Fresh Market

One of the things I miss most about other places I’ve lived is the grocery chain Trader Joe’s. I’ve heard a lot of people here same the same. I happened by Fresh Market, stepped in the door, and stopped dead — what, had I found a TJ’s by another name?
Well, yes and no.
They have the bulk foods, the wild and random organic, hard-​to-​find items. The sprawling, delicious, well-​cared for produce section, the flowers, the trendy chalkboard isle labels, the beer and wine section, the truly great service. And the cheese and meat deli…? Whoa! This one is the envy of all of Central Arkansas! Not to mention the candy island (seriously, I could live on it), and the choose-​your-​own coffee by the pound, and a nuts by the pound section, complete with a grinder to make your own nut butters (ok, take a moment to chuckle at that, I’ll wait)
…
BUT, on further inspection, it’s not quite TJs. For one, the wine section is very small, and nothing like the wild array of variety and practically criminal price deals, that’s a shame. And also, one of the great things about TJs is that the prices are very competitive, even for the higher-​end stuff. Fresh Market has the goods, for sure, but the prices are on the luxury end. Not on everything, but it’s not the place to shop for daily groceries.
Still, it’s well worth coming here just to check out the stuff they’ve got, I found my favorite Alcoholic Ginger Beer (Crabbies, great stuff!) and you can even put it in a build-​your-​own six-​pack for an excellent discount. And it’s an especially good place to go if you’re going to a potluck, cocktail party, or work event and aim to impress with something snazzy. Also a great stop for Valentine’s Day/Anniversary/Mother’s or Father’s day gifts for that special someone ;)
In my brief experience, I had excellent service. It was reasonably busy and the checkers were all quick, friendly, and professional. Top marks!

I wish I could remember the name of the man who helped us at the meat/​seafood counter. Older gentleman who was SO nice. He was funny too. And like always, the food was excellent.

Since I’m addicted to gourmet chocolates I was especially surprised to see one of my favorites in stock: Chuao ravishing rocky road from San Diego, California. Target sells a few items (potato chips in chocolate for a cheaper price, but they don’t carry my rocky road. They also have my husband’s favorite Ritter Sport almond in milk chocolate. Christina in the chocolate department brought back great childhood memories when she let me sample the Chuao Firecracker chocolate. Do you remember pop rocks? Imagine pop rocks in dark chocolate… Mmm. She’s the best!
I also ordered tea sandwiches here and the lady who coordinated it all was amazing. I would definitely come back here to order my tea sandwiches.
Their rotisserie chicken is pretty delicious as well.
They have gourmet hot chocolate and lots of great stuff, but the areas I’m disappointed in is that their pound cakes use preservatives and they sell meats like salami with nitrates. I know you can’t always be 100% organic, natural and non GMO but that’s what I prefer. Also, at times, their produce aren’t as ‘fresh’ which is a bummer when you spend an arm and a leg. Other than that, it’s alright. I’m still coming back for my chocolate!

I’ve been a 3−4x a week customer since they opened. FM has steadily gone downhill In the last 3 – 4 months, i.e. inexperienced and disinterested cashiers, manager on sick leave with denied access to Tracy, the assistant manager, expired veggies, sale prices not honored, cashiers too busy chatting with each other than check you out, cashiers charging for a more expensive item because they. have too little training to ask for assistance, Assistant Manager Eli = deer in headlights = never apologozes = I’m done!

The Fresh Market is very similar to Whole Foods i think but more expensive on certain items. They have a nice bulk section with variety of nuts, candies, and mixed granolas, etc. They odn’t have an actual salad bar though which is a bummer but they do have the antipasta bar and then a nice little seafood bar with about 6 items. I like the seaweed salad tuna mix but its PRICEY. Shopping here once in a while isn’t bad but I prefer whole foods still as its got more options and slightly less pricey.

Have you been to Whole Foods? Earthfare? Then you’ve been here. Slightly overpriced, «gourmet» «organic» blah blah blah yuppy buzz words.
Do you need crème fraiche? This is the closest place you’ll find it. Enjoy!

The Fresh Market is a specialty grocer; they have a lot of organic and whole foods, a selection of prepared foods, a bakery, a wonderful meat department, and a fantastic produce section.
My wife and I shop at Kroger for most of our needs, but we come here specifically for our produce every week, and we occasionally shop in the bakery and/​or meat department.
Now about the produce: they have a large selection of conventional and organic fruits and vegetables, and the quality of the produce is well above and beyond what you will find anywhere else in Little Rock. You’ll find many specialty fruits and vegetables that you won’t find elsewhere, and did I mention the quality?! The produce on their shelves makes the stuff elsewhere look like rejects. Honestly, it’s worth coming here just for the produce. Of course, the higher quality stuff does come with a price tag to match. In my opinion, it’s worth every penny.

Who doesn’t love shopping here? Who doesn’t love shopping here too much for their own good?!
Recently, I was planning on making wild mushroom and blueberry risotto, so I knew I just needed to come straight to Fresh Market for all the specialty ingredients. They had many varieties of mushrooms available as well as other gourmet items that helped make my dish delicious. I also found domestic parmesan from my home state of South Dakota, which was a real treat!
Also, I just HAD to snag one of those absolutely giant croissants from the bakery to eat on the way home. Those things are irresistible.
I like the deli and the sushi bar and cheese counter, as they make it very easy to stop in here on the way to a party or someone’s house and take something to share. The candies and nuts are also delicious with many flavors and types.
Fresh Market sells beer and wine, which also makes it a convenient one-​stop shop, but, only for specialty items. I had other things on my list I couldn’t get here, like dog food and some other Kroger staples.
This would never replace my regular grocery store, but it certainly adds to the choice of items in Central Arkansas.

The pre-​prepared food LOOKS appealing, but it is VERY deceiving. The chicken alfredo was GROSS and BLAND! I had to force myself to finish it. I definitely can COOK better than that! I did not buy anything else because I was in a rush. I do think there are a lot of selection of fruits and vegetables. I will probably go back and take a good look around. I wanted to purchase other items, but I didn’t get a chance to really get a good look at other things.

My fiancé and I love the pre-​made foods Fresh Market has to offer.
I’m highly addicted to their Dried Okras.
Everything here is a bit pricey. But it’s some what worth it.
Avoid getting fresh produce here. Bag of sour grapes = $ 9

Any food you dream of, you might find here. From exotic sauces and marinades, to meat, poultry and fish, to desserts, coffee, or candy… great selection.
Everything I have tried here was GREAT
–Chilean Sea Bass ($ 26 per pound, but worth it!!!)
–Triple chocolate cupcake from the bakery
–Rosemary and sea salt rolls (better get them before they run out!)
–Veggie Kabobs
–Gelato

The best specialty market in Little Rock (but not as large and good as many out of state chains/​markets). Good beer selection. The basic proteins and vegetables are great. I can also get healthy snacks here. The only glaring negative is the pre-​prepared foods. Those are delivered and pre-​made-​kind of gross. I highly reccomend the sirloin «gillers», vegetables and one of the specialty beers in the summer.

This is the best specialty grocery store in Little Rock. Wouldn’t recommend doing your everyday shopping here due to the lack of some basic everyday items and the hefty price tags. Although this is definitely worth the visit for fresh veggies and meats. Also, the sushi is some of the best in town. The prepared foods were somewhat of a disappointment.
GREAT assortment of imported beers. You can even create your own six pack!