Earth Fare

We came to Williamsburg to visit for a few days. I forgot to pack my toothbrush. So while my family were having dessert at Rita's Italian Ice, I saw there is a unfamiliar grocery store so I went in there to look for a toothbrush. It surprised me.... it is like a Whole Food but I like it better. Anyway, until my family done eating their desserts they came find me. He husband knows me well, he knows I was going to love this store. So ended up I was too excited, I bought other stuff but didn't get my toothbrush last night. Went back today after the visit of the Busch Garden to get my toothbrush, and this time I spend longer time to look at the food bar, there is a sushi bar, pizza station, hot soup, sub sandwiches, salad bar, hot food bar and a juice bar, a bakery, etc.... everything are made in the store. If you are trying to eat healthy while you are on vacation like us or if you live locally, you have to come check out this organic market. Here are some of the fresh food items we tried today.
1) Zesty Carrot Juice (so good, good balance of the ginger & the carrot, juice and smoothies come in 12oz or 16oz)
2) Mac N' Cheese (my older one is an expert for Mac N' Cheese, he and his brother crushed it!)
3) Turkey & Cheddar Sub ($5.99 it's big with generous quality meat.)
4) Vegan Everything Monster's Cookies (Evilly delicious!!!!)
The staff are very friendly, I found out that they've only been opened for seven weeks. I love it, usually when a brand new store open, most of the team members are new, they train together. They have the good energy, love their customers & care about their jobs. Please keep up this good energy because this is what keep people coming back. The two cashiers, the girls at the juice bar and the sandwich bar & the two sweet ladies at the lotion isle..... thank you for making a good impression for me. I live a little bit over two hours away from you guys. Williamsburg is our annual vacation spot... therefore, I can't come very often but this is why I'm writing this long review because I want other people to know about this place. I was told there is another location in Fairfax, I will definitely go to check it out!

Most AWESOME grocery in James City County. I don't know what we'd do without this place. They have MANY healthier foods that can't be found anywhere else.

Grass-fed, organic dairy options, sheep and goat yogurt, large variety of bone broth-based soups, MANY gluten-free options, bulk spices and nuts and seeds, and on and on and on.

If you care about your health this is the BEST place to shop.

Well, what can one say about a chain/franchise operation?

They're not all bad. And this one is downright good!

I've passed by EF several times this year, and finally got around to stopping in two months ago, in late September. Because it was an unplanned visit, I only bought a few items. Things I have difficulty finding closer to home are tamari sauce and non-homogenized whole milk. In a glass bottle. And a few impulse purchases, an assortment from the Olive Bar and a small container of Biggs & Featherbelle Body Scrub.

I was impressed with the variety of foods & goods offered, and the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff.

Two days ago I had extra time on my hands, and decided to explore the store again. This time I found Mobjack Bay Coffee, which I have found in no other retail outlet. And a very large selection of teas, including bulk teas. Make mine Hibiscus. And bulk snacks. such as Chocolate Coffee Almonds. And another hit at the Olive Bar.

EF had a goodly assortment of prepared foods, including a variety of salads. I'm a sucker for a good Greek Salad, so I tried theirs for $4.99. What caught my eye with the Greek Salad were the beautiful crimson Peppadew® Peppers, which I have never seen in a Greek Salad. Back at home, it turned out that the Peppadews were a detraction, and did not add to the "Greekness" of the salad. I'll pass on their Greek Salad in the future.

The body scrub, BTW, is available in a variety of scents; I chose Lime & Sea Salt. I don't use it on my body; just a teaspoon to wash my hands in the morning keeps them smelling pleasant for several hours.

There is also a café in one corner; I hope I'll be able to try that next time.

Ah, the bliss of sanctimony. Fair Trade, good for you food, save the whales, shade-grown superfood of the month.

I initially wrote this place off as just another overpriced emporium aping Fresh Market but catering to the nearby well-heeled progeny of Northern Virginian lobbyists/bureaucrats/other crooks, namely the spendthrift students of William & Mary.

Indeed, most of the prices are outlandish. The produce costs twice as much as the comparable organic offerings at more vernacular grocery stores like Lion Food or the beleaguered Farm Fresh when it was still around. And half the time, it's nowhere near local. When I got home, I found the extortionate heirloom tomatoes I had purchased were from Canada. I had paid for hundreds of miles in trucking fees just to make tomato soup. Sometimes the prices are laughable: $9.99 for a package of King Arthur's unbleached bread flour (picture for proof). Publix sells the same product for less than half that, and Lion Food sells it for five.

And yet, and yet. There is a smattering of reasonably priced items. Everywhere else in town the only un-ground wheat (wheat berries) you can find are those Bob's Red Mill bags that go for six to eight bongos for a wretchedly small bag. Earth Fare has a vast selection of bulk grains, pulses, and flours. Today I procured 1.5 lb of winter wheat berries for just six quarters after tax.

Another reason to come here is the selection of foods that cannot be found elsewhere in town, such as certain cheeses, real Black Forest bacon, or milk in large glass containers, a weekly treat for this family.

So look past the pretentious signage, insufferable clientele and aloof cashiers; for a frugal shopper, there are some items to be found at a decent price. And the butchers are great.

I have read the reviews, but would like to comment. I have only so far experienced the fresh meat area. I have bought the grass fed New York Strips, Rib Eyes and Italian Sausage. All three excellent. Bought their Individual French Rolls and the Crispy Shrimp Sushi. All very good.

I am a TraderJoes, Harris Teeter, Fresh Market and sometimes Aldis customer. I shop at each for different items.I enjoy the friendliness of Trader Joe's. I found the people at Earth Fare to be friendly and helpful.

Do not agree with the negative posting. Very much like Fresh Market, some of the items at Earth Fare are overpriced. BUT-do your homework . If you watch/follow prices you will know what to buy and if you shop the sales you walk out getting very good deals. I use this store for organic meats and fish and the deli bakery-which by the way is better thank fresh market . While I do get more of my staples at places like Trader Joe's and Aldi , this is always my first stop when doing my weekly grocery run. Last but not least customer service at the meat /fish counter is better than anywhere. I got very tired of the help at Fresh Market acting's as if they were doing me a favor by patroning their business. So do sign up for their sale notifications here -you won't be disappointed

Not very good place to shop, people are rude and their cash system is horrible. If you have a members card it's not all that great, their point system sucks. Still can't sink my number to the card, if you don't have their member card you can't find your account. The people are unprofessional with customers and with the customers. They are like the straw that breaks the camels back when things aren't going well. Just bad, bad, bad.

No fresh portabellas - everything in stock expires tomorrow. Waited and waited for someone to show up in Wellness even after someone called for them and they never showed. Not much hot plant-based food on hot buffet. Expensive soup on soup bar.

Other than that, decent selection of plant-based roasts for the holidays. Some selection of plant-based meals in frozen foods but less than the average grocery store. Glad to see Umcka - I could shop for it here rather than driving to Newport News for Whole Foods.

As a person who eats Whole Plant Food, I was excited to have this store come to Williamsburg. The staff are very helpful & nice. The store is very nice. I even used the app on my phone. On my first visit I was surprised to see not much in way of Vegan food. So on my second visit the wife & I came back to get some items for a church dinner & also do our grocery shopping.
We shop around for our plant food & we go to Aldi's, Trader Joe's, Whole foods, Walmart & others.
We made it half way through the store & decided we refuse to pay this much more for the same food we can get a lot cheaper some where else. We put 90% of the food back & bought stuff we couldn't get some where else. We expected to pay maybe a dollar more for some items because of the store but not 4 times the price. We left & bought it a lot cheaper at Trader Joes. My Sister had asked about the store & I text her this same information. Then a couple of days later I was over my daughters house & her husband came in from shopping at the store
. ( We had not said anything about the store to them. ) I asked what he thought of the store & he pointed at the bags & said "That's $100 worth of food. I liked the store, but I won't be back. I am not paying those prices."
I wish the store well, but the location it not a high income area. I think they at the wrong location.

I am visiting from out of town and needed some things. The reviews were so negative but I'm here to say I LOVE EARTH FARE! I shop at Whole Foods and another local health food store where I live and Earth Fare is so much cheaper. Their produce is decently priced, as are bulk items like grains and granola. They have a juice and smoothie bar that exclusively uses organic produce and a small is $4.99 and a large $5.99. I waked around the store checking things out and there were so many BOGO deals and price cuts. I even ended up buying two bottles of laundry detergent to take back home with me because I could get one free ($13). While I don't think I would be able to exclusively shop here, if I lived in Williamsburg, I'd shop here frequently.