Gelson’s Market

I’m really glad that Gelson’s markets have made it to San Diego! I’ve been shopping at them for years, when I was in LA or OC on trips, and have missed out on the product selection.
They really excel at the hard-​to-​find & gourmet items. Products local to the area, like Sweetaly desserts from Carlsbad. They also have a great selection of Bundaberg sodas, where most people only have the Ginger Beers. They will also special order products for you, like a different flavor of something they carry.
The hot food and the premade food case are very good. I have had many lunches from the case while on vacation. It’s pricey, but upscale is.
Regular items will be a little more expensive than at the regular markets. This market does have good deals sometimes on the gourmet items.

Gelson’s is awesome! Food was very fresh at the deli u can sample anything and they do it all with a smile. Would highly recommend! :)

This is the best place the manager Ted and Tonya gave us water since our bus broke down on our way to San Jose

Gelson’s is phenomenal. On my way from San Diego to San Jose our bus broke down and was stuck in their parking lot. While we were going in and out to use the restroom and buy snacks and drinks they came outside and provided two cases of water to make us more comfortable. That’s going above and beyond! The food from the deli was also delicious.

Beautiful grocery store in the middle of Del Mar! If Sprouts and Whole Foods had a love child, it would be Gelson’s. The store is clean and open and has a lot of options for health foods but it isn’t as hipster and expensive like Whole Foods (although it is a pricier than Sprouts).
There’s plenty of parking up front and the staff is friendly. I’d definitely come back for more stuff!
Thanks Karen N. for introducing us to Gelson’s and the Sweetaly pudding that Gelson’s carries!

Disappointed to say the least. It’s Fathers Day. We called and asked for our lobster to be cooked, cracked and split. When we served them and they were not cracked, split and they were barely cooked. We are not snobs. We are a lobster raised family. We understand mistakes happen and we work with it. In this case, we expected more considering it’s premium prices. Unacceptable.

Just loved wine tasting with Jessica on Friday afternoon! She’s a gal who really knows her stuff. We tasted the Tattinger Champagne, The Iron Horse, Merlot & Cabernet. Wine was accompanied by a cheese & dried fruits plate… Delish! Oh, and I especially like the fact that the store is uncluttered and clean looking.

Prices are (for me) not conducive to complete grocery shopping although it is certainly in the right neighborhood. Can’t really hold a candle to Whole Foods, just not enough depth or diversity of products. Particularly if you’re vegan.
I get a weekly 20% off coupon in the mail and usually stop in to buy some organic produce.
The shelf presentation is really impressive and the store really shines. Will be interesting to see how this store fares with Whole Foods across the street.

The store is so clean and organized. I’ve seen this space as three different grocery stores and Gelson’s has been my favorite. The bakery has the most AMAZING cupcakes. I highly recommend.

New Gelson’s in Del Mar.
Service was very friendly, the store super clean and well stocked.
Prices are really high though, too expensive for a full weeks of groceries and not shopping their specials.
Also very empty in the store which was nice, but I bet due to the pricing.
Very nice bakery selection, as well as produce all very fresh.
Nice change to get to try some products other grocery stores don’t carry, nice addition to the area.

Used to shop at Gelson’s in Santa Barbara. After coming to this location I was sadly disappointed, it just doesn’t compare at all… and it still looks like Haggen!

I was really surprised to see any good reviews of this place — seriously. With all the hype I was expecting a better version of Whole Foods, but this store is really disappointing.
First of all, there isn’t a great selection of organic foods. I’d say it’s slightly better than Von’s — but not much. Also, the organic foods that they do have are MORE expensive that Whole Foods and other stores, by quite a bit. For instance, organic chicken is 10.99/lb at Gelson’s, when I can get it for 6.99/lb at Trader Joes or Whole Foods. Also, the organic produce area is tiny (smaller than Albertson’s!) and the prices are higher than other stores– not to mention the quality is very average. They also had only 1 or 2 organic Greek yogurts, while Whole Foods has at least a dozen.
The other thing that floors me about this place is the décor– or lack thereof. It looks like a gutted Albertson’s — probably because that’s what it is. Truly– there is zero ambiance– just signage and racks and glaring fluorescent lights that make you feel like your going to be interrogated at any moment. They’ve been open for months and it still looks the exact same. I asked the cashier about it and she said she hadn’t heard of any plans to «update» the place. Although décor/​ambiance isn’t first on my list for a grocery store, when I’m paying these prices I expect a pleasant atmosphere… like Whole Foods across the street… or even Von’s around the corner makes a good effort.
The one thing I do like about Gelson’s is the sandwich counter and the pre-​made salads/​dishes. They have a decent selection and the quality is good. This store also has some of the nicest employees, as everyone is very helpful and says hello when they walk by. However, for the price, selection and the «ghetto» décor I won’t be back.

I found some good deals. Jeni’s is a dollar cheaper here than other stores and Rao’s pasta sauce was on sale for 5.99. Lot’s of ice cream choices. I like the selection of bread. Seems like there’s plenty of beer as well. Kinda lacking in the hard liquor, guess I might not of looked there though.

I was happy to see that Gelson’s took over the great Del Mar Albertson’s… oops I mean Haggen!
I think it has great potential and a few new products I haven’t seen anywhere else, which was exciting.
I was a little disappointed that they haven’t done any renovations though — if they change the cheap looking vinyl floors to match the wooden floor in their bakery/​fruit section, it would make the store look so much more upscale. In my opinion.

Overall I was impressed. It’s like they took a bit of every other chain in San Diego (Whole Foods, Sprouts, Major Market, and Jimbos), put it all in a Vitamix and made a grocery store smoothie.
Walking into this brightly lit superstore I noticed that it still had one similarity to Haggens. It was pretty empty around the lunch rush.
While perusing the aisles I’d say the bulk of the shoppers consisted of well dressed AARP folks, a few women, and plenty of staff. Everything was well stocked and if I had more time I probably would have pickup up a few more items/​brands that I’ve never seen before.
The Service Deli was probably the best part of the store with all of the variety.
Sandwiches —
Ordering is a bit of a fiasco from their counter, still a work in process apparently.
Tip, anyone in the service deli can take your order. Officially all deli workers can make the sandwich but usually your ticket gets dumped on the sandwich board. I’ll chalk up the confusion /​issues with this being a new store.
The Sandwich itself was on par with Sprouts, a few bucks more. They did have options to add in sides from the Deli Case which was cool but the total was $ 10 to have that «Lunch Special».
Positives
— Lots of cool, never seen before items. Alcohol laced Popsicles?
— Nice selection of beverages. All Bundaberg flavors!
— Plenty of parking.
— The Coffee Bean is located inside.
Negatives
— Hard Alcohol selection is weak especially for a store this size. Ralph’s is far superior.
— On the pricey side. That was Haggens demise.
3.5 stars — Need to work on their sandwich process.

Wow, some of these reviews border on bizarre. Bitter much? Hostile much? I for one like this market and am glad for an alternative to Whole Foods. Yes, they’re high priced. Very much so. But the quality is there and the service is awesome. I shopped at the Pacific Palisades store for years and like the quality. The produce is great, the meats are great and the selection of products is unmatched in SD. There is no reason to buy Cheerios or Saran Wrap at Gelson’s, Go to Von’s. But if you want good prepared foods or grape leaves or brioche buns, or guava soda or GOOD PRODUCE, Ralph’s and Von’s won’t have it. There are many specialty products at Gelson’s you won’t find at regular super markets or WF.
R’s and V’s have terrible produce. Albertson’s was an abomination of a market. Von’s meats are terrible. Ralph’s is just ok. WF has good produce and great meats, but they don’t carry many things I want.
Haggen was almost identical to Albertsons. The quality at Gelson’s is vastly superior. I cannot imagine how anyone can see this store as the «exact same thing.»
We went today for a quick sandwich and shopping. We split a freshly carved turkey sandwich (right off the bird). Hearing us quibble about how to dress it, the über helpful staffer offered to make half with grilled onions and gravy and the other half with cranberry sauce. We got a delicious Chinese coleslaw as a side. For take out we got a wonderful shrimp and cucumber salad with dill. You won’t get that at Vons or Ralphs. Their prepared foods are gross.
If you don’t like their prices, don’t shop there. I like having choice. I like veggies and fruits with flavor. I like super friendly and helpful staff. I like a clean store where the men’s room doesn’t require personal protective gear.

It was great to see a new grocery store that focuses on quality. Although a little pricey, but worth every penny. I tried the Turkey Carver sandwich, and a slice of prime rib, melt in your mouth quality. I couldn’t find a 24 pack of Gelson’s 20 oz spring water, and when I asked an employee for the water, she went to the back of the store, and come out with the water. I was impressed.
It’s a pricey place, but worth every penny. The standards and quality are high, but you do get what you pay for in service and selection. It’s not for everyone. I’ll make few more trips here until they until the Pacific Beach location opens.

The store is nice, although some of the lay out seems odd. The selection of gluten free products is really lacking, which really surprised me. Also the section of «drugstore» items — cold medicine etc is lacking and crazy expensive.
The bakery is nothing special, looks almost identical to Haggens. Honestly I am so disappointed at this store’s prices — if I want to buy nice quality/​overpriced produce and deli to-​go items I have Whole Foods across the street. Just because I live in an affluent neighborhood doesn’t mean I’m stupid and like to waste my money — so to Von’s I will go for all my major shopping. Such a shame as this is my closest grocery store.

You know you’re getting old when you get excited about a brand new supermarket! Went to check out the grand opening party today and it was packed! They even ran out of grocery carts. Food samples galore and not just cheese… I sampled mussels, oysters, fried chicken, shrimp, prime rib just to name a few! They let you pretty much sample anything you wanted from the deli case! The inside is open, bright, clean and really inviting. Pricing today was great as they want to draw in the crowds but I’m sure it will be equivalent to whole foods prices once the newness wears off. It was fun just browsing around and I picked up my favorite apples here on sale for only $ 1.99lb which was a great deal! Try the Envy apples and I guaranteed you’ll be hooked! Check out was pretty slow but they did give out very cool Del mar Gelsons reusable totes and a free loaf of bread! I also had a $ 5off coupon woohoo! Welcome to the hood!

Another new Grocery store in our neighborhood! funny how that’s what we talk about when we get older!
i was excited about Whole Foods… and not sure this will top that excitement…
Trader Joes topped my enthusiasm about Whole Foods…
i was done with the albertson’s here…
the replacement (haagen) was a flop…
i have high hopes for Gelson’s …seem to have tons of fresh food and selection and not ridiculously priced. Let’s see how they maintain their new fresh image.
fingers crossed