Peachtree Road Farmers Market

«O frabjous day!» I barked, eyes aglimmer and hopes aloft. «A nearby source for fresh local produce to stock my fridge and pantry. Callooh! Callay!»
A two person party formed, and we hied north on Peachtree Street, arriving at the Cathedral of St. Philip half after nine. The church’s campus was impressive, and neighborhood austere. Unfortunately, the first sign of the market was one of Atlanta. Swarms of idling SUVs moved, serpentine and in a conga-​line around a fully occupied parking lot. Brushing the ubiquitous aside, my partner and I forded the automotive sea and strode towards a bevy of white top tents –universal indicators of farmer’s markets.
Narrative aside, the disappointment from the reality of Peachtree Road Farmers Market was crushing. Restaurants and craft booths outnumber those of the establishment’s namesake. What produce exists is boutique and priced accordingly. August, and not a single tomato existed; staples were in short supply; pickle-​sized cucumbers were priced $ 1 a piece. It was a nightmare.
Peachtree Road Market is not one of Farmers’: it is an exercise in fetishism and an opiate of the rich and naïve. Come here if you want to spend an hour’s minimum wage on a half-​dollar coin sized slider baked by a local chain. Come here if you want to see a façade of local produce and organic interests, clogged with fumes of automobile exhaust.

I go to Morningside, Grant Park, Freedom, Decatur, and Peachtree Road farmers markets regularly. Peachtree Road is among my favorites purely because it’s relatively bigger and more diverse (though Grant Park might be bigger). The vendors at Peachtree all seem really nice and approachable and are willing to tell you about their products. I went as soon as it opened and had no problem finding parking. If the Proof Bakeshop stand had whole wheat bread, I’d come every week!

Best farmers market I have been too… Very organized and the people are all so nice. There are delicious, fresh, LOCAL veggies and all grass-​fed meat we needed. If you are hungry there are samples haha as well as food stands to satisfy any palate: pastries, pizza, crepes, and even tamales. Will definitely make this a regular Saturday stop.

I love this farmers market. I have been to a couple in the city in this one absolutely ranks first because of the variety compared to other farmers markets and the fresh organic produce available. It is on the expensive side but the quality is really very good. My favorite vendors that I make sure I visit every Saturday are: Heritage Farm (Eggs, sweet Italian sausage, lamb and pork), Pine Street Market (kale and beer Sausage, Poblano sausage and bacon ends). Abundant Harvest Gardens and Green Ola Acres for greens and veggies. Many Fold Farm cheese and eggs are great too.

Finally made it up the Farmers Market on one of their last weekends of 2014! I was really stoked to check it out as I’ve heard a lot about this one. It was a rainy day, and pretty lousy weather in general, but everyone was still out and there were plenty of smiling faces to see.
Tons of cool vendors we love, too –
Batdorf & Bronson Coffee
Holeman & Finch Bread Co
The Spotted Trotter
Farm Burger
Banner Butter
Garnish & Gather
Crêpe Masters
and tons more
We stopped by H&F Bread and picked up a loaf of olive sourdough. It was AMAZING, of course. The entire loaf didn’t last but maybe 4 hours after purchase. Good just by itself!
It’s definitely a fun market to explore. Tons of local places, abundant parking, and easy enough to get to. Their website is really helpful and can tell you all of the other details you’re seeking. Looking forward to heading back next season for some seasonal veggies and maybe some of those wonderful mushrooms we saw!
Glad we finally got to check it out!

As far as markets go, Atlanta has a weak point and this is no exception.
Their target customer: a family in a Porsche cayenne that decides to do something cute on a Saturday morning and go to the farmers market. I say that because it’s very craft focused rather than produce and PRICES ARE OUTRAGEOUS. You will literally be paying a multiple of 3 – 4 vs grocery store price for most items. That being said, produce you find will be better than the average grocery store, but the upcharge is truly insane.
The market itself is very small, only a couple produce stands and I was very disappointed. On the upside, all the farmers take credit card payment through square, which is convenient (this should be another indicator for you who this market caters to).
Would I come back? I think so, despite not owning a Porsche cayenne, but mostly because there is nothing better in Atlanta that I know of. If you know a good market, feel free to send me a message.

I love farmers markets. When I lived in NoVa I was at the Falls Church market every single Saturday. In San Diego I tried not to miss the fabulous Little Italy Mercato that sets the bar for farmers markets.
Peachtree Road Farmers market, well, a disappointment. More arts and crafts booths than produce. The limited selection of produce was expensive, double San Diego prices when I was there three weeks ago. The «artisanal bread’ was both expensive and no better than Wholefoods.
Where are the immigrant farmers selling their countries’ favorite vegetables and spices to their fellow immigrants?
Maybe Buckhead is not densely populated enough to support a serious farmers market. Maybe there’s not a circuit of farmers markets so the same farmers can sell at three markets in three days.
The location is lovely, there was a musician and loads of kids were running around having fun. That’s all great but a fun outing with your kids is important but it is not the essence of a farmers market.

PRFM is one of my favorite neighborhood markets around the city. Mostly, for the collection and diversity of the vendors.
Pros:
— Great mix of products. From fresh pasta, farm fresh produce, nut butters, local meats, etc. You can find a wide selection of quality stuff here.
— Live demos
— For those on SNAP, they double the benefits so that healthy food is more accessible.
— Saturdays 8:30am — noon through Sept, 9:00am — noon Oct — Dec. You can get things done early and go on about your day.
— I’ve noticed a much better mix of farmer’s which I love!
Cons:
— Parking can be a bit tricky, especially during peak times
— Sticker-​shock for some vendors. Look, I am so pro-​local, pro-​small business the majority of the time. I understand it fully. But I really think some of the pricing is a reflection of the area and market. Thankfully, there are some farmers with more reasonable prices. I want you to make money but I also want to get some bang out of my bucks.
— Buckhead Betties — you know the vibe and look. Just ignore them. Or people watch.
Love Peachtree Road Farmer’s Market!

A great place to go and talk to the farmers who grow/​produce their food that they are selling. Love all the amazing produce, jams, pickled veggies, meat, bacon — the difficult thing is to refrain from buying everything. Oh — And going hungry is not smart! Although the woodfire pizza and crepes are really good!

Its alright but not that good. Better for food than produce, but even the food is kind of expensive. I didn’t buy any but it looked ok. Pretty small compared to what I was expecting. You can probably find better.

I have to say, I love Peachtree Road Farmer’s Market. I have a lady date who goes with me on occasion, sometimes I go alone, I take my mom when she’s in town… I talk about it so often that my boyfriend has been begging to go.
The greatest part about Peachtree Road is that it’s rain or shine and producer only. As in, the people selling your food grew it or made it, in the case of pestos, cheeses, and jams.
The cons, as many others have said, are the parking (go to the back lots, it’s not worth waiting up front and blocking EVERYONE else!) and the very Buckhead crowd.
I always start with a cup of coffee, grab a pretzel roll from Holeman & Finch, then watch the chef demo and wander looking for whatever grabs my attention that week. I try to keep up with what’s in season, but it’s hard to go with a specific list sometimes. I love the farm fresh eggs, although they’re up to $ 7 a dozen these days. They’re absolutely worth it though… so much prettier and so much more delicious. I have also been known to get a spicy ginger cookie or two from the Cookie Studio. There are plenty of other can’t-miss booths, so get up early (ish) some Saturday and see what strikes your fancy!

I was super excited to check out this place due to all the raving reviews on here. And it is pretty impressive. Tons of booths with all sorts of different things. Cooking demonstrations from local chefs. What disappointed me (in addition to the parking situation) was the lack of produce being sold. There were maybe only a handful of booths selling stuff and that is what I go to farmers markets looking for. Granted it is early in the farmers market season so maybe the amount of produce will expand as summer comes around, so I will probably be checking it out again.
I did buy some delicious carrots (I forgot the vendor) but they roasted up quite nicely. I also tried one of the tarts from Red Queen Tarts and it was excellent.
This is a three star review with lots of room for improvement. Check back again in August and I’m sure it will be higher.

I have to write an update because this is the best farmers market in the Atlanta metro area, no doubt, no lie, I kid you not. The people selling the produce and other goods are the actual producers! They will tell you all about how they grew the turnips, what natural pesticide they used (maybe it’s peppermint, or cinnamon, or some companion planting), how super their compost is, and there’s dirt under their fingernails. This means something. These are the people who toiled in the soil, and we can buy directly from them, and thank them for doing what they do!
All the produce is required to be organic or naturally grown (sounds hard to clarify, but again, just ask) to be sold here. This means something too. And yes, there is at least one other market offering same criteria, but it’s teeny, and if you don’t get there at the right time you’ll miss out. Same with another market of which I am fond, which is much closer to my home. Unfortunately at the latter the sellers are allowed to sell before market open time, which means I have no idea exactly what time to get there or I might find my favorite rainbow chard grower is sold out!
PRFM rings a bell when it’s time to sell, and I’ve stood waiting (granted, only once), but it’s worth it to know that the asparagus won’t all be gone when the market opens!
And yes, there is CORN now, and there is ASPARAGUS now (did someone read my earlier review?), and a good variety all summer long. Spring and Fall have their joys too, and the best thing about buying local is learning what is in season… locally! LOVE this market, go visit! BUY stuff! Get some coffee and a baguette and sit and relax and watch the people, listen to some homegrown music, get a popsicle from King of Pops! Snap some pics on your smart phone, put ‘em on the Instagram! It’s fun! And go home with your haul and cook something amazing. You will not be sorry.
Look for the season opening April 6^th!

This farmers market just took Buckhead up a notch in my book. Somehow I’ve never made it to this one until last Saturday, and it is waaay more convenient to me than riding out to Grant Park (my previous usual farmers market).
When I showed up, Adam Waller from STG Trattoria and Bocado was just taking the stage for a small cooking demonstration. I enjoy his restaurants, so I decided to stick around and watch him make some dips to serve with radishes. The cool thing about this demonstration, and other weekly demonstrations, is that they incorporate seasonal ingredients that you can buy at the market into the presentations.
When he wrapped that up I decided to walk around through the different vendors. It is smaller than other farmers markets. As other people mentioned it could easily be seen in half an hour. I saw a few of my favorites from other markets. Honorable mentions go to Pine Street for the bacon, H&F for baked goods, Spotted Trotter for charcuterie and Atlanta Fresh for the peach/​ginger greek yogurt.
There are only two things keeping this market from getting a 5-​star rating in my book. First is the parking. The little church parking lot takes as long to get in and out of as you will likely spend shopping. Second is the small number of vendors. I noticed a fair amount of specialty goods, but not many produce vendors. This could be my fault for coming in the fall, but it’s worth mentioning that the selection will be smaller than my very favorite farmers market — Grant Park on Sundays.

This is a fine market, but is actually closer to a fair than a true farmers market. The stalls are mostly comprised of ready mades and locally made products, rather than copies amounts of locally grown vegetables and such. For that go to the Morningside Farmers Market, which I do before or after I go here.
The Cookie Studio, Queen of Tarts, and Souper Jenny are my must stops here, and certainly worth the trip alone. The kids never fail to enjoy it and there are usually oragnized crafts and such for them.
A few vendors accept cards but I would highly recommend carrying cash. A lot of cash. This is not a market for the bargain hunter.

How in the world have I not been here before today??? I live down the street, literally, and just hadn’t made it before.
I LOVE the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Luke and I had such a fun time today. Because I’m having lunch in a bit, I only sampled a couple of things but I so wanted to get a Farm Burger or a hot dog or. .. gosh, some of everything!
Instead, we walked around and he visited with all the other dogs there, and I scored him some cool doggie treats from Taj ma Hound — they look like people’s pastries!
There were families and couples, people having lunch (we went about 11 am — it goes from 8:30−12) and live music and just. .. loveliness.
Next time, I may not take Luke so I can do some serious shopping from places like the Spotted Trotter and all the cheese and veggie stands. .. maybe my love affair with Publix will be over soon if I start making this a regular stop! Even if you’re not really buying food, it’s a fun thing to visit on a Saturday morning. Go!

Bingo. This market is the real deal. The vendors/​farmers are helpful, friendly and very know their stuff.
The market runs from April thru mid-​December and features live demos from a local chef at 10am — so plan accordingly.
Come early, have breakfast in the market as you walk around to scope out the offerings for the week. You can also take some freshly prepared dishes home for lunch or dinner. Talk about full-​service.
Look for:
H&F Bread Company — muffins, scones, bread, sammies and more
Batdorf & Bronson — coffee
Native Juice Bar — divine juices
Red Queen Tarts — tarts
Souper Jenny Soups — soup, salad, sammies
Abundant Harvest Gardens — veggies
Burge Organic Farm — veggies
Country Gardens Farm — veggies, milk, meat
Heirloom Gardens — veggies
RiverView Farms — veggies
King of Pops — gourmet pops
Westside Creamery — ice cream
Zocalo — tamales
This is a weekly happening — don’t miss the foodie fun.

This market is just fantastic:
Open for a long season: Saturday mornings from 8:30 (sharp!) to 12 noon from April all the way in to November culminating with a fantastic final market Thanksgiving weekend with expanded vendors of jewelry, crafts and woodworking type gift items as part of their Holiday Market (which is indoors at same location). My MIL and sister drive from South Carolina and Alabama respectively each year to attend the market — it is that good!
Free live demos weekly from local chefs like Kevin Gillespie at 10 o’clock
Incredible array of local purveyors of produce, breads /​baked goods including the amazing H & F Bread Co, the retail bakery arm of Holeman & Finch, meat, some seafood, beautiful multicolored farm fresh eggs (see pic!), the Tropical sweet heat Greek yogurt from AtlantaFresh and a variety of honey, jams & cheeses.
There are also a number of prepared foods from wood fired pizza to crepes made to order and Souper Jenny specialties.
Market welcomes dogs and is very family friendly, even for those oversized strollers as the aisles are wide open.
Parking, on the other hand, is very limited for the number of people who fill the market stalls each Saturday morning. The market is hosted in the parking lot of St Philip Episcopal Church and the parking lot fills up quickly as the market opens and it can be tough to find a spot.
Public restrooms inside the Church are free and easily accessible.
Overall, this is the best true Farmer’s Market in Atlanta!

This little piggy went to the market… to get her bacon!
I’ve now gone twice to this Farmer’s Market. It has a good mix of bakeries, specialty foods, flowers, and baked goods for your dog. It also has the number one thing I want at a Farmer’s Market: fresh fruit and vegetables. It feels so darn good to buy local!
The first time I went to the Farmer’s Market all I could smell was bacon. Yes, the Pine Street Market’s bacon has lured me in and I will never look back. The stuff is just too good! It is worth your $ 7/​pound. I need to try some of their other delicious meats!
Emily G’s jelly also sells here, which I think is a fantastic gift for any wine lover: she has flavors like Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The market is good to pick up a few items, but it’s not a true event, if you will. I can make a round in 30 minutes and be done.
Parking is definitely an issue. I highly recommend you enter the parking lot from Andrew’s Drive to avoid the jams on Peachtree. Also don’t forget to bring cash and your own bags.

Definitely worth the visit! It’s like a very mini-​version of Dogwood Arts Festival but focused on food only — which is my favorite part of the festivals anyway :) My best purchase today — a jar of Hope’s Gardens «jalapeño pesto» for $ 6. I had a hard time deciding between the sweet basil and jalapeño but as soon as I tasted the cilantro in the jalapeño pesto, I fell in love. I already used the pesto as a sandwich spread for today’s lunch, and now I’m trying to think of what kind of pesto dish I can make for dinner!
Ha — I enjoyed the free samples :) It’s definitely helpful for narrowing down choices when they sell products like honey, jam, cheese, salami, pesto, etc. in so many different flavors. It was also nice to see Souper Jenny give away free samples of 3 different kinds of soup — definitely made me want to trek to their store and try a whole bowl :) There were also booths that were selling different kinds of crepes, wood-​fired pizzas, and breads/​pastries from H&F Bread Co. — if you’re looking to catch a meal here, too.
I’m definitely coming back and over the next several visits, my shopping list will include:
— MORE pesto from Hope’s Gardens
— Chevre cheese from Caly Road Creamery
— Biscotti from David Jeffries Kitchen
— Applewood-​smoked bacon and salami from Pine Street Market
— Grass-​fed beef & Berkshire pork from Riverview Farms
— Red pepper jelly or Pinot Grigio jam from Emily G’s
— Lavender blackberry honey from Hidden Springs Farm
Thanks Unilocal again for telling me about this farmer’s market!
FYI — they’re open Saturdays from 8:30am-12:30pm. Additional parking is available if you go straight into the parking lot and then turn right.