A rose by any other name would not smell as sweet, because it matters where you buy your broccoli. After the Hollywood Reporter called it “Succession, with smoothies,” we were drawn to Erewhon like a honey bee to a craft honey hive. A story of business success but also of social media gravitas, the rise of Los Angeles-based supermarket Erewhon is an incredible phenomenon. If you don’t want to shell out the price of a ticket to Los Angeles (and then the same amount again for a smoothie there), here’s where you can live out your Erewhon fantasies in Bangkok — sultry activewear, designer salad, sea moss gummies, et al.
Starting out as a small food stall founded by Aveline and Michio Kushi, Erewhon has evolved from being a place for organic, macrobiotic food shopping, to becoming a hot celebrity hangout for the likes of the Kardashians and company. Now in the hands of Tony and Josephine Antoci, Erewhon has no intentions of opening outside of the affluent neighbourhoods of California (yet), though netizens worldwide are certainly already aware of all its offerings — especially the price tags.
“If Whole Foods is first class, Erewhon is a private jet.”
— Overheard (@realoverheardla) February 19, 2021
Erewhon is as much a propagator of health and wellness, as it is of a very particular lifestyle. On TikTok alone, a search for ‘Erewhon’ yields a slew of over 130 million results, ranging from the #ErewhonHaul to #ErewhonSmoothie reviews. More than a place to shop healthy food products, it is also a place to socialise, network, and produce content to your heart’s content. Nonetheless, its success lies in the fact that its products are actually, genuinely, pretty damn good.
Half sarcastic, half serious (as you know and love us), we put together a guide to living out the Erewhon lifestyle right here in Bangkok. Don’t worry, we made sure the items featured were all pretty expensive. You just make sure you have your Sporty & Rich shopping tote ready.
How to live the Erewhon lifestyle in Bangkok: A guide to smoothies, salads, bone broth, and more
Dress the part by shopping exclusively at Alo Yoga (with a Stanley cup for accessorising)
Proving that a place to see and be seen isn’t limited to glitzy hotels and restaurants, you can’t just rock up in faded pyjama shorts when shopping at Erewhon. Whilst athleisure is still very much the name of the game, to complete your Erewhon experience in Bangkok, you must make sure you are decked out in appropriate yoga or Pilates gear. Before or after your class at FS8, make sure you sport the shorts, the matching bra, and a Stanley cup to accessorise.
Lucky for us, Los Angeles’ beloved Alo Yoga actually launched in Thailand last year, so we can finally dress like we’re shopping in Calabasas with Kendall Jenner. It’s like the Erewhon gods were really looking out for us here. Priced at a similar level, we also like Lululemon for their leggings, or V Activewear as a local Thai designer alternative.
Start the day with an Erewhon-style smoothie packed with skincare benefits
The power of the Erewhon smoothie is undeniable; a force so strong it can make even rational humans dish out an approximate THB 675 for a drink. Hailey Bieber’s ‘Strawberry Glaze’ is arguably the most famous, though many other celebrities have endorsed a supplement-packed, star-value smoothie at Erewhon’s ‘tonic bar’ before. The line-up includes Katy Perry, Kourtney Kardashian, Bella Hadid, and Sofia Richie Grainge, to name a few. Common ingredients include organic almond butter, probiotic kefir, flavoured collagen, and “moon juice sex dust,” to keep it curious.
While the ingredient list for smoothies in Bangkok isn’t quite as lengthy, a whole range of cafes and juice bars have launched Erewhon-style smoothies in the last few months. A few of our favourites include ve/la (serving ‘Blueberry Haze’ in response to Bieber’s ‘Strawberry Glaze’), Lélé (which just launched a colourful ‘magic powder’ series), and the new Self Smoothies (spotlighting superfood ingredients specifically).
The health benefits may be debatable, but the aesthetics definitely check out. Some might say that’s even more important, actually.
Fuel up with designer salads and bone broth
Whilst Erewhon is very much a grocery store, the ‘hot bar’ is the star of this expensive show. Here, celebs and mortals can purchase nutritious salads and sides to-go. It’s a world away from your typical food hall offering, and some items have become so popular they’ve even achieved “cult status.”
To get you started, make a note of the best salad spots in town. We love GetFresh on the more affordable end of the Designer Salad Spectrum, as well as Pimp My Salad, from the team behind Sarnies. The new Good Roots is great for a heartier bite, or try Salad Stop for more protein-packed diets.
No time to eat? Only a few minutes to slurp? Whilst many praise the Erewhon soup selection, true wellness gurus (and Gwyneth Paltrow followers) will know that bone broth is where it’s at. It’s destiny, then, because Asia’s first and only bone broth cafe, Genius Bar, is also located right here in Bangkok.
The aforementioned “cult status” snack is the Erewhon Buffalo Cauliflower, a vegan-friendly alternative to Buffalo wings. In Bangkok, you can find this dish at Veganerie, Carrots, or Broccoli Revolution.
Make sure your water is extra oxygenated, and your juices are cold-pressed to the core
If you want to live the Erewhon lifestyle, regular water won’t cut it. Invest in Ociio, which produces oxygenated drinking water. After fasting for 18 hours and drinking only water or black coffee, shift to natural juices — cold-pressed, or go home.
There are plenty casual juice bars across town, though not many are really dedicated to cold-pressed juices. Whilst you can find some at popular brunch spots and cafes, our favourites include Veggiology, PAAK, and Pash. Naturally, they also do smoothies. Some also sell salads. Double, triple Erewhon win.
Organic supermarkets like Erewhon to check out
While the rumour mill has been speculating over a New York or London outpost for Erewhon, it is unlikely the health-luxe supermarket will make it to Bangkok anytime soon. Nonetheless, the city is already home to a few quality organic grocers.
Delivered right to your doorstep, Paleo Robbie is the closest we can find to Erewhon in Bangkok. In fact, Paleo Robbie stocks most of the items listed in this story. Other options include Happy Grocers, Homeland Grocer (which also houses a great cafe), and Sunshine Market. For kombucha queens, The Green Geek also comes highly recommended.
Lastly, while fresh and prepared foods are central to shopping at Erewhon, many also head here to stock up on supplements, especially sea moss gel. To accommodate this, replace your nightly IG doom-scroll with a download of the iHerb app. After a few swipes, your cart will be loaded with gummies and oils, and you can and will thank us later.
Other bragging rights (expensive memberships)
Did you know that Erewhon actually offers memberships? We won’t assume that their members do it for the discount, but it does offer a fine air of exclusivity — the golden key to the Erewhon heart locket.
If you’d like to feel like you’re better than everyone, Bangkok is also home to a few members-only clubs. Some depend on birth right, while others just require a lot of money. These include Soho House Bangkok, The British Club, and famously, The Royal Bangkok Sports Club.
A few of our gyms are so cliquey and expensive that they’re worthy of mention here too, including BASE, F45, and Physique 57 for barre. As for hangouts, you’ll always find a similar gang at the likes of cool-hip community spaces like theCOMMONS for youngsters, or upscale co-working spaces like The Great Room for entrepreneurs.
If all else fails, find your Erewhon-aware crowd at a festival that hinges on culture, nature, and exclusivity. Like the Hadids at Coachella, in Thailand, consider Wonderfruit.
Tags
Written by
Lisa Gries
Creative Content Director, Bangkok
Lisa is the Creative Content Director for Lifestyle Asia and Prestige Thailand. She leads a data-driven content strategy for both titles, finding the balance between scathing SEO metrics and sucks-you-right-in story-telling. Lisa writes mostly on dining, travel, and pop-culture, and is a sucker for a good savoury cocktail. Passionate about Bangkok’s ever-growing bar scene, she also sits on the committee for various bar and spirit awards in the region.
Most Popular
