Kowalski’s

This review is for all the shitty and improperly labeled sale items. On at least a dozen or so times, I’ve gotten things from these people thinking they’re on sale only to find out that the sale ended, but the signs advertising the sale are still up. A total fucking joke. I even know an ex-​employee from here, and he said this problem happens all the time. Big surprise there! I’ll still go here when I’m in a pinch and don’t feel like going to Cub, but I watch the checkout process like a hawk now. Also, their management sucks here. They make no attempt to compensate people for their faulty sale items with anything other than a cursory appology.

Great Grocery store. Small but still has everything you want and more!
Deli Dept and Meat Dept have a great selection and value!
It is smaller than the other Kowalski’s but that is better because it is stocked with the right variety and very, very easy to navigate around — even when the place is busy.

I love what stands for Kowalski’s stands for in general and have coincidentally been to all of their retail locations in the Cities (the other locations would have a higher number of stars since their selection and service have been greater). This location in particular is the closest one to me and also the smallest. The VERY smallest. While it’s not a «wow» in size like their Woodbury location, I’m grateful that I have a neighborhood Kowalski’s to run to when I forget to pick up an item during a co-​op run… such as today.
I forgot to buy mushrooms this afternoon, of all things, for my beef stroganoff tonight. I broke out in a cold sweat thinking about it and paused for a moment to consider making a mushroom-​less beef stroganoff, but it just can’t be. You may as well call it «biffed stroganoff» then.
I didn’t want to get back in the car to drive for mushrooms, so I walked down to my handy-​dandy neighborhood Kowalski’s and picked up exactly what I needed. While their prices are higher than your typical grocery store, the cost is for being one of those small neighborhood conveniences. The freshness of their produce can be questionable depending on the day you buy it.
Being the smallest location, they are pared down to bare essentials, but they do a great job with their space limitations. There’s no meat counter here either, so you’ll have to make do with their pre-​selected layout.
If you have a last minute gift to purchase, they’ve actually got a great selection that seem to be fresh and relevant to the seasons and occasions.
All-​in-​all, Kowalski’s conveniently saved me today… my beef stroganoff was mighty tasty.

Worst store in town. Every thing is price higher than any other store in Minneapolis. I was standing in line with my sick child and I help three other people besides me knowing my son was sick and crying worst customer service ever. The ground beef at the store goes bad after being in the fridge for two days the ground beef is horrible

How did I miss reviewing the Chicago Ave Kowalskis!!! I frequent this location and Lyndale
quite often, not uncommon for me to stop by both in one outing to check rentals at Movies On The Go. This is probably the smallest Kowalskis that I’ve been to, but they still hold up to the quality you would expect from a high end grocery store. Deli, Meat, Produce are all just a little smaller although the variety is still good. The Deli has 4 Soup choices and a hot bar, meat department has all your favorite cuts, produce is fresh and there are plenty of high end cheeses, (Don’t forget the sample basket on the bottom shelf of the cooler, smaller options and a great way to try new stuff).
Definitely a staple for quality food in the area and consistent with the Kowalskis name, just a smaller scale. Oh, they have ApplePay too!

This is a small neighborhood Kowalski’s, it’s kinda like a gourmet convenience store. It’s a bit pricey, but there’s not much competition around. If you need a few things quick, its faster then going elsewhere.

While I don’t do my regular grocery shopping here, we stop in at least once a week on the way home from work to pick up those items we forgot to get over the weekend, or to grab something to make for dinner that night. The store is smaller than other Kowalski’s, and they don’t have a regular meat/​seafood counter (everything is prepackaged). And, while they usually have what I’m looking for since I’m just stopping in for a couple items, the variety of the selection is fairly limited given the size of the store. But, if you need a quart of milk, a tomato, loaf of bread, etc, it’s great. The staff is really friendly here too.

The 5 stars is for the Deli! Kowalski’s in general is my preference for many of the meats I like; for example they’ve got the best Andouile Sausage and unlike competitors it doesn’t have a whopping amount of sodium in it!
Anyway the Deli here is great, they carry my 2 favorite Deli Meats; Boars Head Cajun Turkey (I don’t usually even like Turkey) and Boars Head Pastrami. Besides that the service is excellent! Most every other Deli I’ve been to either has staff that do not know how to or don’t wan’t to shave meat! That is how I like my Deli meat to be, doesn’t give me any toothaches like thick cut usually does! I think it tastes better that way too, something about the texture!
One Employee that really is a step above the rest is Meghen! On my last visit here I went to the Deli to get my usual meat! What really impressed me was that Meghen was just about to go on break when I came to the counter and instead of leaving the new person there alone to figure out how to properly cut my meat she delayed her break and without a frustrated look at all showed the new person how to shave it! It’s things like this that keep me coming back to this Kowalskis, and I highly recommend coming here for thier Meat and Deli!

This is a nice grocery store.
Too nice for me, to be honest.
I don’t feel like I can rock my Zubaz here.
I don’t feel like I can go here after not having showered for 3 days.
I don’t feel like I can be drunk as shit
and go in here for pizza rolls.
This is where I go when I need some good produce
that Cub Foods might not be able to give me.
Or if I need an exotic spice and some other crap.
I just feel like it’s too pretty.
Everyone that shops here is all pretty and well-​kempt.
Which is good, I suppose, considering that you are about
to eat whatever you buy from this place.
It’s good to know the customer hands that fondle the fruit
prior to you getting there to buy it
aren’t grimy meth hands…
which, let’s be honest, the ratio of nasty meth head hands
is higher at Cub Foods than it is a Kowalski’s.
Whatevs, wash that fruit, it’s all good.
Maybe I’m only thinking this because
one of the cashiers was all like
«I hope you don’t mind that I touch your fruit while I scan (weigh) it.»
All I could think was… do people really care?
Have people told this guy off simply because he was doing his job
and had to touch their produce in order to ring it up?
I hope not.
I would scream at someone for
yelling at dude that trying to do his job.
Everyone has already touched your dumb tomatoes,
having an employee touch your produce is probably the best
set of hands to have laid upon your fruits and veggies than any.
Meth head hands, remember that.
Or remember that I skip my bath and go to the grocery store
all crummy nasty and in my Zubaz and that I’ve already
been there, fondling all the fruit,
before you got there to buy yours.
Wash it, bitches.
Too nice.
For me.
I’m a dirty gross dive-​loving ‘hipster’ douche bag.

For my money, Kowalski’s is the top of the grocery-​store pyramid in the twin cities having surged past Byrerly’s after Lunds acquired them and homogenized them a bit.
Most of their stores, including this one, are on the small size yet filled with lots of gourmet fruits, veggies, cheese, meats and other specialty items. They have the basics too, but they really shine in these other departments. Aisles are a bit narrow for my tastes but it’s not really designed for the overflowing shopping carts one might encounter at Target or Cub.
Definitely pricey, but worth the splurge, at least once in a while. Life is short.

Cub Foods too ghetto for you? And Byerly’s too snotty for you? Well, this Kowalski’s is a delightful compromise!
For a young, single (and I’d like to think — attractive) professional like myself, I despise large, chain grocers because I have to park a mile away in a gigantor lot and deal with the traffic while walking iiiinto the store. And Byerly’s? The only way you can walk in there in flip flops and makeup –less is if you carry your senior citizen discount card.
But this Kowalski’s is such a blessing for those fast-paced-i-don’t-want-to-deal-with-nonesense-get-me-in-and-out type of folks. Now, be aware that this is a TINY Kowalski’s, but it has all the necessities: produce, dairy, deli, aisles with pretty packaged goods, DESSERTS (that’s pretty important), etc etc. Prices are what you would expect for a Kowalski’s.
Small parking lot. Not too busy. AAAAND they still have someone baggin’ your groceries for you!