I picked up 2 Porchetta sausages today..yes. I did a double-take. Oh my goodness. The best tasty sausages I have ever tried..and I love all sausages...well maybe not Kielbasa. If you like Porchetta and/or sausages. Grill them..but don't over cook.
GT R.
Beef Brisket I purchased was of great quality and I received great personalized service at the counter. Prices was very high at $12.99 per Lb for Brisket but it was great tasting and tender.
Mason R.
Google says you open at 9. Just went in and you open at 10. I waited since 8 because I really wanted a roast from you guys. I'll be back but you need to change your hours for your customers.
J Z.
I agree with Julia P. I have had the same kind of problem, with one butcher especially, but there are 2 others. I don't eat red meat except for a very occasional lamb chop. I suspect that if you are buying beef, you are treated better and the quality is also better. I buy fish most of the time. A recent visit, I bought chicken livers, true cod and a lamb loin chop. The butcher was impatient and just rude. He threw the livers around like they're not food I was going to eat. I also have gotten bad livers more than once. I asked for fresh to be safe; he rolled his eyes. I asked for the cod and he lifted the first piece and said impatiently, Is this all right?! I said yes, but as he took it out I saw it was much too large. I told him that; he ignored me. Not wanting to have a disagreement with this always disagreeable man, I just thought that I'd make soup with the overage. I checked the lamb, asked where it came from. He said New Zealand, so I took one. I asked for the second chop because the first was as much fat as meat. I stepped away and he grabbed something from the case and quickly wrapped brown paper awkwardly around it. I asked him to show it to me and he literally just looked away & ignored me, even when I asked again. When I checked when I got home..yes, it was the fatty piece. A couple hours later I made a small dinner with part of the fish. After about three bites, I was thinking that it didn't taste like the last piece I had purchased. I was disappointed because the last one was delicious. I raised the last piece of fish & smelled that ammonia smell of spoiled fish! I immediately threw out what I was eating & checked the rest in the refrigerator, also bad. I hoped I hadn't eaten enough to make me ill; I had. I found out in the middle of the night. I was so ill that I set the phone by my bed in case I had to call the paramedics. I was sick for 4 days, & 4 days recovering. It was a week before I could begin to eat normally. I eventually went back to the butchers. I began my order telling the butcher, a manager, I would start with chicken livers. While she weighed them out, I looked at the fish to choose and in a minute realized i just couldn't. The days I was ill flooded bad & when she asked what else, I said "that's all". She said she thought I had said "to start". I replied I did, but I can't order anything else & here's why. I told her what had happened & handed her the receipt. She refunded the price of the fish& apologized. Although I hadn't been able to eat the lamb & the livers either, I hadn't asked for further refund. A couple days ago, I went to Alameda Natural & as I left with my groceries & walked past the butcher, I realized I had always clenched when I came in the store, knowing I was going to the butcher. I had been relaxed as i shopped that day, because I knew i was never going to go to Barons again. Their prices are high, but that never mattered, because I was glad to pay for quality & good service. Without the guarantee of that, price matters. Let me add that not all the butchers are rude; some are very helpful, kind & knowledgeable, thus the 2 stars instead of 1, but beware, shoppers, of the fish & chicken & don't put up with bad service.
Nancy W.
Although Barons on Park in Alameda has excellent sausages I fell in love with their Herbs de Provence sausages. Fabulous!! I wish they had them all the time. Best. Sausage. Ever!
Julia P.
Worst customer service I've experienced in years, anywhere. I was shopping to make a seafood stew, looking for 2 lbs of cod fillets. I had to wait, while there was no one else around. Fine, no big deal. I was having a relaxing morning, so I don't mind. The cod looked kind of thrashed, and there was only a bit of it. Finally, he asked what I wanted. I asked if there was more cod in the back, and that I needed two pounds. He said, "Yeah, we got more." and proceeded to pick up the sad-looking fillets, plop them on the scale, said, "That it?" I looked at the scale, which read 1.75 lbs. "Uh, no, could i get more, from the back?" He stomped off like he was doing me a favor, got back, plopped a huge piece on the scale, said, "That it?" I looked at the scale. It was 2.55 lbs. "Um, could I get 2 lbs? So could you take some off the fish from the bottom, and leave the thicker pieces? It looks fresher." He looked at me, rolled his eyes and said "It all comes from the same place, in the same shipment!" I was taken aback, so I just kind of stood there, wondering what to say. Finally, he said, "You want to make it 2 pounds?" "Yeah, that's great." He took off the top piece, it came out to 1.93. I said "That's fine." He slapped the fish down at the counter. What a terrible feeling he left. It really sucks, because I didn't do anything wrong. I will never shop there again, even though it's convenient.
Mary C.
Not a good look to have fungus growing from your meat! It creeps me out every time I pass by it and makes me wonder how everything else is handled. ( I will remove this review when they remove the fungus)
Joselyn Gonzalez
the pork belly and meat is really fresh and love the service
I've always loved shopping at Barons because of the high caliber of meat and the friendly service, but recently the service that I received from Amanda completely blew me away. I ordered a branzino through Baron meats for dinner, and the delivery kept getting pushed back. When I spoke with Amanda, she told me she'd do her best to get me a fish. She called a couple of her contacts and was able to secure me a branzino at a nearby location. Needless to say, I did end up making a purchase with her that day, but I was really touched by the commitment Amanda made to ensuring that I could get the fish I had ordered. You've definitely earned my loyalty as a customer and many thanks!
P G.
Expen$ive ,but they are a higher end butcher shop. Watch out for the parlor tricks in the meat counter signage. Saw a sign for smoked salmon @$6.99 a pound.but the small print said per quarter pound. Imagine my surprise when I bought a half pound and it was $14 bucks!
Never ordered from a butcher before, and everyone was super helpful getting me set up to order 15 ossobuco veal shanks for a last minute event on 10/30. I spoke with 3 different young guys on the phone and in-person, and they were all very nice and chill. The actual Castro Valley Marketplace is very cute and hipsterish; when you walk into the building someone at the door gives you a dollop of hand sanitizer. Baron's was easy to locate right along the wall. The meats and seafood looked delicious and with much more reasonable prices than I would have expected. And yes, the ossobuco was phenomenal. That marrow though...divine
Amazing meat store! I will back!
I picked up 2 Porchetta sausages today..yes. I did a double-take. Oh my goodness. The best tasty sausages I have ever tried..and I love all sausages...well maybe not Kielbasa. If you like Porchetta and/or sausages. Grill them..but don't over cook.
Beef Brisket I purchased was of great quality and I received great personalized service at the counter. Prices was very high at $12.99 per Lb for Brisket but it was great tasting and tender.
Google says you open at 9. Just went in and you open at 10. I waited since 8 because I really wanted a roast from you guys. I'll be back but you need to change your hours for your customers.
I agree with Julia P. I have had the same kind of problem, with one butcher especially, but there are 2 others. I don't eat red meat except for a very occasional lamb chop. I suspect that if you are buying beef, you are treated better and the quality is also better. I buy fish most of the time. A recent visit, I bought chicken livers, true cod and a lamb loin chop. The butcher was impatient and just rude. He threw the livers around like they're not food I was going to eat. I also have gotten bad livers more than once. I asked for fresh to be safe; he rolled his eyes. I asked for the cod and he lifted the first piece and said impatiently, Is this all right?! I said yes, but as he took it out I saw it was much too large. I told him that; he ignored me. Not wanting to have a disagreement with this always disagreeable man, I just thought that I'd make soup with the overage. I checked the lamb, asked where it came from. He said New Zealand, so I took one. I asked for the second chop because the first was as much fat as meat. I stepped away and he grabbed something from the case and quickly wrapped brown paper awkwardly around it. I asked him to show it to me and he literally just looked away & ignored me, even when I asked again. When I checked when I got home..yes, it was the fatty piece. A couple hours later I made a small dinner with part of the fish. After about three bites, I was thinking that it didn't taste like the last piece I had purchased. I was disappointed because the last one was delicious. I raised the last piece of fish & smelled that ammonia smell of spoiled fish! I immediately threw out what I was eating & checked the rest in the refrigerator, also bad. I hoped I hadn't eaten enough to make me ill; I had. I found out in the middle of the night. I was so ill that I set the phone by my bed in case I had to call the paramedics. I was sick for 4 days, & 4 days recovering. It was a week before I could begin to eat normally. I eventually went back to the butchers. I began my order telling the butcher, a manager, I would start with chicken livers. While she weighed them out, I looked at the fish to choose and in a minute realized i just couldn't. The days I was ill flooded bad & when she asked what else, I said "that's all". She said she thought I had said "to start". I replied I did, but I can't order anything else & here's why. I told her what had happened & handed her the receipt. She refunded the price of the fish& apologized. Although I hadn't been able to eat the lamb & the livers either, I hadn't asked for further refund. A couple days ago, I went to Alameda Natural & as I left with my groceries & walked past the butcher, I realized I had always clenched when I came in the store, knowing I was going to the butcher. I had been relaxed as i shopped that day, because I knew i was never going to go to Barons again. Their prices are high, but that never mattered, because I was glad to pay for quality & good service. Without the guarantee of that, price matters. Let me add that not all the butchers are rude; some are very helpful, kind & knowledgeable, thus the 2 stars instead of 1, but beware, shoppers, of the fish & chicken & don't put up with bad service.
Although Barons on Park in Alameda has excellent sausages I fell in love with their Herbs de Provence sausages. Fabulous!! I wish they had them all the time. Best. Sausage. Ever!
Worst customer service I've experienced in years, anywhere. I was shopping to make a seafood stew, looking for 2 lbs of cod fillets. I had to wait, while there was no one else around. Fine, no big deal. I was having a relaxing morning, so I don't mind. The cod looked kind of thrashed, and there was only a bit of it. Finally, he asked what I wanted. I asked if there was more cod in the back, and that I needed two pounds. He said, "Yeah, we got more." and proceeded to pick up the sad-looking fillets, plop them on the scale, said, "That it?" I looked at the scale, which read 1.75 lbs. "Uh, no, could i get more, from the back?" He stomped off like he was doing me a favor, got back, plopped a huge piece on the scale, said, "That it?" I looked at the scale. It was 2.55 lbs. "Um, could I get 2 lbs? So could you take some off the fish from the bottom, and leave the thicker pieces? It looks fresher." He looked at me, rolled his eyes and said "It all comes from the same place, in the same shipment!" I was taken aback, so I just kind of stood there, wondering what to say. Finally, he said, "You want to make it 2 pounds?" "Yeah, that's great." He took off the top piece, it came out to 1.93. I said "That's fine." He slapped the fish down at the counter. What a terrible feeling he left. It really sucks, because I didn't do anything wrong. I will never shop there again, even though it's convenient.
Not a good look to have fungus growing from your meat! It creeps me out every time I pass by it and makes me wonder how everything else is handled. ( I will remove this review when they remove the fungus)
the pork belly and meat is really fresh and love the service
Amazing service!
Restaurantji Recommends
I've always loved shopping at Barons because of the high caliber of meat and the friendly service, but recently the service that I received from Amanda completely blew me away. I ordered a branzino through Baron meats for dinner, and the delivery kept getting pushed back. When I spoke with Amanda, she told me she'd do her best to get me a fish. She called a couple of her contacts and was able to secure me a branzino at a nearby location. Needless to say, I did end up making a purchase with her that day, but I was really touched by the commitment Amanda made to ensuring that I could get the fish I had ordered. You've definitely earned my loyalty as a customer and many thanks!
Expen$ive ,but they are a higher end butcher shop. Watch out for the parlor tricks in the meat counter signage. Saw a sign for smoked salmon @$6.99 a pound.but the small print said per quarter pound. Imagine my surprise when I bought a half pound and it was $14 bucks!
Wonderful service, awesome sausages, perfect meats, chicken, fish! Couldn't ask for more??
Never ordered from a butcher before, and everyone was super helpful getting me set up to order 15 ossobuco veal shanks for a last minute event on 10/30. I spoke with 3 different young guys on the phone and in-person, and they were all very nice and chill. The actual Castro Valley Marketplace is very cute and hipsterish; when you walk into the building someone at the door gives you a dollop of hand sanitizer. Baron's was easy to locate right along the wall. The meats and seafood looked delicious and with much more reasonable prices than I would have expected. And yes, the ossobuco was phenomenal. That marrow though...divine
Always a good value for the money, great service