Nugget Markets

Slow counter service. Sandwich makers are slow and unsure of themselves.
Salad bar has multiple empty dressings and mess salad counter top.
Very busy at lunch time, they need to prepare for the busiest times.

I love this market from the moment I walk to the door (which is surrounded with fresh produce) to each and every interaction with the employees. The choices are nothing short of amazing. This is the highest quality of food and service.
I recently had guests from Sweden, they went to the market every day and loved it so much they said it was a reason to live here.
It is great for raw food, organic, vegetarians and meat eaters.
Thank you, Nugget you are a gift to our neighborhood.

Clearly there are mixed reviews and I understand how demanding the Marin County markets and expectation levels are so please take any negative reviews with a grain of salt.
Now to my Unilocal.
I get my salads here 4−6x per month.
Amazing front end staff and they are super nice.
The manager is so friendly and hands on. You will even see the manager outside sweeping and chatting it up with the customers.
They have an amazing salad bar with a great variety.
The salad bar is fair priced and reasonable for Marin Co.
I have nothing but good things to say about Nugget Market in Corte Madera and I think they are the benchmark of what you should expect from products, service, deli, etc.
The store is well stocked and organized and the bathrooms are always clean.
Also, this is a great place to grab a quick bite and eat outside weather permitting.
They do have coffee as well which is great if you want to sit outside with a friend and talk or get some work done on the laptop.
Great job and I truly look forward to my visits to your market.
Thank you for reading my Unilocal.
Chris

Passing through town, great place to stop for an sandwich.

Actually I go to the Cove (Tiburon Blvd) store. The employees are friendly and smiling! They aren’t afraid to interact with a quick bit of light, happy conversation! What a concept. Maybe it will catch on. –The best selection of the best food as well!

The ongoing upgrades have been positive. I was a fan of Paradise, but the ownership had checked out. Nugget has revitalized the store and the community.

Yesterday, I was shopping nugget with a particular list of ingredients for a French beef bourguignon dish. When I asked the gentleman at the meat counter (named Rudy R. whom I have had good experience with before) what was the best cut of meat for this dish, I was surprised at his familiarity with the dish and knowledgeable reccomendation. Then, as I was trying to choose the correct types of pearl onions (there were several varieties) and correct mushrooms, I went back to get his advice on these too, and found he was advising more like a chef than a meat counter staffer, and seemed to have prepared this dish many times. Other staff at nugget are equally helpful, knowledgeable, and available.
I did not expect this kind of knowledge and help especially these days. Also, the ambiance of the store is very attractive and does NOT feel like your usual supermarket or whole foods store, where everyone seems preoccupied and often difficult to find help. We now come from Mill Valley finding the extra trip quite worth it. Produce quality is excellent, as is the meat. Lots of prepared foods too, if that is your bag. Can’t say enough about these folks. Even the checkout staff are cheerful.

A simple roast beef sandwich turned into an ordeal today.
The beef was tough and haphazardly stacked.
Mostly tasteless.

Meh, stood at deli counter for 5 minutes, completely ignored, food looks old an tired. Bring Paradise back!!!

I’m upping to 5 stars. Why? I started to really look at the details within the market from the isles and the setup, to food selection, to the produce and displays while also thinking back in comparison to Paradise which, in contrast, had a number of issues.
I live right up the street from a Whole Foods and I’m in it almost everyday. How Whole Foods changed the industry was the «experience» of shopping along with the selection. For instance, you notice it when you enter a Safeway — everything just isn’t the same.
Now, enter Nugget Markets. In my opinion, they have the experience of a Whole Foods (good selection, nice environment, clean setup) with the more mass market selection of a Safeway (I can actually buy the real 7UP). If you were to make Safeway the low price side and Whole Foods the high price side, Nugget fits about in the middle leaning towards the slightly higher price side. This + the ability to have a mix of what Whole Foods is all about (organic stuff etc) and the mass market foods like Safeway is great positioning.
Now for the Paradise comparison. Paradise as a great market was a figure of most peoples imagination. Pricing was hyper high. Service was on the low side. Selection weaker. Presentation weaker (except for the hardwood flooring which I think helped with everyone’s imagination). Lastly, it took F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to get a sandwich. I would wait 15 minutes at times. I know this by how much email I got done. By comparison, Nugget is V.E.R.Y. F.A.S.T.
And finally, the employees. Nugget are very attentive and helpful and there’s alot of them so you’re never alone. I wrote this because I simply do not understand the poor reviews. Step back and take a look, you’ll see a very nice, well run market that the neighborhood is lucky to have.

I am really surprised about the negative reviews. While there is a part of me that misses Paradise Foods, I truly believe this feeling is more nostalgia than anything else. That is because I can still recall the opening of Paradise Foods, my son’s first job was at Paradise Foods and because I regularly stopped in for coffee, produce and fresh meats. Setting aside these fond memories, I really like Nugget Market so much better.
Nugget has a good variety of fresh produce, great seafood and meat items, nice salad/​hot food bar, friendly and responsive workers, and has a layout/​décor that is aesthetically pleasing. Plus, I find the price of my groceries to be less than what I paid at Paradise Foods and Whole Foods.
Some negatives — I really miss the outside barbecue (they really need to bring that back) and the fresh made bakery items are not as interesting as what they were.

We had been to another Nugget market a few years back, so we wanted to shop here.
Seems super super expensive to me.
Very large selection, and good helpful staff, but for the price we paid, we expected an easier experience.

I’m surprised to be the outlier here given the first few reviews of Nugget Market that have been posted to date but hopefully others with similar experiences can post positive reviews as well. I really am surprised that others have had negative experiences because my family and I absolutely LOVE Nugget Market and I can’t say a bad thing — they deserve 5 stars.
We find the staff to be incredibly helpful and kind, the prices to be a little more reasonable than before the transition (the weekly emailed specials are great too), and the meat and seafood to be high quality. We love the layout of the store and think the renovations were tasteful and well executed. We very rarely have to wait to get assistance and the check out lines are always short. We have two young kids and come here at least twice every weekend and the staff is always super helpful and friendly with our kids. The staff remember are kids’ names and offer my daughter her favorite «cheese bagel» whenever we arrive. I feel like they are making efforts to be part of the community and we are glad that they are here. We live in Mariner Cove and are thrilled to have this neighborhood store so close.

3.5 stars
Likes:
They play weezer and fallout boy on the overhead speaker
The place looks aesthetically pleasing to the eye after renovations
The La Croix 8 pack was on sale for $ 2.99 at one point
All of the staff here is super friendly and helpful
They have hot breakfast in the morning and serve chiliquilles on certain days
Have a salad/​soup bar with good selections
Room for improvement:
The hot items during lunch don’t make sense. They would serve for example (Mac n cheese, sautéed veggies, ribs, black beans and Asian fried rice) Really? Asian fried rice with that assortment?
Pre packaged meals doesn’t taste too good, the beef stroganoff is hard as a rock when you bite into it
Need to stock blue bottle iced coffee

(For the record, I wrote this review when Nugget first took over Paradise. I wish I could say there’s some redeeming quality that makes me want to upgrade my review, but sadly, it has NOT improved. So I cut and paste it here per another Unilocaler’s suggestion since there’s now a new Unilocal page under the Nugget name.)
PARADISE LOST!
I am heart-​broken over the loss of my beloved Paradise Foods. The changes have been numerous and, as far as I can tell, none of them are good. First, there’s the meat and seafood department. The selection of fresh items has been cut in half and the once-​beautiful cases filled with varieties of fish, steak, chicken, kabobs, etc. look sparse and uninviting. (The Verlasso salmon at $ 19.99/lb is disgraceful… same quality as the farm raised crap at Safeway.) Plus there used to be at least two people dedicated to meat counter service; now there is only one. Another disappointment are the prepared foods in the refrigerated section. Not only are there fewer choices, but the prices have jumped. Case in point: salmon with cannelini beans used to be $ 7.99 and is now a whopping $ 10.99 for the same product! The hot case has disappeared though they’re are adding a new one, so the jury is still out there. (But the area designated for it definitely looks smaller.) They got rid of the BBQ outside that ran from spring til fall, a huge mistake based on its popularity. They’ve replaced it with a haphazard display of fruit which is a nuisance to get around, plus I’ve never been a fan of food sitting outside. The bakery department has been reduced in size… there are no longer fresh items available, just prepackaged ones. The reason I gave it one star is because the staff is friendly and genuinely helpful, plus let’s face it, Unilocal doesn’t allow zero stars.
Overall this market is one step above Safeway, but at much higher prices. I don’t know who did the research for this area on behalf of «Nugget» (a name that makes me think of a cheesy casino or worse, something your dog left behind), but clearly management does not understand the Marin clientele. Hey guys, this faux-​gourmet market may fly in Sacramento, but it ain’t working here. Woodlands Market, please take over this location ASAP! In the meantime, I will only go here for necessities out of convenience. After 14 years of loyal patronage, Paradise Foods is no longer my go-​to market. (I give it one year… two tops.)

I’m surprised by the negativity of the other reviews. I’ve been very impressed by the helpful, friendly, and professional staff and management at the Cove’s Nugget Market.
For example, I was there yesterday. They had tasting tables set up all through the store with representatives from many local vendors/​producers (Zoe’s meats from Santa Rosa, cheese from far Northern CA, goats milk, specialty yogurts, natural chicken nuggets, salmon, and coffee), and each one was friendly and informative.
Unlike Paradise (and certainly unlike Woodland’s), many items throughout the store were on sale. I’ve gotten great deal on jumbo shrimp and NY strips. That NEVER happens at other Tiburon stores, ever. Not to mention that Nugget sells locally-​sourced Zoe’s deli meats for the same price, or cheaper, than other national brands.
The staff goes out of their way to be helpful. During my visit yesterday, at least 5 different people asked if I needed assistance, and that’s been my usual experience there. All the staff members say hello, and staff are easy-​to-​find and plentiful.
The thing I like best so far is the brand variety. Other stores might stocked 1 or 2 different brands of the same product, but Nugget will have multiple choices. Take sliced cheese for example: Safeway will stock Kraft, Sargento, and Lucerne. Woodlands might have Kraft, and one or two natural/​kosher items (at a premium price). Nugget has Kraft, Sargento, Boar’s Head, Tilamook (sp?), and then 2 – 3 other unique brands too (all usually on sale!). Same with other dairy products and most of the grocery items I usually shop for. The bread from Truckee Bread Company is particularly notable – try finding marble rye anywhere else nearby!
The store is clean, well-​lit, conveniently arranged, spacious. No complaints from me. Keep up the good work Nugget!

Sadly, I agree with the other reviewers. The Nuggets takeover appears to have ruined the store. First, the meat. Paradise Market had the best meat in Marin — even better than Woodlands. I have completely given up on wasting money on Nuggets meat. Even the grass fed hamburger at $ 10.99/pound is terrible. They eliminated family favorites — thai marinated skirt steak for one. It is disappointing. I concur with the assertion that Nuggets is reading the market wrong. They put so many sale stickers on the shelves that it seems a joke… the whole store is on sale. They discontinued some fabulous treats (Bequet toffees for one). They don’t seem to understand that it’s quality this market is after, not the lowest price point. The people who work there are really lovely. Hate to rate the store low for their sake. I hope management takes these concerns seriously and re-​thinks their current strategy.

It’s not Paradise any more, now it’s called Nugget, the name of the Sacramento chain that bought paradise. The sweeping changes that they’ve made to virtually every food category in the store are really disappointing. It was expensive before but the quality was great; fish, meat, cheese, wine, organic produce, roasted chickens and the deli were all fantastic. Since the change over it’s still expensive, but the quality is more on par (and sometimes sub-​par to Safeway). So now we just go to Safeway and Trader Joe’s. We only go to nugget when we need milk or bread. They haven’t managed to screw that up. Although they did manage to screw up pastries and baked goods. I took a bite of a croissant and immediately thought it was day-​old. Maybe it’s a long trip here from Sacramento, where the chain is based. You have thought they would do a better job of adapting to the local customers, instead of giving us an average grocery experience at a high price. We all miss Paradise Market.

It just keeps getting worse. At least they have finally changed the signs on the outside to say Nugget.
Here’s the deal — we’re 6 months into Nugget taking over Paradise. Read all the reviews both for Corte Madera & Novato and the theme is clear. Most customers are not impressed with the ‘improvements’ Nugget is making — and the person from Nugget who responds to the complaints really isn’t paying attention to the concerns, because if she were, you’d expect that you wouldn’t continue to read the same things over and over.
If Nugget had any business sense, or understanding of the Marin market, they would have closed the Paradise stores when they purchased them and taken the time to transform them completely to the Nugget model. Then, we might have been impressed with a new concept. Instead, it’s like enduring having your doctor remove a bandage very slowly from a painful wound. Every week something changes — rarely for the better, and all we customers can do is roll our eyes and mourn what’s gone, replaced by something that isn’t as good. Example, they’re reorganizing the area where the deli/​bakery/​hot food used to be. Now they have squeezed in a salad bar. But it’s not an impressive salad bar. There are lots of veggies dumped into containers that just look dried out. There are some prepared salads and a few protein choices. The containers you put the food in are compostable, and nearly impossible to pull off the stack. I watched someone struggle for more than a minute and then someone came from behind the counter to help her. I wonder how many of those containers are being fingered by dozens of people with dirty hands before a customer finally uses it to create their salad? Now, you finally get your salad in your container and you need implements with which to eat it. Nothing, absolutely nothing is near the salad bar. But keep searching and you’ll find it next to the ice cream. Who needs forks & knives to eat ice cream? How about a sign at the salad bar telling you where to find them? I mentioned that to the poor guy helping the lady with the containers and he said ‘hey, great idea!’. Well maybe it is a great idea but for what Nugget is charging us customers, they can’t figure out something this basic themselves?
Add to this the fact that prices are inching up, while the quality continues to slide in the opposite direction. It’s hard to find what you’re looking for since the store changes from day to day & they’re cramming things in at every turn making it hard to navigate.
Turning into an epic fail.