Mixed reviews...people bemoan not enough or no vegan/gluten free products in certain areas
and that produce is expensive...gets compared to other locations...
Read for yourself is my advice
Whole Foods Market
226 E 57th St
(between 3rd Ave & 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(646) 497-1222
(between 3rd Ave & 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(646) 497-1222
Announcement
Entertaining but no time to cook? Dinner for 8, party for 100,
office lunch or Holiday party, we have you covered with catering &
delivery!
- Nearest Transit Station:
-
Lexington Ave./59 St. (N, Q, R)59 St. (4, 5, 6, 6X)Lexington Ave./53 St. (E, M)
- Hours:
- Mon-Sun 8 am - 11 pm
- Price Range:
- $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
64 reviews for Whole Foods Market
Review Highlights What's this?
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"My only critique is there are no gluten-free fresh baked breads." In 3 reviews -
"This place is good to have lunch and snag a window seat upstairs." In 11 reviews -
"...that big and not a huge selection of my usual gluten-free favorites." In 5 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
64 reviews in English
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Review from Inga S.
I love Whole Foods, but I hate that everyone else loves Whole Foods too because the lines can sometimes be disastrous. They're produce and food bar are to die for, but really, pretty much everything here is.
This particular whole foods is smaller than the one in Union Sq or even those outside of NYC, but it does its job. The staff are very friendly, particularly those at the salad/meat section. It's nice to be greeted and served with smiles in this city sometimes.
The one thing I would change about it? I went to buy a snack and told the cashier: "I don't need a bag" and he simply said okay. Not to be a frugal person, but I asked him why I didn't get the pennies off my tab...And he simply said: "we don't reward people for not using bags, they have to use our bags"...uhhh...isn't the whole point of the reward to not use the plastic/paper?! Oh well. I'm down with saving the environment without an incentive. :-) -
Review from Hank C.
The selection here is quite a bit less than the Whole Foods outside the city... no doubt the strange long layout and not enough space compared to the one at Union Square or Columbus Circle.
Still, the checkout wasn't crazy so that was nice. Numbered and announcements for which lane is open.
Plenty of locally sourced, gluten-free, vegan, and other options for the food-sensitive,. though not as large of a selection as expected for certain things like rice crackers. For the rest of us that are okay with food that isn't air cooled, then we can be served by regular grocery stores. -
Review from Paul B.
Long Island, NYI used to be a shopper at "whole paycheck" until I had a few unfortunate experiences at the store. Given the fact that I don't want to get sued by whole foods, I am only going to share the facts of what happened:
-I filled a plastic bag with the "scoop your own" frozen shrimp by the fish counter.
-I needed a specific weight in shrimp, so I weighed it on the closest scale I could find, in the produce section.
-I went to checkout, and the weight of the shrimp on the scale at checkout was HIGHER than the weight of the shrimp that I used in the store.
-I emailed the company, they gave me a gift card and assured me that they would fix the problem. They told me to have the fish dudes weigh my shrimp on their scales behind the counter in the future.
-I went back, filled another plastic bag with the shrimp again. This time, I had the fish guy weigh the shrimp.
-I go to check out, and ONCE AGAIN, the shrimp at check out weighed more than from the digital scale the fish department has.
Not good... -
Review from J D.
New York, NYGreat cold food/hot food bar... We often get lunch here and it's always a good price and there's a great variety of food to choose from! Plus, it's steps away from Columbus Circle and Central Park! -
Review from Khyati B.
Manhattan, NYI love wholefoods!! this new store has made my life so much easier :) -
Review from David Z.
Typically Whole Foods has pretty good customer service, but this one was the exception...
I'd asked to sample of a dish in the prepared food case, and the employee wordlessly cut a piece, then tried to hand it to me without a napkin, cup, wax paper, etc. Just a small, greasy, dripping piece of pizza. I asked for a little cup, and the woman glared at me, put it back down, and called for someone else to help me instead. WIthout ever saying a word to me.
Also, their checkout lines are a little confusing...you have to pay attention to make sure you're watching when the screen in front of your line says a cashier is ready. -
Review from Judith L.
Venice, CAEverytime we asked a question here they looked at us like we had 12 heads. When my husband wanted to know where to find juice, he said the woman he asked said "Juice? Juice? What do you mean juice?" We joked that it was if we were asking for Martians in a can.
The inventory is pretty sparse here, too, but it's a small store, so that's understandable. But the staff definitely needs a little primer on customer service. They're giving New Yorkers a bad name. -
Review from Matt C.
Sunnyside, Queens, NYYeah whole foods is cool and all but I feel indifferent whenever I'm here and they never have anything too shocking in stock , but I guess they are the best chain as of now -
Review from Michelle P.
Manhasset, NYI love this Whole Foods particularity because the prices tend to be just right, the shelves are always stocked and labeled, the salad bars are always fresh, and there is seating upstairs for those who want to have a bite to eat after shopping. -
Review from Danan R.
Good luck getting the essentials, like bread, sunflowers seeds (well, MY essential...), cream cheese, tofu, chocolate baking chips, and vanilla yogurt on a Sunday afternoon. I had to drag my dejected self back home with a sorry loaf of overpriced plain white bread, SALTED seeds, and plain yogurt because they were out of everything else. Furthermore, to rub salt on a wound, the cashiers are perpetually rude and snappy. Um, I'm heading to Union Square or Tribeca next week... It's not worth raising my blood pressure to come here. The only nice aspects are the deli servers and the fresh, rotisserie chickens.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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3/25/2013
It's perpetually crowded here but everything is always fresh and the weekly sales are great. If you… Read more »
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3/25/2013
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Review from Mae Mae P.
Oakland, CANot a huge fan of this location in particular.... Was in and out as quick as possible. Why you ask...this location smells horrid and literally like worst than a fish market. It might have something to do with the sewer but this place stinks!
I'm surprised that the produce or other products doesn't have the same stench as the place....
Will definitely cab or walk further to a different place to grab food. -
Review from Tora D.
New York, NYI have my regular supermarket but a friend swears by this one so I decided to check it out. It definitely looks big from the outside but I feel claustrophobic at this one as the place seems cramped with a little of everything in here. It's not like other Whole Foods branches I've visited and I'll only stop by one when they have a coupon for something I'll need/want.
You definitely will be standing on line for a while as there seems to be a lack of cashier people working the numerous registers. Good luck trying to maneuver your cart as you try to get through the aisles with people standing on line. Definitely this place was poorly designed and layout.
The whole supermarket seems geared to affluent yuppies that are too busy to cook for themselves and prefer to grab prepared food or something that is labeled "Organic". Trader Joe's, Gourmet Garage, and Fairway are other options you can check out that will have more competitive prices and variety. -
Review from Miranda K. D.
Zürich, SwitzerlandThere is something about Wholefoods, it seems there a little munchkins that hop into your ear as soon as you enter and whisper: spend a freaking amount of money on food, spend a freaking amount of money on food,..!
I learnt to ignore those voices and I only buy things that I would not get in other places. Ever since my wallet likes to accompany me to Wholefoods again.
The food court has pretty neat stuff and I also like the tamales with beef (in the fridge prepared food section). Their chipotle chiles are always entering my cart and the vegetables look everyday oh-so-delicious. -
Review from Wing C.
This location is way too small. For superbowl weekend, they have a few stations set up for sampling (chips, dips, chili bowl, almond butter and more chips).. and I nearly got trampled over. These stations were placed at the least convenient locations too (directly in the middle of the walking path) where everyone has to walk through to check out.
Got myself 12 mini cheesecakes from the bakery.. will let you know how they are :)! -
Review from Lizzy Y.
New York, NYCook-offs every Saturday! Meaning we get to vote on the food. Meaning we get to EAT MORE FREE SAMPLES!
Whole foods is sample heaven! I could not be more grateful that now it is conveniently located in the neighborhood.
Hooray inter-hood samples. That is what I like.
Where else can your cashier separate your food into 4 different bags based on weight and location convenience; while simultaneously chatting about how wonderful my food picks are?
Many thanks, Maria!
Organic vegetables are well priced. I scored a salmon on sale marinated in awesome Thai Ginger. Bring on the spices!
As well as some Drunken Goat cheese. I love how there is always a selection of cheeses on sale.
Color me cheese happy.
My only critique is there are no gluten-free fresh baked breads. I like my bread like I like my life; super fresh. -
Review from Dina S.
Manhattan, NYThis locations sales floor is really too small and cramped. When its busy it poses to be an uncomfortable shopping experience. However, the cafe area upstairs is big and open. They do not carry many items that I use...I assume because the store is small they carry less product.
It seems clean just small. The staff are nice and helpful. The Whole Body section is located upstairs so it makes it much easier to shop that section. It seems to be much less busy later at night like 9pm.-
Inside upstairs cafe area -
Table top in cafe area -
Table top in cafe
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Review from Katey G.
This Whole Foods is alright. It's not really that big, but they pack stuff in. The space is a little awkward for wheeling your cart around, but I guess that cuts down on the amount of spontaneous, "Oo, look, rare Norwegian Goat Yogurt with a "Well-loved goat!" stamp of approval!" It's good for small runs, but I doubt I'd be able to do my regular grocery shopping here.
The hot/cold food bar in the center of the downstairs has all the regular Whole Foods stuff. I've gotten things a few times, and it's eh. Not bad, not great. The sushi, however, is fresh and nice.
Upstairs has all the lotions, soaps, and clothing(?) you would ever want from a grocery store. -
Review from Ali C.
I do enjoy this WF, even though their lines can be long, they move pretty quickly. I can always find what I'm looking for too. -
Review from Caroline V.
New York, NYI cant even count the times i've been here...Love their lunch selections! Just pick what you want and pay by weight. You can get yourself an ecclectic mix of salads, cold foods and hot foods plus soups. They also have counters for anything from sushi to sandwiches, flatbread pizza and rotisserie chicken with all the trimmings. Go nuts! And if you want a treat, their bakery section is pretty tasty.
Once you're done, get in line and pay attention to the screen that matches your line. Otherwise you're holding up the whole process for everyone else trying to squeeze in lunch. If you have time to sit, head on upstairs and enjoy the view of 57th st, clean tables and seating. There's also a cafe up there if you need a caffeine pick me up. -
Review from Steve F.
Manhattan, NYThe honeymoon is over.
I was thrilled to have WF open steps from my place, and went in there often its initial weeks for all kinds of goodies. But like any relationship you dive into blindly, I finally began to see WF really didn't meet my grocery needs. Yes, they have butter for $2.79 a pound and rice milk for $1.99 a quart, and soup is a bargain at $6.99 a quart, but the selection in almost every department is so slim compared to other WF they should call this one Whole Foods Express. Sushi isn't tasty and didn't care for a lot of their baked goods either.
I'm now exploring a deeper grocery relationship with Fairway Market who meets my every need. THEY have everything I need leaving me happy and satisfied, but she's 20 blocks away. So WF and I will just be like friends with benefits, there for each other when I absolutely have to have a few staple groceries NOW, without emotional complications. -
Review from Joy P.
Manhattan, NYCatering nightmare!
They asked me to move up my delivery time to prevent it from being late. Inconvenient, but okay. Ended up being super late anyway after a 2 hour wait in which I had to call and inquire more than just a few times. Apparently, the delivery truck didn't leave until 40 minutes after my delivery window ended. I emailed/called and was assured they'd contact me back...four days later, nothing. I guess customer satisfaction is not a priority in the catering department. Disappointing, to say the least. Thanks for my first (and last) whole foods catering experience. Cheers. -
Review from Daniel C.
Midtown East, Manhattan, NYIt's great to have a nice supermarket in the area, but the produce is offensively expensive!!! -
Review from Arben S.
Manhattan, NY
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