I came in on the second official day of opening May 24, 2017 and went in to find a quick dinner to take home. I was pleasantly surprised the wide selection of ready to eat foods and also two store within a store restaurants. The first is seafood focused. The other is a Japanese / Korean focused one. I'll focus on the latter.
Kei Jei Kitchen is next to the bakery area inside. This particular restaurant is exclusive to this location in Charlotte as it's not available at the other two Whole Foods in town. So what items are available? Hot noodle soups (aka Ramen), Gyoza (dumplings, and bubble tea. Currently, they have five different ramen options, three Gyoza, and three bubble teas available.
I had the original tonkotsu version. For those not in the know Tonkotsu is thick, creamy and nearly white in color, from pork marrow bones that have been simmered to smithereens. My score 4.25 / 5 for what I got. Portion size was exactly right. Price at $ 12.99 at the time of this review is actually a few dollars cheaper vs. the other ramen focused places in Charlotte. Flavor was to be expected. I did take it home and I highly recommend the dish be warmed up. Ramen is meant to be eaten hot. I also added my own chili oil to add an extra bit of spice.
Now I'm a desserts kind of guy and was amazed at the huge selection of gourmet desserts fresh made in the store. But, keeping with the Asian theme with my dinner I took advantage of the full case of Mochi Ice Cream balls. They go for 6 pieces for $ 10. With ten different flavors you definitely should try it out. Mochi is a soft pounded sticky rice cake that is molded around ice cream filling. I give these 4 / 5 stars.
Considering I only spent less then 10 minutes in the store I have a lot more to discover. If you happen to live in the area this is definitely a welcome addition and potentially better alternative for ready to eat meals then the many over priced dining options opening up in the area.