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Fresh Farms International Market
- 26 reviews
- Location:
- Chicago, IL
"I love to shop here - they have a great produce selection including bell peppers, fresh garbanzo beans, ginger, garlic, eggplant and more -…" read more »
26 reviews for Treasure Island- Hyde Park
I would never never do any big shopping here, I would only come in for specific things and then dash the hell out because a lot of the things you find in here can be found elsewhere for cheaper. Trader Joe's has a lot of the same things and often for cheap. Or to wander and see if they have anything unusual that you didn't know you wanted till you spotted it sitting there staring at you on that shelf.
Our main reason we stopped in today was because we were scoping out the hood and Aaron S. had never been in one.
As far as being European? I really don't know how European they are, but I do know they carry a lot of specialty items and have a more extensive bakery area and candy section than any other stores that I can think of.
This location had to be the biggest Treasure Island of the three I've been in. They also seem to be a little less organized though. The isles containing canned goods, and pasta specifically.
I also think that maybe Hyde Park doesn't have many grocery stores, because they were insanely crowded.
So yeah not good for regular shopping, good for specific things that are harder to find, because that is really the only thing that justifies their really high prices. (They are more pricey than Whole Pay...er Foods on some of the stuff even!)
"America's Most European Supermarket" - that's the sign that beckons you to come in. Because Americans are SO TOLERANT of other cultures, that rubbing it in our faces will entice us to come in, right?
Went inside anyway, mostly because my girlfriend and I had been to the Candy Expo this year and her friend came back from Europe recently with British chocolate, and I wanted to see if they'd have any here.
The ambiance is that of a Whole Foods mixed with a Trader Joe's. They think that if it's not typical American fare, they can raise the price. If it's organic, they can raise the price. If it's gluten/fat/wheat/dairy/flavor-free, they can raise the price. If it's "gourmet" or "artisan" or "homemade" or "handmade" or "locally-made" - that's a price-raisin' as well.
If I'd been here to do real shopping, this place would earn 1 star. Half of the stuff is standard supermarket fare, but in a classy joint like this it's at double the price. Other store items are the hoity-toity items that you could also get at a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's and it would be equally-overpriced. But then there are those items that I just don't see anywhere else.
I do most of my shopping at low-brow and standard supermarkets. And to stumble upon a bag of my favorite rarity - sushi-flavored rice crackers? Worth the $2.25 price tag (even though they're $2 in Chinatown Market which is technically closer to my apartment but this is where our adventure had taken us today). And a box of Kasha - because I'd had a hankering for it and strangely Jewel doesn't sell buckwheat.
My favorite part of shopping here was stumbling upon a bag of bread slices and bowls of high-quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar mixed up. It reminded me of my old friends who would pull out the olive oil and balsamic vinegar if I brought them a loaf of French bread and we'd snack on that while playing video games. Nostalgia and good tasting snacks - for free. That's worth stopping by.
And believe me - I was tempted by the $10 giant hunk of Belgian white chocolate that I would have unwrapped and gnawed on for hours. But not this time. Not this time...
In short, don't shop here. Just show up, knowing you have a fully-stocked kitchen waiting for you at home, and just take 30 minutes to peruse the aisles and maybe you'll find something you didn't realize you were having a craving for. And if you're lucky, it'll be something you just can't find elsewhere and that's the REAL reason why it's okay to shell out that kind of money.
Your wallet will thank you, and the artisan gourmet treat will likely be worth your money in the end (after some severe rationalization).
It might be over priced but it's a hell of a lot better than just up the block at Village foods. I'll take hectic over terrifying while grocery shopping any day.
Why are the people who drive here so nuts? The parking situation isn't that confusing, it shouldn't be that hard to get in in and get out in your standard non-diagonal parking lot.
And why the hell are the people in here so oblivious to, well, other people. In here there are either the slow movers who stand in the middle of the aisle and don't move for 10 minutes while they compare Eastern European spices or the ultra hurried people who still manage to block the aisles with their carts while running you down.
I'll stick to the Jewel, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods of the burbs thank you.
No free-range chicken. Faugh.
Overpriced? You Bet. Parking Wars? More like driving wars. People come out of their spaces as if there isn't a car facing them. Chicken anyone? Seriously. I refuse to buy cereal there. Really? $4.69 a box ?And nowhere on the planet should icecream cost $6.00. It's insane. Sometimes I luck out and can get a two-fer special on juice and cheese. It just depends. However, bread should not border on $4.00 a loaf. I appreciate that they have hard to find items like Shumai and decent tasting spinach dip, but I shouldn't be spending $80.00 on groceries when I can get more for less other places. Their fruit is pretty to look at and well stocked, but I miss the Honey Crisp apples that don't look like someone kicked them before setting them on display and it would be more than lovely to peruse meat that wasn't tinged with green. Super Wal-mart is looking better and better.
While I should add a star simply for the fact that they offer rabbit here (and I can't find it anywhere else other than Fox and Obel), I can't say I am a huge fan of the place.
In the end though- it works just fine by me for when I need something and don't feel like driving up to Roosevelt or King Drive to the local Jewel or Dominick's.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/26/2009
This grocery store suits me just fine. I can completely understand the major complaints of the… Read more »
I can't seem to go into this store without spending $27 for five food items. The aisles are ridiculously narrow: "Hey, let's set these RACKS up in the middle is the pasta aisle! Customers will LOVE the convenience!" Worse yet are the attitudes received from the cashiers. At least at Village Foods the employees are kind.
I will resist nearly all pirate jokes, I swear. However, I secretly was hoping that Treasure Island would be as piratetastic as this place was: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Alas.
Treasure Island is a bit of a pretentious/absurdist name for a slightly seedy market, but it does the trick when you're trying to get your victuals.
The bathrooms are a down a cramped short flight of stairs by a credit union (I was confused).
The produce seemed fresh enough, but I was confused with the overall store layout. That said, I was kept in good humor by the good-natured cashiers as my friend Ed and I bought his round of groceries and some things he needed to make cookies (score!)
The store wouldn't be my first choice for goods, but if it were the closest in the Hyde Park area with a large selection, I could see why it'd be a draw.
Why is there a shoeshine stand in the front of the store?
Will someone please explain that to me?
Don't get me started on the subject of groceries in Hyde Park. For nearly everything, I get in my car and drive to Dominick's, but sometimes I just need something quickly and must resort to Treasure Island. I give it at least 3 stars because the remodel turned out quite well and it is waaaay better then the co-op. They also have a good produce selection and carry some items that can be hard to find at a Jewel or Dominick's.
Sadly, they do not take into consideration the tight budgets of lowly graduate students and offer virtually no sales, preferred shopper discounts, or specials. Really, you put only one grocery store for a university neighborhood and it's a "Treasure Island"? Thank god I have a car and am not marooned in Hyde Park.
Ive held off writing my review for Treasure Island until they were done with remodeling.
They actually have some great specials on produce(strawberries $1.49/lb!, broccoli crowns .99/lb!) and a cool new hip layout(especially compared to the old NASTY Co-Op). However, MOST of their stable/dry goods are HIGH WAY ROBBERY when not on sale. $5+ for Cinnimon Toast Crunch?- you've GOT to be joking!
If you are a Hyde Parker, and just need one or two things to get you through the week, it may not be worth the gas money to drive up to the South Loop, however I will NOT be doing my regular grocery shopping there. I will be keeping my eye out for great produce specials in an attempt to get all my fruit and veggies in on a law student budget.
I have been to many awful overpriced grocery stores in Chicago and I must say that This one goes on my most hated list.The prices are crazy and my romaine had dirt and bugs in it.I'll stick to Pete's market,food 4 less,and the evil Jewel before I go here again.
Grocery shopping in Hyde Park is tragic, save for buying your produce at HPP. There are no other "supermarket" options other than TI and Village Foods on 51st, which will be closing soon due to renovations of that plaza. For the main option in the community, TI was a pretty terrible choice. I still haven't forgiven them for not putting in a Dominick's in the old Co-Op location.
This is nothing against the store chain itself. Treasure Island fits in perfectly in Lakeview and Oldtown, and I've gone to those locations and see what amounted to a fancier, slightly more expensive Trader Joe's... which is awesome, especially because these communities have cheap, standard supermarket options as well. The HP location is a weird bastardization of the Co-Op and a gourmet grocery store. As with the Co-op before, the lack of sales and store brands is frustrating to those of us on a college budget. If I have time, I'm much more likely to travel up to the Jewel at Roosevelt to stock up.
However, they did get an extra star for the recent Winter 08-09 renovations they've made. At least the place is pleasant to look at now, better laid-out and doesn't reek of the early-90s Co-Op aesthetic.
I started shopping at the Treasure Island for light dorm room groceries (yogurt, orange juice, apples, chips) when I first came to Chicago in fall 2008. That is, until I realized how horribly overpriced it is. And, though this has changed a bit since last fall, the check-out line is excruciatingly slow during afternoon rush hours, with cashiers doing customer service operations with customers that should have been rightfully handled at the customer service desk. After that, I began buying my food at Trader Joe's, where the same amount of groceries (and oftentimes higher quality) can cost 1/2 to 2/3 what it costs at Treasure Island, even though I had to commute from Hyde Park to the Mag Mile area to do so. When I moved to a summer sublet a block away on Harper, though, I began trying Treasure Island again. The winter 08-09 renovations have improved it, though there are still significant issues. Though it claims to be a "boutique supermarket", or America's most European style supermarket, it's a bit of a cop out, with many of the items sold being the same as you could find at a Jewel's or Dominick's. In terms of New Jersey equivalencies, it's very similar to a King's (an overpriced supermarket with only a few special items, everything else being normal but sold at higher prices.) Ordinary items are overpriced, and the selection is uneven. The bakery, deli, cheese, and fresh meats sections are quite good, and it's nice that there's an ice cream fountain and a good selection of sushi. But there are also certain items, like farmer cheese, that are mysteriously missing. In many ways, as another reviewer said, it's an awkward marriage of a Trader Joe's and a Jewel's, claiming to be more actually "European" and boutique than it is, making its high prices unjustified.
But, it's the only real grocery store in Hyde Park, and, moreover, for many of the immediately surrounding neighborhoods. In a consistent Hyde Park theme, high prices and relatively low quality are never challenged because there's no competition. Hyde Park is socioeconomically isolated, and most students, particularly undergrads, don't have cars. Many HP people with cars simply go to Jewel's or Dominick's or TJ's or Whole Foods outside the neighborhood, but otherwise you're stuck with TI, Village Foods, and Hyde Park Produce. It's overpriced for students, who end up using it out of lack of other options, and probably not consistently upscale enough in certain ways for the wealthy population of adults in the upscale sections of Hyde Park around the lake and the university. So, I'll probably continue being suckered into Treasure Island for now, even though I'll complain about it constantly.
Hype sells! The produce is good and impressive. That is all that we are impressed with at this store. Don't get sucked in by the ambiance, folks - this is price gouging 101 in full effect here. Picked up a couple items off the shelf and laughed - Jesus Christ! Seriously, Treasure Island is for you if you want to spend a lot more money. This store tests our common-sense approach to shopping for food. Shopping at this store conjures up the question of do we let our sentiment (or ego) outweigh our better judgement. What's that quote by P.T. Barnum, "There's a Sucker born every minute".
Booo, Treasure Island is not the most European grocery store as they claim. It's the same concept as the grocery store that was there before, Co-op. It's an overpriced, pointless grocery store. You'd have better luck at Village Foods, which is smaller and that's sad.
Treasure Island is horribly overpriced for a store that serves mostly students. Moreover, I've gotten sick from eating the produce, not once, but TWICE. The first time, I bought baby carrots and ate several of them for a snack within minutes of returning home. The next morning, I spent a good amount of time in the bathroom with horrible cramps. . .to say the least. Later that day, I discovered that the carrots were covered in slime. . .less than 24 hours after I bought them. The second time I got crappy mushrooms and thank god I didn't use them right away because, again, in less than 24 hours, the mushrooms were covered with this disgusting slime. You'd do better by walking up to Hyde Park Produce or Village Foods. Despite some of the comments about the oh so "scary" Village foods, I find that the natives are generally friendly (read with sarcasm).
Not a bad grocery store at all and certainly better than the useless Co-Op that preceded it. Their selection of goods overall is quite good, the produce is much better than the Co-Ops was, etc. A solid, reliable grocery store.
I'm a little disappointed by the high prices though. One of the biggest complaints about the Co-Op was the extortionate prices. T.I. is better, but still kinda pricey for what it is.
I will continue to do my shopping at Pete's Fresh Market (and at Hyde Park Produce) but still stop in here if I need a few things quickly.
If you like over priced food & confusing shopping isiles, then this is the place for you. The veggies are hella expensive and can be purchased much cheaper at HPP. Treasure Island meats are expensive and not so tasty (escpeially the steaks). Believe it or not, Village Foods meats are cheaper and taste better. The only thing good about T.I. is that the lines are not nearly as long as they use to be...maybe that's because it's never really that packed in there.
Treasure Island boasts that is it America's most European market, making me wonder just what is so European about it, and justifying their higher than average prices. They do have many imported candies, and they do have many samples sitting out- a nice treat as you shop.
They also make their own fruit and veggie juice in the store- I bought and enjoyed a fresh carrot juice because of a sample. Cashiers seem friendly enough. General grocery selection is decent but not wow- but you *will* go to this grocery store simply because it's the only one in Hyde Park.
I missed it the first several times I went, but there is another level under this store that has a post office- convenient.
Hyde Park is what the Tribune calls a "Food Desert" not a lot of grocery stores and virtually no large supermarkets. Treasure Island, which replaced the bankrupt Co-Op Foods last year is the only large food store in Hyde Park/Kenwood/Woodlawn area. The staff is for the most part friendly and helpful, most of them are former Co-Op employees. The quality is good but the prices are very very high. For example russet potatoes are 30 cent/lbs higher than at Whole Foods in Lakeview. Domestic goat cheese is $3/lb higher. I guess I wouldn't mind so much if it wasn't for the fact that it's exactly the same and just as dirty as the old Co-Op.
Not great, but it's the only large grocery store in the area. I usually go to the south loop area for Jewel, Dominicks, or Whole Foods though- better selection and lower prices. Treasure Island is expensive and smaller than other big stores. Nice employees and usually not a big line to get out.
When I moved from Old Town to Hyde Park a couple of years ago, I never imagined my only chain store grocery option would be Treasure Island. In Old Town, over the course of 20 years, I witnessed a Dominick's come and go, and I avoided the local TI due to its high prices (but gave in when I needed a within-walking-distance grocery option). As a relatively newly minted Hyde Parker, I have to admit I miss the community feel of the old Co-Op, though their cost seemed comparable to the expense of the new TI. So, three stars for the fact that the Hyde Park TI does carry a range of hard-to-find foods and the convenient location (for the neighborhood).
Why is everything here 50 to 100 % more than at the Jewel, Dominicks or Produce mart? Example: 1 gal of milk is 2.49 almost everywhere. Here it's 3.69. Big tub of dannon yogurt at the product mart 2.99. Here 4.29. This place is a half a standard deviation better than the nasty co-op that it replaced thanks to a coat of paint and moving some shelves around for a better layout. Why Hyde Park is not allowed to have a Jewel or Dominicks is beyond me. I only go here when the Produce mart is closed and I realize we need a couple things. Oddly enough, just like the co-op, 70% of the time they will be out of one of the things you need. Someday I hope and pray our Alderman and the University might just allow a real grocery store to exist in Hyde Park, but I'm not holding my breath.
A lot of the reviewers have made harsh comments, and I will admit that dealing with the renovation period was a hassle. But now that the work is more or less complete, I like Treasure Island a lot. Some things are more expensive than Dominicks or Jewel, but others are cheaper. If you read their ad and make your choices accordingly, the prices are not bad. It has a good mix of ordinary stuff and gourmet offerings. I like seeing the manager (older guy, white hair, khakis--he looks like my dad!) trying to instill a little customer service mentality in to the former Coop employees.
I agree with William H., this store has got to have Chicagos most "obnoxious staff." And don't even get me started with some of the "pretentious" clientele that frequent there; can you say "rude?". For all of you posers out there who really think you're shopping in a European Market, get over yourselves! I've seen both better food and service at Trader Joes, Jewel, Dominicks, and various other specialty markets throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs. I've been a Hyde Parker for over ten years and never thought I'd say "I miss the old Co-op Market." Though it was grungy and over-priced, in my opinion it was still cheaper than "Treasure Rip Off." Like the majority of people in the neighborhood, I've taken to shopping at Hyde Park Produce, or various stores in the South Loop/near North area (i.e., Jewel, Dominicks, Super Target), in addition to various suburban stores while visiting my Mom in the Western burbs. I agree, enough already. This place has got to go, let's all start lobbying our alderpersons for new shopping alternatives.
