Grocery Stores (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Maple Grove: co-ops, home, neighborhood)

[brikag]

Hello Everyone,

As we are learning more about the Twin Cities, we are very curious to know what are the best grocery stores and why? It seems that the stores we are used to shopping at here in Los Angeles are not loceted there, including Ralph's, Albertson's, and Von's. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[nick is rulz]

Cub, Rainbow, Byerlys, Lunds, and Kowalskis tend to be the chains around here.

Cub and Rainbow are more comparable to Ralphs, whereas Byerlys, Lunds and Kowalskis are a bit classier and have nicer delis. The latter are obviously nicer stores, but they are a bit more expensive. Generally I shop Cub and sometimes the Farmers Market in the summer.

[thomjoe]

Best is a loaded question ! The chains here are Cub, Rainbow Foods, Super Target, Byerly's/Lunds and Kowalski's. It just depends on what you are shopping for and what budget. If you want to bag your own groceries in a warehouse type environment, and perhaps save some $$, Cub is the way to go. But those stores are always busy. Byerly's/Lund's bags your groceries, some stores are very upscale, some with live music, but prices a tad higher. However you can find anything there. Some of my friends prefer Cub for the produce, Bys/Lunds for the overall selection, etc. My chef girlfriend won't shop anywhere but Byerly's/Lunds. Don't worry, you won't have a problem here. We have some awesome grocery stores. I won't even mention the Wedge co-op uptown. It rocks....(not a chain, however). Everyone has their own fave here...

[stellar9]

I don't know the details, but I do know that a lot of the store you mentioned are owned by the same companies that own the ones in other parts of the country.

I heard that Trader Joe's was coming to the Twin cities and there is one in St. Louis Park and coming soon to Maple Grove. I spent a year in MN way back and my favorite stores were Cub and Rainbow Foods.

Micki

[yellowsnow]

Here's one that will make you feel at home. We have a Trader Joe's now!

[Robert P Stewart]

Yeah, those are nice grocery stores - but if you're living in Minneapolis, do NOT forget about Whole Foods near Lake and Excelsior. Arguably the best cheese shop, butcher, and veggie (everythings organic) section in the business. And I love the deli - truly interesting foods on the deli bar.

And this is coming from someone who LOVES good food. Whole Foods rocks.

Robert

[nick is rulz]

yeah I forgot about Whole Foods...its a great store.


The co-ops are nice too, but again, pretty pricey since most stuff there is organic.

[Hoosier]

We also have a few Super Wal-marts too. We've found that buying meat or produce there is not the best idea. We usually buy our frozen foods and OJ (much cheaper there) and all the dry goods there. Amazing how you can get the same product for almost a dollar cheaper (depending on what it is).

We used to live on the west coast and really miss Safeway! We were shocked when we went to see family in western Montana and saw the remodel of the Safeways!! Twin Cities are awesome! You will love it here.

[brikag]

Wow- the replies were very informative and we appreciate all of the responses. Yes, we love Trader Joe's and go there quite often, so that made me happy to see that there is one in the Twin Cities. And, Whole Foods is here as well, so we are familiar with that. THe others sound intriguing, so it wil be fun to check them out. Again, thanks everyone! You are really helping us get a good idea of what to expect when we get there.

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by nick is rulz

Cub, Rainbow, Byerlys, Lunds, and Kowalskis tend to be the chains around here.

Cub and Rainbow are more comparable to Ralphs, whereas Byerlys, Lunds and Kowalskis are a bit classier and have nicer delis. The latter are obviously nicer stores, but they are a bit more expensive. Generally I shop Cub and sometimes the Farmers Market in the summer.

I agree with nick. On a regular basis, we shop at Lund's and Cub. Lund's is in our neighborhood and has great produce, but we compared a few select items and found Lund's generally about 30% higher than Cub. They bag your stuff for you, but who cares? What else are you going to do when you are waiting for the total? While Cub is cheaper, it's a three mile drive from our home so not as convenient. The Cub we go to (Midway, St. Paul) has an excellent selection of ethnic produce due to their location in a very diverse neighborhood (much better selection than the suburban Cubs we've shopped at).

The other alternative we use is Simon Delivers. Its prices are generally on par with Lund's/Byerly's, but you order on line and they deliver it to your door. Really cool! You have to have a bill of $80+, or they charge you a delivery fee, though.