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Categories: Grocery, Health Markets
Neighborhood: Downtown
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We are truly blessed to have this store!
Every time the Fox and I go to different cities, we try not to let it slip that ,"we're from AUSTIN,TX". Surely they know from their employee training that our store is the E-ticket of stores.
Anyhoot, good bbq, baked goods are crazy, (why are vegan brownies better than ours?, so moist),and the people watching is unparalleled. During SXSW it's like watching tv, just remember to close your mouth(flies). We shop there too a little, and ride the escalator!
Things I like about Whole Foods: it's a great place to meet people from out of town, the barbecue is solid, Allegro coffee is tasty and freshly roasted, the bulk stuff (in the bins, by the flowers) is pretty cheap, the great chocolate selection, the twenty kinds of soup, the pizza, the friendly checkers, the strategically placed shopping baskets, the ten cent discount for not using paper bags, the lavender hand soap in the bathrooms, the winter skating rink, and the agua frescas.
Things I don't like about Whole Foods: the congestion both inside and out on the weekends, the people from out of town who stop every three feet to marvel, the overzealoutry with the environmental concern, the finite number of seats, and the dearth of day-to-day items involving occasionally helpful chemicals.
I actually love the store; I just wish it weren't quite so popular.
This Whole Foods is like nothing I've ever seen - and I thought my local flagship store in Cupertino, CA was something to write home about...
but no. THIS Whole Foods is the MOTHERSHIP!
Completely stunning, they have everything (with the exception of Smart Water??), and their pre-made food section is probably one of the best eating locays in the city.
They even have bike delivery locally (including UT).
Aside from being the biggest Whole Foods ever, the foodie bar is actually quite impressive! I met a friend here for lunch and loaded up on so much food that my container weighed over 1 lb. With a drink my meal nearly cost $17 which is a bit much for lunch, but at least it was good. Plus, the patio area outside is nice to sit and enjoy your food or just to read a book.
Every once in a while, I shop here for groceries or beauty items, but it's a lil' far from me since I'm up in RR. Their bulk section is great for grains and spices.
When the weather cools down, they have an ice skating rink set up so you can partake in winter activities before it becomes hot and sweltering again. The last time I went ice skating was probably when I was 10, living in MA and skating on a pond while my dad went ice fishing so whenI went last winter, I had to either go verrrrrrrrrry slowly or hang onto my husband. It was fun, though, and brought back a lot of memories.
Note: This is a review of the food section, not the grocery.
This is my go-to place when I am being indecisive about where to eat. Why? Because of all the CHOICES. Surely I can find something I want to eat in this massive place, right? So I wander around, grab somethings, eat it, feel somewhat satisfied, and then wonder how I just spent $8-15 on a meal at a grocery store. Not even a sit-down restaurant. Granted, the outside seating is really nice, especially with groups and on a pretty non-summer day. But seriously, the food here is nothing special. Variety doesn't mean good. In fact, it should raise a red flag that instead of doing a few things well, they may do 1000 things mediocrely.
The salad/weigh bar is hit or miss. You really have to try each thing, because sometimes it looks tasty and it really isn't, or vice versa. I used to take this route, but got fed up with being partially satisfied with the myriad of items that I chose. The real problem is that the presentation of all the food is fantastic, but the taste doesn't always match up. And did I mention that it is pretty expensive to eat here? Sure you could just get a loaf of bread and a hunk of exotic cheese, but you think 'that's so plain,' while the other bedazzling options beckon.
Please steer clear of the Asian noodle bar. I ordered a veggie bowl once and it the blandest, more boring dish I had ever paid money for. It was like they forgot to add any stock to the broth. I even dumped many packets of soy sauce in to allay the situation. Inedible.
The pizza is a decent deal at $2.50 a slice, but it's not great pizza. If you want great pizza go to a real pizza place, like Eastside Pies, Salvation Pizza, House Pizzeria, or Homeslice. Everything at that bar is overcheesed and very greasy. Not my idea of a "whole food" either.
The dessert bar is subpar. OK it just looks terrible. How can you eat anything that has been sitting under a heat lamp all day? It's not only pricey, but super boring in terms of type. Enough chocolate goo, fruit fillings, and cakes. Each dessert I have tried here is very sweet and uninspiring in terms of taste. The only dessert I have gotten again is the vanilla pudding in the refrigerated section. It is simple, small-portioned, and is what it is. But again, if you want good dessert, do not go to Whole Foods. Go to Pie Slice or a real restaurant that does not mass produce their food.
One thing I am guilty of is wanting to splurge whenever I am here, especially on an exciting new bottled drink I have not ever tried. So expensive too! Sad that you have to spent $2+ on a beverage when most restaurants provide you with free water. I know it sounds like I hate Whole Foods, but I really don't. Stripped to the core, it is a big market that tempts you to spend more money than you actually intended to on your choice of mediocre food. Which is worth putting up with for some great, downtown outdoor seating. Whole Foods, you can deceive my eyes but you cannot deceive my taste buds.
Review for movie night.
If you didn't already know, WF is showing movies projected onto a nifty inflatable screen (I want one for the backyard) up on the roof. I believe it's happening every Friday night. Don't expect much in the way of image quality . . . they just project off a DVD, but it looks OK. It peeves me off when movie theaters do this . . . (cough - Angelika - cough) but it's totally fine for WF and it's free. Last night we watched PSYCHO and judging from the number of shrieks and gasps in the audience, there were quite a few new viewers!
My problem with WF is the menu. How can they possibly run out of the 3 course MEATLOAF dinner? By the time we went to order, all that was left was vegan meatloaf! It was a chilly night and meatloaf sounded so appealing when I read the menu online even if the 3 course meal was $15 a person.
My friend and I trudged downstairs. He ordered noodles for himself and his wife and I ordered a bowl for mine. Yay!! I think i have satisfied the noodle requirements this weekend!!! I picked up a couple of containers of sushi to eat and share with her too. That grocery store sushi is getting more and more expensive. And the quality is remaining static!
Then towards the end of the film, I watched the dessert course being delivered to various tables. I've seen PSYCHO a dozen times, so I guess people watching was more interesting last night. I'm more of a VERTIGO guy anyway. The server delivering dessert brought a couple in front of us one strawberry shortcake (which was the only dessert offered on the menu) and one chocolate dessert. The server said, "If you don't want the chocolate, I'll bring you a strawberry." She walked off muttering something about "trying to sell the chocolate to someones else first."
The poor couple were really surprised that what they wanted, ordered and expected was NOT brought the first time. It was a good 5 minutes before they got the second strawberry shortcake.
I guess the WF employees aren't REAL servers, but can they just try a little harder? AND MAKE MORE MEATLOAF (or other main course) NEXT TIME, PLEASE!
Finally checked out the one and only -- Austin Whole Foods. I expressed here before that I saw no reason to go to this branch since i had been to their New York City locations. I'm very happy with Central Market and happier with each visit. But i went none the less just because you can't pass judgment without seeing for yourself. Frankly, this market just felt like a spectacle. A circus version of a supermarket. Besides the fact that you need to navigate your way through the mini restaurants before getting to the cash registers, I just found the layout to be a bit cramped. Coming from a new yorker who is used to grocery isles that can barely accommodate two carts side-by-side, that says a lot. They have great food, wine, meat, produce, etc. It isn't the stock that is an issue. it's the crowds. Also, Central Market has tastings all over the store whereas WF had one tasting and a wine-tasting counter that I stood at for about a minute before the person tending the counter asked me if I wanted to taste something (um, that's why i'm standing here looking at you ... ).
I went this past rainy saturday. A rainy weekend day probably played a lot into the messy crowds. But the fact is that when i'm going grocery shopping, i don't want to dodge families negotiating which mini restaurant they all want to go to while the kids are clearly bored and don't think WF is a great way to be entertained.
I'm also not very impressed with the spices/honey/olive oil set up. I wonder just how much money am i saving on packaging vs. how much time it took me to scoop my own garlic powder. Couldn't this stuff be pre-portioned in non-fancy, mini zip lock bags for me? And honey and oil pre-poured into environmentally save packaging so that i don't drip sticky or slick food stuff on my hands? I feel like these areas are more for show than to save money. And in fact, you don't go to WF (or CM) to save money. We all know that going to these stores will cost a premium. If I want to save money, frankly, i'd buy the garlic powder or honey already in jars. Am I really going to taste the difference between garlic powder in a jar vs. bulk garlic powder? My taste buds are not that sophisticated.
When i go to a market I want simplicity. I definitely do not want to see families. Food shopping is not a family activity. I don't care for scooping my own spices. Even grinding my own coffee beans is sort of a hassle, but I see the benefit and drink coffee daily so realize it is a necessary time-consumer.
Whole Foods may have started the grocery-store for epicurean tastes, but they not only haven't perfected it, but they turned it into an annoying carnival.
Alas, i am glad I went and saw ... ultimately, saw what i will not miss.
Whole Foods is great for picking up a warm plate of fettuccine, slice of cheesecake and can of Sofia champagne from the prepared foods section and eating it with your girlfriends at a table by the escalator before hitting the town on a Saturday night. Really, can't be beat. Memories abound. The parking is supernaturally excellent for downtown, too. But from there Whole Foods is basically an image. I feel like I've walked into a live-action illustration of Stuff White People Like when I'm in here. Central Market has a much better selection and isn't as crowded, (and isn't downtown) but white, wealthy, upwardly-mobile, educated Volvo-driving white people and White Aspirants shop here for the image and to be seen basking in that image. I mean, to each their own. But just know that when you come here that image will be so thick it'll stink. Oh, and the staff isn't as nice.
Heaven! If I lived in Austin, beyond being there for work, I would eat there 5 times a week!
The selection is immense but it is very pricey! However the one great deal I found is at the Seafood counter. They let you pick your seafood, size, etc, and then they will cook it and include two sides for $4.99 plus the cost of the fish. I got a beautiful wild salmon fillet for $3.50, plus the $4.99 to cook and the two sides, coming to an amazing $8.49 + tax! What a great deal!
I will be back the first chance I get!
I'm not a fan of spending more than I have to. Especially when I feel like I'm paying for the wrapping or a label. I usually feel like I'm paying for a label at stores like these. I came here with friends on a Saturday afternoon. We wandered. I was fascinated by all the cool bath/exfoliating stuff!!!! It was so sad to see how expensive it was. I guess comparing it to an item I already use...and know is decently priced..I wasn't bending.
So I kept wandering with friends. And then I walk upon my HEAVEN. WINE!!! :)
So much to choose from. I loved the overwhelming feeling of ''where do I start''?! We selected a Red Australian wine..then my friend mentions we should eat lunch here. I had no idea they even had a food bar. So we head down. As I'm at the counter to pay for my meal...I'm anticipating about $10-$15 for this meal. I was just gonna grin and bear it since I was with loved friends. To my surprise..it was a NICE $6.57!! WOW! I was VERY surprised. I now take out of town friends...or family here when on lunch dates. We dined at a table on the patio where there were LOTS of other ppl enjoying their meals as well. It was a very nice experience. Great spot!
I need to give a shout out to the dude at the taco counter.
9:55 on a Sunday night I stroll over, just curious about what they've got while my buddy's getting a smoothie. The taco man's not worried that they close at 10 and he's maybe got something important lined up, maybe a girl he's been trying to put the moves on. He told me it was 2 for $5 tacos, and let me know I wouldn't be disappointed, all the while relocating the stuff they were packing up and prepping his station for me. He slapped a flour tortilla down and reached into my soul. I had to give it a whirl.
I was thinking, this is Whole Foods, so 2 for $5 tacos is going to be a light snack, just a little something to get stuck in my teeth. I mean, for $3-$4 at Taco Deli, you get a single taco. What can I get for $5 at Whole Paycheck?
I'm going to tell you what you get: awesome ingredient selection, fresh veggies, and yummy other stuff. When I started realizing how much he was piling into the tacos, I let him in on my strategy to save one for work the next day. He was all over it, even told me what not to put in so the taco would keep. Dang.
One veggie chorizo (& yummy other stuff) taco
+ One tender, perfect pork (& yummy other stuff) taco
_____________________________________________
$5 for a delicious filling night snack and lunch the next day
I win.
If you've ever been to Barton Spring, you know that there is brie, fig sauce, turkey, lettuce, and… Read more »
Food: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Services: 4/5
Prices: $$ (avg 15/person)
WOW! This is one of the best and most fun Whole Foods I ever been to. If you are not in a mood to cook and looking for decent fresh cooked food, then check this place out. Its nothing compare with the one here in Houston at Kirby, maybe triple the size also. Came here on Saturday late afternoon for an early meal-dinner-snack. Went straight to the food section so we didnt check out the grocery area. There were few salads stations, bakery section, and few food sections that serves different cuisines... theres Tacos, pizza, sandwiches, sushi, Italian, etc... We opted for the high carbs & proteins food coz the partner has Triathlon race early the next day. We had the grilled salmon hot meal that come with 2 sides cost about $12. You get a decent piece of salmon still pink and tender, we chosen the roasted sweet potatoes and grilled squash, YUMMY. In addition, we had half of the rosemary chicken and some unbelievably tasty & fresh roasted mozzarella with penne & fresh baby spinach salad.
You have a choice to sit inside or outside, there are ample tables. If you sit outside, just beware of those aggressive crows. After the meal, i had such a problem deciding on which desserts to get. There are tons of sliced cakes, parfaits, cupcakes, pies, etc. First I took a Turtle Cheesecake, then i replaced it with Carmelita Oatmeal bar which was extremely sweet (duh) and just OK. This supposed to be their specialty and lots of people buying them... thats why i decided to try it. Unsatisfied with my so called "dessert", as we were leaving and passing the ice-cream counter, i stopped and sampled a few of their homemade sorbets and non-fat yogurt. OMG, amazing smoothness and flavor. After sampling about 4 of them, i went for the combo of Pineapple Basil (yep, its no typo, its the herb indeed) & Pommegranite! Even though it sounded weird but the Pineapple Basil was pretty awesome and very refreshing... Dear Swirll, please learn from Whole Foods and try to do the same for your overly priced and lack in taste yogurt!
The staff are very friendly and create an amazing atmosphere. They are chatty and even having fun joking around with each other. We moved from outside and sat inside for the ice-cream and people watching... its an interesting "sport" for the weekend! And if you happen to be in Austin and like to hang out with the locals, then come here...
Everything is awesome they even provide you with sanitizers at the door, fresh organic fruits and food, how cool is that, pricey but worth it.
when i'm near downtown, and my brain blanks on ideas, and my stomach is fine with so-so food, i always end up at whole foods.
i invariably get some sort of sandwich, some sort of cheese, and a beer. i'm usually satisfied afterwards, albeit $20 poorer, but after an hour or so, i wonder, "why didn't i go to _ instead?"
this place is decent for meeting up with friends, especially if those friends have kids/wildly different dietary needs...
but, overall, i consider this place a decent substitute for skipping a meal.
when my 91 Honda Civic was working for those two wonderful weeks and I had my kids,
a little over two years ago,
I would drive to Whole Foods downtown.
Just because I love to drive and yes that traffic is insane.
I liked the upstairs playground because I wouldn't lose my kids.
I liked to purchase a mixed fruit cup and a oatmeal bread roll and a little bottle of italian soda and watch my kids play.
And they have this turkey pita sandwich that has chipotle mayo. Delicious.
and the individual slices of cake.
BUT
I prefer Central Market.
It feels cheaper.
even if the prices are or are not cheaper or if they are the same.
Central Market is owned by HEB and so it kinda feels like an HEB and they always have great prices.
Even sometimes Wal-Mart prices beat out HEB, but I still prefer HEB.
It is the atmosphere.
Wal-Mart has sucky produce and makes me feel like a pig.
Whole foods makes me feel like an outcast or a retard, because I don't have dreadlocks or tattoos or gigantic guages in my ears.
I prefer Central Market's meat market over Whole Foods.
I have purchased meats that are marinated or breaded with some sort of crusting.
Central Market has more flavor
Whole foods doesn't have flavor at all.
yeah I know Organic or Vegan whatever.
I LIKE MEAT!!!
I feel more at home at Central Market.
And I can make a meal out of the samples.
That indeed is important.
Completely spectacular!
To those of you who have rated this temple of grocery stores anything less than 4 stars, you really need to get out more or move further into the woods and grow your own.
Coming from NYC this store is unbelievable. Enjoy it and take advantage of everything it offers. An unbelievable selection of bread for a grocery store.
The running complaint I see appears to be the breakfast tacos.....my take on that is if you can't take a egg - scramble it and toss it into a tortilla at home; you do indeed deserve to pay a few bucks for it and it should be pretty ordinary.
I only wish I had a kitchen in my hotel room so I could avail myself of the meat department and buy something other than the excellent prepared food.
Holy huge Whole Foods! I didn't realize that this was the flagship Whole Foods when I went, but oh my. I nearly got lost in there...it's that huge. They seriously sell everything there, even clothes and jewelry. They also have an amazingly beautiful patio with a mini river flowing through it; nice place to enjoy a snack.
Oh. My. Gosh. I live behind a Whole Foods at home, so when I was in Austin, I wanted to stop in if I had time.
I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
Whole Foods is actually dropping some of their prices, so us normal folks can afford to shop there again. I wanted to take this Whole Foods home with me, because it's at least 5 times bigger than the one by my house.
And the food counters... I swear I had dreams about them for days after I left...
Austin is always worth going back to visit in the first place, and now I have this to look forward to... I already can't wait to go back.
What can I say about Whole Foods that has not been said already? Probably nothing. The place is almost the size of a small mall. The meat section was big and awesome. A meat lovers dream I can't think of another place that has more meat than Whole Foods Market. Everything that can be made fresh is made here, bread, tortillas, cookies, cakes, cheese. Lots a things to sample, you can make a meal out of all the samples. Top it off with some wine tasting, and you're good to go.
The gelato bar was the whole reason I came to Whole Foods Market, and I was not disappointed. The chocolate gelato was great. So great my shirt wanted some. No way that this stuff, can be better for me than ice cream.
Overall I was impressed by the show of everything produce, meat, baked goods, and the fresh olive bar. But with the prices; you're paying for the show of course. I just can't bring myself to paying those prices on a daily/weekly basis. Organic or not.
There are several things that make Whole Foods wonderful. They are as follows:
The food bar
The dessert (cake) bar
Awesome coffee shop - their regular, small coffee had me going for hours
Gelatto Ice Cream
Cheese - lots of it
Natural face products
Fresh Sushi
I'm always trying something new there. Nice seating on the roof.
My friend and I visited from Houston this past weekend. We decided to sit at Trattoria for lunch - their Italian restaurant. Ria was fabulous!!! She took the time to answer everyone's questions about her cooking. I had the Vodka Tomato Cream Sauce pasta. One of the BEST dishes I've ever had!! It was so fabulous, we went back the next day to eat there again!! ... and then left with full bellies for the drive back to Houston.
I agree the prices are a tad higher, but I really think you get what you pay for.
The service is always so great there... at every department.
It's too bad the Sugar Land WF doesn't get the same amount of traffic.
I don't actually shop here. I don't live downtown, so it doesn't really make sense for me to.
However, I do eat here. There are like 20 different food stations plus the "salad" bar that has 572 different salad options and then some. It's like a mall food court if Wolfgang Puck ran it and it was five times the size. They have all kinds of Asian cuisine, seafood, barbecue, and on and on and on. For a place with such great exotic food, I was really surprised to find out how good their traditional fare like sandwiches and pizza are.
It's a great place to go with my wife and we can each get a different type of food. However my wife doesn't like it when I wander too far because I end up getting hit on by some of the best looking women this city has to offer. I never get hit on anywhere, but for some reason, Whole Foods has a massive concentration of interesting, attractive women who apparently really want a date. Note to the single men of Austin: Stop going to stupid singles bars and looking for love on Craigslist. Just go to Whole Foods and hang out. Works every time. Plus it's probably easier to talk to her about what kind of okra she buys than come up with some cheesey line in a bar while her friends stare daggers at you. I'm just saying.
Anyway, dating advice aside, get some delicious food, a bottle of wine of beer of choice, and go sit on the roof and enjoy this great city of ours.
Oh, and ladies of Whole Foods? I may be 100% organic, corn-fed, Grade-A, free-range Man, but I'm not for sale. I'm married.
Other than it being really really really crazy at lunchtime, everything about their vast and enormous food bar is top notch.
I only partook in the salad bar portion (with some olives from the olive bar) but there was a great selection and ample seating to people watch and enjoy my salad.
Awesome and I will be going back.
I'm a huge fan of their pasta eatery. The half portion is more than enough and with the side salad it's still reasonably priced and healthy. You also can't beat the fact that any time you eat at any of their stations you can buy your own reasonably priced bottle of wine. Rockin deal and healthy eats = good times.
I love you, Whole Foods Flagship, for these reasons:
1. House Smoked Habanero Salmon Jerky
2. Braggs Roasted Chashews
3. Gabietou (best cheese ever)
4. Lupini beans on the olive bar
5. Seeduction Bread
OK...so there are lots of other things I love about Whole Foods, but I don't have time to list them. That being said, if I had those 5 items right now, I'd be in heaven. If you know of ANYWHERE else I can get these items in one place, I'd love to know. Mmmmmm...
My kids favorite thing to do here besides play on the playground and eat cupcakes, is run through the beer fridge screaming, "We're going to freeze to death!" It is actually really funny.
I want to cry every time I am in Whole Foods. I want everything in there and I can afford only a few. Everything looks SO fresh and delicious and their products are SO GOOD. It is a good place to walk around and see interesting items to try. Also a great place to have coffee or lunch.
I love you Whole Foods.
I've been a fan of John Mackey as an entrepreneur for a while now, so I have a predisposed bias in favor here. I like Whole Foods for all the healthy things they offer, the layout of the stores, and some of the non-food services and products; not always crazy about some of their prices, but otherwise it's a pretty nice place, staff were friendly in the few times I visited here. Also like that they now offer Wifi. Fun place to people-watch also.
Of course this one rocks, I mean it's Whole Foods Headquarters!!!
Disclaimer: Be prepared to buy something. Anyhow, you enter through escalators as if you were shopping in a mall. This place is a haven not only for chefs, but for foodies, vegans, runners (since town lake is right around the corner), cheese lovers, go-green folks, sweet teethers, etc. It's a place for anyone and everyone.
I specifically came out here to purchase my first pair of TOMS - how fitting, I know - and my basket resulted: no TOMS (went up to WFM - Research Blvd for my size that same day), feta cheese, spinach pasta, a Keith Haring Sigg bottle, miso paste, etc.
After shopping at this one, all other WFMs just cannot compare.
Good God, can they add anything else to this city-within-a-city. If they offered rooms, you'd never need to leave.
They've pushed a lot of specials on prices for things since the economy has been in the poopchute. They've also done a good job of expanding their 365 brand offerings. I like their bulk section, too.
However, no matter how much I like this gourmet grocery store, I still don't have the warm fuzzies I feel when I shop at a place like Central Market or Wheatsville. Something about Whole Foods feels far too sterile and clean and pretty and yuppie for my tastes. Plus, the fact that they don't have very many stations for gold samples like Central Market does is really disappointing. How many things have I purchased as a result of trying a sample? A lot.
The Good:
:: it's the flagship store, so you will have a plethora of offerings in every department…
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Full disclosure I take care of the plants at Whole Foods Corporate World Headquarters above the store and eat here several times a week - yet I never get bored with the options..
Today I went down for lunch fully intending to pay for my lunch; but after samples in the produce department pineapple, cherries and a huge chunk of grapefruit then I saw the huge sandwich samples at the Raw Bar!!!!
The raw sandwich samples where huge as in a large sandwich bread cut up into 1/4 its original size. The sprouted wheat bread with hummus spread on both slices with portobella, artichoke, roasted red bell pepper and tomato was my favorite fallowed by the Mediterranean felafel and goat cheese on a thick crusty white bread the other one was also good I just can not remember all the ingredients - the main thing I remember was that it had a guacamole spread on one side a and a sweet jam on the other with some veggies in side - it was very good and not it's fault I do not remember all the insides....
I ventured over to the salad bar area and had a huge quesadilla sample a turkey burger and corn croquette sample and a generous coffee sample on the way out.
I felt guilty for my free meal so I purchased a bottle of Newman's Own dressing (that happens to be .50 cheaper than Randall's and some tomatoes that are .50 less per pound than the ones I buy at Costco) Whoever claims that Whole Foods is a whole pay check does not know who to shop the sales and samples..
I often eat here for free! Sunday afternoon you can find me wandering the isles sampling everything… Read more »
Holy cow. The most beautiful Whole Foods I've ever seen.
As if I didn't wet my pants enough over the Oakland Whole Foods, now I can also dream about the allmighty Austin branch. There's a stream bed out front and a huge walk-in beer section inside the store. There's a chocolate fountain in the dessert section, and a deliciously fragrant coffee bean counter in the back. And everything else in between is just unreal.
And to ensure that it's uniquely Austin, this Whole Foods actually hosts live music in the front patio area (or at least they did during SxSW). That's tough to beat.
I LOVES this Whole Foods. It has pretty much everything you could want, and I love the area where you sit down and they cook your food right in front of you. How is that for a grocery store?
I have not been on a Saturday yet so I dont know how their sample selection is, but if its anything like Houston, its the bomb. The samples in the NY locations are lame... probably too many stragglers trying to eat for free. ( Like me!)
But yeah, this is the best one I have seen... as it should be, being the original and all. If I lived in Austin, I would be here everyday.
Holy mother of Whole Foods. This place is like heaven. Multiple restuarants, a sushi bar, a raw foods bar, sandwiches, pizza, bbq, gelato, smoothies, a salt bar, make your own peanut butter bar, honey and olive oil vats, beer alley and so much more. My husband and I spent about an hour wandering this store just drooling.
This makes my fancy Whole Foods in Chicago look like the food-stamps shop that sells government cheese.
The Mothership of Healthy Shit!
The size of this place is impressive. It reminds me of a Costco on an organic inspired health craze. The place isn't quite as big as Costco, but what they lack in size, they make up for in a sheer amount of "stuff".
The aisles are probably a little bit tighter than your average Whole Foods, so when you combine that with the already organical steroid injected size of this yuppie behemoth, you get the idea. As you enter, its like an All Natural Godzilla is opening its mouth to greet you, frothing at the mouth with Pirate Booty, Sesame Seed Snacks and pre-made dinners and lunches.
That sight coupled with the army of Austin's finest emo/indie boys and girls with arms tatted up, hair slightly oily because washing hair to often wastes water, pants baggy for hiking on weekends, and the usual black rimmed glasses to gently shake you back to reality as you stand there overwhelmed.
This place is cool. They have a refrigerated beer alley that allows you to see beers in their natural habitats. Now why doesn't every other supermarket have this??? It's almost like a treasure trove of liquid goodness. I wouldn't be surprised if every morning they found a couple of college kids passed out in the middle of the "alley" with broad smiles and empty bottles scattered about. All I know is I want one. That definitely goes on the list of things I want in my dream home.
I'll be back here sometime in the future, passed out in the beer alley, I welcome you all to join me.
This review is manly about the raw bar. The market itself is great but enough has been said about it here.
The food at the raw bar is great. I tried to inhale the fake mac and cheese. It is awesome! Made from cauliflower and a 'creamy' sauce which I beleive is cashews, I could eat this all day. The cheese cake would fool even the best critic. I went with a friend who is complete carnivore and he was in shock!.
I also has some of the gyro. Delicious! I beleive the "meat " was setian? Whatever it was is was so flavorful. Culinary delight! I really appreciate the varied and I am inspired to stay raw and really try to expand my own repetoire.
Against my better judgement I wandered into WF yesterday for a few things. I was standing near the "nut roasting" gimmick, er, kiosk, where I smelled something delicious. I asked the nut guy "what's that?" and he offered me a sample.
"These are really hot... they just came out of the roaster," he said... and THEN HE REPEATEDLY BLEW ON THE SAMPLE before handing it to me!
WTF?
Does anyone train these morons in basic food safety? Why not just stick it in your mouth, suck on it and then hand it to me?
I tossed it in the trash and walked off.
I wonder if the meat guys wash their hands after taking a dump?
UPDATE: Consider this price comparison for a pint of conventional (non-organic) half-and-half:
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This is a great place to grab food for a picnic. Plop down next to the river, watch the sun come down and the skyline turn alive.
They have machine that will chill your beverages to "ice cold" in seven minutes. This is essential for a picnic with beer or white wine!
Wow, this is the mother of all Whole Foods. There are at least two coffee stands, a sushi stand, a nut stand, a chocolate stands, a coffee island, it's a whole city block, the size of a Wal-Mart in there. They cheat a little, and stack two or three of the same item side by side just like a conventional supermarket. Everything is neat and attractive, very clean. My favorite part is the walk through beer cooler with a great variety of American and Canadian micro brews (not walk-in, it's walk-through).
There's an outdoor seating area to enjoy your snack, although there's an annoying loud bird squawking there that turns out to be a speaker mounted above the door, probably to deter other annoying birds.
How many time can I update this review?
Reviewing pastries today.
My partner's 39th was yesterday, and we gave him a three-tiered fruit-filled tower of yummy cake goodness for him to eat, spread all over his face, bathe with....whatever he wanted for his special day. We chose to eat it, like normal people.
OMG! This cake was mad good. Light cake filled with Chantilly cream, blueberries galore... so yummy and it did not hit my stomach like a ton of rocks as some other store cakes do.
This confections was not one of the vegan options WF can accommodate, but the "real deal." I think it was better than the vegan ones I have had in the past. Getting desserts for special occasions from Whole Foods is a no brainer for us now. Sign me up.
Can't wait til my own birthday, which will be never.
I have been sitting on this Vitamin Club card from one of the Dallas stores for EVER! No one would… Read more »
Austin, TX
Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: University of Texas
Category: Delis
Austin, TX
Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Convenience Stores
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Caterers
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