John S.
Yelp
I hate Bi-Rite for lots of good reasons. It replaced Divisadero Farmer's Market, which wasn't a farmer's market but rather was a liquor store owned and operated shoddily by Our Friend, who probably made off like a bandit when he sold whatever to Bi-Rite. More importantly, though, Bi-Rite signaled the real beginning of the rapid gentrification of this stretch of Divisadero Street. Yes, NOPA actually started it in a way, but NOPA was around for a while before Bi-Rite, and once the market moved in, so did the people. (Yuck, the people.) And just so you understand my social commentary correctly: I hate gentrification.
So I want to diss Bi-Rite and drop this review to one star. And it's at one star right now, but I also have to be honest, and honestly, Bi-Rite is an overpriced but really well run and clean market. And it didn't start that trend either; that honor belongs to Falletti Foods on Broderick, which arrived four years before Bi-Rite and which I never patronize even though I don't technically boycott it. I did used to walk through Falletti every once in a while just to be reminded of how ridiculous it was, but I stopped doing that for some reason even though I walk by it all the time. Thanks for the meta-reminder, John S.! New Year's resolution for 2022: Walk through Falletti's and laugh at the prices.
I must admit to always loving or at least very much liking the original Bi-Rite on 18th Street in the Mission. Back then, I also hated gentrification, but I didn't associate that Bi-Rite with gentrification; I tended to think of Bi-Rite then the way I now think of Gus's and Haight Street Market (which are now one and the same). They're fancy expensive markets, but they're not bad. I still go to Haight Street Market and like to walk through the other Gus'ses and peruse the overpriced fare, but I don't laugh at it the way I do at Falletti's.
Is it just that I hate when things are close to my flat? Well, that's kinda true, now that I think about it. I used to love waiting in the cold to get ice cream at the Bi-Rite ice-cream shop across the street from the original Bi-Rite. But waiting in the cold to get ice cream from the Bi-Rite that's less than a block from my flat? No way! I would never do that.
Look, I tried to give this Bi-Rite all kinds of tries with their sandwiches. They're good, and there was some kind of special half-off deal if you ordered at a particular time, but I think I got three or four punches on my punch card before I stopped coming (Alamo Square Market & Deli's [RIP] sandwiches were soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better), and then a pickpocket stole my wallet years later, and I wouldn't even really consider overpaying for a sandwich from this Bi-Rite anymore.
I tend to think of myself as in it for the little guy. The little guy was Divisadero Health Haven (RIP) and is now Green Earth Natural Foods farther north on Divis. Yes, my lazy self walks four additional blocks to overpay at Green Earth because I like to support the little guy. Bi-Rite might be the little guy, but only relatively so. It seems more like the medium guy. If I really want to overpay for a cool place, I'll generally go to Rainbow Grocery. Or I'll pop into the original Bi-Rite on 18th Street. But this Bi-Rite? Not really. It's clean and beautiful and all, but no thanks. I'm not exactly sure why.
To recap. I want to give it one star. It actually deserves between three and four stars. I'm rounding down and rounding up from there because I get to decide what's fair. You probably won't catch me in here even though I don't really have anything particular against it. The last time I patronized it was getting ice cream from here in 2016 when someone new to the area wanted to check out Alamo Square, and Alamo Square Market & Deli was closed at the time. It's a nice place. Just not for me? I don't really know how I feel at this point; I just know where I shop, and I never shop here.