Whole Foods Market

Wow… So awesome that WF has made its way to Ottawa. I’m a huge fan of Whole Foods. Sure you pay premium prices but I come here for out of the normal items in which you can’t buy at your regular loblaws, IGA or Metro. they really did a good job of designing this location making it fresh, bright and modern. I picked up some sushi, plus take home food items bottled and packaged which their selection is great if you want to spice up that pantry. We love the Rao’s Arribiatta (just as good as restaurant Arribiatta sauce) plus I picked up a few other items (kombucha) and odds n ends. The buffet although smaller than other WF locations visited still had some mouth watering looking options. A very nice area to eat at just past the cashiers was a nice touch. Awesome that they validate your parking for 90 minutes for the Landsdowne underground parking. We shall definitely be back when in Ottawa.

Whole foods is a delight. You can go in for lunch, or to do your grocery shopping. All the meats are ethically treated, which I really like. The place is beautiful and a pleasure to shop in. I’m a convert!

This is definitely one of my favourite Whole Foods that I’ve been to in Canada and the U.S. While the grocery section does seem a bit smaller than other stores, the salad bar is absolutely amazing.
They have a great section with lots of simple ingredients — everything from chickpeas and raw broccoli to roasted sweet potatoes and beets — and a diverse offering of pre-​made salads that seem to vary more than at other locations. I LOVE the Kamut Power Blend.
The space is aimed at having people sit and eat lunch, with a spacious and bright eating area. It’s great how you can go straight from the salad bar to the drink fridges, then to the cash and then directly to the eating area. Other Whole Foods should be laid out this way.

The building is beautiful. The hot and cold buffet is delicious and reasonably priced. You have to check out freshly made tacos and pizza by the hot and cold buffet. We order two slices of pizza and we are able customize our toppings, it was delicious. We also tried their fresh pressed orange juice which was amazing.

I like Whole Foods. I haven’t grocery shopped a full order, but have had their fresh prepared pizza, fresh juice and smoothies, and enjoyed the café. The pizza was fantastic and the guy who made it was really friendly. It was a thin crust pizza with garlic, pepperoni and olives. The tomato sauce was incredibly fresh. And to top it off, it was reasonably priced (2 slices for $ 6) and the portions were a good size. The fresh squeezed orange juice is perfect. The café has some interesting choices. The main draw back is that for groceries it runs towards expensive. But for a quick lunch, I would recommend it.

I was super excited to have a Whole Foods in Ottawa, however you have to compare to other locations across Canada to be able to write a good review. Overall their selection is smaller because the place is smaller than other location. My main negative here is that the in-​store cafeteria really sucks! The Mississauga and Washington DC locations that I have been to are true destinations for the amazing food they prepare in house. I have even had a few business meetings at those locations because the food is so good. I would likely never go back here to eat again.
The Free parking is awesome especially since otherwise you would never find parking anywhere near there. Its only for 1.5 hours so you have to hurry. They serve Suzy Q at the café so that’s really cool :-)

I only give them a 4 because they did not have broccoli salad as part of their salad bar, otherwise it would be a perfect 5. Great fresh healthy food not over priced either. Love them.

This place is AWESOME!!! Love the freshness and cleanliness of their produce. They also have exotic and rare fruits and vegetables.
The staff is also great! The other day I wanted to purchase sine granola but wasn’t sure. An employee lady came to me and offered to open it for me to sample. I didn’t want her to do so since I wasn’t sure if I was going to buy it and she said «it’s ok, we can let you sample almost anything in the store!». Wow. Now that’s service! Definitely hooked! I’m your client for life!

I adore this place. The underground parking is so convenient and that they validate your parking is great! The select of food varies widely and I can always find something new to try. The prices are expensive so it’s not the ideal place for a regular grocery (as other reviewers have mentioned) but great for things you can’t find anywhere else. The staff have always been super friendly and they actually seen to care! This is why I go back time & time again; for good customer service.

Yesterday I was in the Lansdowne area so I decided to pop into the Whole Foods Market to look for bananas. I don’t buy organic (don’t believe that labels are true) but I had a look around a found a few things I have been wanting but not able to find elsewhere. I took four items to the cash and when I reached the ground floor as I was putting my purchases in my bag I noticed I was taxed for one of my purchases!!!
Three of the items I purchased were jarred items that are not taxable because they were condiments, not snacks. The fourth item was a cooking oil, also not taxable. I asked the person who cashed me out about the tax and she said she believed that one of the items was a prepared item and should be taxed. (None of my condiments were prepared in house!!!) I asked to speak to the manager and she said she is the manager and stood by her belief that I was correctly taxed (remember I bought three condiments that were made in factories by none related companies!).
I asked for her to check with someone else, so she called the office. The office didn’t disagree with her but they didn’t want to have a scene so they offered me one free item (value $ 5.99) because I complained. So I got a free condiment for my efforts.
However the issue remains …
IS WHOLE FOODS ILLEGALLY CHARGING TAXES ON FOOD ITEMS THAT ARE NOT TAXABLE???
They told me there was confusion on what is taxable. Condiments in sealed glass jars should not cause confusion. I wonder how many other people are inappropriately taxed by WHOLE FOODS OTTAWA ???

I love Whole Foods and despite the extremely high prices I would love to continue shopping there. However the allowance for in store and external charity begging is inexcusable and only a company that doesn’t respect their customers permits this. May have to start returning to shop at my old pre-​December 2014 haunts.

Went into the store yesterday to check it out. I was very impressed with the store its self, from what I saw mostly everything was full and looked very fresh. The salad bar really caught my eye with very healthy options, as well as the hot food bar. One side had your Canadian choices such as Mac and cheese and the other side had Indian and Cuban choices very different. Had a wall of healthy juice choices, bakery looks like they mix dough from scratch. Meat department look amazing with many different choices. My only negative would be pricing, seeing that most things are organic the price is sky high. My wife said to me can you imagine doing a whole grocery here, my answer was no it would cost a fortune.

This is a beautiful and well organized store. Loved the selection of quality products available in all the departments. They even carry Suzy Q donuts, which I thought was pretty awesome (I adore Suzy Q). I have spent quite a bit of time with retail fixtures and I thought that Whole Foods had some really nice ones, particularly for refrigerated foods.
It is a pricey grocery store. It does give you 5cents back for bringing your own bags, or you can donate that change to their charity. There is parking, but you have to park in their specified lot and spend $ 25 or pay $ 1.50/30mins. They have a little café inside, which is kinda fun.
A good place to go if you’re looking for specific and quality items. For me though, not my weekly grocer.

When I heard that Whole Foods Market was opening in Ottawa I knew I had to check it out.
I was a bit worried about the parking situation when I heard it was located in Landsdowne Park buildings. I was happy to learn that Whole Foods Market will validate 90 minutes of parking with a minimum purchase of 25 $.
When I walked into this place I did not know where to start. This is very large store with so much to look at.
The fresh vegetables and fruits section is amazing with a good selection of local produce. It also has a nice combination of conventional and organically grown produce at an affordable price.
The meat section is also phenomenal. They have a large selection of sausages and I was happy to found grass-​fed beef at an affordable price.
I don’t usually shop the middle aisles but I went ahead a browsed and found that their tea section has a vast selection.
They also have a large section of buffet style take out that is priced by the pound. All very tasty stuff.
The people who work at this location are all fantastic. Always pleasant, always knowledgable and friendly.
Overall this is a wonderful addition for Ottawa and I think its fantastic to have this option.

Yes this place has higher prices, if you want to pay lower prices there are plenty of options available. I don’t mind paying a little more because I love supporting a company that actually cares about our well-​being. I frequent this new store a few times per week, the hot bar makes a great quick lunch, the sushi is the best grocery store sushi I’ve ever had, the salad bar is huge and ever-​changing. z
Every single fruit item is stacked and organized, the products are the best available, the bakery is incredible and the bakers are great to talk to. The presentation quality is truly unmatched, free 90 minute parking if you spend at least 25 dollars (underground and warm too).
I actually «FEEL» better since I started getting my groceries exclusively from this store… there are items that I tend to avoid like the single beretta chicken breast that can easily cost you $ 11, but if you want supreme quality, you have to pay for it.
The food is impeccable, the staff are all amazing and I am very happy this place is a 5 minute walk from my home.

I’m hoping that now with Whole Foods in Ottawa more grocery stores will follow their lead and offer better quality products at reasonable prices and change the landscape in Ottawa.
Was pleasantly suprised to find alot of local grown and sources products as well as quality staples that I can feed my family.
The only downside at the moment is that there is only one location in Ottawa and its not in Riverside South, where options are sorely needed.

I wish I could give Whole Foods a better rating, however it’s hard because they grossly overprice 95% of their products which is really too bad. It’s a beautiful store and is really well organized. It is also very clean and the staff friendly. The 2 coffee/​smoothie bars are cool and the salad/​food bar looks and smells good with lots of variety. I have not tried it yet, but will next time I am there as long as they have gluten free options. I wish they had a bigger selection and area for produce, since that is what I would expect with a name like whole foods! They have a good selection of gluten free, vegetarian, vegan and raw foods, as well as a nice meat department. I will come back here eventually if I’m looking for something really specific, but I’m not rushing back since the prices on most items is just too high and parking/​getting there can be a hassle.

It’s not the easiest place to get to if you do not live near Landsdowne, but if you are a foodie lover of all things organic and natural then if there is a will, there is a way. Drove here by car and took advantage of their underground parking.
The parking garage is a bit hectic, but it could also have been because we went on a Saturday evening. There is plenty of signage and directions underground, and a simple pop into an elevator brings you right up to a whole new world of Whole Foods Market. Or you can stop at the first floor and grab a baked good and a coffee at the Whole Foods café.
Upon walking in I was greeted with beautiful plants and flowers for sale and wanted to take them all home (I have an obsession), instead I went and checked out their fresh produce options. Now, they do have plenty of organic fruits and vegetables, actually a whole wall full, but I was hoping for more. (sorry, but I was unimpressed by their selection). They have a lot of great vegetables for juicing, great selection of boxed lettuce, a couple of stands of apples and oranges, but the selection was not the best in my humble opinion.
The real money maker at Whole Foods are there dry groceries and prepared foods, and boy do they have plenty of that. I really like that they have a whole aisle of gluten free products as well as vegetarian products. I also love that Whole Foods carry products unique to them such as their flour tortillas which are to die for (sorry Farmboy). Their home made salsas are amazing as well. I was in food heaven.
It may be because Ottawa is still excited about Whole Foods, or maybe it was a Saturday evening, but this place was packed. There were so many samples placed in the store in the most oddest places that «traffic jams» were caused because of this. This is a one stop shop, but grocery shopping here was not easy, nor relaxing. I am not on a strict organic diet, so I did not feel the need to purchase everything organic. (I buy organic when its in season/​on sale).
Cashier was friendly, but did not remind us about validating our parking. We did not know that we had to validate our parking at the cash, so we ended up paying 6 bucks for parking. :(Wish they would put a big ol’ sign somewhere upon entering the store stating where to validate parking.
I was really impressed with everything that I purchased there; no complaints about that, but the whole experience was a big ol’ A-​OK. 3.5 stars if I could.

My experience at Whole Foods (Landsdowne) was a very positive one.
I did happen to go on opening day, in he evening, where I am sure all staff were on their «A» game.
However, this «A» game was not phony, and the unusually high level of personable service is rarely ever seen in Ottawa, let alone Canada.
I am no stranger to Whole Foods, so I’ll omit the obvious mentions of pricing, etc.
I like the fact that there is parking and that the location is central.
Also, it’s accessible via public transit — from downtown there is one — the #1 — bus,
so you can rejoin the transitway to go east/​west, or go up to Billings as another main hub for buses.
Another bonus is that they do provide large, sturdy brown bags so if you do
shop here sans car i.e. bus or bike, you can get your groceries out the door safely.
The coffee bars — one is upstairs near the cashes! — use La Marzocco machines, which are a main player, so that was good to see.
I asked and was informed that they use a house brand coffee for their espresso which I have not tried yet.
I would have liked to have seen them use a reputable local roaster like Equator,
Overall it’s a great addition to the supermarket landscape in Ottawa, a lot of the cuts of meat and fish looked high-​quality and very fresh (see the sushi station).
The «to go» food station is a good option for vegetarians + vegans on the go, or even
if you want to grab some food before a movie at the Mayfair.

This is my first review, so please be nice! :)
I was excited when I heard Whole Foods was coming several months back and I live nearby so I was able to see the store come to what it is today through all stages of the development.
I have been to Whole Foods several times in Toronto when I lived there and have been to one in the U. S, so I knew what to expect.
I have so far been to this store twice, the store is nicely arranged and I think it is a good size, it is not too big which helps make getting in and out faster.
Each time I have gone so far, the staff has been super friendly. If you need help finding something, they won’t just point where to go, they direct you right to the product, which I appreciate.
When I was there during my second visit, I was able to request an item that I regularly saw in one of the Toronto stores and they were able to arrange getting it ordered. The product is the 365 Unsweetened Rice Milk. 365 is the in store Whole Foods organic brand. Unsweetened rice milk is extremely hard to find. I have only ever found it in the 365 brand and I use it for several recipes.
I am not vegan so I also drink dairy milk, and on that note, if you visit the store and you see the Harmony Organic Chocolate Milk, it is absolutely 100% recommended. It is pricey, but the best chocolate milk I have ever tasted. The 1L bottle is $ 4.99 + there is a $ 2 bottle deposit, which you get back when you return the bottle.
Now this is Whole Foods, so I always go in knowing EXACTLY what I want ahead of time. It is not cheap and they don’t try to pretend otherwise, but keep an eye on the flyer which you can find through the website or you can pick it up in the store. Produce in season as well as some bulk items I find can actually be found just as cheap, if not cheaper than a regular grocery store, BUT, the prepared food is definitely pricey and in my view, overpriced. But, the prepared food is not why I go to Whole Foods. I like to cook and I know I can find everything I need here and I have always been happy with the results.
I would recommend either going very early or very late in the day because the store gets packed, especially on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. But, if you happen to go in during the ‘chaos’, don’t be alarmed, the cashiers are very efficient and process through transactions quickly.
Two final notes, they encourage you to bring your own bags and you save 10 cents on your checkout per reusable bag and there is underground parking which they validate at checkout when you spend over $ 25, which at Whole Foods is not difficult. :)