Mariano’s in Wheaton Grand Opening

WOO! Mariano’s just opened a new store in Wheaton and it’s freaking amazing. It is officially the closest Mariano’s to me and has become my new go-to Mariano’s, bumping the Elmhurst store out of that spot. After taking a tour of the new Wheaton location I can definitely say that it is my favorite of all the locations I’ve been to.

I’ve loved every location, because I’m in love with this store. It sounds so weird to say that but it’s just more than a regular ol’ grocery store. Every Mariano’s is an experience, it’s not weird to spend hours and hours there. I’m glad the Wheaton location is only about 20 miles from me, but I never hesitated to drive well over 40 miles to get to a Mariano’s.

I’m surrounded by grocery stores in my area, but I would rather drive an hour to get that awesome Mariano’s experience, pricing, and service than to go to a grocery store down the street. That’s really saying something. Not to mention, they have awesome “Car” carts that both of my kids actually fit in and enjoy riding around in. Total win.

This new location is set up like all of the others, where you walk right into the dynamic selection of healthy, seasonal, and local produce items, including more than 200 organic choices. I’ve begun juicing again recently and I can’t tell you how happy I am that I’ll have the awesome Mariano’s produce selection nearby for my juicing needs.

People that have never been to Mariano’s sometimes have the idea that it’s an expensive store, but it’s definitely not. The Mariano’s Reward Card helps save money while shopping too. Considering the great quality of products and awesome service that you’ll receive from Mariano’s I would say their prices are really fair.

This new Wheaton locate is full of all of my favorite Mariano’s staples like the Vero authentic Italian coffee and gelato shop. They put so much effort into making their gelato look AWESOME. And for every 10th gelato purchase made using your rewards card you get a free large gelato… I’m ashamed to say I’ve gotten like 3-4 free large gelatos. 😉 I share with the kids though, I promise!

This store also offers something that I’ve only seen at one other location, this eat in area. Sometimes they are cooking made to order omelets and sometimes they’re dipping and coating those infamous Mariano’s caramel apples.

And it wouldn’t be Mariano’s without an OKI Sushi eat-in bar. I’m kind of a sushi snob, and OKI’s quality is FAR beyond what one would normally expect from grocery store sushi. Mariano’s is so special and distinct in that they offer all of these stores within the store.

Eating at VERO, or OKI , or Squeez’d (the smoothie bar), never feels like you’re inside of a grocery store and getting subpar quality. It feels like they all exist separate from each other but are totally cohesive and work perfectly in the Mariano’s environment.

Now, my absolute favorite part of this new Mariano’s store has got to be Todd’s BBQ. This has so far only been offered in two stores and I was SO excited when I spotted the familiar sign hanging from the ceiling during my visit. It’s pretty hard to find good BBQ in these parts. I’ve never really traveled South but I’ve always assumed that there are just rib joints on every block. The midwest may not have that, but at least we have Todd’s BBQ. They make such good food and the sauces are ridiculously good.

I’ve also always had such a great experience getting food from Todd’s. The employees in Mariano’s as a whole are always happy to help. You can definitely tell that the Mariano’s employees enjoy what they do and as a customer it’s nice to see happy and helpful employees all around the store.

This location also has a nice big hot foods area. Now, I’m not a bad cook… I just prefer not to cook if I don’t have to. So every time I go to Mariano’s I pick up some form of dinner for the kids and I. I have never gone to Mariano’s and not bought soup, either. Their soup is the best thing I’ve even eaten, seriously. I don’t know how they do it, I just hope they never stop.

This Mariano’s also offers a beautiful seating area if you’d like to have your food right away. I was at the sore around 9am, but once the lunch time hours hit… this area is always FULL of business folks getting their fresh lunches from Mariano’s.

So, I’ve surprised myself that I’ve managed to NOT mention the Mariano’s bakery this far into the post. It’s glorious. I stocked up on some yummy sweets, of course. But I wanted to mention these awesome new cakes that I’ve never seen before. I’m obsessed with coffee and sweets and I’ve never seen these coffee cakes and sweet squares. If you want one, make sure to get to Mariano’s early because they go pretty quick! And for less than $10 they are perfect for small gatherings.

I mentioned that I don’t like to cook… but when I do, I always make sure to have semi-done foods in the fridge and freezer. The meat and seafood selection at Mariano’s is really impressive. And the grill station, which is available for meat and seafood elections prepared on site at no charge, is always an awesome option. Because, hey.. if I pick out the meat/seafood, pay for it, and have one of the awesome employees grill it for me, I can still technically say I cooked… right? 😉

I know I’ve shown you the luxury wine wall which features over 1,000 wines at Mariano’s many times, but I’ve never shown you the beer wall! Along with the beer wall there is also a walk-in beer cooler with regional and global selections.

Mariano’s also features a specialty cheese shop with hundreds of artisanal, imported and domestic cheeses, that are hand cut and wrapped in-store. They have international aisles featuring food from over 15 countries and they have the most gorgeous floral department. I love the attention that they put into every little detail in the store. The picture above does not do this display justice. This arrangement was beautiful and so festive.

Finally, one of the coolest things that I just had to mention were these little tags. They may not seem all that special to someone like me, who can eat all the gluten and non-vegan stuff that I want, but to someone who has certain dietary restrictions these tags are a serious game changer. These tags are on products ALL OVER the store. And it’s not just for gluten free and vegan foods. There are specialty tags for a variety of restrictions including low-sodium products.

I am SO excited that this most amazing store has finally gotten even closer to me. And there is SO much more awesome stuff for you to explore and discover on your own at this Mariano’s location.

I know I’ll be back to #MyMarianos very soon, will you?

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