Welcome to Specialty Produce
Nestled in San Diego, Specialty Produce is a haven for culinary enthusiasts seeking unique and seasonal ingredients. This warehouse-style market showcases an eclectic array of hard-to-find fruits, vegetables, and specialty products, all thriving in a vibrant, educational space. Customers rave about the unparalleled selection, including exotic produce and artisanal goods, encouraging a spirit of creativity in cooking. The hands-on experience, complete with required gloves and informative QR codes, transforms shopping into a delightful adventure. Whether you're a home cook or a professional chef, Specialty Produce invites you to explore extraordinary flavors, making each visit an inspiring culinary journey.
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1929 Hancock St, San Diego, CA 92110 Hotline: (619) 295-3172
Welcome to Specialty Produce, a culinary treasure located at 1929 Hancock St, San Diego, CA 92110. This unique warehouse-style market is a must-visit for food lovers and culinary aficionados alike. At Specialty Produce, you’ll discover an extensive array of rare and seasonal produce, alongside specialty food items that elevate your cooking experience. Each visit promises to be a delightful adventure into the world of flavors and textures.
As you step inside, prepare to be mesmerized by a vibrant display of both familiar and exotic produce. Customers have described it as "foodie supermarket heaven," overflowing with unique items such as finger limes, lion’s mane mushrooms, and even edible flowers perfect for your next baking or cocktail endeavor. According to Diane S., the “produce here is dream worthy,” and many before her have echoed sentiments of awe at the unparalleled selection available.
- A Treasure Trove of Flavors: Specialty Produce takes pride in sourcing hard-to-find items that you won't encounter in traditional grocery stores. Sherman L. states that the store is “amazing” for fresh produce, and he was particularly impressed by the helpful staff who elaborate on the uniqueness of their offerings.
- An Educational Experience: Each item is equipped with QR codes that provide insight into its origins and culinary uses. This interactive element sets Specialty Produce apart, making it a fun learning experience for everyone, from amateur cooks to seasoned chefs.
- A Community Hub: As a supplier for many San Diego restaurants, Specialty Produce helps foster a community around quality food. Customers rave about the service and friendliness of the staff, who are always eager to assist and share their knowledge.
Visiting Specialty Produce feels more like an exploration than a standard shopping trip. Kyle F. describes it as “a fever dream for anyone who worships at the altar of food.” The atmosphere buzzes with creativity and inspiration, making it an ideal spot for those looking to ignite their culinary passion. Whether you're in search of beautiful produce for a special dinner or unique ingredients to elevate your dishes, Specialty Produce is the place to stop.
So, if you find yourself in San Diego, take the time to explore this gem. Bring along a spirit of adventure and perhaps a shopping list—though you might just find yourself wandering, discovering, and falling in love with the world of produce all over again. Just remember to register upon entry and don those gloves, as you dive headlong into a myriad of flavor possibilities!
The produce here is dream worthy! There are plenty of specialty food products as well. You register in and grab a pair of required gloves to wear! Service is friendly and thorough! A food lovers cinema!! The warehouse is organized and clean; there is even a selfie stage for pics! So worth a drive to experience and shop! Will definitely be back very soon! Best pick of the day was osetra caviar for only $67.00!!!!
Nice find. My wife loves fresh produce and this place was amazing. had so many rare items not found anywhere else. all produce looked perfect. Staff was very helpful in explaining what rare items are and how restaurants use them. A must visit when in the area.
This is not a Whole Foods or Sprouts; this is a warehouse. Do not expect to get the best customer service or the most comfortable shopping experience, but be prepared to be blown away by the selection of hard-to-find items. Definitely a lot of seasonal, rare produce and we had the opportunity to discover some amazing apple varieties this time. If you are into cooking, definitely a place to stop by and check out. Be prepared to register with your phone number and sign a waiver. They also require you to wear gloves inside the warehouse.
Stumbled into a temple of flavor masquerading as a produce distribution center just off the 5. I'd seen their trucks before--idling outside restaurants that actually give a damn--but had no idea what was hiding behind those walls. A cooking demo dragged me into the building, but we were early, and that gave me time to wander. Inside? Not your average market. Not even close. This place is a fever dream for anyone who worships at the altar of food. Piles of strange and beautiful produce--some I knew, most I didn't--nuts, beans, cheeses that whispered stories from far-off places. It wasn't sterile or curated to death. It was raw, real, and humming with possibility. This wasn't about shopping. This was about being inspired. About stumbling across a knobby, alien-looking root and suddenly needing to turn it into dinner. It made you want to cook. To feed people. To create something that makes someone's eyes go wide with surprise and pleasure. I didn't have nearly enough time. But places like this remind you why food matters. Why it's worth the effort. Why we bother.
Ths place has been on my list since I see them at the farmers markets. Im considering the subscription produce box, but have not been able to commit as I am not sure I would use all the items provided. Coming to the store allowed me to pick what I knew I would eat. They have so many fresh produce options and new or exotic options that you won't see in the regular grocery store. I didn't realize they also sell edible flowers so noted for next time I want to do baking or cocktails with them. Parking can be a strain, but worth waiting/driving around. Highly recommend to visit the store of not wanting to commit to a subscription box.
Truly a gem of a place. Of course, a lot of the produce and items sold are expensive--but the quality and freshness of everything is apparent. The QR code wall of all produce available is incredible, sooo well done and unique to what I have experienced in other specialty stores. A lot of the QR codes didn't actually work for me, and I'm not sure why, but ensuring those are all functional would be helpful as I was curious about a lot of produce they have available and love the feature. For certain items without a listed price, there's a scanner/look-up device you can use to find out. I bought the buzz button edible flowers for cocktails and they were cheaper than buying them from Amazon or various online stores. About ~$17.50 for a pack of 50. The store is overall so enjoyable to walk through and the set-up is pleasing. The workers are also lovely and helpful. Excited to come here more for my specialty items.
This is place is exactly what it's name is a special place and such an educational store. Each fruit or vegetable has a QR code to help explain where each item is from and ways to cook it. This is a place where you get to experience fruits and vegetables from around the world without leaving the confines of sunny San diego. The suppliers for the mass majority of San Diego restaurants can find anything and everything. It's I am only accustomed to seeing dried was so intriguing to see them fresh. The delectable selection changes depending on the seasons. Even thought they are so kind to allow patrons visit during specific hours the employees still make time to check in dije you wander around to make sure you are ok and or answering any questions. They have updated the market showcasing all the unique finds! There isn't much parking but if you get a chance you should see what beautiful vegetables and produce are produced around the world.
As you try to locate Specialty Produce, you drive through what looks like warehouses and large trucks with trailers and the like. When you finally arrive, find parking, and enter the building, the company has gone through a lot of effort to create a unique shopping experience as well as an educational experience as well. To see all the unique variety of produce blew my mind!!! As such a great place to find unique and maybe rare items as well. Before entering, you need to put on gloves and sign in on an iPad. I was impressed with the displays that provided background information on the produce industry and how Specialty Produce endeavors to be an advocate for the industry. This is a great place to take the family and friends!!!
Foodie supermarket heaven! Seasonal and fresh produce along with specialty products. I found fruit purée for passion fruit, dragon fruit, persimmon, meyer lemon, asian pear, apricot, hibiscus, etc. They also have things like finger limes, lions mane mushrooms, micro sprouts, FRESH marzano tomatoes, and decorative edible flowers. While I wanted to buy half the store I ended up getting melons since they were in season and most likely to not be picked early and shelf-ripened. I will say it was the best honeydew I've had in a while. This place is fun to peruse if you're a foodie, curious, or are a restaurant/cafe owner.
This place was recommended to me by a friend, and I'm so glad she did! They have the most beautiful produce and lots of variety! So many exotic fruits and veggies and edible flowers! It's amazing! I will say it's on the pricey side, so be aware of that. For example, I bought a pluot (plum/apricot crossover), a mango, and a donut peach and my total came out to like $16. All beautiful fruit and extremely delicious, but yeah, just a tad pricey. I'll definitely be back!