I've been going to Heinen's a bit more in Bannockburn, I've been trying more of the prepared foods. I'm actually curious to try their Italian Beef package (with gravy). I don't expect much, but sometimes you can find a diamond in the rough. Still, overall, the place is more expensive than Mariano's or Jewel so I won't be shopping for my usual everyday stuff there.

We've started shopping at Heinen's in Glenview, and the more we go, the more we thoroughly enjoy it. We like it WAY more than the Mariano's which opened right down the street, where we've been in, looked around, and never seem to find anything all that appealing. Heinen's is so clean, so spacious, the people are so friendly, and yes they have been handing out samples on a regular basis. We consistently are impressed and nearly always find additional stuff to try, items that look terrific and/or are excellent buys as well.

We've only tried a few of their house specialties, but all have been excellent. Yesterday we got a package of their bleu cheese stuffed dates, really tasty. We are also enjoying Grandma Ann's Poppy Roll from the bakery section. Their fresh bagels are excellent - although not as much "chew" as the classics at Kaufman's, they're large and extremely well-coated with poppyseeds, sesame seeds, etc.

We've also found that Heinen's has very good prices in general, including some that are actually substantially lower than elsewhere on certain items we enjoy. We love sustainable fresh Verlasso salmon; we bought some a few days ago on sale for $11.99/lb, regular price $14.99/lb (rather than the $17.99/lb charged at Foodstuffs). We also really enjoy Jeni's ice cream - a guilty pleasure that is not cheap, but cheaper at Heinen's than elsewhere ($9.99/pint every day at Heinen's, vs $12 at Foodstuffs and at the Jeni's store in Lakeview).

We signed up for their Heinen's Rewards program, for which they gave us a free heavy-duty tote bag we use for shopping. You don't have to be a HR program member to get their normal sale prices as posted in the store, but as a member, they e-mail specials to you each week, for which you are eligible as a member but which are not posted in the store or in their ad flyer.

The complaints above about parking seem to have only been relevant during their grand opening; I've been there numerous times and I've never seen the parking lot more than 2/3 full.

Just doesn't do it for me. Heinen's is nice, but it just doesn't work as a one-stop shopping destination (much like Fresh Thyme). I always find a few things when I stop in (less frequently these days). Mariano's has a broader selection of things we typically buy. But I guess that's why there are so many grocery store options.

Another satisfying trip to Heinen's today. Got a really delicious, crusty loaf of their raisin pecan bread, pictured below. Also got some whole-bean Starbucks ($7.99 regular price for a 12-oz bag, vs $8.99 at Jewel), a couple of nicely-priced bottles of wine, and a few other goodies.

They have a great setup for those who might enjoy some beer or wine while shopping. The wine bar offers 16 different bottles, where you can get pours of 1, 2, or 4 ounces, all reasonably priced. They also have your choice of four craft beers on tap, two of them local (12 oz for $3).

Hi- For some reason whole bean coffee is hard to come by at Jewel. There are only a few varieties of whole bean Starbucks for sale there, and I don't know of any whole bean decaf coffee they carry there, except for perhaps Papa Nicholas. All the Jewel stores removed their bulk coffee section.

We took another trip to Heinen's today. We knew we needed a few things, but everything looked so good, we ended up spending more than I've spent in a single shopping trip in over ten years. And almost everything we got was on sale at bargain prices. Some of the things we got included:

- Verlasso sustainable fresh salmon, on sale for $12.99/lb (regular $14.99/lb)
- Freshly cooked lobster meat, on sale for $24.99/lb
- A gorgeous beef rib roast, on sale for $10.99/lb
- Starbucks whole-bean coffee, $7.99/12oz
- La Croix sparkling water, on sale for $3.79/12-12oz cans (regular $3.99 which is the price most other stores charge when on sale)
- Milk, $2.99/gal
- Marie's salad dressing, on sale for $2/12-oz jar (this was a "members" special, if you sign up for their free frequent shopper card; regular $3.59)
- Graeter's ice cream, on sale for $4.69/pint (regular $5.99)
- Heinen's frozen green beans, $1.39/lb
- Heinen's cinnamon roll, $1.39

We already ate the Verlasso salmon and it was superb!

EDIT: The cinnamon roll was also superb. I realized this after I had taken a few bites, but still managed to take a photo at that point:

We picked up some GORGEOUS soft-shell crabs today at Heinen's in Glenview. Between those, and the always-delicious Verlasso salmon (regularly priced at a reasonable $14.99/lb and often on sale for $12.99 or even $9.99), and the helpful staff there, this is now our go-to market for fresh seafood.

At $6.99 each, the soft shells weren't inexpensive, but these were the jumbo size, and huge. They came out wonderfully, as you can see:

oooo... soft shell crabs! Those look really lovely, nsxtasy!

Very nice run of posts, btw!

Stopped in at the Heinen's in Lake Bluff for the first time today - as I'm moving to Lake Bluff from Evanston in a couple of months, this was a scout trip. Very pleased with the selection and service - it was rather like the Grand in Winnetka, but about twice as big. Pristine - I assumed it was brand new, but it's two years old, which surprised me. Fresh OJ for $6.99 a half gallon, very nice wine selection (and the beer taps that nsxtasy mentioned), plus it's the first grocery store I've ever seen with a poke bar and an open-flame vertical roaster. As it's three minutes from my pending house, and on the way home from the Lake Bluff Metra station, I'm pretty tickled. And to avoid spending too much on cleaning staples and such, there is a Target not half a block away. The price points didn't strike me as excessive, though.

Funny thing about the Heinen's, though - they're only open from 8AM until 8:30PM, albeit seven days a week. Is this standard?

Heinen's
201 Waukegan Road (At Rockland Rd.)
Lake Bluff, IL 60044
847.735.0026

I live right between the Lake Bluff and Bannockburn stores, and it is interesting how different they are. Bannockburn is a larger location with wider aisles and makes for a somewhat easier shopping trip, but the LB store is much more social. As you will find out soon (if you dont already know) Lake Bluffers are fond of their booze. Lots of block parties, etc. At the Bannockburn store I almost never see anyone at the beer/wine taps, while at the LB store on weekend afternoons, half the shoppers have a glass of beer or wine in their hands while they shop.

-Will

WillG noted:

As you will find out soon (if you dont already know) Lake Bluffers are fond of their booze. Lots of block parties, etc.

Sweet! And you actually answered a question that I was pondering yesterday, that being "what do Lake Bluff residents call themselves?"

Also, another query: what's the best pizza in the area? There seem to be a ton of non-chain places in this area. Any recs would be greatly appreciated!

The classic pizza choice in Lake Bluff is The Silo. A big local favorite. Very cheesy --- which I love.

Katie wrote:The classic pizza choice in Lake Bluff is The Silo. A big local favorite. Very cheesy --- which I love.

Grew up going to The Silo for deep dish and Joe's in Wheeling for thin crust, been decades since I was last to The Silo. Will certainly have to try, thanks for bringing back on my radar.

nsxtasy wrote:We picked up some GORGEOUS soft-shell crabs today at Heinen's in Glenview. ....and the helpful staff there, this is now our go-to market for fresh seafood.

Keith and his staff in the seafood dept are terrific, there is only one person who thankfully isn't on much that isn't a gem. Heinen's and Boston Fish Market are now my go-to's for seafood.

Picked up some Copper River salmon today, just finished it. I also had quite a number of soft-shell crabs from Heinen's so far this season.

Another seafood item we really enjoy are the smoked mussels, these certainly are not the sardine like canned variety I grew up with.

Yes, Heinen's hours are shorter than many stores in the North Shore (Sunset closes at 9, Mariano's at 10, and Jewel in HP at midnight).
One thing about Heinen's that is great - they will let you try anything in the store. I mean anything. You see a whole pie you want a taste of? You want to break open a new loaf of bread to try it? No problem. They literally will let you try anything you want and then put the rest out as samples.

They said they are worried about Mariano's going across the street in Bannockburn. They should know they have different products overall and have things Mariano's doesn't to make them viable and vice-versa. I think they really just wanted their own little monopoly on that corner.

sundevilpeg wrote:Stopped in at the Heinen's in Lake Bluff for the first time today - as I'm moving to Lake Bluff from Evanston in a couple of months, this was a scout trip. Very pleased with the selection and service - it was rather like the Grand in Winnetka, but about twice as big. Pristine - I assumed it was brand new, but it's two years old, which surprised me. Fresh OJ for $6.99 a half gallon, very nice wine selection (and the beer taps that nsxtasy mentioned), plus it's the first grocery store I've ever seen with a poke bar and an open-flame vertical roaster. As it's three minutes from my pending house, and on the way home from the Lake Bluff Metra station, I'm pretty tickled. And to avoid spending too much on cleaning staples and such, there is a Target not half a block away. The price points didn't strike me as excessive, though.

Funny thing about the Heinen's, though - they're only open from 8AM until 8:30PM, albeit seven days a week. Is this standard?

Heinen's
201 Waukegan Road (At Rockland Rd.)
Lake Bluff, IL 60044
847.735.0026

I was a regular LF Sunset shopper prior the Heinen's opening in LB. It really is such a pleasant shopping experience. Nice quality items, lot's of friendly employees, no fellow shoppers running you over, laid back atmosphere, and if you care to partake, stop at the liquor department before you start.

It's great to have Heinen's, the LF Sunset, and the Libertyville Trader Joe's as my new shopping options. While the Deerfield Whole Foods is closer, I think that I'll stick to the giant Northbrook store on Willow & Waukegan if need be going forward, but the foregoing should take care of 90% of my grocery needs. . . except for the 5-star bran muffins, skin-on boneless chicken breasts, and $5.99 half gallon fresh OJ squeezed in-store at the Grand in Winnetka. LOVE that store.

2 Heinens notes:

Hatch Chili fest is this weekend at the Bannockburn store, next weekend in Barrington and the weekend after in Lake Bluff.

Heinens is selling Ohio field grown organic heirloom tomatoes for 2.99/lb. They have mostly been quite good, with an excellent striped german I ate yesterday.

-Will

WillG wrote:2 Heinens notes:

Hatch Chili fest is this weekend at the Bannockburn store, next weekend in Barrington and the weekend after in Lake Bluff.

Hatch Chili roasting at Heinens Glenview on Sun Sept 10: http://usa-eventer.com/event/heinens-ha ... t-glenview

This isn't about shopping at Heinen's around here, but it may be of interest to those who do.

One of the most amazing sights on a recent trip to Cleveland was Heinen's downtown. Since I love our local (Glenview) Heinen's, when I saw the signs for their location in downtown Cleveland, I couldn't resist going inside, and it was an "OMG moment". They occupy the historic Cleveland Trust Company Building, built in 1907 and recently renovated. The gorgeous rotunda, with its murals and stained glass dome, is part of their retail space.

I shot this video. And there's a lengthy description of the building and its renovation here.

I have had really good results with just about every meat/poultry/fish/seafood purchase at Heinen’s.

Tonight, reverse sear Tri-tip. Excellent

Since moving to the city two years ago, we REALLY miss being between two Heinen's and two Sunset Foods. And I would give Heinen's the edge overall, just felt guilty about shopping at Heninen's more than Sunset after they moved to town.

Excellent quality, great employees, and what must be good management to arrive at the final outcome.

We now wind up using a combo of Pete's and Whole Foods.

We've been grilling fresh swordfish from Heinen's in Glenview and it's as good as any we've ever had anywhere, home or restaurants.

nsxtasy wrote:We've been grilling fresh swordfish from Heinen's in Glenview and it's as good as any we've ever had anywhere, home or restaurants.

I was extremely picky about seafood when we were eating it. We loved the quality of their seafood. And I would occasionally get fish that you would usually only be able to get in a restaurant.