Ashland Food Co-op

One of my fav stores.

Updated from previous review on 2012-08-16

Dropped by for a quick lunch. The prepared food bars had a nice, vegan-friendly selection of both chilled and warm items, although price was on the high side at $9.95/lb. I got some fried tofu, vegan polenta, and stir-fried kale. They were all delicious and fresh tasting. I also tried the vegan chili, which was on point and well-spiced. The whole store had a great vibe and was surprisingly busy for a weekday afternoon. This would be my go-to store if I lived in the area!

My husband and I shop here fairly often despite living 45 minutes away! I can get all sorts of specialty items at the co-op that is hard for me to find in other parts of the valley. I love that all of the produce is organic and a lot of it is local. They have a great deli section with quite a few veg friendly options. All labeled and easy to figure out. I almost always make a bee-line to the vegan baked items because they're so yummy, but they make pretty tasty main dishes, salads and side dishes too. Love this place!

We passed through Ashland and wanted to get some good vegan grub.. they have a hot bar in their deli with several vegan, raw, and vegetarian options. None of the items I tried blew me away, but they were all decent.. and I'd like to try other things they have. Also a salad bar, a burrito bar, and they will make fresh sandwiches. This co-op was bustling and absolutely wonderful, I wish I had a co-op like this near where I live!

I'm new to Ashland and the Co-op was one of the reasons I moved here. Just knowing there was a good source for vegan foods -- particularly prepared foods -- was comforting. I'm a lazy cook so I've become quite reliant on the prepared foods, and they're quite good, particularly the tofu.

I've been to the Ashland Co-op at least 4 times, and have enjoyed the salad bar here each time. Every item is organic except the sprouts and croutons, and it's $7.50/lb., as compared to nearby Grilla Bites organic salad bar at $8.49/lb. In addition to the usual salad bar fixin's, I also enjoy their garbanzo bean salad. And there are several vegan dressings from which to choose. There were two chili's by the salad bar today (12/20/07), a meat and a vegan. They also have burritos by the salad bar, with a vegan option.

The hot foods section typically has a variety of vegan dishes, each labeled, along with the ingredients listed. Today I had the quinoa loaf which wasn't bad, but wasn't terrific either. One of the other dishes was a sweet potato dish. Along the hot foods bar, they served dolmas which were quite good. I noticed a raw sprout salad today also, which I didn't try.

They also serve smoothies and raw juices. The apple juice in the smoothies is bottled, but if you want a raw apple juiced instead, you can pay a little more for that option.

The deli area also has pre-made sandwiches (few of which were vegan), a variety of baked goods (some of which were vegan), and a delicious packaged vegan chocolate tofu mousse. I highly recommend the mousse! There are also some raw nut-based mousse's there which are quite high in calories, but good as well. (Pumpkin, chocolate, and I've also seen that type of mousse in chocolate mint, but I'm not sure if the Ashland co-op carries the chocolate mint.)

The indoor seating area gets quite crowded at meal times, and there's a lot of competition to find a table. When you find a table, it's b/c you grabbed one where someone just got up, so you have to clean it yourself. In nice/warm weather, there are places to eat outside, so it's not as hard to find a seat.

Overall, it's a good place for a vegan to get a meal. Although I always enjoy my meals better from the salad bar than the hot foods bar.