Review Whole Foods Market - Vancouver

Small and cosy but very effective. Good selection of everything you expect in a grocery store including coffee, tea and pastries and even cakes. Worth mentioning is also the organic fruits and vegetables section. The overall appearance of the store has nicely improved over the last ten years. Really like to sit on the patio and to shop there. Parking is free.

I shop this store regularly as it is only a block from where I live. This Whole Foods store has some good features. The first being you can shop the perimeter, picking up fresh fruit and vegetables, diary and meat, while avoiding the processed foods in the center aisles. This may be the only grocery store in Vancouver that has grass-fed grass-finished meat. They source their meat from producers that participate in Global Animal Partnership (GAP). Indeed GAP was founded with the assistance of Whole Foods. The GAP level may not be obvious when you purchase packaged meat as the label will be on the back of the package. Finally, I find the Amazon locker very convenient for picking up packages I order on-line.

Fairly nice place, as a whole foods you'd expect about as much. Wide selection of options both fresh and not. The deli had some choice fresh sandwiches too. The staff was approachable and all in all a good experience. A little pricey but it's also core downtown.

Such a wonderful clean store - large selection of fresh fruit. We stopped in on our way to bike the sea wall, and grabbed some fruit and coconut water to take with to lunch. The cashier I spoke to was so nice, we had a wonderful conversation. Sometimes it’s the little things that make your day, and that was one of them. Fresh mango at the sea wall, a perfect lunch.

I'm going to touch on a few points: The cashiers are always very friendly and very effective at packing. I always use the big green shopping carts that are outside in the parking lot area. It would be nice if they offered to help me put it back outside as at that point my hands are busy with my own shopping cart. It would also be nice if the staff at the meat counter would check more often if anyone needs help. I have been waiting for prolonged periods of time before someone showed up and offered help. On the other hand, a few other staff members helped me right away when I was looking for something. The lady from the wellness department and the gentleman from the cheese department. I really appreciate that.

I wish this store stocked Amy's spicy Chili with tofu. I've seen it in the North Van location, but not here where I've shopped for decades. Also, where did the Apple Streudel go? It used to be a favourite at family gatherings, and we all miss it! (I shop at the store on Robson St.)

Great little store. It's a bit small and can be very crowded at times but they've got an excellent little seating area for coffee or even a meal. Great bakery and lots of options for hot, ready to go meals. This place has free parking, which is a big win in the city.

Please change your Nanaimo bar recipe back to the old one, and sell them in the 2 square portions again too. Having coconut in the icing layer doesn’t taste good and isn’t the correct recipe.

So it's Saturday morning, and I'm off to gamble- to roll the dice. You see, every Saturday morning I go to Whole Foods on Robson Street and I buy myself a little bit of bacon from their breakfast buffet bar. <br/>Every Saturday morning I come down and I'll buy myself a few strips of bacon and a muffin. It's my weekly bacon allotment. :-)<br/>It takes me about half an hour to walk to the store and back from my apartment, but it's well worth the trip. This bacon is unbelievable. Hands-down, it's probably the most incredible bacon I've ever had.<br/>Sadly though, this is where the gambling aspect of my Saturday morning comes in.<br/><br/>Consistently, two times out of three, the people that they have in the kitchen burn the bacon to the point where it's literally rock hard pieces of bacon bits. They cook it in the oven, and most of the time they simply leave it in there too long in and it comes out of the oven so over cooked you could break your teeth on it. <br/>The funny thing is, they don't consistently cook it this way. One day it's cooked perfectly, the next day it's under cooked a little, the next day it's burnt to a crisp. On two or three occasions I've asked them why they do this and I've been given every excuse in the book. <br/>They tell me that people prefer it that way. Sure, that's why they end up throwing away half of what they cook because people like bacon that is so hard you need a hammer to break it apart.<br/>A week ago I talked to a store manager about it, and for the first time ever, somebody actually agreed with me that there was no consistency when the stuff was cooked. I had bought a muffin then too, and it was kind of funny because I started the conversation off by asking him why they don't burn their muffins to a crisp. He looked at me a little bit strange and said because they're cooked for a specific time so they cook properly. I told him I understood, and then I said well then what about this. As I started to open the box he began to smile, and before I opened it he knew it was bacon.<br/>He proceeded to tell me that he himself, half the time or more, couldn't have bacon for breakfast because they overcooked it to the point where it was inedible. He also told me that the store gets a lot of complaints about it. <br/>But somehow that's not enough to change the cooking procedures for this product.<br/>The manager actually went into the kitchen that day and asked the staff why there was such an inconsistency from day to day in the cooked product. He called me back and told me what they said. They gave him a number of reasons including the fact that sometimes they have a different type of bacon that renders more quickly, and they even told him that if there's too much stuff in the oven it affects the cook of it. First off, I have seen them use a couple of different cuts of bacon. Some of it thick, some of it considerably thinner. <br/>Sometimes both types are cooked properly, sometimes they're burnt to a crisp. So I don't buy that argument. And the other reason that they gave, that if there's too many things in the oven it affects the cook, I totally believe that. Of course it would, but it would make the bacon come out under cooked, not overcooked. If there's not enough heat in the oven it's not going to cook quicker and therefore burn.<br/><br/>Ultimately, they burn their product because they simply don't care enough to put the effort in to make sure that they don't. There is not another product in that store that you could buy that is not consistently cooked or prepared well every single time it hits the shelves. But the bacon, it's a crapshoot. <br/><br/>And as for this morning, I'm a winner! While some of the bacon is very crispy, none of it is burnt to a crisp and I was able to find five or six slices that were a little bit softer.<br/><br/>Until next Saturday, when I roll the dice all over again.

Cashiers like to chat with each other more than serving customers, especially if the customers are women. The Express check-out is bullshit since nobody pays any attention to it and you wait in the so-called Express line 5 times longer than the REGULAR check out line because of that. The in-store products are limited and often disappear within months without notice . The prices are ridiculous, even for a Whole Foods store, i.e. Giovanni hair care products suddenly went up 25% for no apparent reason. I can get the same products on Amazon.com for 75% less. The quality of fresh produce relative to the price is insane.I advise you to stop catering to one-time-out-of-time American tourist customers who have a 30% exchange rate to buffer what they pay for shopping there and cater to the year-round West End customers who LIVE HERE if you want to stay in business. You're like the AirBnB of Whole Food stores, i.e trying to scam tourists at the expense of residents...😠😠😠

This chain of wholesome foods originated in the States, and that was where I had my first Whole Foods experience, so I was not sure what to expect coming into the Vancouver one. I was happily surprised to see that they continued to offer a fresh selection of foods from the deli, as well as a salad bar that was up to par with the American counterpart. Always a great option for a quick lunch, or grabbing something to prepare for dinner.

I enjoy Whole Food's instore events and I hear about them via Facebook.  One event I attended recently was their Cheese Night.  They had samples of artisanal goat cheese and a staff member provided you with some background about them.  <br/><br/>They also have a few events where you can sample foods that help support local charities.  I usually go to Whole Foods  Cambie for these ticketed events, but I'd be interested in coming more to this Robson location in the future.

Buffet Breakfast. I love the breakfast I have it every Saturday! Bacon is thick and amazing, crime brûlée french toast to die for. I have eggs, bacon (lots) , French toast and potatoes all for around $7.00 you can't beat it. One lady is kind of crabby when they are low and you ask if they are making more but the rest are very nice. Could do a bit better of their timing on refilling but it's delicious!!

Found wallet. Hi Thanks to the staff for seeing that I left my wallet at the coffee and tea counter and for keeping it safe and in tack. I truly appreciate that, along with all the other products and services you offer.

Buffet Breakfast Ripoff. By and large, I don't mind Whole Foods; I just can't afford to eat there most of the time.<br/><br/>I had a craving for bacon and eggs the other day, so I pooped in there to eat from their little breakfast buffet, which is priced at $2.39 per 100 grams<br/><br/>Went I looked at it, the eggs were down to about 20% of the container, and were heat lamp shrivelled. Two tiny little waffles in there, with one of them stuck to the pan and pulled apart. <br/><br/>And when I looked, no take away cutlery. I asked the staff for new eggs, but even though it was at least 1 hour before the buffet breakfast was over, they refused to cook anymore.<br/><br/>They also couldn't find me any cutlery, so I just left and later called the manager to complain.<br/><br/>I was walking back there today again, so I thought I'd give it another try. <br/><br/>Once again, heat lamp shrivelled eggs, although this time they actually did make me some new ones once I ask. I'm not 100% certain, but I'm fairly sure they just dumped the new ones on the old ones. Pretty lazy.<br/><br/>Bacon was sparse, and covered in grease.<br/><br/>Sausage patty was cold, and seemed to have a maple taste to it.<br/><br/>About $700 for a few piece of bacon, some eggs and sausage patty.<br/><br/>Honesty? For what they charge, it's criminal. It really is.<br/><br/>Yuck<br/><br/>It's always the same for buffets like this. Stuff gets icky because it sits under heat lamps. But when you're a place like Whole Foods, going on an on about the quality of your food, and charging double what most people do for the same thing, then you should make a helluva lot more of an effort than these guys do.<br/><br/>Your hot breakfast buffet is a joke. Either you have lazy employees that don't know enough or care enough to properly rotate food, or you guys are just cheap and don't want to toss out food that is heat lamp shrivelled, hoping some poor sod will buy it anyway.<br/><br/>Either do it properly, or don't do it at all. If you can't do it properly and make money, then don't offer it.<br/><br/>You should know better than that.

Chicken Lasagna - blech!. Bought the chicken lasagna for my kids' dinner on Dec. 27. Capers is now Whole Foods. My younger kid is a bit of a picky eater and said he didn't like it. I took the leftovers for lunch the next day and I have to agree. I didn't like it either. Too much spinach, ricotta, and way too much onion. It was overwhelming, the amount of onion in there. It was too the point where I couldn't even detect any chicken. It was not worth the $16.99 they charged. I will not be buying this again.

Same Whole Foods selection, but Crappy service.... I started going to Whole Foods on Cambie when I lived near 12th and Oak, and for the most part was impressed with their selection and service. When I moved to the West End, the Cambie location was no longer convenient, so I did a Google search to find out if Whole Foods operated downtown. When I first went to Capers on Robson I was struck by the snotty demeanor of the employees, like they were all rich kids who grew up not having to care where they were employed. I work hard for my money and don't appreciate having to make a second trip to the market when some snot nosed rich kid doesn't know how to pack a bag, and lays down the cream which leaks all over everything. Then, doesn't have the courtesy, after being told the problem, not to lay the cream down next time, and insist that there is no problem. I don't know if Whole Foods has cornered the market on real food, but if this service continues, they'll find that they are missing out on close to $10,000 a year of my business, as I will go else where, even though they are close and have good food.

Service, produce,,prices and attitude? not. - skyrocketing prices which have nothing to do with the store itself but shows the greed of the company - outrageous pricing!<br/> - usually very low on front cashiers - particularly at rush and peak hours - where the number of cashiers are cut down but what looks like at least half. how sensible is this?! How respectful of customers is this?! Huge lineups that last forever because even for one item people prefer to use their debit or credit cards which is very time consuming.<br/> - what is needed is a whole lot more professional mature service oriented attitude of there, seriously. They seem to hire a lot of young folks who apparently were not raised with this knowledge. <br/>- Oh, and let us not forget about the rows of wilted and outdated produce. Fooled by it enough to buy it , anyone?<br/> - but they have us as captives because it is the only community whole foods shop for many miles around. <br/> -

Could it be worse?. Outdated shelf items, wilting vegetables, long lines, constant moving around of items (here one day who knows where the next, different aisle, different end of store) or items are often discontinued (usually replaced by their<br/>store brand but not as good quality or tasting), more than once mis-charged or charged for wrong item (more rather than less). After more than a year of this, I finally called it quits.

Capers' Burrito Bar - Ole!. While in Vancouver last weekend, we wandered the banal culinary wasteland of Robson Street, finally opting for a quick nosh at Capers Market - a place I've been many times before for sandwiches, soups and salads. We noticed a new burrito bar, so gave it a try. Half the fun was watching the gal pile on our favourite fillings. And when at Capers, you can count on healthy, fresh, organic ingredients. Wow, what a burrito!!! Just about as good as the ones I'd eaten in San Francisco's Mission District or Mexico proper! Capers' version blows away all the pretenders you get at so-called 'Mexican' restaurants in downtown Vancouver, or m y hometown of Victoria.<br/><br/>Not to mention, at under ten bucks, the price is more than right.

GREAT!!!. Visiting Vancouver for a conference, this was the largest ORGANIC market I have come across, and it was wonderful to wander and take it all in, before settling on just what to have for lunch. So many options, I just had to go back the next day.. Great place!!!!!<br/><br/>Pam

FAMOUS GREAT FOOD AND FAMOUS PEOPLE. My first time in vancouver would prove to be one of my greatest vacations ever! i flew up to vancouver to spend a week with a girl i met and she brought me here for lunch. the place looked so fancy and they had the greatest gourmet items anyone could imagine. this place is a foodies dream!<br/><br/>we looked around for a while and ended up getting some sandwiches and salads to share. as we were checking out i saw this guy that looked so familiar. oh my god! that's martin sheen! i had to go say hello. he asked me where i was from so i told him i was from the bay area and he aid he was just their for some rally. i got a picture with him and he asked if i wanted to sit with him for lunch. hell wes i did! we talked for a half hour or so and went our own way. he is a really nice guy and so down to earth. i just hope he doesn't forget me! LOL<br/><br/>in all it was a great experience at capers. to think someone like martin sheen shops there really tells you something. this store was amazing and for many years i couldn't think of the name. i recently found out they are in it with whole foods. now i know why i was so impressed.

Whole Lotta Foods going on @ Capers. Since been bought out over a year ago, a few things from Whole foods have trickled into my local Capers. So far my favourite is hot breakfast for 10 bucks. I had the eggs any style, bacon, hash browns toast and coffee. Not only was it an excellent bang for my buck, but breakfast out alone never seemed so lovely. Sitting on the balcony, reading my book watching the street go by... And the food was exceptional. Best breakfast I've had out in a long time. Will be back for more. <br/>:)

No, I haven't expanded my review parameters to include grocery stores, although that's not a bad idea for anyone to want to take on. But if a grocery store has a good eatery inside, it's fair game on my blog.

Back when I first moved to Canada, for a while, I was living a friend. During the first couple of weeks, I tagged with him and his family to do a lot of things, including, of course, grocery shopping. There, I was able to observe a lot of things, most imp