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, , costs $20 per pound, while the organic carne asada goes for $32 a pound. When I looked at the menu, Korean short ribs and 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.
Why is Erewhon's hot bar so expensive? 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.
