The Fresh Market

I’ve shopped here several times over the last few, and typically find things to be relatively swell, aside from the low lighting. this last visit changed that. We stopped in to pick up some produce and some of the pre-​made items.
While we were there, a bunch of lettuce and cabbage fell to the floor, on a carpeted mat. An employee brazenly picked up and put back all of this produce back in the refrigerated display case. Said employee then offered assistance to find what we needed. This is clearly unacceptable. At least take the stuff to the back first, to hide what you’re doing.
Additionally, two different runs of items in the cold-​drinks section were out-​of-​date. One of them to the tune of 5-​ish months. I would understand a month, or less, out of date. but 5+ months? In a store that calls itself ‘fresh,’ no less.

The Good: Meat and seafood. They have an excellent meat and seafood section. Staff will package anything you want on the spot. If you just want one steak without getting the family pack at Kroger then this is the place to go. Free sample cups of coffee too.
The OK: the produce section is ok. Some good variety here. However you will pay for it. If you want fresh, go to Roanoke Natural Foods Co-​Op. I doubt you will pay more for comparable.
The bad: The gift shop feel of the place. The aisles are close together and the buggies make noise as they are going across the floor tiles. Look at it this way, between the meat counter and the hot foods counter there are diagonal tables with bread on them. I’m sure someone thaught this was a great idea to move product but the traffic flow is basically stopped. It kind of makes the place feel claustrophobic. Case in point there was a couple talking to a butcher about a special order I was trying to pick up some bacon. One buggy made it impossible to move around them because of the bread tables in the way. There are displays all around the store like this
Basically this is a good place to pick up some meat, not much else. As a Keto eater, I can’t speak to the aisles of pre packaged grocery. Just seems to be up-​market with a further up-​market price.

Used to having a Whole Foods around, and was sad Roanoke didn’t have one. But this place makes up for it for sure. High quality products and lots of great food options. Produce is very fresh. Meats are delicious. I highly recommend this place!

What can I say — I love The Fresh Market no matter where I am. Since there are no really upscale grocery stores (Whole Foods or Harris Teeter) for hippie foodie chicks like me I had to come here to get some goodies when I was going to be in town for a week.
I was specifically looking for good quality, organic veggies such as spinach, carrots, cucumbers, onions, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery, and peppers. Along with some raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. I found ALL of that and more while I browsed the aisles with my mother in tow.
We also purchased some beautiful pink/​white roses and once we asked for assistance an employee came over and arranged them for us nicely in a pretty vase for only $ 27 total (including the vase). Not too shabby.
I love that they have fresh flowers, organic produce, and a fresh deli section where you can get fish, meat, and already prepped meal options. They also have fresh cheeses and a fast (er) food option with pre-​made sandwiches, salads, pasta salads, etc.
It was pretty crowded when we stopped in around 5:30 on a Tuesday at the deli area with a long line so we skipped out on that — but I was able to get what I needed for my diet and we were able to get the flowers we needed for the next day.
Win!

A fantastic supplementary food market, filled to the brim with ultra fresh produce, high quality meats, and other hard to find items. Be warned, though — it’s expensive. It’s also frustrating to navigate when crowded, which is often.

After living in Miami and Boston, it was really difficult to adapt to the lack of Trader Joe’s, Wild Oats, & Whole Foods in Roanoke. The Fresh Market has truly helped me heal as most of their products are exceptional and the variety of different fine foods is a breath of fresh air in this Kroger-​dominated area. What my husband and I love the most is the meat department with their wide array of fresh meats, poultry & fish. We often purchase their rotisserie chicken which is always delicious and convenient. The meat department staff AND the cashiers are courteous and speedy. My one complaint would be the one-​too-​many occasions I’ve received slow, sub-​par service from the deli/​prepared foods department, I KNOW there are good employees in that department, but I think I’ve been saddled with the not-​so-​great-​ones too many times. That does not deter my loyalty to this business. Highly recommend.

I know this is totally a grocery store but their sushi is AMAZING, it’s so hard to find a good sushi place in in Roanoke however I have definitely found one here. Does sushi maker is so nice and I’ve definitely had some moments where I needed something changed within the sushi and they will change it for me immediately or make a new roll. The rolls are fresh and clean and flavorful. Everybody is so nice at the market and they are willing to help you with any questions that you may have and there’s so many things you can try out! It’s expensive only if you don’t know what to look for, ask an representative and they’ll help you out!

I don’t typically review corporate chains, as I prefer to focus on locally owned businesses, but for a place like The Fresh Market I make an exception. It’s not that I don’t ever patronize big chains; it’s just that the theme of my reviews is to give attention to the local places that may or may not be worth your while. That being said, here goes my first evaluation of this sort. First of all, the prices are a little higher at The Fresh Market, but the products you can find are so much better. I can pick up things that my nearby big chains don’t have. For instance, tonight I was able to find Mina Harissa spicy traditional Moroccan Red Pepper Sauce. It may take more of a drive to secure something of this nature, but the big grocery stores close to my house don’t carry specialty products like this. Another great part of the store is its setup. It’s smaller and more aesthetically pleasing for the senses. The displays are colorful and inviting. The store has everything I need, and then some; and, I don’t have to run a mile across some super store to find what I’m looking for. Also, it doesn’t have all of the stressful hustle and bustle that other shopping centers possess. I will undoubtedly drive a few extra miles to The Fresh Market any day over going to the other chain grocery stores!

This is the best grocery store I’ve found in this town!
Being from LA we have tons of healthy grocery stores and this is the closest to what I am accustomed to.
The produce looks fresh and is delish, the prepared food was great! I got a few chicken breasts, turkey burgers, the orzo was amazing,
Great drink and snacks.
It’s a bit pricey, but what do you expect!

Stopped in to get some local hot sauces on a road trip. Nice store.

They have turned the music down! Certainly makes for a more pleasant shopping experience!

For a store that tries its best to look and feel like Whole Foods Market and even purposefully tries to locate itself near them, I must say that I am pretty disgusted and happy at the same time.
This was my first visit to a Fresh Market location while in town visiting some dear friends. The store is an explosion that happened when the moon, Harris Teeter, collided with the planet Winn-​Dixie. Sure, it has more vegetarian and vegan choices, but the entire store is just a glorified prepared foods section with kitschy cracklings scented like cinnamon for fall. The produce was overpriced and was low quality, but then again I live in South Florida where super fresh pineapple goes for $ 1.50 and excellent mangoes roll out at around $ 0.60 each, so excuse me if I’m jaded and spoiled. I just don’t think paying $ 4.99 for a near spoiled pineapple is at all worth it or wise. I also don’t find oranges for $ 1.25 each a motivator to make people eat better!
I saw that many items in the prepared foods section featured trash ingredients like High Fructose Corn Syrup, Crystalline Fructose and all sorts of disguised/​renamed Monosodium Glutamate. Really?! That’s not all that fresh, now is it?! One step further and this place would be selling Pepsi, Dorito’s, Little Debbie cakes and Pop Tarts.
Checking out was a slow process and the cashier was a mean pit mule of a woman.
So why happy? I’m happy because this is absolutely not a competitor to Whole Foods in any way whatsoever.
Store location (and the entire chain) is denied.
Oh, yeah… I just can’t get over Mr. Mike Q. longing to be in the Roanoke Fresh Market from a Whole Foods in Hawaii. Distortion… on a massive scale!

This Fresh Market is pretty crowded inside with items, almost like they need a bigger location. Everything is very expensive but you get very good quality items. They have lots of vegetarian and vegan items which is a relief in a world of meat eaters. You will not find regular brands here, but will only find specialty brands. Parking lot stinks, very crowded and wonky.

in a recent trip to roanoke, at many of the places i went, i heard people whispering «whole foods is a coming… whole foods is a coming». they were even in the aisles of this store whispering, rolling their eyes, throwing items down and stomping out in dramatic disgust to await the arrival of the super store. now don’t get me wrong people. whole foods is an awesome alternative, especially here in hawaii where there is a large population who is a peace sign away from becoming a certified «tree-​hugger». i love whole foods. but as i walked through the store last night, i found myself wishing i was at fresh market.
fresh market is the best. selection wise, it’s far better than whole foods. the prepared foods section has more variety and to top it all off, you won’t have to whore yourself down on campbell avenue to pay the arm-​and-​leg prices whole foods sometimes charge. i must admit i chuckled when i saw people pass up blue fin tuna at the sushi counter in lieu of imitation crab california roll, but the second i passed the spice isle and smelled the fresh nutmeg and cinnamon sold in bins, i stopped chuckling, closed my eyes and allowed my mind to drift back to childhood days with my aunt daisy making cinnamon bread in our kitchen.
i especially want to point out the ultimate find at fresh market. sadly, i was in roanoke for my mother’s funeral. we did a traditional hawaiian funeral with lei, olé, hawaiian music and hula. my partner worked with the florist lady to put together one of the most amazing things i’ve ever seen, a haku to run the length of my mother’s casket. the florist at fresh market blows whole foods out of the water.
roanoke, go forth and appreciate what you have. stop your whispering, stop your dramatic displays, for the love of god stop rolling your eyes, stop your wishing, wrap your arms around fresh market. cuddle with it, hold it close, make it warm, have unnatural relations with it if you so desire. but keep it safe, in business and appreciate it. you’ve got the best already.

It should be clear that this is not in any sense a primary weekly-​shopping-​for-​the-​family kind of grocery store. It’s a place to get all the little goodies you can’t get from your main supermarket. And, on the whole, Fresh Market’s prices aren’t exorbitant. Particularly considering what they offer. Their meat and seafood selection is exceptional, their bulk spices save me trips to the nearest Penzey’s, and they always manage to sneak a little surprise in somewhere that I wasn’t expecting. I will also say that their house brand of pizza sauce is the only kind I’ll use, short of making my own.
My only complaint about the place is that the music, tasteful and refined though it may be, is TOO DAMNED LOUD. It’s as though they’re playing classical music to keep teenagers from congregating out front, not to inspire their clientele.

The holidays are what this store is all about. Always love getting halloween goodies or gourmet stocking stuffers from this store.
On any other occasion, this was always the go-​to place for food to buy for parties and get togethers. The take-​and-​bake brie is the best party food I’ve ever purchased. Yet they seem to go fast, if there are none out, they can always make one to order.
Fresh Market seems to do what Ukrops couldn’t, and they do it well. Their presentation in the store is always top notch, and although their prices are higher than regular grocery stores, its well worth it when you’re looking to add some quality to your dinners, parties, holidays, or whatever the case may be.

Pros: While I don’t do my regular shopping here, I come to Fresh Market 2 – 3 times a month. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. They have a smaller selection than other grocery stores, but they carry items that you often can’t find at other places. They have a great selection of fresh meats and seafood, and the produce is consistent fresher than other stores I shop. Their ready-​to-​eat items from the deli are very good as are their breads. I’ve found the staff to be consistently friendly and helpful, especially at the cheese counter.
Cons: The prices can be higher that Krogers, but again, you can find things here that I haven’t seen elsewhere in Roanoke. If you come here at 5:00 on weekdays, expect a crowd and a wait to checkout.
I was a regular at Ukrops, and miss it terribly. Now my day-​to-​day shopping is done at Krogers, but Fresh Market rounds out the rest of my grocery needs.

Everything everyone else has said here is true: good food, nice lighting and atmosphere. I stop by once in a while to buy a piece of fruit or a thing of sushi.
But I don’t frequent it for a couple of reasons:
1) It’s expensive as shit. I don’t have that kind of money.
2) It takes FOREVER to check out.
3) Staff, except for the folks at the sushi bar, are not very friendly.
So if a fancy grocery store is your kinda thing, this is the only place to go in Roanoke, pretty much. But it’s not my kinda thing.

Best grocery store in the valley. We would do our regular grocery shopping at Kroger and then supplement fresh meats, pastries and meals from Fresh Market. The cost here is higher but the quality of the meat is better than the rest of town.
You can pick up dinner here also. They have chickens and the fix’ins going all the time so if you don’t want to cook you can pick up dinner and take it home (maybe better than some home cooking).
If you want some sweets check out the bakery and on the way out the door pick up some of the best Carmel popcorn around!

Artful presentation. Subdued lighting. Classical music playing. Could this really be a grocery store in Roanoke? Yes, it is.
The Fresh Market never fails to please with its selection of finer foods for discriminating customers with deep pockets. I don’t have deep pockets, so I don’t shop here much, but I make sure to stop by when I’m looking for something unusual or premium quality for a recipe or a party. The meats and produce are first-​rate, and the prepared foods are very nice as well.
The only minor gripe I have with The Fresh Market is that they’re primarily a supermarket in name only, so even if I was shopping here regularly, I’d have to stop somewhere else for the typical health & beauty aids and ‘odds and ends’ like paper towels and trash bags one expects at a grocery store.
Other than that it’s nearly perfect. Give them a try if you’re nearby.