Whole Foods Market San Mateo

Overpriced food, sometimes… but I MUST share…
Did you know they shuck oysters and place them on the half shell on ice on a platter!!! For free? Well, you must pay for the oyster, but still… WOW! Even if you want sixty (60) oysters, they will do this for you. Great knowledgable staff at all meat counters. I am very pleased each and every time I go.
Cheese counter is second in line to the meat/​seafood section.
A fan of the San Mateo crew.

Astonishingly high prices, even compared to small local stores like Piazza or Lunardi’s. Cheese that”s $ 3 – 4 per pound higher for exactly the same thing, conventional product priced as if it were organic. No thanks.

This place has the best sandwiches, I love how everything is organic but sucks how there so expensive but overall they are pretty good .i gave this 4 stars cause they stopped carring alfalfa sprouts for some reason but everything else is fine

Well maybe im used to the prices now.
We come here often and its nice to shop here, produce section looks great. Plenty of choices for eggs, dairy/​yogurt, etc.
Also convenient to park here (recommend under ground) and theres chipotle and habit nearby for eats.

Parking sucks, we all know that. But if you go right to the underground parking lot and avoid circling of the 20 spots up top it is much faster.
The sandwich people are great. They help me fast and in order. The salad bar is great, the hot food bar great. Produce top notch.
The check out people have been excellent. About 50 times better then Safeway that I am used to. They bag your groceries, they tape your boxes, they ask how your day was and the lines even at 6p are not bad. Much better then the one in San Francisco.
I love their selection. Downsides are parking, this place is expensive and some people hate to be social aware and get out of the way when you walk the aisles. I hate to say but it is always the Asians. It is for the rich people. If you can afford it, it will be 50 times better then a Safeway grocery experience.

I had there, build your own burrito. It was actually pretty good I haven’t had a burrito in a long time

Clean, general nice, warm staff, great, bright selection of food, and pretty cool overall. I’ve never had a bad experience there (and I’ve been going there for years) except for the challenging parking lot, but there is plenty in the surrounding areas. Went there recently to grab some ready made food — the girl making our food did a great job and the food was fresh and tasty to boot! Again, really lame when people attack Whole Foods. I’ve found that overall they are great, do their best to be accountable and generous to charities and are overall much better than all the stuffy, incredibly over-​priced places that target older clientele.

Five stars for selection, staff, deli. 1 star for customers. 1 star for parking lot.
This isn’t rocket science or a «social hour» grab what you need, try and be a little self aware and get the F out. The pretention and arrogance of patrons here is mind blowing. Try reading some of the other 490+ reviews here if you need an example. If you snarl at me, you get it back 10X. The funniest thing of all, is seeing the beaters in the parking lot, that people drive here, shop, then pray the car makes it home, so they can look cool carrying a Whole Foods bag. IF YOU CAN’T AFFORD IT, DONT SHOP.
On a positive note, the staff is always great. I come in occasionally for olive oil, pantry items and Humphry Slocombe Ice cream (at $ 10 a pint) because 2 servings is about the same as If we were actually waiting in line at the SF location. Lines are for sheep and cattle. No thanks.

We always buy here easy meal for lunch or early dinner. They have a great selection of Salad for $ 8.99/lb … A bit too pricey though but it’s satisfying.
They just need to add more toppings and not to exag on greens too much

This review is for the food buffet. I’m sitting in my car in the Whole Foods parking lot writing this because it was so bad I couldn’t wait till I got home. It’s a smaller store so I expected less choice. But the choices were so poor and disgusting to look at I left. For one thing, unlike other WFs, there were no vegan entrees. What was actually available had not been refilled so 90% of the hot food was down to the last portion or 2. There were spoons from other hot foods placed in the wrong try so I saw green basil (from chicken) in the mashed potatoes and red sauce (from the fish) in the cauli/​broccoli tray. Which looked terrible enough to begin with. Cauliflower looked raw and the broccoli was burned. They must’ve cooked them separately and thrown them in the pan.
Don’t bother coming here to pick up dinner from the buffet. I’ve never been to a Whole Foods like this in my life.

Don’t eat the prepared food here. It’s always bland, and I even fear food poisoning with this latest try. Chicken enchiladas. How can you mess them up? But they tasted odd. And now I’m feeling a little nauseous.
Doughy – they used tasteless tortillas and tasteless cheese (in fact, if I didn’t see what looked like cheese, I’d think there was no cheese. Cheap chicken bits – and even a bone.
I should have stopped with the first mouthful.
If this is the last review I write, well, then definitely rethink eating here.

Parking at this Whole Foods is NOT the business!
I made the mistake of coming here on a Saturday afternoon to grab a bite from their hot deli section and then browse their 25% facial care sale. Little did I know, a seemingly innocent trip to Whole Foods would give me more anxiety than navigating the aisles of all Walmarts combined!
Traffic in the center where WF is located is HECTIC. It shares parking with a bunch of other businesses so expect stiff competition when it comes to snagging a spot! I had to circle around a couple times and still ended up parking very far from the store. Sure, I could have parked underground but since this location was so new to me I didn’t want to risk getting stuck underground and trying to find the exit out (I’m directionally challenged, obvi).
Aside from the parking fiasco, upon entering the store, I was immediately dazed and confused. There were so many children running around eating Gelato bars. People were also VERY pushy with their carts or they would just stand in the middle of the aisle blindly staring at the shelves. I’ve never encountered such traffic at the Palo Alto, Mountain View, or Cupertino locations! Maybe this location services a lot denser of a community so there’s more traffic but I’m definitely not loving having to dodge angry shoppers. If that’s what I wanted, I would have gone to Ranch 99 instead.
The hot deli section of this particular Whole Foods is lacking! There were more pre-​mixed green options than carbs or protein. I’m used to the Mountain View and Cupertino locations which have awesome deli sections full of freshly prepped ethnic foods! Here, I only spotted some measly chicken wings drenched in BBQ sauce, mac and cheese, and a ton of vegetarian options.
Onto the Whole Beauty section. The schematics for this store are a lot smaller and somewhat disorganized compared to its counterparts, perhaps from patrons getting their paws on everything for the sale. The staff manning this department were also less than helpful in advising which products to use. They stood there chatting amongst themselves instead of walking the beauty aisles helping consumers. I appreciate the beauty advisors that the Mountain View location has! They are also SUPER helpful and knowledgable about which beauty care items are supreme. I had just come from this location yesterday in which there were two different beauty reps from the various skin care companies vying for my business, and it worked!
Maybe I’m just biased because I’m not used to the heavy traffic and because parking gives me anxiety in general. All things aside, minus one star for the parking and internal traffic, but I ended up getting all the things I needed so that eased my anxiety. I’d probably give this WF another chance, if in the area.
Also, as an electric vehicle driver, this is the only Whole Foods I’ve been to (aside from the tiny PA location) that does not have electric vehicle chargers. Not that they would need more traffic, but these chargers are a great way to attract an environmentally conscious segment of consumers who WF should have no trouble targeting. Consider it a symbiotic relationship! Just something to think about if this WF’s location’s prime objective is to #win not only at shelf but regionally as well. (Coming from someone who came from the corporate grocery biz at a competitor)

This is one of the smaller Whole Foods I’ve been to. They don’t have a large self serve hot/​cold bar so I was pretty disappointed when I arrived. On the bright side, everything that was out looked fresh and delicious even though it was after the lunch rush.
Parking sucks balls here but that’s not WF’s fault. I would highly recommend avoiding this location for lunch because it was still packed at 1:45ish.

I love coming here for buying fish and seafood. Everything is fresh and reasonably priced. They’ll clean and cut the fish to your liking too.
The produce looks great too, fresh and delicious. The bakery has some amazing tasty treats by the pound, mix & match!
The ready to go food, also looked and smelled great! I can’t wait to try it soon!

I am updating my review.
I am a nice person and feel that two stars is a little harsh, so I’m going up to 3 stars.
After writing my original review (2weeks ago) a manager of this location reached out to me to tell me that the Hi*Ball situation would be rectified and it would make its way back to the cold section. I’ve been in multiple times since since then and it’s STILL not in the cold section.
This seriously disappoints me.
I’ve started buying more Hi*Ball from the SF Soma Whole Foods that I work near, so that I can have a cold Hi*Ball at home on my days off.
Actions speak louder than words. I feel as though the manager reached out to me so that I would change my review, which somehow worked… But I’m still not happy about the situation… However, I AM happy with other items at this location which is the real reason I am updating from 2 stars to 3 stars.
I guess $.50 sodas bring in more income than Hi*Ball in the cold section or something…
Oh well, there are other places to buy Hi*Ball. This location obviously doesn’t care, and moving forward, neither will I…
I wrote what follows, which still stands true, 2 weeks ago…
It seems as though customer service does not exist here.
When at work I visit the SoMa Whole Foods and when at home I come to this one. I may just start buying everything I need from whole foods at the SF location…
My husband and I drink Hi Ball energy water. It’s like talking rain + caffeine with no sugar or sweetners/​0 calories. This drink has always been in the cold drink section. It’s a popular drink as at this location they run out in the cold section pretty regularly. At the SF location they keep 3 rows of each flavor because it’s so popular and I’ve never seen it out of stock in the cold section at the SoMa location.
I should mention that I buy 2 of these per day. I do not drink coffee, this is my coffee. Gets me through 11 hour work days on my feet.
This location no longer has Hi Ball in the cold section at all. It’s been ONLY in the warm soda isle for more than 2 weeks now. There isn’t even a label for it any more in the cold section. A week ago I spoke with a cashier about it, she was nice and said she would pass the word along to get it back in the cold section. More than a week later, it’s still not in the cold section. I am not pleased with drinking it warm… Who would be?
I spoke with the cashier Nick today about it. Nick said «well there’s not much I can do about it, that’s not my department». Wow! Thanks for the help Nick… Glad to know you do not strive for the guest/​customer to have a great experience here. I didn’t say that to him… I did say, ok — maybe I will stop buying this here. He didn’t care. I guess that’s why he didn’t ask of I found everything I was looking for like most cashiers ask. Also, who should I talk to about this? Very unhelpful Nick!
If I were Nick’s manager, I’d probably review what customer service is. This experience was frustrating enough for me to Unilocal about it, I would hope that management would care at least a little. If not, I’m just going to skip shopping at this location all together, there are other Whole Foods locations to shop at. With the pricing, I’d rather take my money to a location that keeps things stocked and has better customer service.
Yeah, I’m one of those people who speaks with my money. It’s the only way to speak these days… I’ll take it somewhere else so that you know you are providing me with an unsatisfactory experience.

This is a smaller Whole Foods, but the prepared food selection was decent. We were trying to please an entire family’s tastes for lunch, and this spot made it perfect that all of us could get what we wanted (including a whole rotisserie chicken! haha) and there are other nice fast-​casual restaurants within the plaza. The weather was so good, that we all got to eat outdoors together. I’m not sure I would have a great experience grocery shopping here, but it fit the need on this day.

I live very close to this wf location so I literally come here every other day. I know every single inch of this store like the back of my hand.
First of all, the staff are great. They tend to be younger and very upbeat. Need recommendations? They have your back. They are all very knowledgeable, so ask away!
I’m going to try to comment on some of my favorite departments…
Whole Body: great selection of cruelty free and organic products. They have testers for virtually everything. Drawbacks: the makeup selection is VERY limited. Highlights: Full selection of ZOYA nail lacquer!
Hot foods: I eat wf hot foods at least once a week. Common dishes include Mac and cheese (sooooo good) and pulled pork. Drawbacks: the rotisserie chicken is dry and eh. Soups and pizza are very average for the price point. They do feature some nom mom paleo dishes now, so I would definitely try those out.
Okay I’m too lazy to do another department but here are some cool features of this wf:
1) fresh ground coffee selection. I absolutely love coming to buy my coffee by the pound.
2)bulk foods and fresh ground pb. The honey roasted peanut butter it to die for. Sooo good
3)chocolate selection-​so important
4)cheese section-​try the Gouda and Amadeus

As Whole Foods go, it’s not the biggest I’ve been in, but it’s good.
* Nice beautiful baked goods
* Nice prepared foods — burritos; take-​home salads and dishes; cold salad bar; cooked whole chicken; and so on
* Good wine selection that’s not overpriced (for what it is)
* Great selection of health and beauty items (can usually find whatever supplement I’m looking for)
* A somewhat surprising choice of good-​quality chocolate bars
* Lots of dairy and juice to choose from
* Helpful meat counter
* Chips! Lots of chips!
Layout is decent; it’s easy to get around, and pretty easy to find what you need.
Checkout lines tend to move pretty quickly.
Parking IS pretty crappy… so budget time for that.

Pricey but worth it. You’re paying for a nicer shopping experience, nicer labels and packaging. Lots of good, healthy choices. Smaller size Whole Foods than others I have shopped at, but still has all the great stuff Whole Foods is known for — large section of healthy organic and conventionally grown fruits and veggies. I come here for their duck liver pâté, rhubarb pie, scones and deli selection. It mightn’t be the prettiest Whole Foods, but the service really is good — friendly and knowledgeable when you need something or get a question answered. My only issue is the parking lot is small and can get crazy, especially on weekends, so best is to park at the underground parking lot.

Maybe because I’ve lived in San Francisco for the last three years and before that I lived in Austin for ten plus years, but WHERE ARE ALL MY HIPSTERS AT?!
Seriously, this Whole Foods is soccer moms in yoga pants, tech workers, rich people with gluten/​dairy/​egg allergies. What do they like to whine about? Allow me to tl;dr all the one to three star reviews.
1. «Whole Foods is sooooo expensive.» No sh*t, Sherlock. If you can’t afford Whole Foods, you should go to Trader Joe’s or if they are too expensive, hit up Safeway, or if they are too expensive try Grocery Outlet. Also, to the girl who complained her three filet mignon were $ 65.00, Don’t. Buy. Filet. Mignon.
2. «There was gluten in my food from the bakery.» PROTIP: This is not a gluten free bakery. Even if you order something that is gluten/​dairy/​egg free it will still come into contact with those substances.
3. «The employees are rude or snotty.» I’ve never had a Whole Food employee be snotty or rude to me, but then I’m not snotty or rude to them.
4. «They don’t have a juice bar/​smokehouse. They sell GMO produce. Custom sandwiches take time to make. The sandwich people can’t read my writing. Low sodium food tastes terrible.» Seriously? I mean, SERIOUSLY?!
That being said, other than the other shoppers, I really like this Whole Foods and I’ve found it to be clean, well stocked and all the employees have been helpful and kind.
Shout out to the sandwich counter who called me Ta-​da!