Local Flavor: A Tour of Minnesota's Grocery Stores from Lunds to Kowalskis

Every new town we visit tends to have lots of different Grocery Store options. We never know what ones to go to but this is actually one of our favorite parts about traveling! Local grocery stores open your eyes to new things about a region AND reinforce what’s popular there. One time we went to Cost in Alabama and the amount of Old Bay you can get is a bit ridiculous, while up here in Minnesota, you will not find the 128 ounce jugs of it..

Cub Foods

This is the standard grocery store around Minnesota. They are large stores. Lots of food options. Deli counter and bakery in most. Locations a plenty. I would say they are middle of the road or on the cheaper side when it comes to grocery stores.

Lunds & Byerly’s

This is a great spot if you see one. They typically have a great meat counter, sometimes a deli and definitely a bakery. Good quality items. Prices are a bit higher than normal. Some of the aisles are carpeted. Good vibe and they will load your groceries straight into your car!

Kowalskis

This is a fancy grocery store chain here in MN. Super fun to go here and browse for what you wouldn’t normally be able to find at a low end grocery store. This is the carpet in the shopping aisles kind of place. You will definitely pay more here, but quality is typically a bit better. This is more of a grocery shopping experience!

HyVee

This is a local (tri state area) employee-owned grocery store chain. We LOVE shopping at HyVee. Reasonably priced everything. Nice stores like a Lunds but priced like a Cub. Lots of options. If you go to one of the bigger stores there is typically a great bakery, meat counter, deli and lots of take out//warm food options. We prefer this grocery store if we are near one.

Target

Since we are where Target hails from, we actually tend to have bigger and more packed stores than some states that have these. Target tests a lot more concepts in their local MN stores, so look one of these up. You might see some differences than your Target from back home. The grocery stores in them are sufficient or better here in MN. A little pricier than a Cub Foods, but still great for a one stop shop!

Aldi, Trader Joes, Whole Foods

You probably have these in your own town. Aldi is known for being inexpensive, we buy produce from there. Trader Joes I don’t feel like I need to explain. Whole Foods, we have quite a few of these in the Twin Cities, so if you want organic or grass fed items, here is your spot.