Marketplace On Oakton

I love everything about this little place, which smells like fresh everything and carries all sorts of unusual and ethnic items, as well as amazingly fresh produce, at very inexpensive prices. I once got a whole overflowing bag of various fruit and veggies and it rang up to $ 4.75 or something. It’s so cheap and so good, very clean and the people who work here are all friendly and helpful. It’s really my favorite place in Skokie to shop.

When I lived in Wilmette, my husband and I would go to Lincolnwood produce for the great prices and «ethnic» foods. Now, I live 3 blocks from Lincolnwood and tend to go here instead.
First of all, it’s cleaner and cuter than most produce places — no grimy floor and overlit shopping areas. There’s an «outdoor market» theme that really isn’t so bad. They also have a GREAT prepackaged cookie/​chocolate selection and of course carry myriad polish, mexican, greek, and other specialties.
What I love is that they have fantasticly cheap produce prices and lots of variety, without having about-​to-​rot-​any-​minute produce, a VERY friendly meat counter, good selections of fresh breads (more than any other produce market nearby), and some unique things at the deli counter, such as oaxaca cheese. The meat guys are great — just ask if you don’t see something. For example, one day I didn’t see ground veal, so I asked, and they ground some fresh to order. Same with the deli counter — they aim to please.
Like most produce markets, this is not the place for things like name brand cereal (Kelloggs, etc) or the like — they just don’t do bulk, so it’s very expensive. I should also give fair warning that as much as I love the meat guys, they do NOT have the cheapest meat prices. The sales can be awesome, but otherwise, they run high — .50−1.50 more than other markets.
I’ve never had to pay for the cart — I tend to shop small enough not to need one.

I love this place. They have a great choice of produce, meats, deli items, breads, herbal teas, specialty baked goods, Middle Eastern, Polish, Greek, etc… foods, all at a great price. The employees are very helpful too. I’ve always found everything I needed here and it’s fresh. I believe the owners are Greek, and I enjoy the Greek music playing while I shop. This means they also have a great variety of yogurts, feta cheese, olives, Papoutsanis soap, olive oils, all kinds of herbs and natural teas, etc…

I really wanted to see if the quarter-​for-​a-​cart thing was true. Yep. sure is.
I’m glad the reviews weren’t exaggerating when fresh produce was mentioned. I was in the area visiting friends and made a last minute decision to shop here on my way home. There’s a wide variety of produce waiting to be brought home. All fresh and in good condition (note, not over-​ripe or ready to go bad). It was nice to see a bit of exotic fruit too.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Filipino items in the frozen section (longanisa, tocino, lumpia, siopao, grated casava and coconut milk). All brands that you’d find in an Asian or Filipino grocer too! There is also a nice selection of rice – sushi rice, jasmine, basmati – either from the US or abroad.
I was happy with everything purchased that day. Some standouts – the short ribs from the meat section was good quality and at a great price. And the Chinese pork dumplings from the frozen section – I didn’t recognized the brand but the bag was huge – they made for an excellent won ton soup and each dumpling was plump and the pork flavorful.
As others have said, the dry goods, especially cereal is over-​priced. But the produce for sure is the best value. I didn’t get anything from the deli or prepared foods aisle but plan to check that out the next time I shop here. The place isn’t as sleek and shiny like the newer Mariano’s or Whole Foods, but there’s a certain charm to these independent grocery stores.

One of my favorite produce markets in the area. (I have 4 favorites!) Fresh, reasonably priced produce, good meat selection, usually good sales, in a clean store with friendly, helpful staff.

This is a great store with a wide variety of fresh produce, breads from local bakeries, and a full-​service deli and seafood counter.
HUGE selection of ethnic foods and they carry the most extensive stock of Bob’s Red Mill products I’ve ever seen in one grocery.
Prices are better than the big chains and the employees are helpful and friendly.

This place offers a wide variety of produce at reasonable prices. Their selection and prices rival Village Market. Some things are on the higher end, e.g. $ 6 for a package of strawberries, but most things are reasonable. Checking out is usually quick and the cashiers are friendly. The only hold up can be trying to get into the parking lot in between Skokie Swift crossings.

I have come here for many years. They have a great selection of produce and deli is fantastic. They provide the freshest pitas and flatbreads.

I love this place its the best in my book! Great fruits organic, meat is fresh the place is super clean.

I was very shocked to see lines of Organic products that do not exist in other stores. Especially their Sour cream and their eggs. The best I have EVER had Now hoping they will have an organic turkey for Thanks Gicing

They carry a variety of international produce and groceries. Indian, European, Asian. The service deli has a wide variety of meats and cheeses. The bread is fresh and if you come in the morning you can grab it while it is still warm. Staff is friendly and helpful. I once came in looking for butchers twine, asked a manager, they didn’t sell any but he happily gave me a whole roll from the meat department.

Dark and gloomiy, prices are not as cheap as others say.

for many years i wandered in darkness, content to pick up groceries from the old standbys of my youth, jewel and dominicks. i had no clue there was any other choice. then, one day i moved into the wicker park/​bucktown neighborhood (before gentrification) and discoved the joys of the mexican grocer. next was the mysterious asian stores of argyle street, soon came an obsession with whole foods, trader joes and the like. but it was not until less than ten years that i went home to skokie and found myself pondering the marketplace on oakton.
now my folks like the aldi next door. a cheap but mediocre stripped down store. but they are old jewish folks, unconcerned with quality but obsessed with price. that was how i learned about the marketplace on oakton.
i love this store because it helped introduce me to european, eastern european and middle eastern food. suddenly, ajvar, smoked herring, tahini, halvah, fried carrots and celery, beets with horseradish and more. in addition to being delicious, these products tend to be healthier than comparable american products. i was hooked.
as to the store itself: its not too big or small, it has a decent selection of produce with a slowly expanding selection of organics. the deli products are all good and the staff is very attentive. i love the fresh bread and pita selection and the prices overall are very good.
in the many years that followed my discovery, i have found other mid sized ethnic grocers throughout the area (produce world, dempster marketplace) big ones (tonys) and monsters (the amazing fresh farms, super h and assi) as well as some little gems (pita inn grocery, arax foods in niles). they all have their take on ethnic food and i appreciate them for their unique qualities. but marketplace on oakton was my first love!

You need to feed the cart 25 cents to use it.
Sheesh…
Today was my first, visit to this Marketplace on Oakton and I walked in hoping
I would be really impressed with this place because it looked so colorful and
cheerful/​happy from the outside, unfortunately I found out outer appearances
can be deceiving.
So as I entered this store I must admit I found those little oranges I love so
much, Cuties, for a great price oIf $ 3.49 for a 3 pound bag.
This was a nice start, and then I went to check out the produce section and
saw lots of apple variations and then I saw my very favorite bananas that
my mean Dr. has taken out of my life for $ 0.59 a pound.
However, the bananas looked all bruised and abused for the most part so
I didn’t feel too bad walking away without any of those.
And this store had a lot of foreign type food items from various countries and
as I was walking around this store I heard various people speaking in different lingos…
And, they had no bakery counter/​area for the most part so I found this blueberry
yogurt muffin and when I brought it home and opened it that sucker crumbled
because it seemed to be old/​stale…
Now, in all fairness to this store they seemed to have a pretty decent Deli Counter
but they had all these funky cheeses hanging around it and I was picking up
a nasty odor.
Yes, I’m 52, and odors get to me. So sue me…
I also noticed that some items were at great sale prices and others were comparable
to regular grocery stores, so not quite sure how that works for them.
But, I had a nice Cashier and appreciated that, so props to her!
So, can honestly say the only reason I stopped in here today was because
I was in the area, however, next time I’m in the area I think I’ll skip a return
visit.
Because honestly, I wasn’t impressed with this place at all.
And, they have gone the Aldi Route and require a quarter for a cart rental!
So, even though I got my quarter back this place was just Okay.
Mediocre at best.
Nothing to write home about.
And that’s a shame…

A nice marketplace off of Oakton, they have a nice variety of fresh produce. The staff is friendly, and the place itself is kept organized and clean. I am a fan of their freshly-​squeeze orange juice that comes in a small pint or a half-​gallon container. It is not too pulpy, but very refreshing and very fresh! They also sometimes have grapefruit as well as watermelon, depending on the season.
+freshly-​squeezed orange juice!

My new go to place for cheaper produce.
It is walking distance from me, so its convenient.
The store is clean and the cash register people always know which produce I got without me having to tell them.
Prices have never been mistaken.
Deli is good too.
They pretty much have some form of anything you need. i.e.) fish sauce. needed it ASAP, they had few options!
They have seafood, but it smells fishy, so I never enjoy passing by it to get to the dairy section…

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
1. I can buy 2 weeks worth of groceries here (I cook most days of the week) and not go over $ 80.
2. Oakton carries products commonly used in cuisines from eastern Europe, East Asia (Chinese, Thai, Japanese, etc.), India, Africa, and Latin America. Sometimes the items are organized by brand rather than by contents, so if you look carefully through the shelves you’re bound to find what you want.
3. The produce section rocks my socks. Not only is the produce good quality and reasonably priced., I can also always find something I’ve never eaten and maybe even never heard of before. I make a point of periodically trying something new; the young coconut was a miss, but the tomatillos were a great success in my enchiladas verdes.
3. The staff are friendly and helpful.
4. The deli counter has a wide range of meats and cheese, including more kinds of feta than I thought existed. You can also ask for samples.
5. There’s always something unexpected in the meat section, like chicken hearts or lamb heads.
Last but not least, BRING A QUARTER. Otherwise you won’t be able to unlock a shopping cart.

I work near here so I’m able to get some great variety of produce and fruit, and unbelievable prices. This and HarvestTime are my go to places for veggies and fruits. It breaks the grip on Jewel and Domincks (overpriced limited produce) and the expensive alternative of Whole Foods.
They always have anything I’m looking for and at perfectly reasonable prices. For example, bell peppers are priced by the pound, which seems right, but I am always shocked how Jewel and Dominick’s (and even Trader Joe’s) price peppers individually (and always much more than if you were to pay by weight).
The biggest issue is its out of way for many people. If you live in the city, then places like Harvest Time (in Lincoln Square) is probably the most comparable and best.

Wow, this is a great produce/​ethnic grocery store.
They have so much good looking reasonably priced produce.
They also have a wide variety of ethnic products that are hard to find elsewhere.
I got homemade taramosalata! I can’t wait to try it.

I love the fresh fruit and vegetables at this place! and it’s going to be walking distance from my new work location, girl! I am geeked!
They’re open till about 930 at night, the other night when I was at work late, I dropped in here with my co-​work to check it out. I got 3 or 4 bags of stuff for under $ 10! plus an imported chocolate from Greece! They have lots of imported goodies from other countries too.
Mandarin oranges were 10 for a buck! A huge bag of mixed greens for a couple of dollars. The deli and fish selections were so fresh with good prices! And the people that work there are so nice and helpful! We got there about 15 minutes to closing and they did not try to rush us through (I even had to use the restroom and yet they were still nice to us which by the way, the bathroom was very nice, clean and smelling fresh! take that Jewel!)
The only negative that I don’t like and it’s probably because there is an Aldi next door, is that you have to rent the cart. I understand why they do it, if they don’t then all their carts will end up in the Aldi since Aldi has the rent-​a-​cart policy. That’s ok, I’ll make sure to always have a quarter or else, I’ll make good use of the shopping basket instead.