Goodwin’s Organic Foods and Drinks

Mmmmmm best place in Riverside for organic. I looove the juice bar here and the café. Never have to worry about getting organic… EVERYTHING is organic! The teas and coffee drinks are wonderful and the staff is always super friendly and fun to chat with. They always have some interesting fruits and veggies that you might not find in the reg corporate grocery. Thank you Goodwins! One tip: the produce is expensive and looks like they waste a lot so maybe ask for special pricing on the stuff that looks Bad and freeze it for home smoothies…

Goodwin’s is well-​known for carrying a wide variety of products that are certified organic. Some of their products are marked up a little higher than competitors such as trader joes or clark’s nutrition. The unique thing about their establishment is that they have a juice bar and a sit down restaurant that serves organic food. They are situated pretty close to UCR, which makes it convenient for the students.
They carry everything a typical grocery store carries, but are limited in meats and dairy.
I come here sometimes when I feel like having a smoothie or buying a few essential products. I’ve meet the owners on several occasions and they’re always friendly and helpful. The main drawback to their juice bar is the lack of cash register. They give you a ticket that you have to walk back to the main cash register in the middle of the store. Its not a big deal for me, but it would be much more efficient and convenient for everyone to just have a POS at the juice bar. The same goes to the restaurant.
The free Wifi is a plus. You will catch many students in the juice bar lounge utilizing the internet to do papers and homework.
They also have a second floor study room /​lounge where you can study or hangout.

Sooo yummy! I came here for lunch one time looking for delicious healthy food, and this was the spot! Plus I got 10% off for it being my first time there, which was so awesome. Definitely recommend this place to anyone!

First off, I was just here today to get a nice, organic lunch, and I usually go to Whole Foods but there is none in this area. So, 1 star is for the fact that they are just 5 minutes away from my home, and the 2^nd star is for the fact that they offer USDA Organic foods.
The big problem I have is related to customer service. I was to be the next to be served and when one of the workers said, «next one in line», I was the next person in line but the young Asian lady behind me quickly went to be served. That would be entirely her fault because she definitely cut in front of me, BUT… I’ve been at other stores where the worker would say, «no, this person is next in line»… or would simply look for the next person in line and say, «I can help you at this register».
It’s very easy, actually. So when I go to a store for the first time and get treated so poorly, it really gives me a bad impression of the store, regardless of whether or not they offer the healthiest, organic foods in the land! And believe me I will always support local businesses (the little guy) unless their customer service truly sucks, so…
My bad first experience will likely influence me in even coming back here in the future.
An additional note, I had to swipe my debit card 3x because it wouldn’t take. Need to get the debit card system a quick look at.
I’m out…

I really wanted to like this place. Came in to the café the other day to see what was in the menu –only to find an employee eating a slice of pizza OVER THE FOOD. I was shocked. Literally speechless. I stood there standing with a confused look on my face for like 3 minutes. NO ONE seemed surprised, BAD sign. Went to the front to speak to a manager only to be given this weird run a round. Shady vibe. NOT RETURNING!

Great green juice I just wish it had less ginger in it. Wow it cleared my sinuses for sure lol it was strong. I walked around the market for a bit and bought organic milk which was a bit pricey lol my husband couldn’t believe that I spent $ 15 on milk but I told him I wanted to try organic milk so yea. Unfortunately, it went bad fast which is expected from organic. I recommend getting the smaller container of you don’t use milk often

Lydia is a coffee expert. Even if you know everything that’s to know about coffee, she might teach you a thing or two. Everyone was great, super helpful. The food: We tried a sandwich, soup, salad, coffee, and cake… for research purposes, of course LOL and it was delicious.

An all organic health food store is very rare! This is defiantly a gem in Riverside or even California for that matter!!!
Goodwins Organics being the first all organic health food store is very impressive in comparison to other health food stores like Trader hoes, sprouts and such they are only 15 to 25% organic products on shelf.
I love that it is a riverside family own and they have a passion for health not ripping people off. If you see, what this store has to offer you should be impressed with their prices, quality and how they are doing it.
A tip is their private brand Natural Direction is the lowest cost organic products and keep this store very competitive and their membership is awesome too because you save money on things you actually buy while saving on products that are on sale.
Check out their social media!!!
Also check out the organic kitchen, organic drinks bar!
I also really enjoy the pastries which are made by the owners wife Mary Goodwin. They have a ton of options for gluten free, vegan and such pastries cakes and desserts.
–hope this helped! Go organic!

This may sound strange coming from someone who doesn’t care if food is organic or laced with pesticides, but I am actually considering becoming a member here. I stopped in today for a pizza, prompted by Martin, one of the owners, offering to let me try it out for half price, which turned out to be about $ 11. That’s what I pay for a pizza at one of my regular places, so I thought that was very reasonable. What I wasn’t sure is if it would be worth paying twice as much as I normally do, and I’m happy to report that I thing it would be. With membership, that would knock another few dollars off.
The crust was amazing, I even ate the end pieces that I normally throw away. The sauce had a robust, fresh tomato flavor, far superior to any sauce I’ve ever had, that wasn’t overpowered by the rich and creamy cheese. The pepperoni was good and the mushrooms were great. The pizza is cooked in a stone oven next to a roaring fire. This truly was an exceptional pizza and I will definitely be back for more, even at about $ 22. They also have an array of prepared food that all looked delicious, sold by weight.
The only organic product I normally buy is milk, which I have trouble finding for less than $ 5 per half gallon. They have a brand exclusive to their store that is $ 4 for members. With the pizza and the milk and the vegetables that other members of my family may eat, it may be worth it to pay the $ 25 to get 10−15% off.
Martin also sent me home with a half gallon of raw milk on the house. I haven’t tried it yet, and I’ve never had raw milk so I’m a little scared, but I’m going to give it a shot. I really must say my visit today was a great experience. If you ever want to check out an organic store where you can get an exceptional meal, stop by and ask for Martin. He’s a great guy, and he is more than willing to show you around and help you find anything you might like. I still think some of the things are just crazy price-​wise, but even if you don’t care about organic, if you care about flavor, Goodwin’s does have some things that are not that out of line with a regular store, and a pizza that you really must try!
Update: I’m not going to become a member. I now drink Fairlife milk which runs about $ 3.29 per 59 oz at Walmart. It’s actually better than organic. I’ll still stop by for slices or pizza and other food choices, but I think people who eat exclusively organic are mostly insane. This store has been operating at a loss since they opened, and I think that is because they are operating on a flawed model. If you offer a product for a specific price that the public in general isn’t willing to pay, you will fail. Supply must be met by demand. Without sufficient demand, you will fail. I’m sorry, but all you crazy hippy idea-​logs can’t afford to support this pie in the sky wealth re-​distribution model «let somebody else pay for it» concept work.
I wish Goodwin’s could succeed, but it’s kind of like solar panels. Some day, they could replace fossil fuels, but that day is not now. They are the little train than thinks they can, but in reality, they simply cannot. Al Gore can afford this place, but Joe Six Pack can’t. Maybe one day, that will change.

I was expecting Goodwin’s to be a bit better.
located way in the boonies, it was really not worth the drive.
Looks much bigger and newer from the outside. I don’t know why so many health food stores are so dimly lit and sparse looking.
Service was great and they do have a huge selection as well as a very nice café on one end and a little restaurant with some amazing looking food on the other end.
The groceries were insanely expensive.
I am used to paying a premium for organic, but this was about double of what Whole Foods charges, I am talking $ 4.99 for a single granola bar?!!
I love stores like this, but the odd location and high prices keep me from coming back.

So, strangely, my original 2012 Unilocal review for this «three pronged» market (which included paragraphs about their café), disappeared. I found it completely moved along with several of my pictures (but not all), to the Goodwin’s Organics Café site recently. There are several other reviews that appear to have been similarly hijacked. What called my attention to all this was that Unilocal lists this as a «new» business, like «3 weeks new». It’s not, otherwise how would it have reviews coming from as far back as 2010?
Yes, the café is accessible from inside this long standing, family owned health food market, as is it’s coffee-​tea-​juice bar. I can only guess somebody got an organic bee in their butt to separate their three zones on Unilocal (maybe to plump up their Unilocal visibility?). Honestly, I feel violated and manipulated. So, I am returning some of my original text to the market part of Goodwin’s, just because I can, and you are more than welcome to FUC me (no I am not swearing, it means Funny, Useful, Cool) for this one too, just because you can.
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2÷12÷2012:
«Today we ventured into an area I am unfamiliar with on the backside of the UCR campus. Purpose — to find out what all this hype for Goodwin’s Grocery is all about.
Yes, it is a smaller version of a Clark’s Nutrition. But it is a nice, clean, well organized store, sectored into 3 zones — fresh teas/​coffee/​fruit juice bar, organic grocery/​meats/​produce items, and a small hot and cold deli. Shopping was fun. We found a couple of things we wanted, and glowed in approval over items we have driven much farther to get. Beautiful organic produce by the way.»
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Back to the future, 7÷14÷14:
I would like to add that this multi-​faceted store also offers cooking classes, seminars, and has a great resource of employees, knowledgeable and able to help you in your quest for healthy living. You can find ecologically sound home goods, books, healthful baked goods, frozen foods, vegan and vegetarian options, and much more.
It is not cheap, however. The price you pay is for the specialty goods that are not readily available in chain markets. They do offer many products that can be purchased for much less $$ at local grocers, so shop wisely or do so for convenience and to support our smaller, local businesses. BTW — This area does not have a Whole Foods closer than 40 miles to compare pricing as alluded to by Christi A.
Goodwin’s proximity to the UCR campus is quite auspicious as it offers students places to go for healthy food and ingredients. This includes a free lounge area for respite, study, and quiet social moments.
Miffed as I am that I accidentally discovered this review hijacking does not mean that they have in any way lost my business. I just don’t care for the tactics. I would have written one for the café, if they had only asked.