Kowalski's Markets

Kowalski's is a lovely high-end grocery store. The customer service is outstanding, as any employee is eager to help. Ryan, the manager, was very accommodating. The produce is consistently fresh and artfully displayed. The bakery selections rival a French patisserie. The cheeses are fantastic. There's a nice deli with a wide variety of offerings. Shopping at Kowalski's is always a great experience!

Their produce sucks. Fruit and veggies should last a lot longer than 2-3 days on the shelf before they mold. They’re good for deli and other options but I’m not grabbing their produce again. It always happens.

I stopped in to get a 2 piece chicken meal for lunch and was refused the pieces I wanted. As the server stood and stared at me when I asked for two thighs instead of the other pieces. It's crazy that an individual would have to purchase a food item that they have no intention of eating and it is just as crazy to expect someone to pay for food that is not appealing in sight. I normally do NOT shop in this place because of previous experiences just like this and this is a reminder as to why I do not like shopping there. The one star, is because of the bakery and its tasty treats.

If you're into top-of-the-line premium super expensive White glove markets, you want too much better than kowalski's. Make sure to bring a credit card with a high limit though.

This is a supermarket that has been here for a long time (as long as I can remember) I used to do Refrigeration work here years ago back in the 1980's and 90's. The refrigeration used to be in an underground concrete bunker with individual water cooled units, a single pump and a cooling tower. There was and old tandem R-12 system that ran the meat department and had a water cooled condenser. Interesting history of this old market only old timer refrigeration guys would know. I did refrigeration service work here for ten years when I worked for Total Refrigeration systems. This used to be an old Red owl Store before Kowalski took it over and it has gone through many refrigeration store upgrades and also store remodels. Kowalski markets always does an outstanding job with customer service and high quality merchandise. I wish that I had some photos of that old compressor room from 35 years ago (it's long gone now) Just finished eating lunch here and the store brought back some old nostalgic memories when I worked with Dana and Rick.

Very nice place although prices are expensive and some items a little outrageous. Sandwiches are very good there! Meat quality is also very good at the counter. Perhaps better than expected. Their selection seems to have a handful of local stuff which is really nice and also specialty items. The carts are also so smooth and you'll never run into those typical issues with the metals carts. Parking lot is small but I will usually always find parking in the extended lot. They also will carry your bags out for you which is really nice and helpful! They have 2 people work at the registers usually. One to bag and one to scan, it makes waiting times cut down. I come here a lot and I really do enjoy them!

I have had other negative experiences with Kowalski’s purchases since the new owners ( I bet original owners shudder at what has happened). I am actually THANKFUL, though. I recently took a piece of a cake from Kowalski’s at the counter of my senior residence. It left LARD on the roof of my mouth. I am so thankful to know NEVER to order a cake for ANY occasion from Kowalski’s! Yuck ……..

Kowalski's has a very nice bakery and bread selection. If you'd like a choice for lunch, I'd definitely recommend their deli.

Food choices are amazing. They have a pho soup bar and a ramen soup bar!!!!! Mind blown!!!

Just ordered a Ruben. Dude barely heated it up. Brought it back to reheat so the cheese would melt and the bread would get crispy. All I got was a soggy nasty mess. Absolutely disgusting.

Ordered a gift card from my brother's birthday and it was delivered right on time to his other delight. He can't wait for their pastrami -apparently their deli is world class!

Haven't been in here in a while This is where the company story starts 1983 kowalski's When it was red owl. Fast forward to today 2023 40 years later Still going strong! Excellent customer service Love the food! Excellent service meat and seafood counter! Love the pasta bar Love the ambiance! Love kowalski's markets!

I avoid this Kowalski's unless I have to stop in here. About the only times I do is when I am at my office and need to get something I know only their store carries. The parking lot is small and horrid to navigate. The entrance is near an exit so it's continually clogged up and the space is so densely full, its nearly impossible to navigate through the store. Because of its small footprint, they also have fewer items than other stores. I've also never encountered staff that seems happy to be working there. Everyone I go, I don't get a "hi" or anything when checking out, nor a "thanks for coming in" or the like when I leave.

Expensive and cramped but it works. Good quality and good service but there's a surcharge for that!

I stop here most mornings and well the outside of this speedway on days that there is no security is kinda ghetto. You will sometimes be approached for bus money but I doubt the cas is for a bus pass. Once you make it in you will find a great place ran by amazing staff. Becky is there almost every morning to greet me and brighten my day. The place is not as bad as it seems and the staff is fabulous. I stop in occasionally for the evening red bull to get me through my long evenings. I gave it five starts not for the ghettoness outside but for the amazing staff.

Taco night, stopped into my local Grand Ave Kowalski's for a few items. I literally shop here 4-5 times a week and spend $700 plus ea month. Kowalski's can be expensive but I pay for customer service and quality. lately the service has been lacking. I was looking for some guacamole and couldn't locate it anywhere, I approached the young lady in the deli, who was not waiting on anyone, and asked her if she knew where I might find it, she shrugged and said "I don't know", fair enough, a-lot of items in the store, impossible to know where everything is. She turned to a co-worker and asked him "do you know where the guacamole is? He looked at me and said, while waving his hand, "it's out in a case somewhere", the young lady looked at me and said "sorry" and they both walked away, I assume to help someone else. I thought they'd at least use those little walkie-talkie things to ask someone, Nope! Now normally I'd just let this go, I'm one of those customers that rarely raise a fuss, I turned and continued looking for the guacamole on my own. After a few more minutes of this, and after much frustration, I decided to put back the few items I did find and leave the store quietly. Half way out of the store I stopped and said to myself, "NOT TODAY!". Today I complain. I asked the door guy for the deli manager but he said she was out or something, he offered me the option of speaking to the big guy, the Store Manager. He made the call. While waiting I went over in my head what I was going to say, I'm nervous, excited, so many emotions. Finally the manager arrives, we shake hands and I proceed to tell him my story, when I finished all this guy had to say was "well in fairness to them we are about 25% down on employees in the deli". HUH!? WTF does that have to do with anything I just said? So I said "does that mean you're 25% down on customer service as well?" Crickets. He said sorry, he'd talk to them, and we went or separate ways. You know what really made me angry and forced me to write this review on Yelp, and every other platform I can find as well has badmouth them to anyone who will listen? The manager never offered to help me find the guacamole. Apparently Grand Ave Kowalski's is where the send the managers that lack customer service skills, or dates one of the Kowalski girls. Don't cry for me though, I found my guacamole. At my new $700-$800 per month digs.

A bit pricey but you get what you pay for. Knowledgeable staff and great quality food

Awesome selection of top quality meats, deli & bakery. The staff is above and beyond helpful, nice and professional. By far the best grocery in St. Paul.

I've been going to this grocery store for over 8 years (and Whole Foods, Mississippi Market) and have had a consistently good-to-exceptional experience. I find the produce to be better than any other market. Lots of trouble with Apples from other places and theirs are always good/fresh. Great cheese selection and knowledgeable staff. The people that work there always seem well trained and friendly. I've never had any broken eggs or hot mixed with cold as I've read in some reviews (not to say it doesn't happen on occasion but I've never had that experience.) It has a good vibe. They will go out of their way to help you find something or to help you in general. They were also quick to donate to my daughters school. I just find it to be a great community-based market that I'm happy to support.

I've never been so insulted in my life. Not ONE worker said ONE word to me. I got stared at and looked up and down. There we consistent huffs and eye rolls from every worker I walked past. One staffer ran a cart into me, and when I turned around to see who hit me, the worker rolled his eyes and make a loud, audible huff. Didn't say excuse me, just was mad I happened to be in HIS way.

I was excited to pop in and pickup some things for dinner. Decided on their hot foods instead. Should of stuck with original planes got the cod which look interesting and good, was surprised at the Pho station the broth choices looked promising, however the accompaniment seemed to miss the mark. Either way got some cheesecake and a pastry for the next day. Got everything home, warmed up the Pho and while waiting tried the cod. Ugh! Dry, mealie, tasteless hunk, gave the rest to my dogs, up next Pho- hot, steamy and bland, no flavor or back bone depth, another dog treat. Ok maybe cheesecake... it was better, nice flavor but kinda had that artificial lasting flavor. Next morning again excited for the pastry... nope couple bites and again to the dogs. Should of stuck with my plans to Make dinner. O h plus I walk up to the register and the older cashier is sitting on the counter dangling her feet just chatting away, pops down, rings me up $35 doesn't say anything. Hands me the receipt. Period. Excuse me is this customer service. How about hello, happy new year, and what about thank you. This is all why I won't be back, and also why I 98% of the time shop at Lund's & Byerlys. I was giving you a 3, but now that I rethink about the experience it's really a 1. Very disappointed

Fresh produce and Meat, Shelves are in order making it easy to find items. Employees are very helpful at finding items. Plus they have upstairs seating looking over grand ave.

A larger store than the one I normally go to but not as intuitive for navigating where things are! We seem to always have to back track to get to frozen food. It's an odd shelving arrangement and not the normal grid of rows.

Kowalski's Market is a pretty fancy market. Think Whole Foods, but with their own unique style. During my visit to Minneapolis, I ended up shopping at this market last Wednesday evening, about 1 hour before closing (I tend to stay on California time to avoid any jet lag when I go on trips in the US). This particular location has a wine shop (which was closed on this visit) and a Starbucks. With it's own plaza, parking is plentiful. I was looking for some fruit so that I could have some healthy snacks during the remaining days of my vacation. And just like Whole Foods, the prices for produce is on the more expensive side. But my husband and I just arrived into town (from a road trip from Wisconsin) and I wanted to make sure I had some fruit for breakfast. I was also craving a grapefruit (yea I know that my food preferences and eating habits do not represent the majority here...). So I ended up purchasing 1 grapefruit at $2.49. The only grapefruit they had was organic (I'm not against organic but its unnecessary to purchase if you aren't going to eat the skin/ peel) and wished they had an option to purchase it nonorganic like some of the other produce. Anyways, I also ended up purchasing some double cream brie, prosciutto and flavored almonds for a DIY charcuterie platter later. I liked the different varieties of cheese that this store had. All of the baked goods in the display case looked just scrumptious and wished I had purchased something. If I lived in this area, I would be sure to return back to get something. Anyways, what really surprised me about this market was the kombucha on tap, with the option of different growler sizes to fill up and take home. I honestly do not like the taste of kombucha but am surprised to see that this was a option for those wanting this (although I would much prefer some German beer on tap instead). Paying for my items was a breeze at the register. The employee was friendly at check out. In the end, I really enjoyed my shopping experience and would come back (regardless of the prices). By the way, if you stop here for lunch and pick up yourself a premade meal, a sandwich, etc, there are chairs and tables upstairs for you to eat it here if you need.

A great market in St Paul area- they have a separate wine shop connected to the main store and knowledgeable staff who have helped me with MN wines. Kowalski's has a huge selection of cheeses, a well stocked deli section, and a lot of specialty items. A trip to Kowalski's is always in our plans when visiting family in the St Paul, Lakeland area. Prices are upscale, it wouldn't be my every day grocery go-to store but for particular items, to find hard to come by grocery items, to shop for wine and buy from the deli it is my top choice!

I absolutely love this market! I stop here pretty much every day on my way home from work. The cheese shop and the bakery alone are a good reason to visit. The staff are all very friendly and helpful. The wine shop is also great!

Their Apple Crisp is damn good. A tad pricey, but well worth it. Love their little kid carts. My son loves pushing this around and really enjoyed trick or treating through out the store. What a nice thing they do for the kids. It was not busy when we went through. They gave out a lot of nice treats around the treat stations in the store. Apples, String Cheese, Peanut Butter packets, cookies, chocolate milk, mini things of pop and a bunch of other treats. Most of them going to my work give away table, but nice treats. Thanks, Kowalski's for the trick or treating experience.

2/11/2016 This is my favorite food market in the entire Twin Cities. 15 years ago when we arrived from VA, we discovered this location and loved it instantly. But our new home after the initial temp rental was 30 miles away. Last month we moved to St Paul. First the selection of brands by food category are truly excellent -- even better than famous CA chain Ralph's. Hunting reading each label makes meal design fun creative and more delicious! The quality of different ice cream mfgs is thrilling to test and my new favorite brand is now "Coolhaus" ice cream -- not as heavy in richness as Haagen Das, and made with perfect subtle flavorings. For Super Bowl they had 3 varieties of mini hot dogs -- never seen 3 under one roof. The selection of mustards is heaven. The prepared foods are good not outstanding. the Teriyaki chicken wings sauce is unique home made superb w fresh ginger. This store is not huge so the fruit /veggie selection is not as grand as elsewhere, but exploring the shelves corners slowly reading the packaging is an exciting exercise. The careful design and use of indirect sheltered low soft lighting is what makes shopping here so inviting and relaxing. The warm darker accents of wood and natural colors create a truly enlightening experience while grocery shopping. My other favorite market is the newly built People's Food Coop in Rochester, Mn. Enjoy‼‼

I'm basing this review solely on the Alpine cheese class my mom and I attended on November 16th. We had such an enjoyable evening and experience. The cost of the class was $20, and at the end, we received a $10 gift card for Kowalski's. really? Wow, that's very generous. We sampled 8 cheeses, had a glass of wine, and they had a lovely mezze platter out of taralli, salamis, crackers, sweet peppers, cornichons, and pâté. The 2 cheese specialists who taught the class were informative and interactive. They worked very hard to engage the attendees. I'm definitely going to look into other cheese class offerings for 2018 and sign up for a few classes. Fun night.

I placed an order for 4 custom cakes about a month ahead of my art exhibit which raised awareness for sexual assault. This bakery refused my order because they felt uncomfortable, but neglected to tell me. I reached out the morning of my event to confirm I was picking up in afternoon after being reassured many times via email that my order would be ready day of for pickup at my convenience after 9am, it seemed clear there was no need to check in along the way and babysit... yet I wasn't told they had refused my order until I reached out, day-of!!!! So as a sexual assault survivor, I am aware that all the perpetrator asks for is silence and to have this business refuse my order felt complicit in that. They certainly could have said 'no' with time for me to find a more ethical business that stands with women and wants to be a part of changing rape culture, but they didn't. They claimed they emailed me, so I gave the benefit and I ran a search and there is absolutely no email in any folder protesting in any way. I only have a string of multiple emails saying things like 'looks good', confirming and size...all indications of a 'go.' I had to spend the morning of my show finding another bakery to fill this huge void in the art exhibit, PJ Murphy's on Randolph totally came through, the product was much better and cheaper and they even took extra steps and were actually done early! And they knew what it was for and stood by me. Amazing...the whole experience just made me more empowered that I was doing the right thing by breaking my silence and hosting an event that raised thousands for sexual violence survivors. If there was a negative 5-stars, I would certainly rate accordingly. AND NOW I see on my bank statement that they charged me for the cakes they claim they knew weeks ago that they had no intention of making!! WOW!!!

My girlfriend and I have developed a healthy habit of cooking 4-5 times a week and we stop at this Kowalski's every Sunday (oh yeah - that's why I have such a hard time putting up restaurant reviews all the time!). Have never been let down by the customer service, quality or selection here! Few things I have come to love: -The meat counter guys. These guys rock. Fairly often we see a cut of prepackaged meat that's too big. They never have a problem cutting it down for us and dividing it into two packages. -The charity receipt wall...we take turns choosing a cubby to push our receipts into each week. My understanding is that they choose the cubby (each labeled with a different charity) with the most receipts at some given time interval, and donate the total sum of those receipts to that charity. Pretty cool! -The cheese ladies. They have never failed me at finding these weird cheeses I often need. Impressed they have such a big selection! -Checkout lines are always moving quickly it seems like! They do a good job to keep the your stop from taking too long. Only gripe...the parking lot. Being on Grand means it can be a pain sometimes to get in and out of this place, but we always seem to find a spot somehow. Love this location!

Today, I had my first shopping experience at Kowolski's and it was AWESOME. Kowolski's had everything I was looking for -- and provided an opportunity to discovered some new favorites. That's a big deal. Why? I'm picky. When I go grocery shopping with my wife, I drive her crazy because I like a wide selection of specialty food items and organic brands that are only available at specific stores. Instead of shopping at one grocery store, I'll sometimes collect items from several locations. I'm a big fan of the Mississippi Market and Lund's. I also shop at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Even though Kowalski's isn't the closest grocery store, spending a few extra minutes driving there may save me time in the long run.

One of my favorite places to shop for groceries when I lived in the cities and stop there every time I travel there. The meat and deli are great

Ever since the remodel this store has gone down hill! From the screwy parking lot to the extremely narrowed down selection. But my biggest disappointment has to be the French bread. They must have changed bakeries or their Baker needs to go back to school because 9 times out of 10 the bread has holes in it. I hope management sees this because they probably don't get this feedback otherwise. On a positive note I like the addition of Starbucks.

Great selection, friendly service, convenient--they change with the times and only get better. Been shopping here nearly 20 years.

I've purchased bakery items from Kowalski's several times and most times I've been disappointed. The pies and cakes are pleasing to the eye but the flavor is lacking. Not enough butter, sugar, or salt?? Today we had the strawberry rhubarb pie, last time a pecan pie, and the time before a chocolate cake. Each one was blah with baking issues. I like the store in general and their deli food is very good! Bakery needs help.

This is just a review of the cherry pie they currently have on the bakery kiosks. It is labelled on my receipt as "Rush City Cherry Pie." First let me say that I am a fan of Kowalski's and frequently bought their former cherry pie. The Rush City product (which, like the former pie, costs $15.99) is mediocre. I would rate the crust as 2/5 and the filling as 2.5/5. Let me just say that for $10.99, Supervalue/Cub has a much better cherry pie, even allowing for the crust, which seems designed to withstand long distance travel by all-terrain vehicle. (But at least the Cub crust has some flavor.) C'mon Kowalski, I know you can do better.

I love Kowalski's. They have the most beautiful produce, great fresh meats and cheeses and a very helpful staff. Every time I entertain I make sure to get advice from one of their deli counter specialists to put together the perfect meat and cheese tray. They also carry s great selection of fresh breads. I also count on them to have special products for special recipes that I know I won't find elsewhere. They are my "go to" place for one stop grocery shopping.

Things I love about this grocery store: - less than 1/2 mile from my door - Fresh sushi made in their deli - Olive bar! - Good selection of fresh produce (wider variety than Super Target) - 6am to Midnight daily is unheard of for anything on Grand Ave. Less than love - Of course to make the above amazing, the prices are a little higher than normal.

I normally wouldn't take time to write a review about a grocery store but after leaving Kowalski's on Grand Ave at least a dozen times with bruised produce, I'm now compelled. Overall, I love Kowalski's ... friendly service, quality goods and just enough variety to have what I want but not too much to overwhelm. I'm also a huge supporter of local business. However, I'm begging K's management to TRAIN their team on how to properly bag groceries. Please! While one would think it would be common sense, I'm afraid it's not for many who work at the store. K's sell products at a premium price, which I'm fine with paying in exchange for the aforementioned qualities of the store. However, I expect my fruit and vegetables to make it to my fridge and pantry in the same condition as when I selected them. Eggs unbroken and bread un-smashed is also expected. Today, a sweet young girl placed my pre-cooked / hot rotisserie chicken in the same bag as my frozen groceries. Great place to shop but the team needs some training.

I Absolutely love this Kowalski's. From the guy in produce to the ladies in the deli to the cashiers, I have nothing to complain about. Everyone was so friendly and I didn't seem like a burden on anyone when I had a question. I usually dread grocery shopping but I look forward to going back.

A phenomenally operated grocery store. HOWEVER: New customers should be aware that this is quite the "deluxe" shopping experience. Yes, basic staples can be found here, but the place is known for its extensive specialty and prepared foods selection. Are you "having people over" and want to get some imported crackers and cheese, and fruit from one of the best-maintained produce departments around? This is your place. Are you a struggling, working parent who needs to get enough bread and milk to keep the kids fed until payday? You may want to shop elsewhere.

Love this store. Parking sucks though. Store is always clean. Things tend to be a bit expensive but quality is good. Things are laid out kind of weird so had a hard time finding things. Worth the hassle though.

super nice, super friendly. Every time I come here, it looks different. they have a wicked salad bar now, and a great deli and a cheese section to rival Surdyks. well, maybe not that good. Here is an example: I was sick and came in to get some nyquil. the nice old lady charged me for two boxes, something I didn't notice until I entered my receipts days later...so I called and they said to come in and get a refund. I presented my receipt (which had spent the night in my wallet which in turn had spent the night in a puddle in the garage) so needless to say, it didn't look too new. well, it looked found. The more I told my story (i was sick, i never buy two boxes they always expire before I can use them, i dropped my wallet getting out of the car, etc) the more it sounded even to me like a lie! But they gave me a refund anyway. awesome service.

If you aren't a rich lawyer or doctor who lives off of Grand Ave, do NOT expect good service here. This place is very unwelcoming for your average person. I used to come here often, I work very close. After being treated terrible over and over I finally had enough. The groceries are overpriced, the deli is decent , but nothing blows me away. Take your money elsewhere where you will be treated like a human and your purchase is appreciated. Not somewhere where you'll get scowls from employees because you aren't wearing a Birkin bag.

As a long time St. Paul resident, I have seen this store morph over the years from a Mark I, Mod 0 basic grocery store to one with more high end aspirations. Mostly it has been a worthwhile transformation, though not without some frustrations for the shopper. Last week I was in the neighborhood and decided to get my shopping done at Kowalski's. As usual I was impressed by the quality of the produce. I also liked that the raw shell on shrimp I purchased had already been deveined. However, try though I might, I simply could not locate diapers anywhere in the store and ultimately came to the conclusion that infant items were not stocked (could this be? ). I made up for this loss by scoring a beautiful foccacia from the deli... I like the location, the quality produce, and the fact that they support the community. I'm underimpressed by the selection and high prices. If I'm going to pay Lunds/Byerly's prices, then I want the selection offered by those stores. Hence, 3 stars.

I used Kowalski's to cater our Halloween party. I ordered the Sushi Medley Party Tray, the Hybrid Go Sushi Tray, the Fruit and Cheese Tray and the Focaccia Appetizer Tray. The only thing we had left over was some cheese and fruit, everything else was devoured! I got a lot of compliments on how delicious everything was. Ordering was super easy, I did it on their website a few days before the party and showed up at the time I had set and everything was ready to go. When you place your order,you can choose to pay then or pay when you pick it up. I will definitely be using them again for my parties!

Kowalski's is a really nice upper-end grocery market. It's got decent variety, high-quality, fresh produce and a really killer deli area. This is my go-to place when I need certain produce items: apples (they have the best apples!), fresh herbs (why doesn't anyone else stock flat leaf parsley?), serrano peppers instead of jalepenos and really good avocadoes. I also buy certain other items here, including Fancy Colby cheese and Izze juice drinks. We've become big fans of their bakery area for fresh bread and baked treats. We really enjoy their garlic bread loaf, which is take and bake and soooo yummy. We also recently discovered that they sell four packs of fresh-baked hot dog and hamburger buns! Wahooo! Finally, I can buy four brats and four buns to go with them! (anyone else seen Father of the Bride??? Anyway...) And their actual deli for lunchmeat and salads offers great variety and also really excellent service. A+! Other pluses: they offer carryout to your car if you need it, and their cashiers are generally very nice and friendly. Among the things that I like less: -Well it's expensive, or more expensive than some other grocery stores. But for these items I believe you pay for quality and you get what you pay for. -Sometimes the variety is not what it is at other stores... instead of 20 types of pasta sauce, they'll stock six. Instead of 20 flavors of something, they have two. You just kind of have to deal with it. If you like a specific variety of something, you might not find it here if it's obscure. -They have a manager who is always in a foul mood. The last time we were there, I was walking out with my bags and he literally threw one of the little shopping baskets (the plastic ones you carry yourself, not with wheels) directly across my path and onto a stack of baskets. He didn't even look at me and he didn't apologize. He was just angry at the basket, apparently. -The parking lot takes awhile to figure out, as there are one-way lanes everywhere. I don't do all my shopping at Kowalski's because I am not rich, but there are certain things I like to pick up there and find it to be a generally pleasant and nice shopping experience.

Oh Kowalski's I love you and I miss you. you are my favorite little neighborhood grocery of all time.......I love the size of your store and how you can park and just walk right in you don't have to walk a mile and a half to get in or even in the store. Your merchandise is always clean and well displayed and the prices are decent. I love the staff and how they always walk me to my car and I have such cute little paper bags with twine handles and not cheap bags either. You always have a wonderful cheese sampling and I have widened my knowledge of cheese and what pairs with it and how to dress it up.....I have enjoyed many of your bakery products also.....You make me happy----

Amazing bakery items. Croissants are flaky and buttery, dangerously good. Too much fruit filling for the pastries, but that didn't stop me from eating the lemon. Staff is friendly and helpful.

I promise to be done with comparisons of here vs. home soon. The Grocery Store is pretty much the only thing left I have for review (though I don't quite know where to start ranting about MN traffic/drivers in review format). Anyway...back where I used to live, we had this local grocery store that was a little slice of heaven. Great produce, great cheese and olive department, great deli, bakery, and in-house prepared foods, amazing wine and liquor department...the *best* sausages ever-ever - they even hold an annual Sausage Fest for sausage on sale, and that was the time of year that I'd contemplate buying one of those big storage freezers that your grandma or uncle keeps in the basement, just to buy mass quantities of sausage... Kowalski's reminds me of a paler, smaller, more limited, and more expensive version of that store. With, for shame, no non-red-meat sausage! (I prefer turkey/chicken mixes myself) I do like this concept of carrying the bags out, but I've not had to utilize yet. And I haven't made it to Holy Land yet, but I bought my first packages of hummus and tabbouleh here, so that's a plus. I've been back, but I think only when I get homesick...for sausage.

Great chef at Grand Ave. location... Try any of the soups or hot dishes.... Better than most of the restaurants in the area. As for grocery shopping- It's the same as anywhere but it does irritate me that these places don't want you to use a cart but then ask you if you want help with your bags as if this is asking too much. If they are not letting us take the cart to the car, then just make the assumption and grab the customers bags. This is the same at Byerly's in Eagan so it is just a pet peeve of mine.

I used to live closer to Kowlaski's than I do now, and went often on the way home from work or for needed items. I won't pretend I completed full on grocery trips there, though my wife did. I like that they have a pretty great selection of fun foods, I dislike that their employees could give a rip if you shop there or not. I like the produce selection and quality, I dislike that the aisles are barely wide enough for two carts to pass by one another. More than once after suffering a horrible customer service issue here my wife and I swore off the place only to return due to its convience to our house. Now that I am further away, I will not likely return again. Lunds, Widmers and Korte's are my stores now.

The recipient of the BT McElrath dark chocolate flower-shaped shells filled with blood orange creme thought they were absolutely delicious.

Somewhere between Cub and Whole Foods is the lovely land of Kowalski's. Don't go there hungry because their freshy-fresh produce, impressive deli, and great organic selection will leave your wallet empty. Need a bacon-chocolate bar? Check! How about some delicious imported cheese? Check! Lunch for the office? Check! (Can I come to your office that day?)

Ah. My first job that didn't involve lawns or snow. I came here and bagged groceries until I realized that the union dues were taking 10% of my money and people find petty things to complain about when they are unhappy in their lives. You're working checkout in a grocery store. Get over it or do something about it. Sheesh. Kowalski's has a sweet deli and ok butcher. They do a pretty good job at most of their departments. Brandon: I suggest you pick your produce with care and wash it like the rest of us in the future.

This is my go to store if I want to treat myself or I need a specialty ingredient. The store is well lit and organized. I like that this store has an amazing produce section and other quality ingredients, but still has some of the basic not so healthy things. Sorry, sometimes I just crave foods that have preservatives. Their deli, bakery, and meat counter are phenomenal. I have gotten sushi here and it is pretty good for a grocery store. If I'm in a hurry for supper, but don't want to cook, I usually stop by the deli which has some good comfort foods. They have a wonderful selection of fresh baked cakes and pies (available whole or by the slice) and bread. Oh and let's not forget about the deli salads, yummy. I would shop here more but all this goodness comes with some high prices. For the quality products that they make, I would say it is okay that the prices are higher. My one complaint is that whenever I stop after work, they never have the express lane open. I just want to pick up my 5 items without having to wait behind someone with a cart load of items. If they fixed that problem, I can easily give them a 5 star review.

Kowalski's on Grand understands that customer service is key in the grocery market industry. I stopped in during Grand Old Day and bought a few items before beginning my trek back to Shakopee. A few days later I realized I had been charged the bulk rate for my produce rather than the bunch rate which, so effectively I paid around $5 too much. I called and explained that I didn't live in the area, so they offered to refund my credit card over the phone. I was very pleased with that response as I've had similar situations with another natural food chain and I was never offered a refund without physically going back to the store so they could fix their own error. Thanks for the great service!!