I have lived here at Watergate for 13 years thus far. Back then, WMarket was not as it is now. Never shopped there back then because of the lack in variety of ther products and the high prices. A dark, drab convenience store. Fast forward, here in 2016, WMarket has evolved. Great deli and meats. Randy is still there, although limited to the first part of the week. A lot more variety with all of their products across the board. Everyone there is very friendly. One caution. ALWAYS ask for the receipt when purchasing several products because IME, I have a couple of times been charged for items I never bought and noticed after the fact. Oh, well. I will shop there again because it is closely convenient, and will be adament when I check out. Peace
Victor G.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Oakland, CA
I’m conflicted as to how to rate Watergate. It. s, moderately huge and geared toward convenience of nearby inhabitants in th towers. edibles prissing fab.(to go chinese food, 5.99 lb. 1.25 for a chicken egg roll, ear real! beers, microbrews sligtly pricey, wines plenty, didn’t look. eats: «brick» coffee macaroon(2.99) –typical sweet macaroon, gourmet ice cream inside. 3.5 stars take outs: outside kiosk was breaking down unit, didn’t see goods offered. probably korean influenced or fusion sammies. =-missit it. 3.5 stars, 4 stars if u find the yummie goodness, i didn’t, too narrow minded. –parking suprisiingly amply.
Ryan C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Antioch, CA
Nicest owners you’ll ever meet! Want something they don’t have? Let them know and it will be there next week. Their sandwiches are to die for and if you happen to catch them on cheese burger or tri-tip day oh are you in luck. Love this place!
Steven W.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Santa Cruz, CA
This is an awesome little market located on a little peninsula in emeryville right near eastshore state park/marina park. It’s smaller then a standard grocery, so with the smaller size and a neighborhood focus it’s very careful with the selection that it stocks. The focus is not only on healthier choices, but also locally sourced premier items. They have a hot and cold food bar. The hot items change daily, but sushi is prepared fresh every day. The deli sandwiches also seem popular. The liquor section may not have the best pricing as it’s focus is on quality. Good selection of craft beers. Nice selections of cocktail mixin’s if that’s your thing. If you are looking for a liter coke and a bag of cheeto’s this is not the place. But for sheer food decadence such as sushi, fresh fruit, a decent bottle of wine, and some ice cream macaroon sandwiches it’s unbeatable.
Laura L.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Emeryville, CA
I was accosted by a worker/manager there in October last year. He grabbed me by the arm and took my purse out of my hand and accused me of stealing. When he didn’t find anything in my purse, he tossed it back at me and told me I could no longer shop there. He threatened to call the police who did not come, I waited for an hour.
Danny P.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Emeryville, CA
Looks pretty sketchy but has pretty decent Sandos for lunch. They get their bread from Semifreddies. Ingredients are fresh since it is a market as well. Might have to try their Vietnamese salad and BBQ(weds and Fri) next time. It’s right next to the bay bridge entrance so stop by for a pit stop before sitting in the bay area traffic.
Peter D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Dublin, CA
Close to the marina, they have most of what you need to go sailing: food, ice, wine… Pick up a sandwich here, sushi and head out to the bay… Sleep over on the boat and they always have coffee and something to snack on for breakfast.
David W.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Francisco Bay, CA
The food in the hot-box is often hit-or-miss, but is typical for any hot-box type of food, really. A lot of the canned and jarred goods are best looked at carefully for expiration dates. Their own brand of cobb salad? Ranch dressing? Seriously? This should be bleu cheese! Still, it wasn’t «bad», but it still should be bleu cheese… and nearly ALL of their sushi/sashimi has avocado in it(Thank you, United States, for hipster-fying Japanese food) which I am HIGHLY allergic to, but aside from this, it’s not a bad place overall. Their prices are typical of any convenience store, but they have a great selection of items.
Paul C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Berkeley, CA
Co-worker recently introduced me to Watergate, and it’s now my go-to place for lunch. Great service and fair prices as well! They have a couple different hot food choices every day.
Jennifer R.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Emeryville, CA
As another resident of Watergate, this place is definitely handy for basic staples. It’s true the prices are not competitive with, say, Target, so you’re in essence paying for convenience and location. Their selection is limited while also including random items you wouldn’t expect to find, like certain international foods. That was a surprise! They don’t necessarily have all the usual name brands, being smaller than a standard grocery store, though their alcohol section is huge in relation to the rest of the store. Personally I’d rather they had more food selection, but that’s me. For their sake I do wish they could get a facelift; the old and stained floor gives the place a grubby sort of feel. Some of the products on shelves get a bit old and collect dust. I think the result is that they are off-putting to many potential customers. I cannot help but wonder if they re-vamped their store, included fresher and better produce, and a better selection of common staples, they’d get more custom from the Watergate residents, who number over 2000, in addition to the marina residents. I’d like to see them succeed in this way. Staff are friendly and recognize me when I come in. There are a couple whose English is a bit weak, so for special questions or instructions you might have to find another staff member to help. I’ve never used the deli so cannot report on that service. Customers might also be frustrated if they need to get cash back on their debit cards; they stopped offering this a while back.
Sagruilla P.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Berkeley, CA
For Watergate Towers workers, this market has mostly everything you might need to grab during lunch to save you an afterwork grocery store visit. They carry good Bay area brands like Naia gelato popsicles and have a wide selection of chocolate and wine. The real draw is Randy, expert sandwich maker. He makes so many sandwiches – or randwiches as many affectionately call them – that this guarantees fresh ingredients. He makes them with a smile and a wink and will remember you every time.
Alex M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Emeryville, CA
Having lived in the neighborhood for a few years now, I’ve been coming to the Watergate Market for a while. This market doesn’t do everything perfectly, but it does a lot of things well, and its friendly staff and convenient location have made me a fan of what it has to offer. The pros: Location — It’s the only grocery store on the west side of highway 80 in Emeryville, so if you live or work nearby it is super convenient Variety — Not as big a grocery store as a Safeway, but it has all the essentials, and lots of things you wouldn’t expect to find at a smaller store Staff — The owner(?) is very nice and welcomes me every time I visit Beer and wine selection — The beer selection in particular is great — better than the average Safeway The cons: Variety — The flip side of the pro. If you need rarer ingredients, or are looking for a large produce section, you’ll have to go elsewhere Freshness — I’ve noticed some of the perishable items are sold closer to their expiration date than at other supermarkets(but not after it) Overall, I feel this place has a lot more character than your average chain supermarket, and I like the charm it adds to the Watergate neighborhood.
Babak G.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Santa Clara, CA
Convenient market and convenient place for people who live or work in towers or watergate. They have everything, alittle expensive but sometimes very useful… good collection of drinks…
Lars S.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Novato, CA
This is a dumpy, out-dated, un-inviting, poorly stocked, and poorly maintained neighborhood market. I must believe that the only reason that they are still in business is because there’s nothing else around.
Nancy S.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Novato, CA
Nice little market and deli. The last time I stopped here to pee they even allowed me to take my dog in with me. The staff is friendly enough and it seems pretty convenient. I didn’t eat here so I’m not sure how the food tastes.
Jana C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 East Bay, CA
Handy market for those marina dwellers of Emeryville — personally, I dub it concrete jungle. This market is so pickin’ convenient for all the condo and townhouse residents, as one can easily walk to buy comestibles. Some nice specialized products. Got a nice Italian concentrated tomato paste and some San Marzanos for cooking. Also enjoy the easy takeaway prepared foods as well.
Marck N.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Emeryville, CA
Chicken sandwich is huge. Roasted chicken breast on a Dutch crunch. Much better than subway.
Andrew S.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Emeryville, CA
Pros — Pretty good asian lunch food — I’ve heard good things about the sandwiches as well — Nice workers Cons — Everything else is a little expensive(priced closer to a liquor store). I come here for lunch sometimes and opt for the Asian food that sits out under heat lamps. They usually have a good variety of rice, noodles, chicken, beef that you can mix and match and pay for by the pound. I’ve heard really good things about the burgers and tri tip sandwiches that they serve from time to time.
Stacy C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Martinez, CA
Good sandwiches made by friendly folks. Nice breads, quality ingredients.(But has anyone else noticed the Randwiches have gotten rather skimpy as of late?)
Tamara P.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Francisco, CA
I come here often as I live right next to this market. It’s really nice having it so close by, I can walk over and pick up any snacks or groceries that I don’t feel like going further away to get. The trade off for that convenience is that stuff here is marked up and always more expensive than other places. The folks that run this place are always friendly and nice, and they stock a wide range of stuff– from chips to detergents, etc. Their deli makes AWESOME sandwiches, but UGH!!! No joke, 90% of the time my order is WRONGGG and I have to go back and have them fix it. I always ask for cucumber on my sandwich and 9 times out if 10 they put PICKLES. Like, seriously? Not even close. It drives me crazy, but when they fix it they make a damn good sandwich. Just please, STOPPUTTINGPICKLESONMYSTUFF, PLEASE! Gross.