Whole Foods Market

Mosstrooper

California

4.35/5  rDev +6.1%
quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | $$$

This is a great store with a vast selection- the most important attribute in my opinion.

Despite the small size of the store (which can really suck if it's crowded), I could spend all day in the place browsing their selection. They had nearly every beer I could want and, as a bonus, they sell homebrewing supplies in the store.

The service was okay, I suppose- I never asked for help, but was never offered it either. I can't really speak to it much. My total at the register was $22.01 and the cashier who was checking me out gave me my dollar back when I paid her $23, I guess that's a plus.

As far as pricing, some things were priced very well, while some seemed to be way overpriced, however, given the wide selection it may be worth it to overpay once in a while. To any BA living in or visiting Manhattan: this is a place you need to give a look.

07-06-2010 17:02:20 | More by Mosstrooper

drseamus

New York

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

The had a pretty good bottle selection, with super tall racks around the perimeter. They had beer from around the world and a good selection of domestic craft. It had six beers on tap for growler fills with over half being local beers. They offered various sizes for the growler fills, from 22s to 64 oz. Staff was decently friendly but only when asked. Prices were reasonable, nothing was too expensive. While not specifically beer, they had a wonderful selection of cheeses and other gormet foods for pairing.

04-01-2010 20:13:20 | More by drseamus

boatshoes

Colorado

4.7/5  rDev +14.6%
quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$$

Along with New Beer Distributors, this is one of my go to places in NYC. A great selection in their beer room, both six packs and singles, domestic craft and imports. They also have a great growler station that does fills on about a half dozen beers. An excellent selection of lambics generally as well. My last visit, I picked up CL Nor'Easter and Goose Island Juliet. I almost always find someone on staff in the room as well very will to help out. A touch on the pricey side but not bad at all for the city. I usually leave this place happy and with a lighter wallet. Recommended if you're in the city and looking for a bottle shop.

03-29-2010 03:21:47 | More by boatshoes

ccyr

New York

4.65/5  rDev +13.4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Was in last night looking for some Alesmith IPA. Didn't see any on the shelves so I asked the guy behind the counter. Without hesitation, he said that they had some in the back and that it was cold. Perfect. I've been here many times and always had great service. One of the best places to find good and/or rare beer in the city. I have also gotten a few growler fills here, good selection with the 6 rotating taps.

I have not been to New Beer (2 blocks away) yet, but do want to check it out sometime to compare prices and selection.

02-09-2010 20:12:48 | More by ccyr

Jesstyr

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$$

Came in here on Super Bowl Sunday, and was legitimately surprised by the amount of tastings and taps. The store is clean and easy to navigate, with a very impressive array of great beers. Got to love the growlers, and that will definitely be part of my next visit.

I was a little disappointed by the service, the staff wasn't really proactive, and even the guys from the breweries were a little withdrawn. Perhaps it was just too early on a Sunday.

Selection overall was good, but didn't blow me away I guess. I saw a lot of the same Belgians I'd see anywhere, and the craft beers came from the breweries I'd heard of. I would imagine NYC is a tough place to grow this kind of market, but overall I was pretty pumped by a few finds - including a couple more bottles of St Bernardus Christmas that I'll be aging this year.

Prices were a bit on the high side, for what I've seen comparatively...but then again, its NYC. Definitely worth the visit.

02-08-2010 14:47:28 | More by Jesstyr

BeerNemesis

New York

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$$

The Whole Foods on Houston st. takes up the entire block -- it's f-ing huge. The beer room is what really stands out though. There is an amazing selection of beers, both from the big brewers (Sam Adams etc.) to the smallest microbreweries. You can find beers from all of the world here. I personally got 15 different kinds last time, ranging from Trappist brewers to New York microbreweries to breweries in California and England. They also have between 7 and 9 beers on tap which you can take away in a growler.

You can't find everything here, but there's a good chance you'll find most of what you're looking for.

01-25-2010 16:45:12 | More by BeerNemesis

PangaeaBeerFood

New York

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$$$

The quality and selection of offerings at Whole Foods Bowery are pretty amazing. They have tons of specialty beers, from big guys like Sam Adams and DFH all the way down to small operation brewing like Hair of the Dog. The also host beer classes in their upstairs classroom about once and month and feature the beers of the guest brewery on tap in the beer room. The downside, however, is that the prices here are higher than I've seen anywhere else, bar none. Whole Foods puts a STEEP markup on their beer. It's worth it when you see special offerings that aren't widely available, but this isn't a place to pick up a bottle of something more common.

12-28-2009 20:09:03 | More by PangaeaBeerFood

NYCWheatFanSC

New York

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$$$

The only other good craft brew store in Manhattan other than New Beer, which is only three blocks away down Chrystie St. I only go to WF Beer Room if I can't find something at New Beer, a local family run joint whose prices and selection have never been beaten.

Overall, this place has a pretty decent selection of international brews, as well as many domestics. Way more domestic 6'ers than bombers, which I'm typically hunting for. They always get some of the rare releases which is nice, but they are always way pricey. They also do growlers, and normally have some pretty good stuff on tap.

The guys in the beer room seem to have some basic beer knowledge from what I've seen, which is nice considering WF could have staffed this place with baggers if they wished.

12-12-2009 02:18:53 | More by NYCWheatFanSC

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev -7.3%
quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Visited Oct. 10.

After hitting New Beer, this place seemed a breath of fresh air. Well lit, clean and lots of space made it easier to shop. Sampled a few French beers and chatted with the woman who was happy to speak french with us. Scored a free glass with a purchase of a single bottle of Jenlain Ambrée. A lot of shelves are against the window so i would be careful of what i chose because who knows how long they've been exposed to the sunlight.

Prices seem to be in line with New Beer but maybe a tad better. Selection is a bit less than than New Beer but still pretty solid. My only knock is that they don't break up six-packs but it's not that bad because they have a decent selection of singles, imports and bombers also. Saw some dust a little bit but otherwise cleaner than New Beer. There was also a growler station with a few Southern Tier beers.

Overall, this place is easier to shop but selection is a bit less than New Beer. Worth checking out for sure especially if you're going to New Beer as it's only a few blocks away.

10-15-2009 12:36:19 | More by papat444

Buebie

Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev -9.8%
quality: 2.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

There are several areas of the store to find beers. There is a main beer room, and several coolers littering the store with singles and stuff not in the main beer room.
The beer in the main room seems to have more sunlight exposure then desired. I pulled most of my stuff from coolers inside the store and away from light. The stuff in the main room I pulled from the floor area of the storage racks away from the light. But the room they keep stuff in is sketchy for beer storage, way to much sunlight exposure.

The staff was friendly and helpful. There were 6 growler pour stations in the main room. I've never seen this before and found it very appealing. Prices were good and almost better then bomber prices in Minnesota. Some of the bombers were in the $4 range.

Next time I'll check out new beer. We were on a serious time limit, so I had to be quick. Took the train from the hotel down to bowery and the stop was right there at WF bowery. Made it easier carrying all that beer back to the hotel. Round trip including shopping was about an hour.

Quality gets average due to the sunlit room and exposed bottles.

09-30-2009 18:56:22 | More by Buebie