What we have here is three floors of gourmet foods at prices lower than Julius Meinl's and comparable to other, less upmarket Merkur locations. It's not equivalent to Whole Foods in the States. Whole Foods emphasizes organic/ethical and just happens to occasionally border on the gourmet, but they clearly cater more to the Prius crowd; Merkur Hoher Markt focuses on offering a purely gourmet experience that just happens to have some overlap with your needs for organic products, but they cater to the Benz more than the Prius crowd. Yes, you will find a great selection of organic (i.e., "Bio") choices here, but that's not the purpose of this enterprise.
As for their specific sections, the bakery is probably my favorite and the reason I used to go to this place. They bake an amazing apple cake and great bread (for the win, go for the Feta-Olivenlaib, the softest bread man has ever created, with feta cheese and olives), in addition to sweet (pralines!) and savory (pretzels!) snacks of the highest quality. Their section of brand products is also excellent. The bakers are absolutely lovely and probably the nicest people in the entire building (which is, truth be told, not a tremendous feat).
Their cold-cuts section is nearly unparalleled. You'll find more upscale products at Meinl (though this Merkur does carry, for example, a mean Jamon de Bellota), but for sheer variety and accessibility, MHM reigns supreme. Their meat section, too, is very good, and the butcher is friendly and helpful. Their cheese section is inferior to Meinl in terms variety, but then for cheeses I'd go to the Naschmarkt. It's still vastly superior to that of a regular supermarket.
Their wine section heavily concentrates on Austrian wine; if you like Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Zweigelt, and Blaufränkisch, this is your place. They do have some French and Italian offerings, as well. In terms of liquor, I find the Merkur at Mariahilferstrasse to have no lesser a selection.
As with most Austrian stores, a cereal-in-the-morning kind of man will be disappointed with the relatively narrow selection that does not go one inch beyond your corner Billa or even Zielpunkt. If you favor honey or jam for breakfast, though, they've got an absolutely mind-blowing array of choices. For beer, sweets, or general delicacies, they're midway between a neighborhood Merkur and Meinl am Graben.
I was pretty content having made this place my go-to grocery shop. It's one of two places where I can get my two-euro turkey slices (a no-no in Meinl) and my truffle butter under one roof, and their bakery is amazing. read more