Eating at Whole Foods Upper Arlington
After a construction period that included a temporary, smaller store, the new Whole Foods on Lane Avenue in Upper Arlington is officially open for business. And, man, is it pretty. Of course, we were primarily interested in checking out the dine-in options.
Along with greatly expanded prepared food and salad bars (a whopping four, with all kinds of hot and cold options that weren't previously available at the UA store), there are wood-fired pizzas and made-to-order street-style tacos (you choose the meat, salsas and toppings).
And then there's The Social, the in-store restaurant, an intriguing mashup of coffee bar and tavern. So you can get coffee and breakfast all day long, or you can order hot dogs and hamburgers along with Ohio beers. Drinks can be consumed while shopping, which is nice, and there is plenty of in-restaurant seating situated around an ultra-modern fireplace.
Foodwise, there are burgers, dogs, fries and salads, all of which can be loaded with various toppings, and then there's breakfast served all day. Let's talk breakfast first. Here's the menu:
Farm Breakfast, $5: two eggs, hash browns, choice of bacon or chicken sausage
Corned Beef Hash, $9: house-made corned beef and potatoes, topped with a fried egg
Loaded Hash, $9: potatoes, bacon, cheddar, onions, sour cream, chives, topped with a fried egg
Fiesta Hash, $9: potatoes, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, green onions, cheddar, topped with a fried egg
Banana Nut Steel Cut Oats, $6: with bananas, walnuts and maple syrup
Buckeye French Toast, $6: battered, pan-fried brioche stuffed with peanut butter and chocolate, served with preserves and maple syrup
For the burgers, dogs and salads, it gets a little more complicated. First, pick your base:
Burger, $6: choose Ohio beef or Pennsylvania turkey, ground fresh in-store daily
JR Burger, $5: choose Ohio beef or Pennsylvania turkey, ground fresh in-store daily
Veggie Burger, $4: made with veggies, nuts and grains
Jumbo Dog, $4: all-beef dog in a split top bun
Veggie Dog, $4: jumbo veggie dog on whole-grain bun
Big Farm Salad, $6: chopped salad with seasonal vegetables and seasoned popped heirloom corn
Little Farm Salad, $3: side salad version of the Big Farm Salad
From there, you can get any of those bases loaded with toppings for an additional cost. Loaded options:
Coney Island: chili, cheddar, onions
Reuben: Swiss, kraut, corned beef, Thousand Island
Paris: brie, mushrooms, dijon
Belly Buster: bacon, mac & cheese, crispy onions
Italian: fried pepperoni, coppa, provolone, hot peppers
Mediterranean: feta, oregano, roasted garlic, roasted tomatoes
Fireman: Buffalo sauce, blue cheese, celery, carrots
Mama's: bacon, fried egg, cheddar
The Social: caramelized onions, cheddar, Thousand Island
Loaded: bacon, cheddar, green onions, sour cream
Fiesta: guacamole, salsa, cheddar
Columbian: pineapple salsa, mayo, mustard, ketchup, potato chips
Whole Foods Upper Arlington
1555 W. Lane Ave., Upper Arlington
614-481-3400
