Ok as a former chef and one who likes to entertain, I frequent the grocery store, a lot. In…read moreaddition, I've also lived all over the US, specifically the Midwest and east coast. What that has shown me, specifically in Kansas and Texas is that the grocery stores can be HUGE. In fact many go well beyond and have a multifaceted food court within them. I'm not talking about a sandwich shop and premade cooked chicken, I'm talking full service and different themed restaurants. That's where my review of Hy-Vee will begin.
Now people should realize with all conveniences come drawbacks. Hy-Vee is huge, probably the largest freestanding grocery store I've been to in Kansas (sorry Texas has you beat). I will say as someone that has family from Cleveland and remaining a fan I could do without all the Chiefs and Royals gear. I mean it's annoying! Red everywhere. Ok, seriously I do respect the team pride, I'm just tired of seeing that. BTW, that's not part of my review just my irritation creeping out. What I do like is sometimes their events spill out into the parking lot; events like a huge Chiefs BBQ party, which tells me Hy-Vee likes to do special things for the community.
Ok now I'd like to make my observations about food. The Asian grill is actually really good! If you nab it straight off of the flattop it's better than two Chinese restaurants around it, which shall remain nameless. I never tried the city market, Italian place, coffee store or the BBQ food but the point is, the offering is there. To be fair Hy-Vee is trying to be a one-stop shop type of center, which the tradeoff ends up being quality for convenience. In other words if I compare Hy-Vee Asian to a free standing unit, there's no comparison but if I've got a lot to get and can grab some free fried rice at Hy-Vee it's right there.
As for groceries they have a rather large and diverse selection other than produce. The mushroom selection is great. Want to pick up some woodear, loose shiitake, Oyster, Enoki, etc? I really appreciate the fact I can grab my own 'shrooms rather than be limited to a prepacked assortment. Next, they do have a lot of good exotic foods to pick from. Dragonfruit, Buddha fingers, watermelon radish and star fruit are a few items you'll find here but not at smaller grocery stores. The same goes for fresh meats at the butcher and fish from the monger.
My overall assessment of Hy-Vee is it works well for its target group, middle class Kansas families looking for good prices on food that is pretty standard with having some "elegances" spread out enough to allow those who are adventurous to try something new. The shelves are well stocked, the environment clean and safe, and house made items such as breads, tortillas, soups, etc are very well crafted. Finally the prices are the best in town, an advantage of being in bulk. Hy-Vee is a great grocery store for the masses!
