Whole Foods Del Mar

In the last few weeks, I’ve heard quite a lot of buzz regarding the grand opening of the new Whole Foods in Del Mar. I actually hadn’t thought about visiting to see the new store since I already have a store nearby my place. I’ve also been spoiled because the Whole Foods near my parent’s home is one of the largest in all of California, making most of the ones I visit in San Diego seem so plain in comparison.

But after being emailed photos of macarons (thanks Faye!), seeing instagram photos of bulk cookie displays, I decided I had to make my way over.

The new Whole Foods is located in the Flower Hill complex, near the Del Mar Fairgrounds. We thought parking might be an issue, but they have an entire parking structure in the back for Whole Foods customers.

The first sight that greeted us was Trifecta Tavern, which offers quite a few different beers on tap.

I also admired the bulk cookie and candy section.

The prepared foods section included lots of fresh baked breads (bacon bread!!), pizzas, sandwiches. They also carry quite a supply of sugary baked goods including cupcakes and macarons.

The employees were being quite generous with sampling, letting you sample any of the breads or other baked goods before buying them.

Whole Food’s Genji sushi selection included some new healthy items like a scallop ceviche bowl and kale rolls, along with the usual rolls and sashimi with white or brown rice.

I was happy to see some of my favorite snack brands sold here including Bissinger gummy bears and chocolates and 479 Popcorn.

We definitely got caught up in the hype and ended up with way too many snacks rather than substantial groceries. Here are some more store photos:

Wall of cookies and candy

Here’s a closer look at some of the foods we purchased.

Scallop Ceviche bowl.

This is part of Genji’s “health starts here” line of sushi and I couldn’t resist trying this colorful creation. For $7.99, I thought this was a pretty filling and healthy meal. The top had small scallops, fresh orange wedges, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado and edamame beans. The bottom is packed with quinoa.

Tuna and Salmon Brown Rice Tokyo Sushi Rolls

DH has been craving sushi rolls, so while we were here, we got some. I love eating sushi rolls with brown rice so we got the brown rice option ones. The salmon was really rich and fresh and we preferred it over the tuna which was just so-so in quality.

Ahi Tuna  Jerky

I’ve been obsessed with jerky lately after having some good salmon jerky. I was surprised to see that Whole Foods offers a tuna jerky that is made with sashimi grade tuna. We both really liked this and you could definitely taste the ahi tuna amongst all the spices.

French Macarons

The macarons come from a local baker source. We got red velvet, rose, espresso and peach mango. They were priced at $1.78 each, which is about on par with other bakeries. We liked them, though these didn’t make the list of one of my favorite places to get macarons from in San Diego, so next time I’ll probably pass.

Kale Chips

We both really like Kale chips. I was surprised to see them in so many different flavors. I purchased the ranch flavor. The kale chips are heavily coated with a powdery cheese mixture. I actually didn’t really like these. You couldn’t taste the kale chip anymore as it had been completely masked by the flavoring. They have a just plain kale chips flavor as well so next time I’ll just get that one, or make my own.

I’m in love with Bissinger gummy bears. I recently got some at Surfas in Orange County. The candies taste much more natural in flavor. I’m so glad they are here at Whole Foods too.

The new Whole Foods in Del Mar is definitely much nicer than a lot of the other ones in San Diego, so after visiting, I definitely see why people were excited by this opening. We don’t shop at Whole Foods too often, as it tends to put quite a dent in our wallet. But we’ll definitely be back to this one again.

Whole Foods Del Mar
2600 Via De La Valle
Del Mar, CA 92014