April 6, 2008
Went downtown for the evening and decided I had to check out WHOLE PAYCHECK for the beer-The majority of the brews are kept inside a beer cave with swinging doors- it’s not as cold as you think in there, trust me, I was fine in shorts and a shirt. A few items that I can’t find around town are here, and the prices are at or slightly below the competition around town. Food- well, it is a high end grocery store, so be prepared to pay up sucker if you want to pair beer with something. Staff- friendly, but has the hidden condescending attitude that it’s patrons match up so well with. Summary- I really wanted to tear this place apart even before I set foot in it, but, I can’t now. The prices are good on the beer, they do have a few items I can’t get anywhere else, and pairing combinations are available-at a price. To borrow a line from Kevin Smith: This place wouldn’t be too bad if it weren’t for the frigging people that shop there...

March 13, 2008
The Downtown Whole Foods is a great place to get beer in Austin. A good selection, but not everything available in town can be found here. One great thing about it though is that anything can be purchased as a single. There is usually somebody around to help with questions and they seem to be somewhat knowledgable too. Fantastic selection considering it’s mainly a high end grocery store. Most of the beer is kept in a walk in cooler too, so it’s slightly chilled when you get it.

March 6, 2008
This location is much better than the North Austin one! Knowledgeable staff and a pretty good beer selection and decent priced too. The walk-in/walk-through beer cooler is awesome. It is great to have a store where you can walk in - get good beer and then some great food to pair it with. And, it is all under one roof.

December 21, 2007 [ Updated September 15, 2008 ]
Another great WFM. Walk-in beer cooler with a good amount of variety. Well organized. HUGE glassware selection. Friendly knowledgeable staff and always a wonderful place to grab a bite.

March 24, 2007
The downtown store is the flagship/corp headquarters, and it really shines. As has been said before, selection slightly subpar relative to CM. The cooler is snazzy. Just go check it out, if just for the prepared food...

January 25, 2007
Great beer selection and awesome food in the store. The only bad part about looking for beer was that you got cold because you had to walk into the fridge. Very knowledgeable staff that will help you with any question.

September 16, 2006
A massive store, good beer selection for Texas. Has the common American craft beers along with some stuff on the mildly hard to find. Real Ale, and Independence brewing are here. Make sure to watch the weather for Smug warnings though because the people are very hybrid car im better then the others because im a trendy organic food eating prick.

September 16, 2006
A massive store, good beer selection for Texas. Has the common American craft beers along with some stuff on the mildly hard to find. Real Ale, and Independence brewing are here. Make sure to watch the weather for Smug warnings though because the people are very hybrid car im better then the others because im a trendy organic food eating prick.

May 16, 2006
Definitely a large selection but not as impressive as their main competitor. Plus you have to stand around inside that ridiculous cooler while you browse which is a novel idea, but absolutley ridiculous in practice. I like that they have a beer tasting counter, but I’ve only seen them using it once.

April 17, 2006
Had some good somewhat rare beers, a tad pricey but you get quality...i love the cooler