Hy-Vee

Hy-​Vee was our «go to» grocery store when we lived in Iowa. Pleased a few years ago to see it was in Sycamore.
I visit the Sycamore/​DeKalb area on rare occasions and shop at Hy-​Vee only for special items, not for an entire week’s of groceries.
Needed some quick dessert/​bakery items. Very disappointed with both the selection and quality of the bakery items. Nothing began to compare with the in-​store bakeries I find in West Coast grocery stores.
Next time I will stick with a smaller, stand-​alone bakery.

Excellent grocery store. The employees actually acknowledge you unlike Jewel and Walmart, and are very nice. The prices are very good as well. Love HyVee!

great store, I just loved it. nice variety, good stuff.

I ate dinner here. Got the salad bar buffet. It was just great! Fresh veggies and fruit! Clean looking. Will return!

Have the best produce ever. Their all u can eat buffet is awesome they have the absolute best strawberries, 彡 EVER!ツ

I love Hy-vee…best produce and selection in town. However, I gave 4 stars because their regular grocery options are limited. Don’t expect a lot of selections or brands. Also the prices are a bit higher.
Their bakery is excellent — breads, especially the walnut raisin artisan bread is incredible!
What I’m most impressed with is their delivery service. I’ve used them a number of times now and I have been 100% satisfied every time. They even delivered in the midst of a snow storm.

Sunday Brunch is terrible! Eggs and bacon overcooked, potatoes mushy, sausage over peppered, waffle cold, fruit not cut properly, and for dessert a cold piece of pie. Biscuits and gravy, the biscuits looked more like left over hamburger buns. Save your money!

Multifunctional store with groceries, fresh sandwiches, italian pizza, and chinese food. So you have lots of alternatives to have a lunch or dinner. Also, it’s inexpensive;))

Hyvee is where I go in between my major grocery shopping. I have to say their health food section is pretty nice. A couple complaints here though. Several times when I was shopping I ran into their nutritionist who does most of the ordering for the health food section. I asked her about a couple items I would like to see stocked. She jotted these items down in a notebook. Now, I understand that if they
Stocked everything that everybody wanted, it wouldn’t be cost effective because everyone’s tastes are so varied. But I did ask a couple times when I saw her about having an item ordered specifically that I would pick up at the store. To which again she wrote down on a notepad. I never heard from her, or anyone at Hyvee about these items. So that has been kind of a turn off.
I love the bulk spice section. The containers have a tube that you shake the spice into. The tube has measurements from 1 teaspoon to a half of a cup I believe. It’s great to use for that spice that you’ll most likely never use again.
I give the Pharmacist there Deb Svoboda two thumbs up!
She is really knowledgeable about nutritional matters and fixed a couple errors on my prescriptions, saving me money

I have purchased an extraordinary amount of rotten food from this place. One time I bought five items– all were rotten.
Oh, and «Organic Wednesday» is just a way of flushing all their rotten produce out the door before they legally have to throw it out. Shop at your own risk.
Oh, yeah… they’re expensive, too!

I disagree about the meat selection criticism. Talk to the butcher. Ask if they will get in what you want. I like Jenny-​O turkey ham & they now stock it because I asked. And if you want to cut down on meat prices, ask about their bundles. I got 5# of 85% ground chuck; 10, 8 oz ground chuck hamburger patties; 5, 8 oz rib eyes; 5, 8 oz strip steaks; 5, 8 oz filet mignons. I may have missed something but it came out to $ 6/​pound. They also have bundles that include chicken & pork. OK, some things they don’t have, like crushed Oreo cookie crumbs that I needed for a chocolate cheesecake. So I used graham cracker crumbs. Big deal. The employees are always helpful & they deliver groceries for $ 15, which kept me from starving this past winter as I am disabled and could not get to my car most of the winter.
The Chinese food is as good as any I have had in our area.
The store is clean & the people friendly. They have a good organic selection, too. The higher prices everyone talks about is worth it to me to come home in a good mood and I don’t dread having to shop. I dread going to WalMart; I dreaded going to Jewel.
With few exceptions, the HyVee brand is as good as name brand items. PLUS you get to save money on gas, based on what you buy. 10 cents here, 3 cents there, it adds up. Last year I got more than $ 1.25 off per gallon. If you fill your tank, that’s a big saving right there.

I was going to give 3 stars but I don’t think it’s A-​OK, especially lately. Prices are just plain high; I always have a bit of sticker shock when I check out. I think that would be OK if their quality supported the prices, but as time has gone buy it hasn’t. Produce looks pretty, but it is as hit or miss in quality as most grocery stores’. Meat choices have decreased, and this is typical at all stores in DeKalb, as the local population can’t afford the cost of very many types of meat anymore and so stores have to respond. However, Schnucks and Jewel have stepped up with specials; I rarely find any good meat deals at Hyvee.
I like the idea of employee-​owned and the friendly feel of the store, but really I can’t use it as my go-​to grocery store.

I am torn when it comes to this store. The staff is friendly, very friendly. They also have some things other are lacking like an organic area.
Where I am torn is they tend to be expensive and the meat department is lacking, in fact don’t even carry some common cuts of meat. For a store like this, there liquor department is well stocked.
They do support the community, and that, the organic and the produce section are what bring us in here.

Terribly expensive. Even «Loss Leaders» can be found elsewhere for less money and better quality. Produce often on the verge of rotting and extremely expensive.
Purchased oat and wheat bran from the bulk aisle and the bags had mealy worms — or some kind of worms in them.
Only go to their liquor department occasionally as they do have an interesting selection of beer for special occasions. (See other reviews, the only good ones are for their liquor department)
We need a Caputo’s or Vallee Produce out here for sure.

I’m mostly a fan of the liquor store they have here. Great selection of ciders and a walk in cooler! :)

Chinese food here is so tasty and great value. I have been here so many times and still love it.
about $ 8 for all you can eat or $ 6 for two entrée meal.

As a grocery store, I am pretty impressed by what it has to offer. The prices on the food itself are pretty fair. The bakery section has so much to offer and in the evening some of the fresh baked goods are half off.
They have a hot food section as well. I do not mean the usual rotisserie chicken. They have a Chinese food and Pizza counter. I am so impressed by what $ 5 gets you at the Chinese counter. Two entrees, a large amount of rice and an egg roll. More than enough food for two meals.
If you are looking for a great liquor section, check out this place. You get a discount for buying 6 bottles of wine. You can get wine as low as $ 3 a bottle, and it is not terrible wine.
This place is not perfect, but I am still happy with it.

A better than average beer section, especially for a grocery store. It almost takes up the majority of the entire department as it seemed like the guy running it or their beer buyer is a beer geek at heart, especially when you see the sought-​over empty bottles of such beers as KBS, BCS, and various New Glarus brews. If you’re looking for a beer that’s sold out in most venues, you could most likely find it here.
Can’t comment on the grocery section

Like another Unilocaler, I have a love-​hate relationship with this store. I loved having an actual grocery store that was relatively close, other than Jewel (which got to be expensive). I also loved their wide selection of produce and cheese. But, after awhile the novelty has worn off.
It started last year when they would always have a cashier-​type person standing inside of the entry basically waving «sales papers» in your face as soon you stepped one toe inside the store. I felt like it was invading my personal space (and according to the customer service desk, others felt the same way), so they stopped doing that so much, which was fine. I like to get my bearings before I start shopping — get my list, my pen, etc. and not have to be bombarded if I want something right away.
Then the over-​the-​top happiness of some of the employees. I know, I know… you don’t want to walk into a grocery store where everyone’s crabby but it’s okay to tone it down a little bit. Sometimes I feel like it’s kind of forced. I almost feel bad if I don’t return the same sentiment when they approach me. Even if you’re looking away, looking at something else they’ll still go out of their way to say «Hi» which is a little awkward.
Then they stopped selling one of my favorite coffee creamers of all time. I know the product itself is not discontinued (I can get it at Walmart or Jewel — but I would like not to), but they adamantly claimed it was and they will no longer carry the flavor I’ve been buying for months. I was told they could «try» to special order it for me — I gave my name and number to a manager, and months later I have heard nothing, or seen any sign of it happening. A good grocery store, I believe… goes that extra mile to get something for a customer if it’s reasonable. I frequented a store in North Carolina where they special ordered items all the time for folks. I should not have to drive to another store for something I need. Ok, you could say «well just don’t get it», but you want what you want, right?
Also, be prepared to bring your own bags and re-​bag your groceries when you take them to the car, or right there at the register. If you give them reusable bags, they will try their best to cram everything and anything into those few bags to where they’re too heavy to lift! They do not ask you if you want your milk in a bag — and once, a cashier asked me if she could bag «raw chicken with chemicals». NO, you may not. Today, for example… I had orange juice, milk and a six-​pack of tea in glass bottles crammed in to one of my bags. Real nice. I could barely lift it.
Depending on what’s on my list, I feel like I almost have to go to Hy-​Vee, so I don’t have to make two trips. More and more, I hear myself saying «I should’ve gone to Target» (they do have groceries!). Target is actually a bit cheaper when you buy the same things.

Compared to the crappy Jewel Osco… this grocery store is an oasis in the middle of the desert.
An actual organic produce section that is bigger than a postage stamp… and a health food section with bin products.
I came here today while visiting with my DeKalb daughter and even though she is a stone’s throw from Jewel Osco, she plans on making the Hy-​Vee her preferred grocery store. While she still prefers Duck Soup Co-​op, they don’t usually have very good produce, so she can get her produce at the Hy-​Vee, as well as just about anything else she might need.
A welcome addition to DeKalb/​Sycamore.