Cosmopolitan Marketplace

Cosmopolitan does try to be a unique market, (lacking of course the multi-​entrances and fresh air flow through the building,) but have they limited hours due to: 1. West Aurora’s urban sprawl drive-​thru mentality? or, 2. Are they missing a piece of «the market» feel?
Its cool; A bar, open winding shelving, nice coloring, neat lighting, it has a good look.
BUT where is the market? Market means fresh foods.
There is certainly a large assortment of meats, even lamb is easily found consistently and many meats marinated and prepped, even a wide fish selection but what about the sides?
Where is the salad bar? Where is the hot sandwiches? I don’t want to sit at the bar and order, I want to carry out!
Can Cosmopolitan make another investment? Can they take one more step? Look at the French Market in Downtown at near Union Station… Where is my hot pastrami sandwich?
Would be disappointed to see it close.
Postscript:
I guess i should have posted back when I had checked in… another Unilocaler said its now closed!

This place is garbage. The décor, the item selection, everything about it reeks. I bet this place is like a front for international money laundering or something.
Bonus: I saw them retagging expired product in the bakery with newer unexpired tags.

Heard they are closing… When? They aren’t telling. Today they said they were closing to redo the store, and were going to reopen.

Cosmopolitan Market Place will challenge the «Comfort Zone» of loyal shoppers from Prisco’s, Woodman’s, Cermak, Mariano’s, Meijer, and Walmart simply because it’s different.
An «intuitive» shopper understands that you never put «all your eggs in one basket».
This is not a Grocery Store… it’s a «Market».

Weird. The only word for this place. If Liberace decorated a warehouse and threw in some groceries, that would be this store.
I found out about it because we got some fliers at my place of work. I was surprised at the gigantic forbidding façade: nothing like a grocery store…
Turns out, inside isn’t either. Priorities were really weird. Glittering chandeliers hung everywhere, but there were no signs to indicate «here’s what’s in this aisle.» Also not a huge selection of things like produce, and gaps on the shelves. When I mentioned these oddities to the woman at customer service (because I couldn’t even find the checkout; turns out it’s waaay on one end, past a section of cookware and odd housewares — really, do you think to buy bedding at the grocery store?), she said that they hadn’t put up the signs yet and they would be getting more stock. Kind of begs the question why this didn’t happen before they opened…
As to the products they did have: nice selection of meats, and an interesting array of bulk products, but other stuff was lacking. Also, I bought a package of frozen pierogi (in August 2015) and realized (after eating half) that the expiration date was January 2015! Yes, I triple checked the year… where did they get these supplies? It’s a brand new store!
Overall, too long a drive for me to have this weird experience. Enjoy the sparkly wonderland if you will, but caveat emptor on the expiration dates…

I don’t know where to begin. This place is confusing. Driving past it all these months, I was super excited to go in. Once in, it seemed like a lot of wasted space, obscure items and not a large selection of your everyday items. If you need a good cut or rare type of meat, this is the place! They have turtle, boar, elk, rabbit, lamb…
I don’t know if I will ever return as I like selection. Plus: prices are pretty good considering the luxury of this place.

This store is… interesting. You walk in and you’d swear you were in a nightclub in Chicago or New York. The floor is stark. The walls and ceiling are black and a winding, sparkling chandelier provides the little light there is. The shelves are glass and lit by LED lights. It is stunning and beautiful.
But, as a grocery store, this place fails. Those gorgeous shelves wind in random directions and are stocked with maybe half the selections you’d find at Woodman’s or Meijer. Suddenly, the food ends and you’re staring at bedding and copper pots, which are next to battery-​operated, ride-​in kiddie cars. So disjointed and weird…
I guess the good is that the prices are a bit lower than other stores and they have delicious meats and baked goods.
Overall, I’m really not sure what their vision was supposed to be, but if they were trying to draw weekly shoppers, they fail.

Darling, its been stated multiple times but let me add to the chorous, this place is exceptional in its aesthetic. I texted all of my friends pictures of this place as it is grocery store meets night out on the town.
But I don’t go in grocery stores to party or take pictures; I usually go to shop, so lets talk the dirty deets.
Items like chips and microwave meals are priced like I would expect to see them in most places. But the real offering in this store is its selection and prices of meat and fresh produce. I was impressed to see prices that undercut most places I have shopped, thus offering normal patrons like myself, the chance to eat grassfed beef and exotic fish at a cut rate. I would describe the prices as being competative with most places I have shopped and the quality seems to be on par.

I wish I could give Cosmopolitan 3 ½ stars. It would be a more accurate rating. Echoing the sentiments of many reviewers before me, the meat, deli and bakery are world class while the prices are not. This is a pleasant shock when you walk into such a glitzy shopping experience.
On that note, I couldn’t help but snap a photo of just about everything in the store. The restaurant with white paper covers, crystal LED light fixtures, beautiful bright white LED accent lighting and the automatic checkouts leave you in wonder and awe!
The reason, however, this would be a three and a half star concept is that it is still not quite developed. I certainly feels like they tried adapting their vision to the space and didn’t allow the space to enhance their vision. Once you exit the fresh foods and enter the dry goods, you suddenly feel like you’re trapped in a labyrinth. The isle directions change (seemingly for no strategic reason) and the lux environment quickly turns budget with eye soars such as the budget home bins and ugly small appliance and kitchen displays.
Did their marketing and customer experience team not think about optimizing the experience based on consumer behavior? If they did… They should be fired.
Unfortunately the poor execution of the remainder of the store paired with its interesting location (a rather budget conscious market nearby) could be the final nails in the coffin that kill this otherwise stunning concept. It would certainly be a shame considering I came in from downtown Chicago to see it and would go out of my way to return if it was more complete.
I’m sure I’ll be back. But it’s not going to be a place I go out of my way to visit.

The meat department & deli get 5 stars, but the rest of the store get 2 or 3 stars…
Love the grass fed/​organic meats.
Don’t love the fact that the rest of the store is missing basic items, or has a very limited selection. I also don’t like the fact that the aisles aren’t marked — so it’s hard to find things.
I’m going to just shop here for meat — maybe a few random items while I’m out, but I don’t feel I can do my regular weekly shopping here.

I tried to like this place 100%, I live very close. I’ve had 2 serious food safety issues here within 30 days. First, we bought the in-​house made breakfast sausage and it had bone shavings in it, my kids were also exposed to biting and swallowing bone bits. I went in and talked to the butchers and they said the problem was known and fixed, I said ok and gave them another chance. Last week I went and bought their plastic boxed leafy salad kits from the produce area. I also bought ham salad, tuna salad and buffalo chicken salad from the deli. Everyone in my house that ate any of that became sick within 12 hours, my 9 year old twins are the only ones not sick and they are the only ones that did not eat Cosmopolitan food during that time. This market has a food safety issue.

I’m not completely sure on how to rate this place. Do you rate on atmosphere, customer service, quality, meeting grocery needs. This grocery store is just all over the place.
One thing I can say for sure its by far the most beautiful grocery store I’ve ever been to. You walk in and get the feeling you should be at a nightclub.
The prices are surprisingly reasonable and very competitive. The restaurant has a pretty good quality food and a wide selection.
The downside, whoever mapped out the layout had no idea what they were doing. It’s confusing, weird and they did not maximize the space. This will be such a turn off for so many customers.

I just can’t do it. I don’t get it.
This is not even a good grocery store. Let alone what they’ve set themselves up to be. They want to be premier but fall way shy of that.
They are huge, similiar in size to Woodman’s. But Woodman’s packs every inch of space with groceries. This place just have weird wiggly isles.
I weant by the fish and could not get the smell of those fish out of my nose the entire trip. That smell lingered. Do they have to let it linger, do they have to? (Sorry Cranberries Flashback).
They have everything but good food… including electric cars you can buy for your kids. Blanket sets. Fine cutlery. What about the groceries? What about having good food? They have nothing but processed junk and are the land of GMO’s.
Ok, they had some pre-​packaged grass fed beef. But, it didn’t look good at all.
Also, when you walk in their is weird seating for their café right where you would think the produce should be. Like, I felt like I was interrupting people’s dining experience by walking in.
I don’t have any need or want for this junky, stinky place…

Yes, it’s different. The aisles aren’t labeled (or even really built in, actually). Don’t go here to «run in for a few things.» Also, yes, it’s strange that vacuums are next to the beer, and the registers are only on the far side so you’ll be going out those doors even though you most likely parked by the other doors. But if you have the time, walk through, enjoy, and I guarantee you’ll find some goodies!
The bests: everything was cheaper than we usually find at stores.
The negative: the layout is confusing and things aren’t organized quite by item, but more or less we found everything we needed. Also the futuristic scanners made a mistake and charged us for 3 of something we only purchased 2 of.
They also have a restaurant that was very busy when we were there around lunch time.
We enjoyed it, especially the bakery (breads and cakes), fresh fish, and many of our usual items that were cheaper than usual.

After hearing a commercial on the radio for this market I was excited to pay them a visit. The décor is dark and not very inviting. The placement of groceries is confusing and not logical at all. I did purchase veggies and some items from the bakery. The bakery items were dry and the Danish lacked flavor. I’m not sure what they are going for with their concept but it didn’t work for me. Mariano’s has a better bakery, produce and is a better value.

This store is awful! They put way too much money into this place. It’s looks lovely, but strange for a grocery store. We went to the grand opening g and there were no prices on half the merchandise. They explained the pricing system to us which sounds shady!!!
There are two prices on each item. It can be any price in between the two listed. Sometimes being .50 cents to a few dollars. You don’t know until you get to the register! Very weird! Nobody likes to guess what they are paying! We have way too many stores around with great prices. They also don’t carry everything you need on a grocery store. Like paper goods and such but they sell sheets, pillows, plates and a few appliances. I guess this is a Russian concept. It won’t work here! It’s awful!!! Don’t waste your time!!!

It’s still pretty new. They just opened this past week and the service is good. They have security guards in the entrance areas. They have all the regular grocery stuff and an open restaurant /​bar area to serve food and drinks. The store is like a mini costco with chandeliers and is very spacious. They have limited furniture and household electronic appliances as well. They have a regular cashier check out area where all items are scanned without needing the bar code. U just put one item through at a time and the station knows what to ring up.
The meat department is huge. The food served at the store range from pastas to pizza to cheeseburgers. Coffee and dessert. Large portions.
They have linens and bedding and cookware as well.
Parking … Plenty
Since it is so new. I’m not sure how to rate them. It is a large cost savings as they have slightly lower prices and no additional tax for the buyer.

So, I’m torn between 3 and 5 stars. The restaurant would receive a 3 star rating, but the grocery store would receive a 5 star rating… so…4 stars.
My husband and I came here for their soft opening. The grand opening isn’t for a few more weeks according to an employee. However, they will be open the entire time until the grand opening. I don’t get it, but whatever.
It’s gorgeous inside, and huge. There’s modern glass chandeliers hanging inside, which makes it look really elegant. which is a strange thing to say about a grocery store. it is fancy enough that you can pick things up in a cocktail dress or «dressed to the nines» and it would totally be ok. Though, I might feel strange coming in wearing yoga pants. I’m not sure.
Upsides:
The prices are really affordable on the things we looked at. A package of chicken breasts were $ 6.05 for 6 good sized chicken breasts. All the things we buy were cheaper than normal (even Woodman’s or Costco). They carried brands and generics. It was strange to see «Essential Everyday», the generic brand at Jewel, at the Cosmopolitan Marketplace. Everyone was very friendly, very willing to help. I asked an employee if they were paid well, and her face lit up and said «yes, they take care of us VERY well.» Which is good to know. I generally like supporting places that treat their employees well.
Downsides:
Organization is a little strange. Walking in to the right is the restaurant which is fine. Keep walking around counter clockwise and you will hit the wood-​fired pizza stand, bakery, cakes, deli, meats, produce etc. Then, the shelves in the center are food. Keep going in, through the shelves and the interior is cleaning supplies. Keep going across, and you hit food again. So, strange organization. But maybe not. Maybe that’s normal. I would have just preferred all the food in one spot, cleaning products in another. Also, the options are somewhat limited. We nearly bought cottage cheese, but they only had it in one size container, and it was just a tiny thing.
The Restaurant:
Think elegant, modern. That’s the restaurant ambiance. Food is meh. Think Sam’s club/​Costco diner. We ordered a pizza and a side of fries. Fries are potato wedges and were good. The pizza sample we had while in the store was really good, but the pizza we received was not. I like wood-​fired pizza, but it usually involves a thicker crust. Our «wood-​fired» pizza was completely burnt on the bottom. So much, that the crust underneath the cheese was black (on the superior portion of the pizza slice). Not too much sauce, and just bleh. It took probably 20 minutes to order and get our food (brought to the table, though). So, maybe an option if you’re going to shop in between, but we might as well have just ordered a pizza from a pizza joint. The other choices in the restaurant included burgers, salads, chicken sandwiches, a bar, etc.
Overall, good addition to the Aurora area. Like other reviewers have said, I’m not sure why they picked Aurora (why not Naperville or Oakbrook… but then again, maybe they’re too saturated already). Either way, we will definitely return to the grocery store.

This is a very confusing store. I tried to get two different employees to explain how their pricing structure works but both of them seemed as confused as I did. You don’t pay tax, but you do pay some kind of «deal fee»? If it’s a deal why is there a fee? Also, it’s not like you can just opt to not pay tax, so the sale tax you have to pay anyway is just baked in to the price of their stuff but apparently obscured somewhere in between the «retail price» tag and the «cosmo deal» tag. The third person I tried to ask about the pricing was like talking to the real-​world equivalent of Ralph Wiggum, answering in just complete nonsense.
I wasn’t the only one either, over heard two different couples looking at their receipts on the way out to the parking lot trying to figure out the «deal fee» and how all the savings are calculated. It seems gimmicky at best and scammy at worst, as it kind of seems like they’re just throwing a ton of numbers at people with no clear way to figure it out while essentially saying, «Don’t worry about it, you’re saving money, TRUST ME!»
I’m really curious to see how this store pans out. Aside from weirdo pricing, they do a lot of other things differently which I appreciate but I think are just too strange for everyday shoppers. For instance, their packaged meat is sold vacuum packed which I greatly prefer but the downside of vacuum packing is you don’t get the bright red beef American shoppers are used to at grocery stores. Additionally, the check out lines they got are great on paper, but educating every shopper that comes through on how to work their fancy not-​quite-​automated checkout lines takes exponentially longer than just normal checkout lines.
The layout of the store is interesting, particularly with the low aisle shelves that let you look all the way across the store. It makes things feel really open. The on-​shelf LED lighting also makes all the products look real nice. The selection here so far is not great, but I went there on one of the first days they were open so it seems premature to judge. You could tell lots of empty space was just filled with loads of the same items to make the shelves look full. Some aisles this is fine, like it makes a lot of sense in the cereal aisle to have a bunch of cereal. It doesn’t make quite as much sense to have half the deli counter filled with pre-​packaged potato salad and similar.
The housewares section seems odd, I’m not sure who goes to a grocery store to buy bed sheets, but, hey, now you have that option. I’ll keep going there to see how it pans out, but my first impressions are not great.

It’s a little hard to judge yet, but if they keep up the work from the special opening, this place has potential. The butcher shop is amazing and carries things many other places don’t. Very good selection of cultural food, albeit the prices are reflective of their uniqueness. The bakery smells and looks wonderful too, but I have yet to taste of it. Definitely worth a trip. If nothing else to peer at the novelty items.