doesn't just carry produce. They have all kinds of shelf-stable products like beans, grains, dried fruit, nuts, condiments, etc. You can buy as much or as little as you like. The staff were very cool and friendly. Because it was our first time, we got a tour of the whole facility. I'll probably still get lost next time. Should have asked for a map! Nice to see that they work with charities like San Diego Humane Society and Feeding America. Parking was easy (again, this was Saturday afternoon). Dress warmly!

I love this place because it's so unique. They have all those obscure pantry items you've been hunting for. When you arrive, park in the lot or on the street. You walk down a long corridor, and before you do anything else, sanitize and put on gloves. Then, sign in or make an account on the tablet. Now you're ready to go! On the left of the entrance are several huge freezer rooms. The first one had edible flowers - so gorgeous! The next one was ice cream, I believe. Again, I don't come here for my weekly shopping because it is far from my house, but if you are making a special dinner or just trying something new in the kitchen, this is the place for you.

All you need to know is that if you start shopping here, you will suddenly start eating copious quantities of delicious, rare/strange fruits and vegetables and you'll keep coming back for more at least twice a week. I originally found Specialty Produce when I was looking to buy some specialty mushrooms. I found the mushrooms plus so much more than I could have ever imagined. Normally you'll go to Ralphs/Vons/Food 4 Less and get your usual bell peppers, peaches, tomatoes, watermelon, blueberries, maybe when you're feeling a little special even get some organics. This place takes all that bs to a whole new level by carrying produce from the Santa Monica farmers market which they restock every Wednesday. Can you find me any other store that allows you to purchase the most delicious pimento peppers, wild mulberries, sangria melons, morel mushrooms foraged in the Pacific NW, heirloom tomatoes, or fingerlimes? You can't!!! So many of the fruits I've bought here are so fresh and un-modified that they've completely redefined what that fruit means to me. Like grapes: I have a new appreciation for grapes now after having the most succulent concord, green, and champagne grapes from Specialty Produce. It's even fun to just go in here and talk to the employees about cool stuff they've been getting in, or for advice on picking good melons, citrus, stone fruits. Everyone is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I'll stop ranting now, but you need to try this place at least once in your life... you'll definitely be back

Super cool market catering to local chefs with local produce. Kinda like Costco only better! No membership fees, no lines, ultra-fresh produce from family farms, plus the usual industrial-sized portions of pantry staples. If you cook Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese food frequently, even better. Lao Gan Ma, Mae Ploy, douchi with ginger (which I hadn't been able to find recently), hing/asoefetida, and fish sauces were stocked in massive sizes even H-mart and Zion don't typically carry. Generally the selection of root vegetables, tomatoes and mushrooms was very good but their greens were somewhat limited on this visit - possibly related to the wildfires this season? I saw a good variety of Japanese sweet potatoes which is great now that the weather has cooled off enough to roast them and devour with miso-butter. The fresh bread had mostly been sold I assumed, since I arrived in the afternoon. The refrigerated cheese room had diverse options to satisfy anyone. I liked that shelf after shelf of grains and dried legumes were carefully and individually packaged, now that scoop bins are no longer a safe option. Sorry I can't comment more on meat because I don't eat much of it anymore. Note: their selection is great but not exhaustive. Don't expect multiple brands of everything. This is a warehouse that supplies high volume of a limited range of items, catering to restaurants. That said, noticeably missing were Crystal-brand salt, and Red Boat fish sauce. To maximize efficiency in a finite space, they have to make tough choices, and they went with Morton's salt, and 3-Crab, Tiparos and Magic Chef fish sauces which are popular enough anyway. Service was fantastic and quick. Best COVID precautions I've seen anywhere. There are 2 separate stations and a dedicated staff member to guide you through. No personal bags can be used. Sanitization and gloves are provided and required, in addition to masks. Carts are all sanitized between customers. The topper is that you are required to register with them and sign an online waiver. I felt very safe inside with everyone in masks and gloves. And last but not least--get your peaches here! Crazy good this week and who knows how much longer, so go now don't miss out! Overall, I'm definitely a fan and will be back!

Specialty Produce is a warehouse food service and retail fresh produce supplier. We first tried Specialty Produce during the height of the COVID shutdown last year. After signing in on a touch screen, we put on latex gloves before entering the warehouse. The selection of fresh produce was great, as was that of non-perishable items such as spices, sauces, breads, etc. Prices were comparable to those at other warehouse outlets in San Diego. Staff were friendly and helpful. Parking is quite limited, and you'll compete for spaces with trucks loading for deliveries. Not quite sure if we'll return any time soon.

I wish I could leave a longer review at this place. Upon walking in, we were immediately told to where gloves and then to register and give our personal information just to buy some produce. No thanks, hard pass.

This is where I'll go shopping from now on... everything I want that is grown from the ground can be found here. Micro greens... edible flowers, watermelon radishes... rainbow carrots... everything I need and didn't know I need (mandarinquat) is here. I made this salad using mandarinquat, flowers and watermelon radishes from specialty produce. Now I wonder if they have a meat sister store?

I've never even heard of a place like this but I'm glad I found it. So I came here to pick up some veggies for some of my rabbits and they have just about every fruit and vegetable that yhou can think of. From the outside it really doesn't look like much and once you get inside it's like a huge whearhouse full of fruits and veggies along with other items. I believe you have to sign a waive or something because it can be a little dangerous inside because workers are moving around pallet jacks and forklifts. There's a lot going on here so keep your eyes open and watch yourself. This is for sure a gem especially if you don't like grocery stores and I no you can't buty deorant and toilet paper here so keep that in mind. I wish there was a Specialty Produce in North County somewerhe because this place is nothing but good!!!

First off, be sure to bring a sweater or a jacket because this place is freeeeezing! It's in a really industrial area off Hancock and there's customer parking around the building with the entrance off to the side. You walk in and if you're a first timer they'll give you a little tour around the place. You sign a waiver on the IPad and off you go! Each time you come in, you sign in, grab gloves for the raw produce, grab bags and you're off. I came in for edible flowers and came out with way more than I expected. They had violas, orchids, marigolds, micro greens and so much more. There's an area for organic produce and an area for farmer's market produce from the local farms. There's no pricing for the goods but but they'll let you know at the register on check out and you can decide if you want to keep the produce or return it (different restaurants have different contracts with Specialty Produce, thus the variation in pricing), but overall pricing for general public isn't too bad. The produce here is beautiful and it's fun shopping in an actual working warehouse (thus the safety waver). Def a cool find!

Green Dragon Apples!!! A few months ago, I saw a really yummy photo of a huge variety of apples on instagram and that's how I discovered Specialty Produce. I started following them on instagram and loved all of their postings! One day when I was in San Diego, I decided to stop by and check out their store! OMG! It was produce heaven!! Cassie was super helpful and friendly. Thank you Specialty Produce for introducing me to even more amazing fruits and veggies that I never even knew existed!

Visited 10/9/2016 The name says it all for this place. It's a huge warehouse of fresh produce and restaurant supplies. You can buy as little or as much as you like. The only bummer is there are no prices listed for anything and you don't know how much you're paying until you get to check out. The selection is amazing with tons of different varieties of fruit and vegetables to choose from. Some of the prices were good and some who are very pricey. But if you're ever looking for some top-notch specialty food for a special dinner this is a place for you.

I absolutely love love love this place. I enjoy it every time I'm here. The people that work there are very corteous. Shopping in this place makes me want to come home and cook. Very fresh produce as well as things you do not find in other places. I hope I had time to cook more so I could come more often.

Amazing produce. It is for major restaurants, but the fact that I can walk in and buy one perfect bell pepper is awesome. I love figs, can't find them any where but here and, bonus they gave a variety. Check out the micro green/edible flower room. Need I say more?

A vegetable paradise! And a totally unique shopping experience. Yes open to the public and maybe you don't need 50 pounds of potatoes but you can get smaller quantities and the freshness can't be beat. Not the cheapest place for some stuff but worth the trip to see it for yourself and try something new you won't find at any other store in town.

The quality and freshness is gone. Been receiving the weekly food box. Veggies and fruits look 1/2 dead. Everything was tasteless. Tried to pick up this weeks box. It was full of stuff I don't want or was half dead. There were even products I didn't order. Management refunded my money. The idiot at check in sent me on my way with a nice " good riddance" as I left. I'll never go back.

I was really wanting to love this place because I LOVE fresh fruits and veggies. Here are my thoughts: *You have to sign in when you arrive (email, phone number etc) *Sooo many items (most dry goods) are not priced. We finally found a scanner in an isle and we were able to scan things to get the price. Mostly it felt like it wasn't worth the effort to find a scanner to find out the price. A small bottle of coconut oil was $10. *There are areas of regular, organic and farmer market quality produce: you must bag in clear, blue or green bags so at check out they know what area you got it from and what the price is, these bags are super bags, heavy and lots of plastic. :( *EVERYTHING is very PRICEY!!! For instance peaches $8 a pound etc. Blueberries $10 a small basket. I am very good at picking out ripe fruit, been doing it my whole life and sometimes there is some risk... have you ever bought a melon only to find it's not sweet when you cut it open? Their prices are too high to risk some fruit purchases. I have been getting some really good white nectarines lately at Traders and the Kobey Swap Meet and I was hoping to find some good white nectarines here, but they didn't have any. They do have some fruits that you don't normally find in grocery stores and I suppose that is the "specialty" part of this place. Overall,,, I sprang for two pieces of corn (each $1.50) and 2 cucumbers ($3.00), along with two huge plastic bags that were mandatory. I then went straight to Trader Joes and Sprouts and loaded up on some great organic fruits and veggies for a fourth of the price. I am glad I saw Specialty Produce, I can cross it off my list. It's just not my preference... the prices are a tad over the top for me.

Love stopping by this place for their seasonal goodies. I usually go for their truffle products and to wander their cheese or farmers market section. They have the greatest quality of produce and ingredients for entertaining any palate.

Covid-19 grade A+ Pros: Selection, quality, price, they hit it all. Open to the public! Nice variety of veggies and other grocery items you wouldn't expect them to have. Definetly worth your trip. Cons: Parking can be a challenge at times. Covid-19 process: You check in, sterilize your hands then put on gloves. Cashiers have a shield, after every transaction they clean the payment kiosk. These guys are part of the solution for sure!

I only just found out this week that Specialty Produce permitted retail customers. What a treasure! From the moment I walked in, the employees were very friendly and helpful. Before you can enter the shopping area, you must hand sanitize and put gloves on. Obviously, you must wear a mask. Everything was very clean. The floor was spotless. It was wonderful that the woman with pink hair at the entrance explained how the store is laid out. This explanation was very helpful since the store can be a bit confusing since there are various coolers. TIP: wear warm clothing! Maybe even a hat and gloves. The coolers are cold. This is how the produce stays perfect! Being a vegan, I was in nirvana at Specialty Produce! Everything I purchased was delicious and fresh. Every single berry in the basket was firm and beautiful! When do you ever find that???? I am so lucky that Specialty Produce is close to my home.

Went here after seeing a little YouTube video featuring the store. I worked for a major grocery chain for 20 years, about six of that working the produce department. If it comes out of the ground, or off a tree, they will probably have it here. And fresher than you can get it anywhere but where it is grown. As this is primarily a restaurant supply warehouse they also have a tremendous supply of spices and dry goods available, as well as a wide variety of cheeses and meats.

Yea definitely never coming back here. 1. UBER EXTRA entering process-- wear gloves, sign in, sign waiver, etc. 2. no prices on anything bc they are paranoid about competition 3. prices are OUTGRAEOUS! I asked a gentleman for the pricing and he literally replied, "do you need to know how much it is?" lmao what kind of response????? 4. no signs for exit, checkout, etc. Thought I was in IKEA for a sec Wanted to support this place and use them for my grocery needs, but Sprouts is wayyyy cheaper and easier to shop at.

This is by far the best produce ever!!! Its amazing and i dont know how i didnt know about it before. Ill never go to another farmers market ever! This is my place. People are all so nice and the best part is the technology! This place is very high tech and their inside Jumbotron is very unique ! And i love how you can find out how to use different fruit and veggies. Their app is awesome! Produce meets tech

This fresh produce warehouse is not aSprouts or Trader Joe's kinda thing! This is the B2B and B2C business model and all their products and services are exemplary! Fresh fruits and veggies from San Diego farmers from organic and non organic and many from around San Diego country and California as a whole. They also have an Apps you can use to educate yourself about what every single product they carry domestic and from around the world. Outstanding in so many ways! All staff members are great to each other, the company feeds the employees free catered lunch on every Thursday which is a good company treat! Quality are excepti they also have fresh produce coming from around the world in which set them aside from other produce stores... they have a museum of produce of the world in which pretty educating that you know where these produce come from or originated from! They have an App that you can monitor what fresh arrival for that day and also recipes formulated by professional chefs! Beautiful!

Great! They have you sign a waiver before entering and staff at the front are super helpful. They provide gloves and hand sanitizer. I was planning on making a Rhubarb pie for my dad, and Specialty Produce was the only place I could find that had it! It was frozen but they have a wide variety of goods. Will definitely return!