For those who are not local, Berkeley Bowl is a supermarket, not a bowling alley.
I normally do not drive 20 miles just to go to a supermarket, but I have heard raving reviews from friends, so I decided to take a detour on Monday. after went to the Ikea for some furniture. To my surprise, it was CLOSED! Even on the day after Memorial day. I was disappointed, but what is there to attract people from near and afar?
Great produce!
It is absolutely worth it! I am a HUGE Berkeley Bowl fan. They do tend to close on most holidays, though, so that’s something to keep in mind.
The produce section is definitely amazing. Every variety of every fruit and vegetable you’ve ever heard of, plus twenty more that you haven’t. One thing I always check out is the “discount” produce section in the back corner of the produce section. There are bags of slightly old/bruised produce for 99 cents. Some of it really is in bad shape, but I often find stuff in very good condition there, and it’s a great deal! If you want to bake any kind of pies or other desserts involving fruit, that’s a great place to get a deal.
At the meat counter, they have a lot of sausages the make in house that are very interesting and tasty. I particularly like the lamb rosemary sausage, but others I’ve tried have been good too.
I also enjoy their sushi, but what I really like at the sushi counter is their onigiri - little triangles of rice filled with tuna/salmon/other fillings and then wrapped up in seaweed. Delicious and very cheap!
They also have a great cheese selection, though I haven’t tried all that much. They also have a little coffee bar where they make Equator coffee (another local favorite), which I like a lot.
It’s great, but I’m not sure I’d make a special trip for it. I went once on a busy day (which is maybe every day) and the parking lot experience still gives me PTSD. Too crowded, too little space in the rows for people and carts, and grocery store road rage. Yikes lol. My brother lives just south of Berkeley in north Oakland and I prefer the tiny wonderful Piedmont Grocery. But have fun, if you go! 
“I really like at the sushi counter is their onigiri”
I like origiri also, but in most case, its like a flavored rice ball, lots of rice and little filling.
We still dream about Berkeley Bowl though we moved from California 8 years ago. We loved the bulk foods, the produce and the very knowledgeable staff. Glad someone mentioned the discount section. We went got the best deals.
Well, I went there this past week, the most impressive area is their spice/grain racks. So many choices so inviting.