The effective slide for expensive health food just might surprise you …
Having been born and raised in Los Angeles, health food was kind of the status quo for everyone I knew rather than an aspirational aesthetic. My friend’s parents hid kale and spinach in brownies to get us to eat our daily vitamins, and Erewhon and Health Nut were regular stops (I mean, I was a kid, but I swear they weren’t as expensive back in the day before they were famous). All this to say, I know my health food. And while I do find myself occasionally stopping by Erewhon when I go back to visit my folks (because, as much as we all hate to admit it, the food is delicious), the prices are absolutely wild.
So when I heard about the new viral grocery store in NYC that has inspireddozensofvideosonTikTokraking in hundreds of thousands ofviewscalled Happier Grocery — which some hail as an Erewhon dupe — I couldn’t wait to check it out.
The first order of business was to do a lap scoping out the place because, for a New York City grocery store, this place isbig.It had a downstairs level and so much greenery it was like being in a mini garden, which definitely played into the zen, “come be healthy” oasis vibes they wanted.
My first stop had to be the smoothie bar, of course, because how else would I see how Happier Grocery measured up, if not seeing if their smoothies held up against the infamous $20 Erewhon smoothies? It was right at the front of the store for ease, and there was a nice little seating area underneath all the plants where people could eat or wait for their food.
Because it was a gorgeous summery day, I decided to try the Golden Mango, which consists of mango, pineapple, and banana (while swapping out golden milk for coconut milk since that sounded more appetizing) so I could pretend I was on vacation instead of taking a break in the middle of the work day. The barista told me this was one of their most popular smoothies, aside from the Chocolate Dream and Strawberry Matcha, and clocked in at $12.75 (expensive, but it was less than $20, so this seemed promising).
What was cool was that the menu also had a list of booster add-ons classified according to their effects, ranging from probiotics to CBD to traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. In an effort to try something new, I opted to add Huang Jing (also known as Solomon’s seal), which was supposed to help reduce inflammation. However, the baristas didn’t warn me that this plant has a pretty bitter taste, and the smoothie was mostly sweet enough to cover, but the aftertaste was pretty bitter.
I hate to say it but this is where Erewhon has Happier Grocery beat. While it was a solid smoothie, the four ingredients were way too basic to justify its price tag. At least with an Erewhon smoothie’s price tag, you’re usually getting a laundry list of ingredients promising to cure every health complaint you’ve ever had.
Also , as much as I enjoyed being able-bodied to select my own goodly minimal brain dysfunction - ons ( which is allowed for some but is blasphemy for certain Erewhon smoothie recipe ) , I wish someone had provide some guidance on which ingredients go well together because each ingredient in an Erewhon charmer is thoughtfully curated , so while they may vocalise unusual at time , they ordinarily issue forth together to taste pretty upright .
Also featured at the little cafe counter were two desserts that came highly recommended to try at Happier Grocery via TikTok: its soft serve and its cake. Since I had already had a refreshing smoothie treat, I opted to skip the soft serve in favor of a slice of brownie cake to bring home for later. I was lucky enough to nab the last slice in the store, and I am so happy I did because it honestly was to die for. It consisted of dense, fudgy layers of a brownie-like cake smothered in vanilla bean frosting.
Having secured the goods, I began scouring the aisles and was pleasantly surprised to find that while there were definitely many absurdly overpriced items, there was frequently a slightly more affordably priced alternative right alongside it, which felt refreshingly straightforward.
It was actually one of the more reasonably priced produce sections I had seen in New York City, where a box of blackberries will set you back almost $10 at most grocery stores.
Similar to Trader Joe’s and Erewhon, Happier Grocery has its own brand of organic goods that is distinctive from the other items it offers because of its recognizable minimalist green-and-black packaging. Their line ranges from coffee beans to almond butter to granola, but unlike Trader Joe’s, their name-brand products are the ones that usually have eye-watering prices.
A 12 oz bag of their brand’s unsalted cashews will set you back $18.49 which is more expensive than a 40 oz bag at Costco.
However, the prices for some things, like basic spices, almond butter, olive oil, or pre-sliced fruit, definitely had me doing a double take.
I audibly gasped when I saw the price of this raw milk, which was only $13.79 at Erewhon. What’s more baffling is that they appeared to be almost sold out of the $41 milk because the entire shelf was empty, except for these last two bottles.
And paying almost $14 for a vegetarian alternative to tikka masala in a city where you could probably pay the same to have it freshly made seems like acrime.
Just like Erewhon, they had a wall of expensive healthy drinks. They had the same water that is known to be outrageously expensive at Erewhon, Ophora, but at least here they came in big half-gallon jugs. They also had fancy water that was more reasonably priced at $3-4 a bottle.
However, the drinks from their name brand were again expensive enough that I did a double take. A strawberry Gatorade dupe and pink lemonade for $11.99?? If anyone’s buying that, NYC kids should all be opening lemonade stands.
Next, it was time to check out their ready-made meals, which was one of the store’s most crowded areas. This made sense, given that it was the lunch rush hour, but it also seemed promising.
The ready-made meals ranged from some pretty delicious-looking salads and sushi plates that were expensive — but not outrageous by N.Y.C’s standards — to gallons of soup that were outrageously expensive by any standards. Their turkey sandwich was absurdly priced at $15.50.
They had a pretty extensive hot bar with about eight different types of gourmet pizza options you could order as a personal pizza size, which came in a mini logoed pizza box. The rest of the hot bar had everything from roast beef and grilled salmon to various sides. There was even an onigiri bar that was made to order.
I ordered the chicken nuggets and purple Okinawan mashed potatoes (which cost about $16 for three nuggets and one side) to compare them to Erewhon’s tumeric chicken tenders, which are so good they low-key have a cult following.
While I was waiting for my food to be made, I ducked into a little alcove next to the smoothie bar that had shelves of artfully laid out magazines that seemed more the type to help you fan out to make coffee tables more chic rather than read. The hallway to this little magazine gallery had shelves of merchandise that was, shall we say, eclectic, ranging from random glassware (that cost from $30-60 each) to button-down shirts and caution tape yellow towels featuring the store’s logo.
The real kicker (sorry, I had to) was Happier Grocery clogs that come in that eye-catching caution tape yellow again, as well as olive green and navy, and costing a cool $75. Just what every grocery shopping trip needs.
Lastly, I decided to venture downstairs to see what else was in store. The downstairs area also had more Happy Grocery merchandise, which, for some reason, is stored in a refrigerated cabinet right next to that terrifyingly expensive raw milk.
The rest of the downstairs area largely consisted of pantry goods and very expensive, yet aesthetic, beauty products, many of which were brands I had also seen at Erewhon.
There were these cute little candles made to look like a basket of berries, but I knew I’d never light them because they were just too cute so I put them back (didn’t hurt that they cost $29.99, and I was a little afraid to ask the salesperson if that was the costper strawberrybecause that wouldn’t have surprised me).
Overall, it was a fun experience, and I could see myself stopping in occasionally for the produce (and that cake!) if I was in the area and feeling a little homesick for the absurdly priced health food I grew up with. However, I probably will still have a hankering to pop into Erewhon and get my real smoothie fix whenever I visit my folks because Happier Grocery doesn’t quite scratch that itch.
