Sometimes big things come in small packages... You likely won't find a smaller Whole Foods store, but they have taken the original Ideal Market and brought in Whole Foods, making a good location terrific. They kept some of the artwork and neon signs from the original. Excellent customer service, full deli, large produce & fruit offering, and the items that you would expect from a Whole Foods, just smaller in scope. If you need a big shop, this might not be the place & instead visit their larger Pearl Street location, but for daily needs and it totally works. If you're an Amazon Prime member, this is a gold mine, as their prices are slashed for members, and I'm talking great pricing. Thankful to staff member Michaela, who was not only kind and professional, but also tipped me off to the Amazon Prime aspect, which I had not been previously aware of. read more

Except for one exception the staff here are consistently obnoxious and rude. I live very close by but will drive 15 minutes rather than shop here. read more

Compact Whole Foods that may or may not have what you need but it still offers the fresh produce and some bakery items that a larger one would. Worth a trip if you want something like a local market. read more

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A bit pricey, but it's so local and always a pleasure to visit for groceries forgotten at the bigger store.

Ideal is a cute little neighborhood grocery store that was bought by Whole Foods so space is at a premium (they use it well) but don't always have what I need. The produce section is usually fully stocked, service is friendly and I love shopping here even if it gets a little crowded sometimes. If you enjoy the scene, it's fun and probably the busiest "neighborhood" grocery store in the country. read more

This store is the 21st century reincarnation of the original local market in old north Boulder. It was absorbed by Whole Foods Market during their purchase of the defunct Wild Oats Market years ago. It has maintained its aspects as a neighborhood grocery but also has the benefits of offering the 365 brands, fine produce and buying power of Whole Foods. They have done a good job during the coronavirus crisis in providing the goods I want from there that are not usually in mainstream supermarkets.My husband has to do this these days as I am not able. He has never really done any grocery shopping in his past as things have worked out in our family. So there was a steep learning curved, armed with my maps of the store and the convenience of early senior shopping time. He,s a morning person and prided himself in being first in line at 7am when he had to visit. This store is easy fo find things (especIally with my map) but he learned a lot and yet did not have to stay inside very long. Again he went in fully garbed with mask and gloves, and appreciated that the staff in store wore masks also and that there was sanitizer at the entrance to use on his cart as we had very little in way of a home supply.They have had pretty good availability, but of course their selection is not as large as the big Pearl Store. I shop both normally, so my lists were based on this knowledge. It has been quick to get the job done and we actually appreciate that they are not allowing personal reusable bags during this time, though that has always been our regular habit. Safer for everyone, especially staff. read more

This is the smallest Whole Foods that Ive been in, mainly because this location used to be a small town grocery store called Ideal Market. This isnt the place that you want to do your large grocery shopping since the small aisles limits the amount of product that can be displayed on the shelves, so if youre used to the bigger locations, its best to go the nearby Pearl Street location. If you are just coming in to buy a few small items or looking for a delicious and healthy hot meal, this is the spot to hit in north Boulder. read more

The Ideal Market is a sort of grocery chameleon: while it used to be an independent grocery store - one which specialized in high-end organic goods - recently it was quietly bought out by Wild Oats, who decided it would be in the best interests of the corporation to keep the facade of an independent grocer, especially since it was one the most profitable Wild Oats stores. [yes it's a run-on, but an awesome one at that] Now however, as anyone who has been paying attention to business news should already know, Whole Foods has bought out Wild Oats, and in a sort of typical soulless corporate fashion has cut most of its employees. Ideal has been spared many of these cuts, but this still does not change the fact that there will be some shake ups. Now as someone who has known over ten of the employees and previous employees of Ideal Market, I can tell you that this place is mostly image, and that image allows it to maintain higher prices than most other grocers. Still, Ideal has been a veritable mirage of employment opportunities: many a friend has been netted in, paid well enough to start, but never receiving raises or recognition of hard work, has left disillusioned. Ideal Market has made the mistake of trying hard-line approaches to get more money out of the store, which has lead to a mass exodus of quiting. The employment debacle aside, as a store Ideal is pretty nice, and pretty pricey. You will find rich yoga moms here, as well as people who are really into local businesses and shopping independent (shh..........mums the word). Good produce and cheese selection, especially of the organic variety can be found on its shelves. I know more than the average bear about this place which makes my rating lower than most I'm sure. read more

I was having a pretty rough day yesterday after being run off the highway in Boulder Canyon. I came to the store soon after it happened to pick up lunch for myself and my elderly mom. The checkout clerk was incredibly kind, supportive and generous. I have always loved Ideal Market, it truly is a "neighborhood store" and although I moved to the mountains several years ago it is still my go to store in Boulder. Thank you and hats off to Jeremy for going above and beyond and changing the course of my day. read more

Great supermarket, but the hot bar is incredibly bad. Thought I'd try the hot bar it again after a mediocre dinner the first time 6 months ago. This time, the macaroni & cheese was tacky, the mashed potatoes were clumpy and the chicken was very dry. It was also expensive. Love this store but the hot bar has room for improvement. read more

The grocery store is always so busy and way too small to accommodate this new checkout system that they have initiated. With that being said, I am always impressed by the actual food and groceries here. I just wish it wasn't as much of a hassle to check out. The "in and out" nature of a grocery store is important to where I choose to shop. read more

Rude experience...lady who was cleaning the carts today seemed friendly at first but when inside the store browsing sodas with my friend trying which to get we were ushered to leave the isle because she was 'waiting' for us to leave but there were empty isles she could have walked through. In total it was a very unpleasant experience. Our shopping was rushed when we couldn't even get what we wanted and were told to leave the store. Won't be returning. I wish I could have given 5 starts for the store but this rude older worker has put it down to 2 stars. read more

It would have been Ideal for this market to stay a small independent grocer, but I guess I don't blame the past owners... Probably swimming in organic money right now. The image of Ideal is well kept with the small town healthy market feel. The produce section is small, but has a nice variety, and the layout of the store is similar to the other healthy supermarkets.... Which wind you around like a Candyland adventure. Like Dustin said, Wild Oats now owns this gem, so you will see the Wild Oats brand around the store, which I can't help but to like because it is more affordable than some of the other organic brands. Ideal Market fits in perfectly with the rest of the "let's pretend we are not in a strip mall" stores in this North Boulder hangout, and kind of gives North Boulder its own town feel. North Boulder needs this supermarket, and because it is out of the way for most people who don't live in North Boulder, it is a great place to meet up with neighbors and friends without the Whole Food's crowds and congestion. Ideal is expensive, but the staff are very friendly, the store is in perfect shape, and the food selection is of high quality. * Star one is for representing the organic industry ** Star two is for being sneaky and making yourself look like you are still an independent supermarket even though you are not *** Organic means free star three is not for giving me any free food, but free and easy to find parking in the private parking lot out front **** Gobble gobble star four is for selling me delicious turkey meat for the grill... Which later blew up in my face, but that is not Ideal's fault. read more

Whole Foods Market - Grocery Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Seems like a slightly smaller version of Whole Foods .. wait, it is owned by Whole Foods! The chic anti-corporate-yet-corporate empire owns 3 or 4 of these in Boulder, I think. My favorite part about the store is walking around and tasting all the different samples of cheese, crackers, cookies, whatever else begins with the letter 'c'. Friendly staff. Having ranted, what's not to like? Oh yes, the parking lot is rather tight.; there are random metal vertical bars that you can't see from your rear view mirror. Beware! read more

I love this place been going for decades. Good staff. Quality service. Last visit the check out guy and I played a game of who had the best sense of humor. Perfect size big enough to stock variety and small enough to get it done quickly. read more

I've lived in the greater Boulder area for about 22 years now, and I definitely miss the days when I lived just down the street and Ideal was independently owned and operated. As a subsidiary of Whole Foods, the offerings are more predictable but also less interesting and the prices only seem to have gone up. On the up-side, the organic produce is reliably fresh... though it isn't always clearly marked and is mixed rather haphazardly with the conventional produce items. This has led me on more than one occasion to grab what I thought was an organic piece of fruit or some vegetables only to get home later to find them to be conventionally grown. Double check before you put it in your bag! That being said, they do have an outstanding floral section and excellent staff to put together an arrangement for you. It's really the only place to grocery shop in the area and I'm grateful to have the option, even if it just isn't what it used to be. read more

Whole Foods Market - The flowers here are exceptional! - Grocery Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

If I could give it zero stars I would. I was a huge huge fan of this store and Whole Foods as a whole until recently. I've noticed they do not treat there employees well, the management is extremely unprofessional and it shows. My husband and I have heard managers yelling at their employees many times while we've been shopping. In my opinion, the only good thing about this store is the meat department staff, they all greet me with a smile and are unbelievably nice and very personable. Unfortunately I know how there upper management treats them and I know it's not good. Regardless I will not be shopping here ever again. read more

Store is actually great, but there is honestly one staff member who apparently works there full time that ruins my experience most often than not. It's a shame that this cute little store has someone that works there with such a sour attitude. Whoever she is has barked at me and my partner several times up at the register, speaking to us like we are children and ordering us around. I get that there are certain rules to follow inside a store because of the pandemic, but there is no need to be a total jerk about it when it's hard to decipher where to stand and where the markings on the floor are. It's a small store, so it makes things tricky to perfectly social distance, but I'm not an idiot. One time during the holiday season I was looking for something in the meat department and asked her and another co-worker for help and the response I got was shouted at me from across the room saying "If we are out, then we're out!!". Lovely - I didn't ask if you were out of something, I asked if you had something. Excuse me. I don't know about you but that's some pretty crappy customer service. You just don't speak to people that way, especially when you work in customer service. I've refrained from writing a review for a while and I don't like doing these sorts of things, but the other day I got attitude once more from her and this has been a constant interaction for months. Whoever this chick is needs to change her attitude... like yesterday. I live about a 5 minute walk away, and it's easy for me to drop down there and pick up something I need when I find myself out of something - but lately I avoid Ideal Market altogether and go to the WF on pearl, or even the Safeway or Luckys because I know I'll get better treatment from the staff. I'm just exasperated at this point. I can't tell you what her deal is, but if you hate dealing with the public so much, then maybe you need to be removed and find another place to work. I'm sure I'm not the only person that has noticed her behavior because when I'm there, she's still so unfriendly and big mouthed every single time. Clean up your act, chick read more

Lol if Whole Foods were a tiny house... this would be it. Don't let the ideal market sign throw you, ha. TBH the products are pretty ideal & selection is decent for the size of the store. I love how helpful the staff members are. read more

I did not know Ideal as an independent grocery, but I did know it as a Wild Oats grocery, and I have to say that I think it is improved as a Whole Foods grocery. I would LOVE to have a small Whole Foods in my neighborhood. That would be amazing. The store seemed roomier in its new reincarnation, but still had a great selection. The produce, as always, is almost obscenely lush and perfect. I don't want to be within an inch of something that has high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils, so I really like that about Whole Foods (and Vitamin Cottage, my food retailer of choice!) That is, of course, the difference between the soda they carry and (blech) Diet Coke. I think this place has a great vibe, but I imagine it would be a nightmare to shop at peak shopping times because it is quite small and the parking lot is small as well. read more

Un-Ideal market This place is sad, what's worse is they apparently have all the awful in-house recipes like all the other Boulder Wholepaychecks, sad actually I have to drive to Denver Whole Foods just to buy a decent Tiramisu, at first I thought it was the altitude, but I made my own, nope, just a clueless bakeshop, & a butcher that doesn't follow any type of standards when it come to sausages, one week the chorizo is mild, next week there is so much cayenne that it ruined a stock pot full of black beans? This makes me question the safety of the whole process if they cant even follow a simple recipe, since if you are not paying attention you could easily contaminate a whole batch with pathogens. read more

This isn't my go-to market but because we were displaced by the recent floods I didn't really have any other choice (unless I wanted to drive a ways to another market). I think this market would do well in a smaller setting, like a bodega in NYC or a niche market in downtown Boulder. Ideal is a subsidiary of Whole Foods so there is plenty of WF influence throughout the store. You have your basic produce section, salad bar, deli and bakery. The shelves are free standing metal racks and there are about 8 aisles in the whole place. The staff is very friendly and the bakery treats include a cookie-by-the-pound cabinet that I always frequent when I am in the store. I do like the ease of going in and grabbing some pre-made foods. That, and the coffee bar make this place fun to visit. read more

Ideal and all the folks that work there are doing an amazing job with providing a clean, safe, and well-stocked place to shop. Of all the places in town, this seems like they've got it down. And staff are super friendly! Thank you Ideal! read more

After having "shopped" here for 3+ years I have finally reached my limit. I can honestly not think of a worse misnomer for this "grocery store" than "Ideal Market" -- my wife and I have actually taken to calling it "No Deal" instead. I have never been so continually frustrated when trying to feed myself and my family. While I will not deny that the staff are very friendly and helpful when asked to be, the simple fact of the matter is that one should expect to be able to buy GROCERIES from a grocery store, no? The problem there being that every time I shop there, I am only ever able to find about 50-75% of the items on my list actually IN STOCK. And much like the previous reviewer's experience, these are not normally exotic items. Today's fiasco involved the fact that the entire store was out of ginger ale. On a Tuesday. Why??? It would take me pages to recount all the various stocking-related failings of this store. Additionally, "Ideal" is fond of discontinuing products and product lines for no apparent reason. Unless one asks about this phenomenon, one can only surmise that the item is out of stock...forever. I am also shocked that "Ideal's" parent company, Whole Foods, hasn't tightened this slack by now. For the money (because, like Whole Foods, "Ideal" ain't cheap!) I would go ANYwhere else in Boulder for your grocery needs - Alfalfa's, Lucky's, Vitamin Cottage, Safeway...hell, even King Sooper's. "Ideal Market" you truly are "No Deal" as my intention is to take my money elsewhere from here on out... read more

I liked Ideal better when it was Wild Oats-run! (I haven't been around long enough to have experienced it pre-Wild Oats.) I moved to the area RIGHT after the switchover from Wild Oats to Whole Foods and was so bummed that it changed so much. Seriously, Boulder has enough Whole Foodses littered around everywhere and it doesn't need any more. If I want to go to Whole Foods, I'll go to the one at 30th and Pearl. It's huge, has practically everything Whole Foods carries, and has an unbeatable seafood section. Ideal, however... Every time I go in there to go shopping, they're weirdly missing some item that you'd think would be a staple in a grocery store. Here's some real-life examples: - soy sauce - parmesan cheese - canned crabmeat - spaghetti (honestly!) - frozen pizza Also, their seafood section is abysmal. I like shrimp and keep trying to cook shrimp stir fry, deep-fried wonton shrimp, etc. Out of the perhaps 10 times I've bought shrimp here, I've had to return it 5 OR 6 TIMES. They're always really nice about it (in fact, every employee here is extremely friendly and helpful), but the shrimp is clearly nasty. It smells like bleach or rot and has black spots all over it. The salmon tidbits aren't much more reliable. However, there are a few good things about this place: the produce section is actually pretty well stocked and the stuff is fresh. And as I said before, the employees are wonderful. And they have a good-sized dairy section, especially compared with the rest of the store. But there's no way I'd shop there if I lived in another part of Boulder. I'd choose Sunflower for some things and the 30th St Whole Foods for others, supplementing these two with various Asian markets, and never set a foot in Ideal. read more

This Whole Foods location is near my office so I do frequent it. I also used to live within walking distance when it was just Ideal Market. It has nowhere near the selection of the larger, WF on Pearl and 28th but it is decent to grab a few things. Some of my favs: Salad Bar Grab and Go Pizza (they make it, you bake it) Lacking: Bulk Food isle - you almost think, why bother with just a few bins?! Intermittent Kombucha selection Also parking can be tricky! Staff is super friendly and even chill but will still try to find that random ingredient you need. All in all, A-OK. read more

This is a very good grocery store available to a local, urban neighborhood. The selection is excellent for being a small store. You can find virtually everything you need. The one drawback is that it is rather pricey. Being that they are owned by Whole Foods, that isn't a big surprise. read more

This is a neighborhood Whole Foods, so the selection is limited and the prices match the gigundo Pearl St. Location. It reminds me of the small groceries you find in Europe. Just the basics, but good quality. Pros: Convenient Location, friendly staff, Good bulk food section for the size of the store, Impressive flower selection for a corner store, bike maintenance area outside (air, tools, patches inside) Cons: Parking can be tricky, New checkout layout sucks (where do you stand in line!?), Limited Selection - though really not so bad unless you need something special. Best For: Walking In at non-peak hours. Quiet and chill place. Great when you forgot to pick up bacon for breakfast or when you can't stand the intensity of the Pear St. WF. read more

I have nothing but good things to say about this quaint market. I used to work across the street and I frequented this market for a delicious and quick lunch. I have moved away since and would specifically drive to Ideal to pick up some of my favorite salmon poke. It is so wonderfully made (and this is coming from a very picky poke eater). I have eaten poke from Hawaii and various other places, but all of them can't compare to the ones made here. When I am in town, I would sometimes call to see if there is salmon poke made before driving up to Boulder. Thank you to the accommodating staff-I really appreciate you guys!! read more

Whole Foods Market - my favorite salmon poke is made here - Grocery Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Sure this is really a small Whole Foods store with an Ideal Market sign, but I love this store. I think the extraordinarily friendly staff makes you think you're shopping at a very well stocked, little natural foods market. Service here is consistently good, unlike the ginormous Whole Foods on Pearl which can be inconsistent and sometimes too big and confusing. Sure Ideal may not have EVERYTHING I'm looking for, but sometimes I go to the Pearl St Whole Foods and forget something or another because I got distracted by the enormity of the impersonal market. Only thing I dislike about Ideal is that the parking lot is a bit squashed. read more

For the most part it's pretty good. The prices can be steep but sometimes they carry unique things that you can't find anywhere else. They have a good bakery section as well a deli. Again the prices for these items are a bit pricey but if $ isn't an issue then def. go here. They have a friendly staff too. read more

Manager is rude. I will never go back to this location. Sensitivity training and some customer service classes would most likely be of benefit. read more

I've spent easily tens of thousands of dollars at this location. Unhelpful staff. This review is specifically about bags. On more than one occasion they've overloaded my bags and the bags have broken. Today, Monday of thanksgiving week, I asked for 4 bags. They are out of bags with handles. No way I could carry those myself. It would be nice if the cashier had the common sense and courtesy to ask if I needed a cart. If it weren't such a convenient location I'd take my business elsewhere. read more

The most annoying Whole Foods ever! I pay $10 for a tiny amount of hot bar food and there are no utensils in the dining area?

Great mini neighborhood Whole Foods! Such a pleasant place to shop- small, but has just about everything I need quickly and easily. The employees are very nice and the produce quality is excellent. read more

I love ideal! I live a couple blockes away and have started to frequent the store after years of avoiding it because it was a whole foods. I used to primarily shop at sunflower market, but their produce and meat doesn't hold a candle to what they have at ideal market. The employees are always friendly and very helpful. the guys in the meat department are awesome too- they are always giving helpful tips or know just what i am looking for. They sometimes don't have things that I am looking for, but this happens rarely and I am guessing because it is such a small store that a lot of people frequent...I'd rather have a store sell out of things than be overstocked and throw things away. I love the produce and the meat they have available in this store. I also love that they have a ton of organic options and often have things on sale. They also have a lot of local products. read more

It's not ideal at all. I don't like it. They don't have a very good inventory selection, the deli food is lame, and the check-out experience has the usual annoying Whole Foods greedy corporate green-washing gimmicks. Parking is awkward and the overall experience is lame. On the positive side, the shopping center and location is nice. read more

I like this place, good food, on the expensive side. Nice to sit outside. I stopped shopping here when they BOOTED MY CAR for spending too much time shopping at the store and getting coffee with a friend and hitting the pharmaca. $100+ penalty for patronizing them doesn't sit well with me. read more

Had a $8.99 sandwich. Too much bread, very little meat, veggies, etc... Customer service is mediocre...

Fine customer service, but I cannot get past the prices, which are absolutely asinine. That and the other customers that shop there, in my experience, are rich, yuppie, and extremely rude. If you are not a millionaire... Shop somewhere else. read more