Mid-Michigan Dining

• 990 W. Eisenhower Parkway
• Ann Arbor, MI 48103
• (734) 997-7500
• Website

The Whole Foods Market on Eisenhower in Ann Arbor

A trip to Ann Arbor is not a trip to Ann Arbor unless you go to Whole Foods.  There are bloggers in Lansing (*cough*amy*cough*) who make special trips to Ann Arbor just to go to Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.  Until J and I went to the Ann Arbor store on Washtenaw last fall, I had never been to one.  J used to shop at the store in Willowbrook, IL and would buy most of her meals there.  She actually went to the Washtenaw store on Saturday while I was working, but didn’t want to buy anything cold, so we made plans to go back on Sunday.  Since I needed to do some shopping, we went to the new store near Briarwood Mall.

This Whole Foods is on Eisenhower Street in the Cranbrook Village shopping center.  It’s in a strip mall so the exterior is pretty bland.  When we were driving by, I didn’t even realize it was a Whole Foods.  It could have passed for any random grocery store.

The inside of the store was also unexpected.  At first, J said she didn’t like it because it wasn’t like every other Whole Foods Market she had been to.  She was turned around and departments were laid out differently. 

It also seemed very cramped.  At one point, we were going down and aisle and could barely squeeze our cart through the line of workers who were restocking shelves.  It just didn’t feel like there was a lot of room and it’s definitely smaller than the store on Washtenaw.

Whole Foods Market in the Cranbrook Village in Ann Arbor

Still, even with the few drawbacks, Whole Foods kicks the crap out of the hyper-markets.  The butcher case is full of cuts you can usually only find at a real butcher shop.  I looked long and hard at a buffalo ribeye, but decided it wasn’t worth the $19/lb.  I also looked at some split chicken breasts that were on sale for under $3/lb, but J’s not a fan of bone-in breasts, so I didn’t bother.

We walked around the meat section until we got to the back of the store where we found all the really cool stuff.  It starts with the bread case which features some of Zingerman’s products as well as some house made breads that looked too good to eat.  After that, it just gets better with hot food bars, a deli, a salad bar, and even a counter that makes pizza for you.

J picked up some pre cut fruit from the produce section and some prepackaged salad boxes that included all the toppings.  We didn’t leave with a lot, but we did pick up enough so J could eat really well for a while. 

Whole Foods is one of those stores I wish was in town, but I’m also glad it’s not.  I would love to work next to one.  You could eat a great lunch for the same price as going to a crappy fast food joint.  After you purchase something at Whole Foods, there’s a little cafe area set up so you can sit down and eat.  It’s kind of annoying that Ann Arbor has two Whole Food’s and Lansing doesn’t have one….although I’m not sure Lansing would support a Whole Foods.  I don’t mean that as a slam.  I just think Lansing is more blue collar than Ann Arbor.  It’s an option I would love, but I would still do the bulk of my shopping at Kroger and Horrocks.