Whole Foods Market

jonmacklin

North Carolina

4.01/5  rDev -2.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

As unbelievable as it may seem, this is the best beer selection I found in NY during my recent visit up there, (I also went to Bierkraft in Brooklyn & Good Beer on 9th) probably b/c whole foods is a big corporate entity and can thus afford more retail space, and therefore stock more beers but I digress....

they pretty much have all the bases covered: cold six packs, impressive array of warm bomber and larger format beers, and what appeared to be a little belgian section. The singles selection was a little lacking and as whole foods is a little corporate they weren't too keen on selling me individual bottles that weren't in the 'single beers section'. I also saw some rarer stuff there too.

If you're visiting Manhattan and looking for good beer, especially if you're taking it back home with you, definitely stop into the whole foods on houston!

01-04-2012 14:33:06 | More by jonmacklin

joefuzz

New York

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

I have been to many whole foods before and this ones beer section blows the rest away by miles.

Tons of bottles to choose from domestic and import, growler fills and homebrew supplies! And since its a whole foods and there is so much traffic through there you never have to worry about buying old beer that has been sitting months past its prime.

It is a little expensive on certin items but on others (sixpoint 4 packs) its cheeper than anywhere else, I guess since its a whole foods there using a standard mark up instead of the much hated "this is rare so I can charge more" method.

The staff was very nice and knows their products well, but even if you walk around looking super confused the whole time you will still have to be the one to ask for assistance.

06-23-2011 07:23:52 | More by joefuzz

beenitty

New Jersey

4.16/5  rDev +1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Most of the Whole Foods in the city have some type of beer department where you can get growler fills and a good selection of craft brews.

This is the one you want to visit if possible. They always have very good selections for growler fills and typically have rarities like Zhukov and Abacus show up. You'll pay extra for the rarities on draft, but everything else is very reasonable.

The bottle prices are typicaly Manhattan and you can always take a quick stroll to New Beer if you want to save a few bucks. They'll have everything you're looking for in terms of your regularities of craft. Very nice spread of American and European. Less likely to find a hidden gem here compared to New Beer since they're Whole Foods isn't a wherehouse, but definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.

05-05-2011 16:48:59 | More by beenitty

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.16/5  rDev +1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Out in the Lower East Side, stopped by here on our last day of touring NYC so I could pick up some beer. Great selection of bottles, 5 tap growler station and a whole corner of this little shop dedicated to homebrew supplies (grains, equipment etc.) Service was a bit spotty, no one really offered to help so you've got to chase after them here for advice/suggestions and see if there's anything lingering in the back and not on shelves (I did pester one of the gentlemen and he pulled out a surprise for me from the back - at a 1 bottle limit for this 12oz beer). Large selection but probably not as great as New Beer down the street, and at slightly elevated priced (expect ~$2+ difference on larger format bottles I'd estimate). 6 packs can be broken up. Some special offerings here too that I didn't find at New Beer Distributors that I was quite pleased to run into as well, and a bit more logically organized than NBD as well (in terms of brewery sorting). One of the ladies (Liz, I believe) gave me a hand and pointed out some limited/uncommon beers for me to check out so I appreciated the help. Walked out of here with 7 bombers and a mixer four pack, and the bill came out to $120+, but that may be more of a function of the beers I selected than what's regularly available for sale here. Overall, a place that's respectable with a wide selection, although the service was a bit hands off. I'd certainly come back.

04-27-2011 15:34:10 | More by liamt07

Gmann

New York

4.4/5  rDev +7.3%
quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

Located on E. Houston and Bowery, the beer shop is located in the 1st floor corner of Whole Foods. Most Whole Foods have a nice but limited selection. The shop is rectangular in shape with the beer selection around the outside edges, some chilled, most not. In the center is a growler station that I believe has 5 taps. Growler stations are a must. Not a huge space but they utilize it well.

The Bowery's selection is much bigger and diverse. The American craft selection is standard for the better beer shops; good selection but nothing you can't find at another good beer shop. Their import selection is quite good; a bunch of stuff that I don't see make it out to LI. Their Italian beer selection is impressive as well as their Belgian assortments.

The service is good as they have several dedicated employees in the beer shop. The prices are a bit high but its to be expected in Manhattan.

Defitely a must try when in lower-ish manhattan.

12-22-2010 23:31:25 | More by Gmann

Neffbeer

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

I come to this place when I want to get a growler fill, or pick up some fresh American beers (they have excellent quality control). Their import selection is good, but limited compared to New Beer Distributors up the street. They had an excellent selection of Drie Fonteinen, and Cantillon for a while, but that well has apparently dried up for now. The service has been attentive each visit I have made. They have also recently starting selling home brew supplies which is a huge plus for Manhattan. Check it out if you are in the area.

12-07-2010 15:07:37 | More by Neffbeer

r0nyn

New York

4.35/5  rDev +6.1%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Just right down the road from the awesome New Beer Distributors is Whole Foods on Houston. It's got its very own beer section, which is really quite a nice touch!

Right as you walk in, you're greeted by rows and rows of beers from all across the country and the world. There are coolers in the back and a central island with a growler fill station. Behind the island is a shelf exclusively for smaller single bottles, so you can make your own sixer. It's a bit bright, but that's a minor complaint. Everything is neatly labeled and easy to read.

Quality is good, with most beers being within freshness dates and not having the patina of dust that I'm used to seeing at shady bevy stores. Again, the light is probably not doing the beer any favors, but that's what reaching in the back of the rack is for. Selection is quite good for the area, with a lot of domestic and foreign breweries represented. Nothing too rare or exciting though.

Prices are pretty high for what I'm used to, but that's not surprising given that this is still New York City. Some things are reasonably priced, but a lot of the stuff is at least a few dollars above than I've seen elsewhere.

Staff is friendly and helpful. An associate saw me looking forlornly at the Goose Island bottles and asked if I was looking for anything in particular. I asked about GI BCBS and he offered to get me a bottle or two from the back. Quite a nice gesture.

On the Whole (hurr), this place is a great beer store. I think the nearby New Beer overshadows it quite a bit, but it's a very worthy establishment on its own merits. Definitely worth a look if you're in the area.

12-01-2010 23:14:34 | More by r0nyn

DoubleSimcoe

New York

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$$

The Whole Foods Bowery Beer Room is one of the brightest spots in the craft-beer world of Manhattan, NYC. But it's not without blemishes.

The room is airy, expansive and well-arranged (perhaps too much so, and too much light). Shelves all around the store divide the beers in styles and countries. There is an entire shelf for England (with lots of whiskey-aged stuff and old ales), another one for Scandinavia and Italy, another one for Germany and so on... great selection of Europeans.

More shelves for American bombers from all over the country with an emphasis on local/regional/Eastern Seaboard brews (good to see small enterprises like Pretty Things or Defiant).

But nothing truly incredible or rare, sadly. Nothing I felt like jumping at before it was gone. Very broad, high-quality selection, but it is missing the surprise factor.

Nice to see Hoppin' Frog from my Ohio, though, didn't know was distributed here. But I'm missing basic things like Flying Dog Double Dog, Weyerbacher Double Simcoe, Green Flash West Coast... there are six-packs of just about any other brewery you can think of in the US, but they miss a lot.

Want Dogfish Raison d'Extra? Nope. Want Nugget Nectar? Nope. Want aged beers? Nope. Like that. They seem to have more rare stuff from Europe (tons of Mikkeller beers) than the US!

Bombers of Ballast Sculpin', however... nice touch (pricey, of course)

Service used to be pretty good, but my experience wasn't great. Lots of Brooklyn hipsters looking confused and being as unhelpful as possible. No one offers helps here.

Prices are high, of course, in most everything.

Oh, the growlers. Usually a good deal for fresh beer. Go for those.

I used to think Whole Foods Bowery was surpassing the nearby New Beer in quality and selection. No fucking way.

Still, an excellent stop and a must for beer lovers!

11-12-2010 02:11:33 | More by DoubleSimcoe

JohnnyChicago

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

Visited this in my quest to find the best beer store in NY. The selection is good; no beating around the bush, they make it very clear that this is a store for beer geeks. The beer is well organized and displayed and craft and micros are at the center of attention, with BMC stuff tucked into corners.

That being said, the selection is good, but not mind-blowing. Very few sixers and everything is pretty overpriced. I will say, however, that the growlers are a steal: 9-15 bucks for a fill and the jug is free.

Not an excellent store, but it does have its good qualities, and its well-planned layout makes browsing a joy.

Edit: 2/12

Selection has improved, but growler prices have skyrocketed and are now about $10-$15 + the jug. New Beer is a much better growler destination.

10-20-2010 00:40:32 | More by JohnnyChicago

Augustiner719

Connecticut

3.55/5  rDev -13.4%
quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4 | $$$

Stopped in here today after long hearing about this place and its great growler and beer selection. After walking in, you immediately see a large circle bar with growlers all around it with various tap lines. growlers come in 32 and 64 ounces and are reasonable priced. Beers along the walls in refrigerated and warm sections vary from local craft to imports and are well designated. Prices were a bit high, usually on the 6 packs but single prices for bombers were in line at least with NYC prices. I picked up some saison du buff there and a couple of pretty things items are reasonable prices. Staff help was ok, but nothing spectacular by any means. one of the guys answered questions nicely while the other seemed to be just pissed off and non chalant with trying to help anyone. This place does have a great selection but its noting i would travel into NYC just to go to. 32oz fills are a plus though especially since they are easy to finish off solo.

07-19-2010 01:42:59 | More by Augustiner719