Wait, Erewhon Charges How Much For Its Hot Bar?

Erewhon may be America's most legendary grocery store. The Los Angeles-based health food chain is infamous for its sky-high prices, so it's hardly surprising that the hot bar, which is already an overpriced section of most grocery stores, would be ridiculously expensive. But part of what makes Erewhon so compelling is its continual ability to make you do a double-take.

Erewhon's hot bar items are priced individually, so for example, the champion of appetizers, Buffalo cauliflower, costs $20 per pound, while the organic carne asada goes for $32 a pound. When I looked at the menu, Korean short ribs and miso black cod were the most expensive items at an eye-popping $40 per pound, and the cheapest item was organic jasmine rice, a steal at $11 per pound. Most items were between $20 to $30 per pound, which easily works out to nearly $40 for a standard plate of food.

Erewhon's hot bar is so expensive because, well, everything at Erewhon is so expensive. We're talking $23 smoothies, $14 oxygenated water, and a $31 jar of Buffalo chili. When a smoothie costs over $20, a meal for $40 starts to look more reasonable.

Grocery store hot bars are generally more expensive than cooking a meal at home, but cheaper and lower quality than going to a restaurant. However, Erewhon's hot bar prices put it squarely in upscale restaurant territory. At that rate, the food better be very, very good.

Though I've never had the honor of visiting Erewhon's hot bar myself, it is well documented on social media, and I have to admit the food does look pretty tasty. The Korean short ribs, Japanese sweet potato, and Buffalo cauliflower receive rave reviews, with TikTok user @noellemstafa giving the ribs "a 10 out of 10," and @sweatsandthecity claiming the sweet potato "tastes like dessert." But I just don't think I could get over spending nearly $40 on a grocery store meal, no matter how great it tastes. 

The Whole Foods hot bar and salad bar in downtown Los Angeles are priced at a flat rate of $11.99 per pound whether you get za'atar vegetables, incredibly cheesy macaroni and cheese, sour orange chicken, or a bite of everything. Prices vary by location, but at Sprouts Market, most prepared foods range between $8 to $12 per pound, and at Safeway, the hot bar goes for about $9.99 per pound.You'd probably have a hard time spending more than $20 on a single meal at any of these stores, which makes them a steal compared to Erewhon.

Another notable feature of Erewhon's hot bar in contrast to other grocery stores is that you do not serve yourself. Instead, workers portion the food into pre-sectioned containers. This makes sense given the a la carte pricing, and is probably more sanitary. However, as an indecisive person, I appreciate the self-serve hot bars which are the standard at most grocery stores (including Whole Foods). You can create a balanced meal with bits and bobs and bites of whatever you like. It will probably look like a mess, but it will be your mess.

Erewhon's hot bar food quality certainly doesn't disappoint even with its eye-watering prices. But unless you like the idea of spending $40 on a relatively average (if very social media-friendly) meal, I'd stick with another supermarket's hot bar.