Mariano’s – Frankfort

I love this place! The gelato is amazing! The coffee is good. You. An get seasoned meat and they will grill it for you. You can shop while they grill the food for you. The sushi isn’t the greatest. The pizza there is good. You an also get great fresh baked bread and organic fruits and vegetables. I just go to this place to get groceries and enjoy some gelato. The cheese selection here is great! I got all my cheese here for my cheese party. It was great!

Best supermarket in the southern suburbs. And there seems to be great consistency chain-​wide as I’ve visited several other locations. I also really like stopping in for lunch; great hot lunch bar. and an actual bar. Pan pizza is very reminiscent of that once made by my Sicilian grandma. The chain has recently been sold, so I hope high standards continue.
And by the way… this is also a grocery store. Great international selections and a deli counter and butcher shop to die for. Their cook will grill your steak on the spot… NO CHARGE.

I visit the Vero Café for the box of joe around 3 times a week. Went in at 9:15 pm last week and the teenager said no more coffee tonight only expresso that they stop brewing at 9:00 pm (I have been in before after 9:00 pm for coffee).
I explained that I only wanted a box of joe which takes a full pot of coffee and that’s when the excuses started, then she said yea I can do one put it will take 25 minutes I have purchased plenty and have never had to wait 25 minutes for a fresh pot. So I left and I called and asked to speak to a manager. I was transferred to Rodney that agreed with her story that coffee stops around 9:00 pm. I told him maybe then post a sign stating that then the story changed after explaining how many time a week I come in for coffee.
He then turned the blame back at me because I didn’t ask for him before I left. How about getting the café in order to avoid these phone calls and he said you know how teenagers are.
I guess I’ll be getting my box of coffee from dunkin donuts. And return to shopping at Jewel where the customer is the customer.

So, I complained to #Mariano’s because I bought two nasty sausages. I told them their product was crap and that I wasn’t happy. I told them that I was not going to stop being a customer, but that this product was quite bad.
I was called the next day, actually, it might have been the same day but my cellphone battery was dead. Tony, a man among men, left a voicemail and said he was devastated about the situation and wanted to make it right.
I called him back and he made all the necessary apologies. But then, he said «what do you like instead?» I told him that I bought their Italian sausages regularly. He said «what time do you eat dinner?»
Sixteen — this whole thing started because I got two sausages that accidentally had their salt content increased by 1000 — perfectly cooked Italian sausages were delivered to me at 5:00pm. Tony had asked my family’s dinner time. Yes, sixteen sausages showed up for dinner along with buns, roasted bell peppers, a freaking apple pie for dessert and then a $ 10 gift card.
I’m gonna call Tony tomorrow because that was above and beyond. I wasn’t trying to get away with something. I shop #Marianos regularly (actually, it is far from me and shopping there is a treat for me) and I wish them well. This was a bad product and they needed to know about it. Well, they do know. They took it off their shelves and were thankful for the notice. They were embarrassed and they made up for it in spades. I have never had customer service like that. Just wow. They ceased to have me as a customer. They now have me as an evangelist.

I like the small scale store with the large & some unique selections
Prices seem fair
Bakery is full of commercial breads though, not many low ingredient choices
Cakes are beautiful & reasonably priced
Fresh juice bar & gelato counter are great
They will cook your butcher purchase for you, which I though was pretty neat.
You’d fit in best if you don’t work, wear yoga pants and have children named Sawyer or Coco.
But overall, if you avoid the main social hours with loosely supervised, well dressed children ramming you with miniature shopping carts while their mommy’s chat, you’ll fare well.

Communication from day to night staff needs to get better. Now my mother’s birthday dinner is ruined because they had no clue about the steak order. This location is pretty bad compared to others!

This 1 sucks. Go to jewels. Mariano’s cost more per item. There take out is the worst. Cold pizza. Dirty soup n salad area. Long lines in the express checkout. There seating area is worse. No cups for water. Tables wobbly n dirty. Chairs wobbly. Wi do doesn’t work. I can’t complain more about this place. They always run out of hot sauce in the condiments area. This is my last time here. I will not return unless management addresses these issues. Or the owners find new management. All other Mariano’s seem good. Why is this 1 crappy?
Oh and another thing, sure fresh orange juice is nice to SEE. nOT HEAR. The machine has an ear piercing squeak!!!
Why don’t u fix it u idiot managers!

Treat their employees like crap, firing a 16 year old kid for not showing up for work at 1 when they told you they can’t start before 4 pm during the week because they are in school. I hope people boycott this place and never give them a dime of thier money.

No more Crumbs cupcakes, but they have plenty of dessert options for anyone with a sweet tooth.

So when you live in rural america, we must have been a sight walking through Mariono’s with our mouths wide open! Choices that I’ve never had to make before. Good thing we happen to eat first!

Big surprise, yet again this week, they didn’t order the water… Apparently ordering water is far more complicated than I’m aware of.

A nice looking grocery store which falls seriously short on quality and price compared to the competition.
Their shrimp prices are significantly higher than Jewel’s, as are their lobster prices. We purchased oysters at $ 2.50 each! They were fresh… and quite small.
To test their meats, we purchased a Prime Ribeye cut at $ 19.95 per pound. After carefully cooking it on my Weber, the steak was a huge disappointment. Chewy with a texture consistent of steak ranging in quality between Select and Choice.
The peaches we purchased had to be thrown in the trash. The exterior 20% became rotten under the skin while the fruit towards the middle was still hard and not yet ripe. Good money was paid for this produce.
We will never go back to this place. They want to charge Whole Food prices while giving you below Jewel quality. No thanks!

I hate this place. Extremely overrated barely any grassfed or organic meat, egg, or dairy options. Produce is relatively inexpensive but I would still much rather go to Brookhaven down the street. Also a few of my family members got food poisoning from the salad bar.

I know how excited Chicagoland folks were when Mariano’s stores started popping up all over the map. The many chic versions or markets or grocery stores were usually reserved for the hip and chic living downtown.
My friend insisted we go to the Arlington Heights store when I came in for a visit from the East Coast. It was a Friday night so the store was a buzz… wine and cheese tasting, beer and food samples, etc., etc. I thought the store was VERY nice. I then had the opportunity to visit the Frankfort store on several occasions. Again, a nice store, but nothing I haven’t seen before.
My biggest disappointment was when you left the super promoted highlighted areas of the world cuisine, hot food, bakery, meat and seafood, what was left was a pedestrian style grocery store that seemed like an afterthought.
We have an East Coast chain «Wegman“s» that is identical to Mariano’s in many ways, just think bigger. Once you traversed the «star» departments with all the bells and whistles under a beautiful gleaming hardwood floor, you enter the rest of the store and it feels like a Meijers.
The quality of product is very good, but you pay for it. So although I am happy a Mariano’s came to the SW burbs, I know when I visit the area again, I will only patronize it for very special items.

Grocery Review: I’ve had a couple of years to compare since the unfortunate demise of Dominick’s stores in Chicago. I’ve now made my choice as to the head and shoulders best grocery store chain in the area: Mariano’s — by a country mile.
Why?
1. QUALITY — Mariano’s has a better selection of better foods than Jewel Food stores, and even bests Kroger’s by a decent margin. The deli is out of this world, and seems to have Krakus ham and Land-​O-​Lakes cheese on permanent sale.
2. BAKERY — Mariano’s bakery, especially in the Frankfort, Illinois store, is out of this world. The bread is fresh and tasty and the cake work is high art. The Italian and French breads are priced reasonably and more than once, I’ve come to the counter and received WARM bread fresh from the oven.
3. RIBS — The BBQ ribs, slow-​cooked, are the best I’ve tasted. Gloria and I could gain 500 pounds on them!
4. MEATS — You can find great deals on the freshest and best tasting meats. Mariano’s will even grill it for you.
5. PRICE — You can spend a fortune at Mariano’s or you can shop carefully and get prices that rival Aldi! The Roundy’s store brand is fantastic, and their Keurig compatible pods are $ 5 for 12 and are better and tastier than the high-​fallutin’ brands.
6. ***SERVICE*** — At Jewel, I’m sorry to say that the service leaves a great deal to be desired. I’ve experienced multiple astounding service experiences at Mariano’s. Here’s an example: I was at the store with one of the kids. I was looking for a thing of coconut oil and having a problem. A lady employee came to me and asked me if I was looking for something. I told her. She told me that she would find it and to keep on shopping and she would find me. She was 100% true to her word. She found me elsewhere in the store, presented me with exactly what I sought, and told me where to find it in the future. I never thought that such service existed anymore.
I’ve not mentioned the produce or the selection. Mariano’s has won me over. I dislike shopping anywhere else.

I Love Mariano’s. If there wasn’t a place called standard market it would easily be 5 stars! The mariano’s in Frankfort is always packed, parking can be a bear but it is totally worth it.
The produce is always fresh and they have some really unique items that you don’t see anywhere else.
Seafood Department is only bested by Standard Market in variety and uniqueness.
I will add that Mariano’s prices are Waaaaaaaay cheaper than Standard Markets. So I guess I give Marianos a 4.5 Star rating!

Mariano’s is a great grocery store, hang out and snack provider.
I am sent here, I mean, I come here sometimes to pick up breakfast and it’s fabulous. Orange juice, their breakfast sandwich and their berry oatmeal will keep me happy all the way to lunch.
I have also dropped by to pick up desserts because we need to make sure they are still tasty. And yes, they are. I recommend the lemon slices.
The only thing that irritates me is that this store didn’t open back when i was in charge of the weekly grocery shopping.
Mariano’s is more than the hype, it’s the real deal.

I’m kinda weird because I enjoy going to different grocery stores and comparing them to each other. I know that Mariano’s is getting really popular and I couldn’t wait for a chance to check it out. It reminds me of Whole Foods a lot, but it’s even bigger than the Whole Foods i normally go to. I’ve now been to this Mariano’s twice and am close to calling it my favorite grocery store.
–Produce and meat are reasonable and on point with other grocery stores (and even lower on some items)
–Friendly workers
–Lots of taste testing! When I was here, I got a pretty large portion of an italian beef and I also got to try out some new coffee.
–Fresh market bars that make for a good lunch spot. The soup was really good and cheap!
–Clean
–Nice selection of organic foods
The cons
–Everyone in the area loves this store so the lines can be horrrrendous. My 2^nd visit, I was in the 15 or less aisle behind a person that had WAY more than 15 items. She also decided to argue about the price on everything. I was in line for at least 20 minutes for a handful of items.
–The parking lot can be cray at times. It’s not all bad though — a little exercise never killed anyone.
–Sample the juice from the juice bar before buying! I bought a carrot/​cucumber/​celery one and it was DISGUSTING. I threw $ 3 down the drain because you know I couldn’t force myself to drink it.

People are going to call me a hater on this one. I’m used to it. I don’t dislike Mariano’s. I really don’t. I do most of my shopping here. I just don’t love it. I’m a huge fan of Whole Foods though. I really think I just can’t shake my Whole Foods addiction.
Mariano’s has some great features. The cheese department is nice. The liquor selection and prices are good. The produce is good. Most of the prices on my basic items are cheaper or the same as the competition.
The bakery is where they really lose me. It’s just not as good as it should be. I honestly completely skip it now. I never pass on baked goods! The staff in the meat department wasn’t the best (pretty bad actually) on one occasion too.
I will continue to shop here. I can’t afford to hit up Whole Foods several times a week. I guess skipping the bakery will end up being a good thing.

Despite some major personal beef I have with ⁴⁄₆ Mariano’s I’ve visited, I actually like this one and think its just what the South Suburbs needed.
I stopped in for a quick beverage when I unexpectedly thwarted traffic and ended up arriving a full two hours early to meeting in the south suburbs, which NEVER happens. The parking lot was clean and well spaced. You don’t feel a hint of claustrophobia, nor do you feel like you have to fight masses and rogue carts to get a decent and safe spot for your ride.
They’ve got the best café dining area that I’ve seen at any Mariano’s, with above-​head fans that make enough calming white noise to drown out any conversation outside of your table, but still quiet enough to hear your own thoughts. There’s complimentary cucumber water available in addition to their gelato, sandwich, sushi, pizza, and bakery counters — none of which were overrun with a line that wrapped around the store like at other locations.
I took a look around, knowing I likely wouldn’t be purchasing any perishables given the long drive I’d have back home, but I did make an A-​line for the cold (natural) beverage section and immediately set my sights on a bottle of Karma Kombucha in mixed berry flavor that had the cutest picture of a Red Panda on the label and, turns out, it’s from the north suburb of Vernon Hills. Local, too!
I’m sad that I don’t live closer to a nice Mariano’s like this one– though Lincoln Hwy and Lagrange Rd traffic might drive me insane (you South-​Siders deserve some kind of sainthood for having the patience for that ish). But I’m excited to know I have somewhere that isn’t another gyro and beef sandwich place to stop in for a drink when I’m in the area.