Caribou Coffee

I stop at the coffee shop to get a smoothie every weekend. I don't mind waiting for the whipped cream to be made. It is usually busy but the barista there is always working hard. She is friendly and very helpful. The smoothie is always great. Just because there isn't a line does mean it isn't important to receive the freshest product possible and the barista may have been very busy a few minutes earlier.

Probably one of the better cups of coffee on the East side. Watch for deals, they seem to run more buy one get ones than other coffee shops if you get their texts or emails, and any 2 for$5 on Tuesdays right now which is cheaper than what one of my large drink costs. They use real chocolate/white chocolate in their drinks instead of syrups and it shows. Can be slow if busy.

Very basic in-store coffee counter with a constantly rotating staff of Hy-Vee cashiers, not trained baristas. Quality is wildly unreliable depending on who's behind the counter -- often, they haven't even learned the basics yet, but are left on their own. Basically, this exists solely to provide a quick caffeine fix for Hy-Vee's shoppers. The hot chocolate is noteworthy, however. Like real Caribou locations, it is made with melted chocolate chips, and when the cashier actually makes it right, it puts all other cafes' hot chocolate to shame. That's the only thing saving this place from a one star rating.