Last week, Trader Joe’s opened up here in town. It’s been much anticipated especially since the opening date was pushed back several months due to construction issues.
I fully admit that I’ve never really been impressed with any of the Trader Joe’s that I’ve been in. They have a lot of processed food items that seem to make up the bulk of the store. That’s not really my style. But I decided to check out the new Trader Joe’s here and I was pleasantly surprised!
Most TJs that I’ve been in don’t really carry any fresh produce. Ours does and for really great prices. I was able to get a huge bunch of bananas for just over a dollar.
They also have a really great cheese section that I look forward to exploring once the crowd reduces a little bit.
There is a huge dip and hummus section that I would also like to explore and check the ingredients. I either need to go before the lunch rush or wait a few weeks for the store to be less crowded.
I was able to find some grassfed ground beef and fun items like purple spinach! However, they did not have large tubs of spinach or salad mix, only smallish bags.
It’s a small store, there’s no deli, meat, or seafood counter. You can find a few of those items in the refrigerated section. The dairy section had only store brand almond and coconut milk. I didn’t look at their milk offerings but I did not see any local milk on the shelves.
This may not be news to you if you are a seasoned TJs shopper, but I am not, and I found the set up to be interesting.
A few fun items I got were things like pomegranate vinegar and sriracha barbecue sauce which has a great ingredient list and has a great flavor! I’m also giving their Miso Broth a whirl to see what that tastes like.
Would I be able to do all my shopping there? No, but it will be nice to go on occasion for some fun items that are unique to the store.
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post for TJs. They have no idea who I am. I’m just sharing my experience with my local store.
I’m with you – TJ’s is great as a supplementary stop, but it can’t replace regular grocery shopping or farmer’s market trips. I actually like some of TJ’s prepared / frozen foods on occasion because the ingredients aren’t too terrible. I usually get organic, free-range chicken there (cheaper than Giant Eagle or Kroger), along with prosciutto, peanut butter, and some snacky items I like. (For example, they make kettle chips with just olive oil, potatoes, and salt!)
The meat section was really small and they didn’t have a lot going on. I was kind of surprised that they didn’t offer up more. You are right, a lot of their frozen foods don’t have any sketch ingredients in them. I got some potstickers that seem pretty clean!