Valli Produce

Before Valli, I would shop at Oakton Market for produce and non-​American foods and at Jewel for dry/​canned/​frozen goods. Valli has all of these things under one roof at very reasonable prices! Additionally, Valli has large deli and meat counters, a substantial bakery, a considerable array of pre-​packaged dry ingredients (beans, grains, nuts, etc.), an adequate seafood counter (that smelled fine), and a selection of prepared foods.

You can’t get everything from one grocery store, right?
In Valli, you can get cheap, good selection (especially vegetables and fruits).
If you only for the food quality, I would give 3 or less. But for every week’s grocery shopping, this place is still my No. 1 place. I almost can get everything I need here and for a very good price.

First time going today. Heard about it from a friend. It is clean, the fish section doesn’t smell fishy, lots of options for fruits and veggies.
Found the inside to be a bit cramped due to workers and structural beams. Prices are OK, comparable to the Jewel-​Osco but with a much better selection.
Overall, I give it 3.5 stars. Its a place to go for specialty items, moderate prices.

Love this store. I come here at least 3 times a week. It’s close to my home and they have all I need and good brands.

I’ve tried this store a couple of times and each time I have had an issue with produce. Its cheap because its old, last-​choice, or the opposite of organic. Bananas: Look green/​yellow in store and the next day they are yellow and spotted brown (I think this happens when old, unsold fruit is frozen or refrigerated?) I bought avocados three days ago and they are already inedible. The cilantro wilted in the fridge overnight. The clementines are bottom-​of-​the-​barrel taste and, you guessed it, rotting quickly. By contrast, I bought honeycrisp apples about 2 months ago, and the one leftover is barely rotting… that worries me. Some of the seeds I bought in bulk taste old.
Also, the ground beef is not a healthy red color. It is BROWN — like a water-​logged worm on the sidewalk after a severe thunderstorm. It grosses me out.
I don’t think I’ll be going here for anything unboxed.

Nice staff. Nice layout. But… the seafood department stinks of fish, which is a sure sign that the seafood is not fresh. I do not recommend this store.

Two stars because everyone that I have come in contact with has been nice, helpful and efficient. –3 because the past two times I’ve been here the produce was WILTED. Valli is the second-​closest grocer to me, and it’s also twice the size of the other place. I’ve left both times to finish my shopping at the other place. Completely unacceptable!

Valli’s is what I call a rock star store. I live in Evanston, not by choice but necessity for now. However, since I do, I go to the one place that makes me feel good that I am out here — Valli’s.
I was a Food 4 Less person and have been for years. I still like it there and their great deals. But Valli’s is a notch up from F4L in that the selections here are even broader. I come for maybe slightly different reasons than other Unilocalers but we have one thing in common: we love this store.
Few stores sell lunchmeat ends any more but these guys do and at $ 1.79 a lb. ($ 1.99 a lb. for cheese ends), I love getting them & making great sandwiches, sometimes with bread or rolls from their reduced bakery cart (when available). However, one drawback — they usually stay fresh for only a few days before becoming greasy so get only what you will need and use or freeze them.
I buy lots of fresh fruit & veggies but do so almost exclusively from their reduced rack in which ALL items run a mere $ 1.49. No matter what time of day or what day you go, the quantities are substantial — lettuce, apples, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, onions, etc. Some packages have combined different items. Some items admittedly show early signs of going but the huge quantity you get in so many of them compensates well. For example, I bought 10 tomatoes in one package yesterday. I may end up throwing 2 or 3 away but what I use still more than makes a fabulous value. I may not always need everything in a particular package but I will find ways to use them in salsas, salads, pepper steaks, Chinese dinners, etc.
Beef prices can be a bit steep, though not so much more than most other stores these days. Pork prices are decent but I like bargains like picking up 2 or 3 chicken quarters in a package for a buck and a half. However, if you look hard enough, the fish prices on many items are rock star — and from across the globe. Just look for manager special tags to get squid, salmon, trout, halibut, catfish, even Chilean sea bass (which is a to die for form of cod) and more at occasionally unheard of prices. For example, I bought a package of salmon yesterday for just 99 cents a lb. (no misprint). Admittedly, a majority of the salmon packages have the meat on the skeleton and bone structure but if you know how to cook salmon & fillet it accordingly, you can get the meat to easily fall off the bone, sometimes in nice fashion. And it is just as tasty as the more expensive boneless cuts of the fish.
If you’re fortunate to see the boned sections of the Chilean sea bass out in the open, you can get it for as little as $ 2.49 a lb. (again, no misprint). If you’re not familiar with how expensive this fish normally as, just go to a Greek restaurant or other that sells it. Often it is marked as «market price». Conservative estimates are like a minimum of $ 12-​$ 16 a lb. (up there with lobster & Filet Mignon). I tried it deep fried with fish cornmeal breading for the first time like three weeks ago and again, it was to die for — and I don’t say that about most foods I eat. Cook it, filet the buttery flavored meat off the bone and you’ll see why it is so sumptuous.
OK, I’ll try to be brief the rest of the way. As I noted earlier, if the bakery cart is out, check for breads and sometimes desserts, all marked down to 99 cents. Reduced salads are also marked down to 99 cents. There is a huge (and I mean huge) selection of bulk nuts & candies, some pricey but not all — you just have to look. Plus do not overlook the hot foods section, some items served out in the open and some behind a deli counter. Plus there is a another deli counter where you can get whole fish of all kinds (some you may have never heard of from across the world) cut to your specification — some a bit high but not all — you just have to do your homework. Plus there is yet another deli counter where you can get cold non-​fish item dinners (like stuffed chicken breast, stuffed pork chops, kabobs, fajitas, etc.) where you take them home, cook and serve. There is also a sushi section where you can buy heat & eat foods like tempura shrimp (10 for $ 6), crab rangoon, spring rolls and other oriental items. Half price after 7 PM, a cashier told me.
The store is huge but well kept; only minor issues like fish odors from live blue crabs (when displayed out in the open, not always the case) and selling halal meats (Google if you want to know why it concerns me), though they’re not in abundance. Employees are often rather friendly, sometimes will approach you the customer to see if you need help, something you seldom see in grocery stores. Grocery and non-​grocery aisles are perhaps slightly smaller here than other stores (that likely being due to Valli’s emphasis on produce and meats) but certainly adequate.
I have much more to say but Unilocal space doesn’t allow. The minor issues make this a 4 ½ star review but since that number is not available, it gets a 5. Valli’s is worth the trip & highly recommended.

Winter hours that have already started 7am-​9pm Monday through Sunday
Thanksgiving day 7am-​2pm
Black Friday 7am-​7pm
I LOVE VALLI PRODUCE! !!

What a game changer for Evanston. I had been driving to the Mariano’s in Skokie because of the service, lack of options and checkout lines that reminded me of the taxi lines at O’Hare.
It is laid out perfect and more vegetable varieties than the 2 whole foods and jewel put together. We live a high protein low carbohydrate lifestyle.
The person behind the deli couldn’t have been more helpful and was so fast.
Prices are low. Everything is on sales and I was sent a coupon for $ 10 off $ 50. An example is I bought (everything Valli Produce) 1 lb Cashews, ¾ lb Soy Beans and 1 ¾ lb Peanuts In-​Shell for $ 8.50, I don’t think Trader Joes can compete.
I haven’t tried their produce but purchased two types of steak, salmon, ribs and chicken breast.
You didn’t have to deal with the Jewel scam of buy one get one free.
Large Wine and Liquor selection & prices are inline with Jewel but larger selection. Jewel actually has a larger boxed wine selection and Valli should look at that trend.
The low reviews are from the people that work at Jewel and Whole Foods. I would be scared yours hours are going to be cutback. And for Jewel, they will be implementing a new employee training plan to remind them who the customer is.
If you haven’t tried this place, they make Sushi and just go and see what happens.

Love this store! Produce fantastic and so is the bakery

This place gets a solid 4 stars from me because of the sheer size of this place, especially the produce section, and the availability of wide range of selections, and prices are in line, if not cheaper that Jewel. But not only that, this place actually got me excited about buying fruits and vegetables because they were organized and easy to maneuver through. I was there Sunday morning and this place was practically empty which made it easy for me to pace myself without bumping or slowing anyone down. That really helped with the shopping experience. Also, they have fish steak which, maybe for me, is always hard to find at Jewel.
My only issue with this place has to do with the customer service as well. My cashier wasn’t rude or anything, but she definitely wasn’t gentle with my groceries. I do often get grocery store sushi, and my biggest pet peeve is bagging something heavy over my sushi. And my cashier did just that.
Overall, I was impressed and will definitely be here again.

I’m puzzled by the 1-​star reviews — I’ve found this to be a really good grocery/​produce option in an underserved part of Evanston. It’s got a fantastic range, especially compared to our next closest budget option (Jewel on Chicago) and if you shop according to what’s on special, you can get some amazing deals. E.g. this week I picked up a whole chicken for around $ 3, and a huge amount of pork that we butchered into a tenderloin, a roast and three center cuts for $ 9.
I will say that the produce has been hit or miss, but so far it’s been a lot more consistent/​reliable than Jewel (which may not be saying much — but the prices are cheaper and the selection is bigger so Valli has my vote). As others have mentioned, it’s no Mariano’s/Heinen’s/Wholefoods, but I think it’s a pretty good approximation, minus the bells and whistles (hello piano player, oyster bar… sure they make grocery shopping feel fun but it’s not what counts when you’re on a budget and trying to feed a large family).
Also, I’ve only had to ask for help in the aisles a few times and the staff have been courteous and if unsure of the answer, helped find someone who knew. The check-​out staff have always been friendly and well trained — maybe I lucked out? Or maybe they’re smoothing out the wrinkles of a new open and are taking the Unilocal feedback to heart. But so far, I’m pleased with the customer service and I’ll update my review if that changes.
[OK one exception: I found a giant block of parmesan that had been mislabeled as $ 0.01/pound, so it was labeled as costing one penny. I could have gone through the self checkout and scored this big block of cheese for a penny, but did the right thing and took it to the deli counter… thinking they would thank me for my honesty, and yes, selfishly, hoping they would maybe give me a discount — nope, nothing, the chick just looked at it and laughed and walked over to her manager without a word of acknowledgment my way. She saw me later and came over, having relabeled it — «hey did you want this?» (for $ 12 or whatever)]

I went back, and found a huge clean store well stocked with all manner of fresh produce, deli options, and row after row of regular grocery staples. It was mostly empty at 9am on a Tuesday, which made for an excellent shopping experience.
The prices here are no different than those you’ll find at other large grocery chains, and there are several in-​store specials that beat the prices at the other stores.
Valli Produce is an excellent option without the crowds, (so far), and plenty of parking.
They even had a few new Vegan and Vegetarian options for me in the frozen isle, and a rather large liquor selection with very reasonable prices, score!

I am so happy to have Valli Produce in the neighborhood. I can find here everything that I need and Valli also carries a large selection of organic products and produce. My favorite is the bakery, I like to get two Canollis for us for Sundays and I like their sushi. It’s not the greatest sushi I had but for 50% after 7pm… it’s a great deal. I find the cashiers and people around the store very helpful always greeting me and asking if I found everything. I also found out that Valli carries wine made here in Illinois. One day at the store I met the wine representative who introduced me to a wine from Illinois winery. Also I never have any issues in the parking lot, there is a lot of parking and shopping carts are quickly returned so you never have wait for a shopping cart or go without one.

Why the low reviews? This place is super cheap and they really have a huge variety of items to choose from.
No they don’t have a piano player or a popcorn machine but they have affordable fruits and veggies that are cheaper than other grocery stores.
They also have a huge selection of bulk nuts and candies and in store gelato.
Their deli counter workers are really nice too.
Minus one star:
Please bring back the shredded coconut bulk food strips!

They have a huge selection of things which is my favorite part. I can find almost everything I need before sending my daughter to the ballet class. Super convenience!

I was really happy to have a replacement for Dominick’s, but, after tonight I’m not sure I want to give Valli my money. I bought broccoli last week, and tonight as I was getting ready to prepare it, I found worms all over it. Disgusting. I called and asked to speak to a produce manager, just to let them know. He was completely flippant, telling me he’s been in produce for 30 years and «sometimes it happens.» That may very well be, but, I’m 44 years old and have purchased more than my fair share of produce from countless stores and farmers markets. I have NEVER ONCE BROUGHT HOME PRODUCE COVERED IN WORMS. I could have let it go were it not for his blasé attitude. Yes he told me to bring it in (like I’m keeping that in my house) and I would be refunded, but that wasn’t the point. At least pretend like you care. Yuck.

Dear Manager,
Me being fed up today was misdirected at the teenagers tossing my groceries around, gossiping about their coworkers in front of me, and nit picking at one another about who knows more produce codes than the other (neither knowing enough to satisfy me). It should have been directed at you for not teaching these kids how to be professionals, kids who were hired by your organization and who you are ethically responsible for molding into young professionals ready to enter the workforce after high school. Their behavior is indicative of a management team that allows staff to perform at a subpar level. Like at the beginning of my visit today I tried to get a sweet treat from the bakery counter. There were 2 staff members behind the counter and 3 management staff members in front, assessing the products. Not one of you greeted me. I had to ask who can help me and the person assigned to help me tossing my delectable goodies around like a piece of trash mixed in with some indignant attitude. Or the last time I visited when there were seven — YES SEVEN — staff members at the deli counter, 3 customers waiting to be served, and not one person paying attention. Or the time before that when the staff clearly weren’t trained well in checking out produce products which is funny because it’s Valli PRODUCE! If you’re going to train your staff on ANYTHING I’d THINK it’d have been the PRODUCE.
Anyways — third time’s a charm. I’ll go pay more at another store or stick to supporting local businesses that actually care about their customers’ experiences. What a shame. Such potential and yet there’s so much self-​sabotage.

No one was at Customer Service desk to write up a rain check for me. Meanwhile cashiers and baggers are looking at me there without calling someone for assistance at the desk. The cashier didn’t know the code for the dates so she sent us to the customer service desk (where there was now a line formed). She had to void the whole transaction to ring up other customers. Then re-​scan and key in our items. Waste of time that was needed elsewhere.
More training needed perhaps