Stonestown Farmers’ Market

Purely on the move over to the cramped church/​theatre parking lot– asinine idea.
First, most people park in the Macy’s lot anyway, so there is a constant stream of
Vulnerable pedestrian traffic streaming across the blind-​spot beltway road carrying heavy bags.
Second, the ONE friggin’ day a Catholic church is guaranteed to be open is Sunday mornings. WTF dump a busy market and block off critical one-​way parking arteries at exactly this time of day? Throw in a movie theatre too and it’s a disastrous mess.
Third, with the market at Macy’s, is was a clearly delineated section and traffic/​parking could easily flow around it. Now, it’s effectively creating several cul-​de-​sacs in a tiny lot in which shoppers, children, drivers, church-​goers and theatre-​goers all have to figure out a way to navigate.
I’m guessing it was Stonestown management and/​or Macy’s that did this brain-​dead change. They want the benefit of the consumer traffic but want to put everyone in danger in exchange for some possible extra parking spaces. They should be forced to wait at a stop sign for 5 – 10 minutes as 2 people at a time slowly stream across the road back and forth to Macy’s lot. They should try and drop someone off at church any Sunday morning. They should try and park for the church or market near the theatre. Absolute failure, am guessing this change was all designed on paper by some high school economics intern.

This farmer’s market is definitely one of the best in San Francisco. I am so lucky to have it be my local farmer’s market.
Location: Stonestown, behind Macy’s and City Sport Club.
Hours: Sunday, 9:00AM-1:00PM
Produce
Very produce-​centric and affordable. There are about 3 asian produce stands where leafy greens are $ 1 a bunch and everything else is typically under $ 2 a pound. There is also an excellent organic farm stand in the back that offers great deals on kale (3 bunches for $ 5), and butter lettuce (2 for $ 2). Produce selection is one of the best in San Francisco.
Fruit
Although there is a good fruit selection in summer, fruit is priced on the high side for a San Francisco farmer’s market. As an example, peaches, nectarines, and plums are typically $ 2.50-$ 3.75 a pound.
Cooked Food
Great selection of cooked food spanning various cuisines from Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
Miscellaneous
Live music and tables are also available. Parking plentiful.

Lots of parking it’s near the movie theater.
Wow! All ready my favorite farmers market. Everything affordable. Fruits and Veggies the usual suspects.
Lots of prepared foods. The original cook your pizza in 3 to 5 minutes. San Diego style burritos? Yeah that’s what they said. Get the carne asada fries. There is a Po Boy sandwich spot.
Lots of bakers. 3 of them and one of them is my favorite that I wish had a store to visit every day.
Lastly, there were two different entertainers. Both very good. One lady playing um, well it’s Asian sounding.
The other entertainers a group of kids working their way to college. Really lived them. One boy sings playing a ukulele, as sister singing back up and add ons. Younger brother shaking some bean instrument. Brother or maybe father on bongo drum. Very cute singing. Sweet.

So I’m giving this a 5-​star rating with a few caveats. This Farmer’s Market has really two distinct parts — the actual grocery shopping and the hanging out on a Sunday lunch.
For the grocery shopping portion, it’s maybe a ⁴⁄₅. It’s great, but not amazing. I like the two bakeries — one pastry, one bread. The artisan selection of honey, jams, olive oils and the like are nice, but it feels a tad overpriced. Yes, it is the City of SF, but even then, those prices don’t feel terribly justified. The selection of fruits and vegetables are okay. Barely any meat or seafood to speak of.
On the other hand, the food stands for grabbing lunch are fantastic. It has expanded to over 10 different stalls/​trucks now, giving you a wide selection for lunch. Prices are typical food truck prices of $ 6-​$ 12 for an entrée.
There is usually also a musician, a bouncy castle for the kids, and a knife sharpening truck that rolls by every other week, so those are also nice to have.
Overall, if you live nearby, it’s not a bad farmer’s market to go to, and Trader Joe’s is right around the corner for anything it’s missing.

This is obviously a smaller farmers market, but it’s pretty decent. Definitely better for hot or premade food than produce, as the produce selection is kinda weak, but the honey, hummus, and dumplings are fab. I love that it’s not crowded and there aren’t a lot of rude people screaming and pushing through you to get to a banama. You know who I mean. Anyway, they had lovely orchids a few weeks ago and I think the prices are fair. If you live nearby you should definitely check it out.

Truthfully I love all farmers’ market because I believe it is healthy for you and the earth. The freshest fruits and produces at the best price. This one was in the neighborhood i used to live in and was open every sunday. Some of the best tomatoes are found in SF farmers’ markets even more than san diego. Gotta love em.

what a crock, the worst farmers market I have ever seen. nothing but organic so it’s triple the retail price of normal vegetables. You can buy all of this at Whole Foods for the same price. Oh and lots of vendors selling hot food if you like eating lunch on the curb.

Music, good organic produce, a fair selection of hot foods. A great value for people in the sunsets

If you’re parking at Macy’s and there’s a policeman around, they’ll make you use the crosswalk. Park to the right of the stands and there won’t be any issues with extra walking if you’re lazy like me. This farmers market used to be located in the Macy’s parking lot but it’s expanded by a couple handful of stands so they needed more room. They’re situated next to the movie theater now. The market is really crowded and busy in the early morning. All the asians are out picking the best from each produce stand! And I ain’t even mad… As the morning goes on, so do the people. I try to come later since I don’t mind getting «second» pickings. It’s never really second pickings though — everything is always fresh and bomb!
There’s a pretty decent selection of prepared foods and fresh produce. There’s specialty coffee, breads, pastries, juices, indian/​latin/​chinese snacks, popcorn, roli roti… Pretty much a one stop shop! I usually stop at Happy Dumplings for a quick bite. Can never stop the temptation! Even though I know how heavy and greasy it is… I can never hard pass.
I mainly come here for the man with the orchids. I swear, he has the most beautiful orchids in SF. I’ve never had an issue with the orchids I’ve picked up from him. Some have last longer than 4 months! Talk about a bang for your buck! Picked up a plentiful orchid for $ 12 and it lasted over 4 months! I bet you can’t say that about any ol’ orchid from Costco.
Tips:
Get the strawberry lemonade from the juice stand.
Pick up the most beautiful orchid ever.

Stonestown Farmers Market’s location has slightly moved, from directly in back of stonestown to a parking lot across the street.
locale: behind Stonestown Galleria, Sundays, 9 .m. –1 p.m.
vendor
–not a lot of produce/​veggie vendors
–Happy Dumpling, Gaga Café, weekly favorites
–hummus, mexican, baked goods, fresh seafood,
india, vietnames, juices, cheese also present
take outs:’
–always pretty of parking
not readily apparent, a walk thru will reveal the parking areas.

I was surprised at all the different varieties of vendors this market has. I was happy to see some of my normal vendors like the young man selling the zucchini bread! That’s a must try! Seriously!
Some vendors were unique, like the man that had all the plants that were carved into different pets. ;) they were very pricey tho.
Many different varieties of fruits and vegetables! I just love the vendors that have samples! I like to taste my fruit before I buy it ;).
Mushroom vendor had many different varieties of muahrooms. Honestly, I usually stick with my oyster mushrooms. I bought a bowl of oyster mushrooms for $ 5, not bad!
Some Of vendors had great humor like the Hummas Guy! «Don’t be shy» ;) HAHA. He had a great variety of pita chips such as: lemon and garlic pita chips! YUMMY!!!
The parking was very easy and smooth. In the back of Macy’s is where all the parking is located. There is also music so people can enjoy there food and listen to good music! A+ for that!
They also had a great selection of meat but by the time I got there he was sold out!
Of course I can’t forget about the kettle popcorn, you know the one you can see before you smell it down the street ;) $ 6 for a bag.
Overall, I love this place, I’ll definitely be back! With my 20 dollar’s I believe I got enough to last me 2 weeks ;)

Best crab ravioli with meyer lemon pasta. Dumpling are 2 stars at best. Great artisanal coffee, good selection of organic produce.
Tons of parking, quiet crowd, definitely a nice way to spend a sunny Sunday morning!

Superb Farmers Market that’s close to my house with sufficient street parking. A fun Sunday morning activity to retrieve breakfast yum yums, quality coffee and fresh flowers. All the things I look forward to on an easy Sunday morning.
Over the past few years this local attraction has grown exponentially in size and popularity. To avoid the crowds and score the good stuff before it’s all been pillaged through I arrive early. However, be cautioned that some vendors are still setting up and may not be open for business right at 9 am.
There are too many scrumptious pastry stands to name, but all are very good and provide relatively different offerings. My favorite treats are the almond croissants and zucchini bread (2 different stands). The Teeny Cake cupcakes are good if you’re into cupcakes.
There’s a peach, nectarine, plum stand from Modesto that has the BEST and sweetest fruits around. They hand out a tremendous amount of samples and are heart warming folks. They’re not always around but when they are be sure to grab some fruit. You won’t regret it!
Parallel to India Gourmet is my favorite flower stand. Huge variety of hand picked flowers at very low cost. Can buy a pre made arrangement or construct your own at an affordable price. Their flowers seem to last a long time, too. Extra credit for that.
India Gourmet has tasty curry and other sauces I adore. Was a huge fan of their Chicken Tikka Masala wrap for many years. Lately it’s been all rice and no sauce. Must request extra sauce on that wrap or else it’s all carbs with no sexyness. Samosas are pretty good, too.
Last but definitely not least is Gaga Coffee. Gaga brings some damn good coffee. He’s not always in the best of moods but makes up for it with his strong concoctions. In the Summer I look forward to his delectable iced coffee. There is nothing like it.

Love this place!
Check ou the dates lady who gets her dates from socal (near palm springs), get one of her $ 1.5 sample bags and walk around the market with it, you’ll be sure to come back for more. I’ve never had such delicious dates, and such a variety too! Plus she was very friendly and she’ll give you one sample if you be nice :) but personally I think these farmers put enough sweat into it so I purchase something at least.
The kimchi guy made some deliciously fresh kimchi as well. I tried everything and would have bought a jar if I were heading home after. I think the best one is the pickles, it would go soooo perfectly with porridge. haha
Most impressive is still Happy Dumpling towards the ends of the food vendors. omg 山東水煎包 I can’t handle. They made it fresh on the spot and pan fried it fresh. 3 for $ 4, 1 for $ 1.5, perfect for lunch! Don’t forget some soy sauce and black vinegar on the side.
Overall, this farmers market was awesome, I even saw some fruits for $ 1.5 a pound, which was more than reasonable! No wonder they were almost sold out of veggies and fruits by 12:30pm. Come early, come with a tote bag and come for lunch.

Though I don’t always have the budget to indulge in such great fruits and vegetables, I love coming to this farmers market. I usually go right before it officially opens at 9am on Sundays to walk around and cool down from an early morning workout. That’s when you can still find a parking space. The first whiff after getting out of the car is usually the pan fried baos (buns) that just hit the hot skillet at the Happy Dumplings tent. Just next to it is the irresistible kettle corn stall, Kettle Pop.
As you continue on and explore the two aisles of farm vendors, you discover a vast variety of grocery options, from the previously mentioned fruits and vegetables to local olive oil, farm fresh eggs (including duck eggs), grass fed beef, artisanal breads and pastries, fresh made kimchi, flowers and a lot more.
As expected, prices at farmers markets are typically more expensive than your supermarket chains and the vendors at this farmers market are pricier than the ones at the old Alemany Farmers Market. So what I do is try to buy smart, only what I need and not get swayed by the ‘organic’ label on items where being organic doesn’t offer that much benefit.
When I’m not shopping, I’m learning a lot, especially about the seasonality and varieties of different fruits and veggies.
If you were to come, definitely try the RoliRoti cart and Happy Dumplings. Try the bread/​pastry stall and enjoy what the other stalls have to offer.

Sunday.
If I can’t go to the Palo Alto Farmer’s market, I come to Stonestown.
Of all the farmer’s market in the city, this one is most convenient and with easy parking.
I like the variety of groceries and prepared food. Every farmer’s market should have the essentials, right? They have a hummus guy, a drip coffee dude, pastries, rotisserie chickens that spin, the flower and plant guy, and a whole other slew of options.
It’s a medium sized market, and I like that. I don’t feel bombarded with 6 different vegetable stands, and 3 different people offering me peaches. I like supporting local farmers and truly get inspired by the seasonality of the produce.
If you are like me, you value ease of access, competative pricing, and variety.
For Pete’s sake, it’s located at the parking lot of a mall. How can you go wrong?
For other market options, click this:

It’s not as extravagant as the Ferry Building farmers’ market, but still worth checking out nonetheless. They offer fresh organic produce, baked goods, fresh flowers, specialty items (e.g., honey, hummus, etc.), and food stands (e.g., Happy Dumplings). I’ve been here in the past and had the Belgian Liege waffle from the Golden Waffle truck, but they weren’t around on my recent visit. *BUMMER*
The veggie and fruit vendors all offer free samples, which is great. Prior to purchasing some white nectarines, we tried a sample to see if it’s sweet. It sure was! I wanted to buy some white peaches, but it wasn’t as crisp and it was bland compared to the white nectarines.
If you go with kids, they’ll be entertained as there’s a big bouncy house and slide area to keep them occupied. The hours for market are from 9:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m. on Sunday’s. If you come towards closing, you can usually get a better deal on produce as the vendors don’t want to box it up and haul it back.
Parking is easy and free. However, if you don’t drive or just want to take public transit, the M or 28 line takes you there.

I am SO LUCKY this is my neighborhood farmers’ market.
Watching this market grow over the past years has been awesome. They now have everything you could ever need and everything is GOOD.
Some of the best, highest quality farms are out here selling their stuff.
Highlights for me are:
Dirty Girl Produce — tokyo turnips! little gem lettuce!
Kashiwase — stone fruits
eucalyptus leaves from the flower vendor that smell delicious and last forever!
lots of pasture raised eggs and even duck and goose egg options!
lots of grass fed meat options
Mocha from the coffee guy!
Easy parking!
Coming earlier next weekend for some goose eggs!

The Stonestown Farmers Market is one of the best organic fresh produce open markets after the Ferry Building Market. This market has an abundance of purveyors which are all friendly and willing to round down their prices to makes things affordable for everyone.
Everything from veggies, fruits, and food stands is all fresh and free samples are always available. There is not haggling here unless you’re a cheap skate and do not understand the concept of organic farming and the process is more complicated than industrial farming.
Parking is not an issue and everything is all within walking distance. Plus they even have a bouncy house and a slide area to keep your kiddies occupied after a morning of shopping. The market hours are from 9−1pm on Sunday’s, and if you come toward closing you can get better produce deals as the vendors don’t want to box things up and pack them in their trucks.
Overall this market is one of the best shopping experiences my son and I have ever had. Friendly people, fresh produce, decent prices… Can’t beat that!

This particular Farmers’ Market pops up every Sunday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM on the corner North West section of Stonestown’s parking lot behind Macy’s and where Tower Records used to be.
This location serves the WEST SIDE neighborhoods of San Francisco, including Sunset, Parkside, Forest Hill, Merced Manor, Lakeside, Monterey Heights, West Portal, St. Francis Wood, Ingleside, Merced Heights, Oceanview, Westwood and even Daly City. (Had to sneak that in)
It even won Best of Family-​Oriented Farmers’ Market award from SFWeekly. The vendors are friendly and lots of free samples are available at every booth. Though the number of vendors is smaller compared to other Farmers’ Market like Alemany, what they lack in quantity more than makes up for if by their quality. Less is definitely more in this case.
It gives it more of an intimate feel and you will really have a nice one-​on-​one interaction with each vendor. You won’t feel overwhelmed since it’s not spread out and it doesn’t get too crowded, either. There’s plenty of parking since the parking lot in that area is vast and the food option is good and satisfying. They even have musicians playing to make your Sunday an even better Funday for lack of a better word.
What I particularly like about this location is that it’s a close drive from my home and it’s near Lake Merced. After walking around the lake, we usually head here after just to unwind, refill, re-​energize and relax while getting our fresh veggies at the same time. I can see we’re not the only ones.