Whole Foods Market Palo Alto

Just had new items at the hot food bar. Recipes by a «Top Chef» finalist.
Undercooked Brussels sprouts, cauliflower with no seasoning and some chicken bites. Awful. Truly.

We used Whole Foods Catering in Palo Alto for a tailgate at Stanford last night. We ordered 30+ pulled pork mac & cheese and fried chicken servings. The delivery service was on time and Ricky M in Catering was awesome to deal with. Both of the dishes were really good and piping hot. I will definitely use them again when we host a tailgate.

this whole foods, hands DOWN has the best hot bar and salad bar.
I always go here when im in Palo Alto. whole food you got me on lock down LOL … I shall be back again !

Love Whole Foods in general, although this location is quite small. I got an amazing fresh green juice at the juice bar, and they were able to customize it to exactly what I wanted — kale, spinach, cucumber, apple, lemon and ginger. I also love their mango quinoa, and their kale salad with avocado and lemon is perfection! Plus, I discovered two new favorites: Engine 2 granola and Laughing Giraffe Organics vanilla snakaroons!

Their Milk went bad. I’ve never tasted fizzy milk before. And I was already ill so it was upsetting. Over the phone, Customer Service was nice — told me to simply bring in my receipt and took down my name. But in person? They wanted the fizzy, bad milk. I wish I had kept it to force HIM to drink it! I was so aggravated to be told I didn’t need to bring it in only to be told I HAD to bring it in! Eventually I was allowed to exchange it after I was visibly upset — but the Mgr yelled at the other employee who had simply told me to bring in the receipt to exchange it. In front of me. And he was so insulting — he actually said that ANYone could bring in a receipt to get «free milk.» Obviously this man was in a bad mood and was just spreading negativity to everyone around him.
Other than that — it’s a nice store. Smaller. Can’t leave a cart and look for stuff. Prices are comparable to Safeway despite it being Organic and some things are less expensive.

This review is more on this particular location versus Whole Foods as a chain. I love Whole Foods, but I don’t love the Palo Alto store.
This location was supposedly their first one on the West Coast, and as a result it’s small. Like, really small. That’s probably one of the biggest reasons I hate coming here — the aisles are skinny and there are people in the way wherever you walk. Accordingly, the prepared food section is also smaller than a typical Whole Foods location, and I often can’t find the items I’m looking for. They tend to have a standard offering of what I’m looking for, but of course when I’m looking for a specific item that I don’t normally buy, I often have trouble finding it.
In conclusion: don’t come to this location unless you’re nearby and need something quick. Otherwise you’d be much better off going to the Los Altos location or any other one nearby.

Great store, great staff, great selection. .
But I have noticed that the customers are some of the rudest, grumpiest wholefood customers I have ever shopped with.

Pros:
1. THEY SELL PLINY THE ELDER HERE!!! (Rarely but I bought some today)
2. Their hot-​food bar at lunch is pretty good
3. The staff is really friendly, helpful and get you through the line pretty quick.
Cons:
1. Price
2. Not enough indoor seating
3. Not as fancy as the newer Whole Foods

What I like: good selection of vegetables and toiletries. I am a big fan of the sandalwood-​scented bar soap or the glycerine based one (my kid loves the cucumber-​scented one). The buffet bar also is great because of the great taste and great selection. I sometimes would just go to the buffet bar during my business lunch instead of frequent the nearby cafes and restaurants.
What I do not like: the parking lot is separate from the market; the traffic to cross the street is sometimes unforgiving. Some of the motorists might be homicidal. The space for this place is so small that the aisles are cramped. I fear turning around and knocking over things. And the bathrooms at this location of Whole Foods smells really, really bad. The whole back of the store seems to have this really foul stench. I would think that a brand like Whole Foods could remedy the problem; who wants to buy seafood and fresh meat with that stench in the background?
And, one of the cashier was overly talkative and flirtatious. Hate being called «sweetheart» by a stranger with an ugly face (just telling truth, not hating) of an employee at Whole Foods. I did not even say anything to her the entire time. It’s not my fault if I am too good-​looking, but, still, she needs to focus on work and not finding a date from the customer pool at Whole Foods. This is Palo Alto, too, so this kind of white-​trash talk and flirtation seems not fitting for the location.

This review is for an employee STEPHEN at checkout. I went to the express line with my 8 items, and after the payment he pointed at his «10 or less» sign and said «for next time» I looked at my items and said «I thought I had less than 10» he then dosent say anything and then just starts with the next customer. When I got to my car I checked the receipt and sure enough I had 8 items. This isent a big deal but just annoying after a long day at work and you come to spend money at a store and then get the feeling you weren’t wanted there.

If you feel like being cramped and looked down upon by snooty patrons and employees well then this is your place. I never ever like to brag about how much I make, but seriously just because I come in wearing basketball shorts and a tshirt, doesn’t mean I am a homeless dude. But that is how I felt there.

It doesn’t serve pizza like Redwood City or have a beers on tap permit awaiting for service to us.
But those whom work there work damn hard to cut our fruit, juice our drinks, steam and brew our coffee beverages, bake our breads and pastries, cook and prepare our breakfast, lunch, and suppers. Cold and hot. The Sushi folks, the produce staff, vitamins, and bath soaps, etc, etc…
They are always super friendly and helpful. Very down to Earth and knowledgeable in their departments.
I raise my glass to the beer and wine buyers as well as cheese people.
The people that freeze their butts of in the sea food and meat departments. Every time I need a cut of meat for a particular dish they’re always there to give me the best advise on choices.
It’s a great place to stock your home cupboards, refrigerators, and freezers with foods to help you stay full and healthy or sinfully happy!
Thanks to all the people that make and ship the things Whole Foods buys from too!

This is such a tiny Whole Foods. Somehow they pack everything you’re looking for out of Whole Foods into the space. There’s a tiny parking lot across the street for it.
Anyway, what can I add that you didn’t already know about whole foods? Not much really. Pretty standard response for Whole Foods: Expensive, but organic.

Worst Whole Foods that I have ever we been to. Extremely tight isles, poor selection, and rude employees. The only employee who was nice was my cashier. I will never come to this location again. It was like a quik-​e-​mart converted to a whole foods left with the same lights and floors. How embarrassing!!!

WHOLE PAYCHECK, yo!
This is my neighborhood Whole Paycheck – errrm I mean Whole Foods.
I usually only come here when 1) I’m too lazy to cook and am willing to eat food from their sub-​par deli section 2) When I’m out of milk and eggs because I find that Whole Foods has surprisingly cheaper milk and egg selection than other neighboring grocery stores. You can get 365 brown eggs for $ 3.99 a carton and a half gallon of milk for $ 2.99! Consistent everyday prices – I’d dig that!
It’s a VERY small Whole Foods (almost like an express Whole Foods) so don’t come here expecting to find a wide selection of your favorite organic or hipster foods.
Parking can also be a pain because the lot across is small and there’s pedestrians everywhere making the trip in and out of WF longer than it needs to be. They should also consider installing Electric Vehicle Chargers like other Whole Foods.

We arrived for our Ginger Lemon Tonic drink on Sat. afternoon and again they were out. However Brian came to our rescue. He said that he had never made the beverage before but recognized us and said he would give it a try. He stated that instead of making the usual huge batch he would only make a small amount for us. After watching him grind the fresh ginger, lemon and adding the honey it was ready. It turned out to be the strongest Ginger Lemon Tonic I’ve ever had but it was well worth the 15 minute wait. Thumbs up to the beverage staff and Brian!

This location in Downtown Palo Alto is one of the smaller locations and often packed with customers almost any given time of day, and not something I like having to deal with on a regular basis. Parking is across the street and also available on the side of the road, but it can often be a pain in the neck. There are the standard departments and salad/​hot bars

I can’t understand or justify shopping at whole foods. And this location is the worst because of the parking situation. But parking aside, the prices are a criminal rip off. You’re paying for the experience. I don’t need to pay extra to feel warm and fuzzy or to feel as though I’m saving the planet. Yes, there are occasionally items only whole foods has. But 99% of the time I’m covered by Costco, Safeway, Mi Pueblo, Trader Joe’s. So unless you own stock in Whole Foods, save your money and shop elsewhere.

One of my least favorite Whole Foods: parking lot is very tiny, the store itself is very small, and it’s pretty difficult to find what you’re looking for. Also lacking in cheese samples.

This particular WF is TINY! Parking around here is also super difficult! Try finding a spot in those tiny streets!
Yes, it has the standard stuff all WF has, but it definitely lacks other items since it’s way smaller. The salad bar is… sad. And of course everything here is more expensive, but hey, it’s organic! lol…
Even though this one is closer to me I still prefer going to the one in Los Altos/​Mt View…

The Palo Alto Whole Foods has to be the best one on the Peninsula. It is smaller than others but more organized and I am always able to find what I need. But the real reason I give it 4 stars is the awesome cashiering team that works here. They are all very kind and helpful. If I had to choose my favorite cashier, it has to be Riza. She is definitely a «A sight for sore eyes». Always greets me with a huge smile. And her bagging skills are out of this world. When I get home, all the grocery items are perfectly organized. I don’t know what kind of bagging training she has received, but I can say with confidence, she is second to none in the bagging skills. I hope the management team recognize what a great employee they have in Riza.
Did I mention she is really HOT?!

I give this place two stars cause it’s organized (somewhat) and has a few decent team members.
I mean for Palo Alto, I definitely thought of the place to be very clean, healthy and green. My husband has a gluten allergy and we couldn’t find anything at their hot bar!
Have you ever visited the burrito station? It looks yucky! With flies flying around and no attendant. Everyone act med like they are so busy which gives them a reason not to be available to take your order!
I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. The same exact kind I’ve been ordering from the Soma store in San Francisco. NOT THE SAME! I asked for it to be grilled yet it was the most soggy, un-​flavorful piece of ciabatta in the history! They have no passion in serving you! They want to go home and have no desire to be there.
Thank goodness I don’t live there!

This Whole Foods seems to be smaller than most I’ve been to, but has a nice selection nonetheless. It’s a convenient location with parking + a nice, open layout where you get fresh air walking around the store. They have locally made fresh bread which is a plus too!

When I spend money at WF (aka «whole paycheck») I at least expect to have a pleasant shopping experience. The checkout employees are very rude, they failed to take off the coupons I presented to them, and act like they generally hated life. In addition, the store is always crowded with narrow isles, so sometimes I literally have knocked an item off the shelf by accident. 650 customers are not too accommodating so you just have to be rude and push by, or else spend the rest of your life at Whole Foods– and who wants to do that? The parking is very limited so in peak shopping times it’s difficult to even find a parking space. The only redeeming quality for this store is the convenient location. Otherwise, save yourself some stress and money and head to Trader Joes.

The selection at this Whole Paycheck is awesome for lots of different needs. The choices of Beer & Wine are solid, and while the store itself is smaller than other versions, they definitely found a way to make it work and still offer a decent variety of groceries.
It’s right near University, which I think is a great location, but that makes the parking situation kinda tight during peak hours.
Price wise, they don’t call it «Whole Paycheck» for nothing, but who can resist a ridiculously over priced sustainably farmed, organic, GMO free, raw kombucha? Not me I say. Not me.

Whole Foods Market Palo Alto
I frequent this Whole Foods typically when at my office in Downtown PA. It’s not my primary location. I’m thankful for that.
This location is smaller, but it carries pretty much everything you’d expect of a WFM, which is what matters. It just feels cramped and stressful. When you’re spending Whole Foods money, it should be damn pleasant.
I love their food bar, including salad and the counter with sandwiches and pizza. Recently, though, I had a less-​than-​ideal encounter with someone at the sandwich counter. She was friendly enough initially, but soon as the crowd built up in the area (this was 11am, so just at the front end of the lunch rush, probably), she began showing major signs of stress. Someone called up presumably from the deliveries area on the phone speaker, and she shouted, «Uh, we’re kinda busy right now!» Then she told me, «They drive me nuts sometimes! I wish I could go down there and smack them backwards.» I think she meant to say «smack them upside the head.» It was odd. I smiled uncomfortably and avoided eye contact. I don’t blame her, though. Everyone has bad days, and everyone gets stressed at work. It was just weird to experience.
Another strange feature: to get in to the store, you enter past the registers. You have to squeeze through paying customers and checkers to start shopping.
Not the best Whole Foods, man. Not the best.

2 stars for the store itself. An additional star for the employees.
When I have gone in to buy something from the coupon book, this Whole Foods doesn’t have half of the products. The employees have been very helpful in offering to find said products, but are perplexed to find them missing.
However, this is my store because of its proximity to my house. I do most of my shopping at the Farmer’s Market and then come here to supplement.

It’s the people that make the experience…
I’ve been to many, many, many Whole Foods in my life, but this one has got to be THE worst one mainly because of the people that come here and the people that work here. And don’t you dare blame the high traffic, I’ve been to Whole Foods in LA with a much higher traffic than this one.
So it all starts with parking that’s nearly impossible to find, add bad sushi service, old, stale food in the convenience section, and slow employees at check out. If you guys hate your job THAT much, just do everyone (including yourself) a favor and quit.