Whole Foods Market

You will have a solid «Whole Foods» experience here but customer service can be disappointing more often than expected.
Pros — Lots of seating, easy store layout, promotions similar to other locations
Cons — Sub-​par customer service and narrow product selection vs. Fairway
I’d like to explain my own experience with customer service. I spent close to 15 minutes trying to find someone to help me get a container to use for the takeout/​hot food area. No one seemed very concerned that there were no containers on the floor. During another visit, I told the cashier that I would not be buying an extra item I put in my basket. She snatched the item from me without any hesitation. She also snatched my debit card and put my groceries in a bag with a broken handle. When I politely asked for another bag, she sighed heavily and passed me the bag. It’s not fun grocery shopping, paying premium prices, and feeling like you’re a burden…
With that said, I’ve had a few positive experiences with the Whole Foods team members when it comes to trying to find certain items.

Sold me rotten salmon today. Not the first time this has happened

I shop here a lot, and despite what people say, I like it quite a bit. It was desperately needed in the UES so
I am thankful they opened one up, it sure beats standing in huge lines like the other locations!
No it’s not huge, and a little more compact than other locations but I will happily skip along the empty isles and grab what I need…
I have ((((not))) have had ONE bad customer service experience !! I am annoying and always ask for help to find this or that for my newest strange cooking obsession «phase» and they’re always super happy to help ! The sea food department people in particular are always so chill and happy … So I don’t know what the whiners below me are ranting about. Chill out… It’s a supermarket …

There is no need to hate on this Whole Foods. It’s like going to a maze, without all the shrubbery. The signs are definitely not well done, small print on small signs. The few times I’ve been here I’ve been spinning around, even with some directions from the staff. Take your kiddies, and teach them orienteering. Split up during the busy hours and if you can’t find them again, console yourself with the fact you’ve saved on college education. You might run into aggressive shoppers and their carts, defending their right to cut you off. Would you rather face a grizzly defending her young or a shopper rushing to the cramped checkout area? Forget REI classes, you can learn urban survival skills for free here. The layout makes everything seem congested and confusing. I didn’t have a problem with the freshness of the produce or helpfulness the staff. Indeed, the staff I asked for help from were more than friendly and efficient-​they get 4 stars. The last time I came in was to find roses and found nothing I liked. The selection of fresh flowers here, by the way, is far smaller than at other locations; even the smaller original Chelsea spot has a larger fresh plant/​flower area. I know Nina L. said many detractors aren’t urban planners. However, I don’t need to be an architect to know when I have a easier shopping experience from one Whole Foods to another. They really can change the signs to make them bigger. This is one location I’d prefer not to patronize.

This has got to be the worst whole foods around. There are always long lines because only 4 of the 23 cash registers are open. The employees are never around and always no help when they are. The prepared food selection is horrible as well as the warm food selection. Don’t waste your money here.

I hadn’t the slightest clue that Unilocal had so many architects and urban planners. Sifting through these reviews of the new Upper East Side Whole Foods feels like getting trapped in a large crowd of torch baring plebeians on their way to overthrow their King. For the interest of efficiency, a little pros and cons list:
Pros
– Delivery from 8AM to 8PM.
– Pick-​up system for front of house ordering (tacos, salads, pizza, etc.).
– Organic produce in abundance.
– Great meat and fish department.
– Whole Foods bars style counter in back of house with separate cashier.
– Incredibly friendly and welcoming staff in all areas I’ve conversed with an associate.
Cons
– Poor winding layout, likely a product of the buildings plan prior to Whole Foods inhabiting it.
– Pizza has decreased in quality or is poorly made in comparison to other locations.
– The back bar seems to always be lacking trays at the dinner hour. Some food looks like it’s been sitting for a long period of time even though this time should be seen as a rush hour where there’s higher turnover.
– Long lines at back check-​out.
Conclusively, this Whole Foods is a nice addition to the neighborhood but likely won’t be your go-​to grocer… Nearby fresh fruit and produce bodegas and Fairway are cheaper (although I would say there’s far less madness in here than the aforementioned). Unlike some of the other reviews here have suggested, you can shop here without having a raging fire lit in the depths of your soul.

i cant believe whole food will let a store go so much below standards.
rude employees, bad service and over all bad shopping experience.
what made me give them 2 stars is that more then twice i bought items there with mold, or even worst! like chicken that smell like a dead animal.
when pointing mold in the store to the guys at the cheese area they just didn’t care and try to sale me something with little mold…
why rude?
spending on average $ 200 per visit in there, walking around with a hugh cart full with stuff i was looking to buy olives… went to the olive section filled shitload of olives in my plastic box and tasted one. a nasty girl come to me and tell me that if she see that again she is calling security! WTF??? maybe if i stick my fingers in to the food table but having one olive from my 2 pounds of olives?
what an idiot… lost me as a customer for one olive…

It’s whole foods.
The meat is good but not as good as Holland Court on 92^nd. The fish is also good, but not as good as wild edibles. The baked stuff is good, but not as good as Orwashers. The cheese counter is good, but not as good as Lucy’s Whey. The grocery stuff is the weird whole foods stuff that costs more but is kind of off… sort of like when someone else started voicing the muppets and while you couldn’t put your finger on it you know it wasn’t right.
So why go to a place that is good, but not better than all the other places in town? convenience. But here is the problem. I think this place was designed by the devil’s slow nephew, They had to give him something to do so they let him design a whole foods in yorkville.
I mean, come on. This place literally raises my heart rate every single time I go in. It is laid out so poorly that even if I go in on a Saturday in the summer when no one is there and other than the staff I am the only person in the place, I still get frustrated.
Also, on three separate occasions I have asked someone for help and it turns out the person was deaf. I am assuming it was the same person each time.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am sure he does a great job and there is no reason not to hire him. But when the place is packed and i am screaming «LENTILS, WHERE ARE THE LENTILS» and he is just shrugging his shoulders… on top of the crowds and the knowledge that i will soon endure the line from hell, it really is enough to send a person over the top.

When I came to this Whole Foods, it was the first entirely pleasant experience I’ve ever had in a Whole Foods. The store layout isn’t perfect, but it makes more sense than that of any other Whole Foods I’ve been in. They also had the largest selection of vegan cheeses that I’ve seen. They had Chao slices, Follow Your Heart slices, Kite Hill and Heidi Ho! And it may have just been a lucky day, but the 3 free sample tables I passed by were 100% vegan! By far, it’s the most vegan-​friendly Whole Foods I’ve ever gone into, despite it’s somewhat small size.
They also have these cool special escalators that will take shopping carts between levels!

This store continues to have moldy produce (fruits), even when there is a worker standing there «pretending» to weed out the bad fruit. This is WHOLE FOODS for Pete’s sake! I expect so much more not to mention for the price you are charging people for this food. This store is way too expensive. Whole foods is definitely overrated. We need a trader joes in our area so bad!!! I hope this savior comes soon some how some way.

I’m giving them three stars to be fair since I haven’t returned. I went in there a couple of times prior to the news that they were overcharging customers. I had already seen for myself how high the prices were. I never went back. I prefer Traders Joe’s!
It is a huge store. I had to ask someone how to exit the store it was so complicated. You must enter on the north side of the store and exit only on the south side of the store. Meanwhile people are trying to go in the out door!
They have a lot of delicious looking prepared foods on the first floor. They also have the seating to eat. I’m told that it is a nice place to sit down for a meal. I may try that.
You really can’t ask for much more variety. I just find that the prepared food has too many additives. I like the home made (and local owned business) pastries they offer. A small cupcake is reasonable.
I did find sale items slightly less costly then their regular prices. Be sure to check expiration dates. Chances are the item needs to be used quickly.
My opinion is the lay out of the store is complicated and prices too high!

When this store first opened, it was a mad house. I kept going steadily each month and the lines died down, and eventually both escalators worked (at the same time). I figured out where everything is in the store and most of the time it’s a pleasant shopping experience. You really can’t stop to think about what you need or stop to talk or text on your phone, because someone may bump into you, so don’t do it, just keep it moving, not enough room in this store. My least favorite thing in this store is the line configuration. Two lines (fast moving), but stuck between two walls. It’s a nightmare when you are stuck in there surrounded by large shopping carts, strollers, and crying kids.
Aside from the layout in the store, this Whole Foods has many good things going for them. The pizza counter was the best, until recently… They just changed the price of their delicious pizzas. It used to be $ 3 a slice for cheese, and $ 4 a slice for pepperoni. These were large slices and well worth it. I went to the counter yesterday, and they changed it to price by the pound. However, the price per pound was not posted, however, I found out later it is $ 8.99 per pound. I told the woman at the counter I wanted a slice of cheese and a slice of pepperoni. She asked if I wanted them sliced how they used to slice them before it changed to by the pound. I said yes. She proceeded to slice and weigh the slices. What used to be $ 7 total was now $ 13.87!!! What!!! I decided to only get one slice after all that which was almost $ 8 and it used to cost me $ 4. I mean, I don’t mind paying more, but the price nearly doubled! Whole Foods, you disappoint me.

This is a review of the UES location on Third Avenue between 87^th and 88^th streets.
It’s a welcome addition to the area but not needed as much because Fairway arrived first.
It’s very crowded here, check out lines are always too long. Hey, I don’t understand why NYC supermarkets do not have self check out?
I come here for coffee sometimes which is good, located just past the entrance on the first floor.
Prepared food is on the first, seating on the second, and everything else on the jam packed third floor.
I wish it was more spacious but this is NYC, I am probably asking the impossible.
At least it’s not the nightmare that is Trader Joe’s in NYC.

Conveniently located one block away from the 86^th subway station (green line express 4 – 5 & local 6) this whole foods market was much needed for the UES.
Food is fresh (as expected) and assortment is decent. It offers everything a full supermarket will do: fresh and frozen food, meat, dairy, just made bread, personal care, kitchen wear, cleaning supplies, etc.
Additionally it has a salad bar, pizza, desserts and warm food bar for shoppers on-​the-​go!
Layout in my personal opinion is a challenge, as getting through the store might not be a quick 5−10min stop. Fresh food is located in the ground floor while personal and house supplies are on a second floor. The mezzanine is sitting-​down area for shoppers wanting to eat at the store.
Much less crowded than other stores, at least in my experience, I did less than 3min line to pay in every visit. That’s a plus!
Prices… As every other whole foods. Pricey but your health might thank you later :)

Well hello there Whole Foods and welcome to my ‘hood.
My roommate shops here all the time so one day I decided to check it out. This place is a zoo. The set up is awkward with all of the to-​go and pre-​made items on the first level and the actual groceries upstairs. The isles are narrow so going around corners with a basket or a cart is almost impossible. It’s really hard to find the different sections and the escalator going down is very hidden (it’s a trap).
With all the whining out of the way, whole foods offers some great pre-​made items like a knockoff Chipotle and a juice bar. Some prices are insane. $ 6+ for a carton of strawberries? But some prices are pretty reasonable.
Overall, not the worst grocery store — but damn why is it so awkward?

I have a like/​hate relationship with this Whole Foods location. First of all, the layout & design of the store is TERRIBLE. Customers have to haphazardly navigate throughout every nook and corner to shop various categories. I get it, it’s NYC… weird layout and creative store planning are the norms. But for goodness sake I’m at a grocery store, not a maze.
Grocery selections are slim compared to other locations and also aren’t as fresh. If you’re looking for very basic fresh produce & pantry items, then it’s ok. The hot food bar is mediocre, and again, laid out in a very awkward line against the wall.
Back to Fairway it is…

I get what everyone’s saying now about how hard it is to find things in this store. I felt like I was going through a maze and doubling back a few times because I realized I passed the deli counter way back hidden behind the produce section (as my college roomie used to say, huh? what? potato?)
I came here pretty late at night, maybe 30 mins to closing. Even late into the evening, the staff were very friendly and helpful. The produce looked good but some of the meat looked questionable in terms of freshness. I found some bacon beneath the fresh ones that looked a bit browned and probably needed to be weeded out. Some of the fish just didn’t look tempting enough to buy. You could tell they’ve been sitting out for awhile. You get the drift. Check out was pretty smooth and efficient. Then again, there were only 11 of us. Yes, there are definitely way better WF layouts in the city than this one.
All in all, I absolutely love Whole Foods and aside from Trader Joe’s, I can’t fathom shopping anywhere else!

I think Whole Foods is awesome and really has such a great healthy variety to offer its patrons. I’m giving it 4 stars but I must say that my experience was probably worthy of three. I just don’t think I am worthy to shop there yet.
People who shop at Whole Foods know what they are doing. I was simply a novice and probably looked like a lost child. The crowds moved swiftly and quickly and I just could not keep up. I felt like I had to keep it moving or I would have been pushed over. Probably all in my head but I felt like I was unprepared running a marathon.
I would totally go back… with a detailed shopping list in hand. I think its too busy of a place for a meander shopper. Sorry but I take five minutes picking out mayonnaise some time and I’m okay with that. I do not want to be surrounded by angry shoppers though. The layout was a little funky so that didn’t help me. I guess thats to be expected for Manhattan and its quirky spaces. That just didn’t help.
Better equipped is the way to shop there. I will say it is clean, the lines move fast and the buffet food are fresh and do not look like they’ve been sitting out. Its all in all a great new store.

Set up of this store is very weird
I really don t understand the designer
Difficult to figure where things are.
You expect to find nice and logical aisle set up when you go to whole food. Not a labyrinth.
Worst thing is the register. It’s like entering into a tunnel when you do the line before paying. So narrow.
Tonight was even worst
I ordered pizza and salad. no mozzarella. Wait, isn’t it a supermarket ?? How can they run out at the salad bar when it s full upstairs inside the fridge ??
The lady at the pizza bar, so dirty. She burked on the pizza, disgusting her station was dirty and she never changed her gloves
Also no tape to close the box and no «paid» sticker as well
Is there a manager at this location ??
It s a shame to call this place «while food»
It’s way far from what we know

Here’s the deal with this particular Whole Foods: you trade ease of movement for awesome selection.
After having to visit both the Columbus Circle Whole Foods and this in new UES location in a single day on an odyssey for protein bars I can confidently say that this Whole Foods stocks a lot more bars, supplements, frozen goods, and prepared foods than most of the others in NYC. (Awesome Union Square location not included)
Yes, it has a wildly ill conceived and somewhat bizarre layout, spanning a number of floors with outlandish intersections and corners, but the range of foods is still impressive.
The line moves fast, I can get every single thing I need, and it is the only WF for a long distance. Honestly, we have desperately needed a Whole Foods in this area for a while and I for one am glad it is here.