Whole Foods Market Oakland

I prefer the Berkeley store for many years now. After I heard that a security guard attacked a Patron unprovoked I will never go back.

This place is in a great location, and the parking is really accessible. I would recommend not even bothering to try to park on the bottom floor, there’s plenty on top.
The store flows well also with produce nuts meat and cheese all spread out into booze. And then the other half of the store ranges from pantry items to health, and then you exit with bread and dessert. Its brilliant and always clean. I don’t know how they do it, but their store is always spotless.
I’ve also never really had to ask for anything, they seem to always have it in stock.
Their employees are also very friendly.
The downside is that everything is really expensive. You don’t really get a deal on anything. A bag full of groceries is generally $ 100. So although they nearly hit 5 stars, I never really leave feeling like I got my money’s worth fully. It slowly, more and more, makes me resent going back.
Trader Joes is my main spot because although they may sometimes be out of things, I always feel like I’m leaving with everything I wanted spending far more less than I anticipated.

I am always so disappointed with their organic soup options. They have 10 plus soups and only one is organic which is 80% of the time empty. Also it is very disappointing that all of the food at the hot bar is non organic and mostly GMO
…obviously not worried about customers health

When did I have to start bagging my own groceries? I thought I was a Whole Foods not Food for Less. Premium price poor customer service!

I stopped by to pick up something real quick for dessert and guess what they had in the bakery next to the gelato? Bubbies mocha ice cream from Hawaii! I’ve heard that Whole Foods carried them but have never seen it in the bakery or freezer isle. I was so ecstatic. They were offering nine flavors: pistachio, mango, vanilla bean, strawberry, raspberry white chocolate, green tea, lychee, chocolate espresso, and chocolate peanut butter. The worker even gave us free samples of pistachio and vanilla bean. How awesome is that? Me being me, I ordered one of every flavor. They were 2 for $ 3. I don’t know how long the bakery will be carrying Bubbies but hopefully they’ll have it for a while.
If you’ve never had Bubbies before, they’re better than the Mikawaya mocha ice cream. The ice cream flavors are so pronounced that it tastes like you’re eating the real thing but as a mocha ice cream, but not in an overpowering way. Or maybe I just really like Bubbies and I’m being biased. Either way, this just made me like Whole Foods even more than I already did.

I wasn’t in here long. I came in for linner (lunch/​dinner) and was on a time crunch. I wanted to hit up the salad/​hot bar. I can trust a lot of their food to be healthy. I really like that they list their ingredients so I can make an informed decision. I got off at the 19^th Street BART station, walked around Lake Merritt and then made my way to WF on the way back to BART. It was about a 4 mile trip altogether. I recommend it. It’s clearly a popular spot, but we did not have to wait long to get the cash register. Something that enticed me was their smoked meats. I have never seen so many delightful delectables in that department. This seemed like a unique thing to this location. They also have shrubs at the coffee bar for about $ 2 each.

Not my most preferable market but I do visit on a bi-​regular basis. I don’t exactly live a free range, organic, GMO free lifestyle but Whole Foods does have it upsides.
The olive bar and cheese selection is amazing. Spicy olives coupled with midnight moon cheese is delicious. This is the main reason I come here. They also have high quality meat and the cuts are super thick.
Sandwiches made to order and if you want to overspend an entire super market at your disposal. Oh yeah, they also carry three twins ice cream.

No more WHOLE FOODS pizza for me. I was starving today at lunch so I went here for lunch, as I was waiting for the pizza to warm, I noticed a fly had landed on the Whole vegan pizza and then on top of another pizza!
So I told the employee and she said «oh yeah there are a lot of doors opening» as if that was going to solve the problem. So I am waiting for her to discard the pizzas, BUT SHE DIDNT!
Meanwhile this fly is having a ball landing on all these open pizzas FINALLY I was like look you are not going to sell these pizzas to the public where is your manager? So I wait and wait and wait I said if I have to escalate this matter clear to Texas finally this dude says sir we will discard all these pizzas
I’m like did it have to take all of that? Especially after the employee saw them land just like I did?

I like this location best from all in bay area. They have the largest selection and not to mention hot employees. Wink wink

Parking is challenging. There is a lower parking lot which is nearly always full, and an upper parking lot which lately has been just as full.
The store is hopping and crowded like most any place in The Bay Area. Has a normal selection of WFM foods and offerings.

This place was great. I go to school in the area and during my lunch break I kept saying how I wanted soup. One of my classmates suggested I go to whole foods and I never thought to order hot food there. I know my mom has brought home fish from whole foods before but I never thought to go on my lunch break. I walked into this place and it was huge. I believe they even had a second story too. The whole front of the store downstairs is like all hot food. It looked like a cafeteria almost. They have soups, salad bar, sushi, pizza, pasta bar, a bunch of specials, roast chicken, a breakfast bar, coffee areas and more. They had like ten different soups ready to eat. It was difficult for me to decide but I ordered the chicken noodle. They have three different sizes S, M or L. I got a medium. The soup was good but I wish I got the clam chowder. All the food here is really fresh and really good too. The only thing is of course, that whole foods is expensive. The soup alone was almost $ 7. That’s a ton for just soup. I will probably only be coming here on occasion. If you have the money, try this place out is great. Other than that it’s not something I’d get everyday b/​c of the price.

Fantastic location in downtown (solid classy area bordering a suspicious area) Oakland, with ample parking on the roof and small amount by the door ground level. Upon entering the high ceilings and gorgeous architecture are eye popping. The hip urban tunes set the right vibe to stomach those high prices, but good service. The food bar is the best I have ever seen at any location. Truly amazing breakfast selections. There is plenty of indoor seating, but the outdoor seating is where you want to be with shade & great people watching. I ordered dark roast with espresso coffee and prepared for my work meetings. No outlets near the walls for your devices. The food was fresh throughout the store and the isles were vey clean and neat.

Danielle B. is correct in that there’s a nice circular design here, which makes moving around the major sections of the market a relative breeze, and that there’s generally enough parking too, which makes this particular outlet a bit more convenient than most. Nevertheless, this outlet is a bit smaller than others, with selection that doesn’t seem quite as comprehensive.
Moreover, the staff and security guards at this location need to work harder at treating all their customers with dignity and respect, particularly those from less advantaged backgrounds. It should be a privilege, not a burden, to have customers who are willing to be customers here, no matter how they pay (i.e., EBT cards) or how much (or little) they might have to spend.

I love Whole Foods in general! Not only can you get healthy products, but you can also use coupons on them! Most people think it’s too expensive, but if you plan well, you can get some pretty cheap stuff!
I like this store better than the one in Dublin because it’s bigger and they carry more brands/​products. The only thing that is missing is the nut grinding section. No fresh almond butter :(
TIP: If you do use coupons, make sure to have a copy of their coupon policy with you. Not all of their employees are knowledgeable about it. There are a few occasions where I ended up educating them on their own policy.

I give this place 2 stars for the simple fact the customer service stinks. First, we walked up to the sandwich line and was completely ignored for about a good almost 10 minutes before we had to let them know, we’re trying to get a sandwich and go wtf. both of the employees had an attitude right off the bat.
Bad customer service

This place is so expensive. Can someone say Sheeeee-​Sheeeee! Woah! I love that they have a parking lot but it gets very crowded. I also see that they have everything a Whole Foods should have: food, groceries, organic variety, etc. I think they can improve on the following: have only organic foods so that I don’t have to spend so much time reading the labels. I loved the big bin of blueberries that you can just fill up your fruit. I think that should be something we do for all of our fruits and nuts. It’s also environmentally friendly.
Fish — try to carry a large variety of wild fish. Farm-​raised fish have a lot of problems that I can go into at some other time in life.
Meat — the packaging was not great and there was blood leaking on the other packages. I feel like there can be a better way of packaging meat. It was also not completely stocked.
Veggies — There are no opportunities to buy some items in bulk. For example, the spinach comes in very small packages.
Water — I LOVE the water station and I hope that becomes a common thing throughout all grocery stores. I just bought my large container to fill up each time.
I’m not sure if it is just this location or Whole Foods in general, but this is not your average grocery store in Oakland. It’s great to have such high quality foods. Unfortunately, I think I can only afford to shop here once a year :/

I mean, hey Whole Foods. All that parking. All that parking. The upper level is a huge outdoor secured parking lot. I’m talking easily 75 – 100 spots.
A tiny Whole Foods, but it packs a punch. Great beer selection, great wine selection and everything else is your typical Whole Foods: expensive, but oh so fresh. I actually didn’t love the produce the last time I was here, but your meats and seafood, you really can’t beat the freshness and quality.
I gotta say, your sandwiches are delicious, but I find your hot deli food to be a bit bland and not so awesome. This time around I went with your curry chicken and vegetables over rice and it was large and definitely enough for 2 meals, but your chicken was rubbery and not fresh tasting. I actually ate around it. C’mon now Whole Foods. I also have picked up numerous side items for dinners from your deli selection and have been disappointed every time.
I can’t afford you often, but when I’m jonesing for a stress free grocery shopping experience and looking for some upscales items, you know you’ll be seeing this face.

Build your own burrito is $ 7. Steamed kale and vegan cheese were tasty additions. Cookies for $ 9.99/lb work out to almost a dollar a cookie. Hot bar not as nice as other WF.
Edit 9÷20÷2015 — 3 to 5 stars. I’m now a fan of whole foods. They have hard to find items, the fish is some of the best tasting I’ve ever had and I have fun browsing the store! This says a lot coming from someone who hates grocery shopping. I shop here approximately once a week.
Cons: the hot bar is not as large as other whole foods. The obvious high prices.
Pros: large selection of vegan cheese, healthy food, lots of healthy to go lunch options.
Highly recommend the Golden Gate sammie on a french roll with an add on of caramelized onions. You will not be disappointed!

I just love this place. I can get lost in here for hours on end perusing each and every aisle. It’s so nice to sit outside when it’s a nice day and have lunch.
–fresh, organic fruits and veggies
–hot bar with prepared food, deli and
dessert counters
–craft beer and wide selections of wines
–organic beauty products
–fresh flowers (although the florist was a little rude the last time I came)
–Philz coffee sold here in the coffee/​tea area
–lines usually move quick and there’s a parking lot structure with two levels
This is my «go-​to» whole foods store. It’s huge, spacious, organized, and new!

How is it possible that my desire to shave ONE measly minute off of my biweekly commute to a Whole Foods has prevented me from ever coming to this branch until yesterday?
This is a significant larger, cleaner, and more organized Whole Foods than the one in Berkeley. Even the public restrooms were clean. (If you aren’t from the area, this is unheard of in a public place.) Basically, this Whole Foods is gorgeous.
They have a huge variety of ready-​to-​eat food that seems like some might taste… (based on my previous experience trying food from 5+ other Whole Foods locations) marginally less bland. You can even mix and match your own blend of trail mix. Also, epic beer collection (at least it seemed that way to THIS non-​beer drinking person).
Oddly enough, this location did not sell the Mom’s spaghetti sauce that lured me here in the first place and I was forced to make a second stop at the Berkeley branch on my way home.
If you’re coming to Whole Foods, certainly it must only be to purchase something organic/​natural that you either need right away or can’t be acquired at Costco/​online for less. Because as you must know by now, everything costs significantly more at the Whole Foods than anywhere else. And I would much rather pay $ 9.99 for 18oz of organic blueberries at Costco than $ 5.99 for 6oz at Whole Foods.