- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
- Nearest Transit:
-
Western-o'hare (Blue Line)
Damen-o'hare (Blue Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 9 am - 8 pm
Sat 9 am - 7 pm
Sun 9 am - 6 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
47 reviews for Aldi
Review Highlights
-
"Oh and I love the fit and active protein bars." In 5 reviews -
"3) Bring your own bags." In 6 reviews -
"It's closer to like $7 at Jewel." In 10 reviews
Loading...
47 reviews in English
-
Review from Brent W.
12/5/2011
Call me a total late comer to the Aldi game but i'm now hooked for the basics and some other household goods and food. I think everything is between a dollar and three, most landing around a buck fifty. If you are getting the following items anywhere else, you basically enjoy paying more than you otherwise have to:
OJ (the not from concentrate sort, the equivalent of Tropicana at Dmicks/Jewel/etc..)
Milk
Eggs
Bacon (center cut)
Cheese
Crackers
Cooking soups, ie cream of chicken/mushroom, tomato, etc.
Cereal (for my son)
apples/bananas/blueberries/strawberries
There're several other things i'm missing but the bottom line is you can save a considerable amount of money by shopping here for the above items over Dmicks/Jewel/Whole Foods. -
Review from n b.
Chicago, IL
10/9/2011
We love to do our grocery shopping here...The food is fresh, pretty clean/well-stocked. We save a ton of money here!
The old saying, "nothing is free" applies here. For the savings, you get small/fewer aisles, which can be a little bit crowded; there is usually a long check-out line (often only one line). Bring your own bags and one quarter for shopping cart rental (you get the quarter back when you return the cart). I think it's well worth the hassles for the savings.
Patience has value. -
Review from Sae K.
Chicago, IL
8/8/2011
ugh...rough.
I like a bargain as much as the next person...but not enough to ever step foot in here again. It's not worth saving a few bucks to have to shop with scary patrons (one who chastised me as I was leaving, and two others who scowled at me when I said "excuse me" so I could pass between their carts) or to be limited to such few grocery choices (40 different types of generic chips, but no organic milk).
more like a social experiment than a grocery store. -
Review from Sarah D.
Chicago, IL
11/12/2011
half of the carts don't work. but it's fine.
i'm pretty sure this is as close to the wild wild west that you will ever get.
wailing children going without consolation.
100 year old dinosaur women buying 200 cans of generic cat food.
homeless man having a full out conversation with the tomatoes.
best grocery store ever. -
Review from Katie H.
Chicago, IL
1/4/2008
Suggested New Aldi Catchphrases
1. Aldi: If you can get food any cheaper, then you must be stealing.
2. Aldi: We don't sell meat here, animals wander in and never come out.
3. Aldi: Bags Schmags, use this empty toilet paper crate.
4. Aldi: You're only poor if this is your regular grocery store.
5. Aldi: Welcome to Eastern Europe!
6. Aldi: What? You think you're getting this cart without a security deposit?
Love-Hate. Hate-Love. I will return. -
Review from Natalie L.
Chicago, IL
3/25/2007
When I moved to Bucktown after years away I was sure that gentrification would have taken care of the dearth of grocery stores situation. Well, I was wrong. And so the Aldi became our default grocery store. At first, I was a bit perturbed at not having a "real" grocery store nearby, but it turns out that Aldi is pretty damn decent at fulfilling the typical basic grocery needs.
Aldi is different first and foremost in that it carries only its own brands 95% of the time. This can be a scary prospect, but the house brands are pretty good--I even like the spaghetti sauce more than most brands widely available. Some of the meat, like cold cuts and ground beef, isn't exactly the most amazing quality, but still all right. I've heard a lot of people complain about the produce, but in my experience it's acceptable, if a shorter shelf life. And the prices are the best you will ever see in your life. You don't have to worry about counting pennies so much here--I mean, you could shop for a week or more on $30.
The issues: well, quirks are the quarter for a cart , cash or debit card only, and no free shopping bags--really not an issue once you're used to it. The main problems I have are that inventory is very inconsistent--things you find one week are gone the next; and there is not a large selection of light or low fat items. You can't buy certain things here, like herbs, so you have to make trips to other stores to get them. So it's not an everything under one roof situation.
But overall, the Aldi here is usually clean, stocked, and easy to navigate, with pleasant staff. Aldi is a lifesaver for those of us on severe budgets. And I will keep telling myself that every time I get depressed walking in here.Listed in: My Neighborhood
-
Review from Izzy N.
6/29/2008
Oh Kewl!!!! I buy my already made, ready to eat box of brownies here! They are only a dollar and taste magical.. sorta. They carry a lot of ya know.. foods that are full of preservatives but so what, we're all gonna die someday anyway. Mmmm cheap quick fix brownies. P.S. double check the expiration dates people, my brownies will expire in a week. So I better finish them up in time or better yet, gobble them up all in one sitting. Which choice is wiser? I can't decide. One day when I do feel the need to stock up on some cheap ass groceries, I will remember Aldi. Remember... no grocery bags, you gotta pay for them or bring your own. That's when my ginormous hand bag comes in handy. NO CHECKS, LADY!!!!! Amen to that.. Cash and debit cards only.
Ditto on avoiding weekends and weekday evenings. -
Review from banana l.
Chicago, IL
9/6/2008
How can I not give Aldi 5 stars?
They have cheaper versions of the foods I get at Jewel and they are only 2 blocks from the pad. Yes, you have to put in a quarter to get a cart, but you get it back when you return the cart. You also bring boxes or bags to put your stuff in, otherwise you have to buy their plastic bags.
No, they don't have everything you may need, but you can get the basic essentials for much cheaper prices. I love that I bought over a weeks worth of food for $12. You seriously cannot beat it.Listed in: Bucktown and Wicker Park
-
Review from Jaime C.
Chicago, IL
12/26/2010
I have seen terrible things go down at this Aldi.
I have seen a grown man slap another grown man upside the back of the head & snatch the frozen pizza right from his hands.
I have seen a child lick stacked bags of powdered sugar.
I have seen a singing elderly woman picked up & carried out of the store by what may or may not have been her son.
I have seen tumbleweaves.
These, of course, are half the reason I shop here. The other is half is made up of $2 bricks of cheese, 50 cent cans of soup, & $1.50 bags of flour. There are some real gems hidden about, too, like supercheap Botlhouse Farms organic juices, nuts, tapenades, & the cheapest asprin on earth.
Do remember: They take only debit cards, link, & cold hard cash. Also, bring your own bags - they'll charge you if you want one of theirs. -
Review from Michael G.
Rockville, MD
4/16/2010 21 Check-ins Here
When I'm not buyin' 'Merican, I definitely have a soft spot for European products. My cell phone company, T-Mobile - a fine German corporation. My sports league of choice? The fine players of the (English) Premier League. And, my grocery store. Well, what else would it be besides the German company Aldi - the European giant of fine...
Aw, who am I kidding? I shop at Aldi for the same reason anyone else in the United States does - because I'm trying to save money (for a trip to Italy, Croatia, and Montenegro next month though).
Now I don't know what the reputation for Aldi is in its motherland, but here they're a bit low-end. The one on Milwaukee is so small that for the longest time, I thought it was a drug store competing with the CVS and Walgreens down the street and not with Strack and Van Til or Jewel. But the density of groceries makes it seem much larger. The dry goods are stacked all along the wall in a cavalcade of bargains (they seem like 1890s prices so I feel okay calling them dry goods). Anything over $2.00 a box or bag seems to have been, gladly, kicked to the curb.
They keep prices low in a variety of ways it seems, some good, some awful. For one thing, there seems to be absolutely no floor help. If you need to find something (at least at the Wicker Park location), you're on your own. There's no phone number to call for hours either. They don't take credit cards (only debit) and you pay for shopping bags (it gives me a good reason to use my Yelp totes). You get the service and benefits you pay for, I guess. But, the most important thing is they use mainly off-brands (though there are occasionally name brands mixed in). One of the most wonderful and entertaining things about Aldi is actually these names (that and the strange - I never see these folks anywhere else in Chicago - people watching).
I think these funny names are done for a reason. I know I, for one, feel a lot less broke when I'm eating a Mr. Pudding.
And not just because it was a third of the price of a Jello-O but because it's a friggin' "Mr. Pudding"! Silly, relatively poor English, named fun! Makes me almost feel a little German. Ich bin ein Berliner! That means I've been to Berlin, right?
Now I don't exactly trust the quality of the staples (milk, bread, and eggs) or OTC medicines here, but no one I know has ever died of indulging in them (I have personally eaten the "L'Oven Fresh" bread, it's mediocre at best). But 15 lunch sides and microwave dinner items for less than $20.00 on my last trip? What other reason does anyone need to shop here?Listed in: My (Former) Little Street, It's Hard To (Wicker) Park…
-
Review from Jenny z.
Logan Square, Chicago, IL
11/22/2008
Remember Repo Man? I'll admit, I avoided Aldi for years thinking it was like the grocery store that Otto worked in before he got fired and hooked up with the repo men. In other words, a place for the desperate where I'd get mugged in the parking lot after purchasing weevil laden grains and dented cans of creamed parsnips all bearing that distinctive green and black generic label. After being unemployed for a year, however, I decided to readjust my thinking and check the place out. After all, they love it over on the LTH forum, so how bad could it be?
Let me just state once again for the record that I am an idiot, I can't believe it took me so freaking long to shop here, this place is the tits, albeit very kooky. Owned by the same company that owns Trader Joe's, this place is packed, absolutely packed, with high quality bargains. REAL german knackwurst? Delicious. German strudel? Check! Vegetarian Vegetable canned soup (a hangover staple in my house)? Just as good as the Campbells. Delicious European chocolates? Yes, who knew! 4 lb Black Forest Hams for $8.00? I ate that thing for a month, fantastic. $1.99 filet mignons? That was the best cheap steak I've ever had. 8 kajillion kinds of frozen seafood? Oh yeah. Every week, they get some "big name" special in, such as Campbell's chili, priced at about 1/3rd of what you would pay at a conventional grocery store. I am, as you can tell, a big fan.
I'm such a fan in fact, that I'm not even taking a star off for what they don't do well, which is a lack of variety and mediocre produce. The produce I don't really have an explanation for, but they do have very nice frozen produce, so you won't go without your veggies. The lack of variety helps keep costs down, so I don't even care as I can literally stock my pantry full of soup and other basics for 45 cents a can, it is NUTS. Sign up for the e-mail list, you will get a weekly e-mail detailing that weeks specials, including odd items like 2 down pillows for $9.99, or a GPS for $100, along with the food specials. It's weird, alright, but in a good way.
Shopping here is almost like a field trip, you just don't know what you are going to find. Bring a quarter for your cart and your own bags and enjoy some hardcore bargain shopping. Between this place, Stanleys, and Strack, there is no reason to ever, ever set foot in a Dominicks or a Jewels again.
In this recession, Aldi's is a lifesaver. Don't make the same mistake I did and miss out on this place, you'll kick yourself when you see how much you could have been saving! -
Review from Jinna H.
Chicago, IL
11/14/2010
My favorite Aldi of all time. OF ALL. TIME.
oh, right, actual review:
The selection here is like the ones out in the suburbs. The store is spacious enough for you not to be running into people. Aldi has consistantly tasty food and now since upgrading their milk to hormone-free, I like it more.
As well as getting more 'gourmet' things at Aldi prices. -
Review from Jess S.
Chicago, IL
12/20/2006
My unscientific studies show that people either love or hate aldi's.
You get it or you don't.
I do most of my grocery shopping here because its a real bargain, its the closest grocery store to my house and when I go at 7:30 on a weeknight they are usually empty and its a quick in 'n' out.
Its good sh*t.
The frozen foods (pot pies, veggie Southwest pockets, etc)
The basics (flour, sugar, condiments, pasta, soup, etc)
Fridge section (dairy, cold cuts, etc)
The Grandessa "label" has delicious specialty sausages, fresh salsa (think "Jack's"), desserts and frozen entrees.
On and on....
Downsides: (to this location at least)
One week you'll have delicious fresh guac and then its gone. Never to be restocked.
I've found that when i go early in the week the shelves are a bit bare and I can't find my usuals.
Weekends are a nightmare. Just a warning. -
Review from Becky W.
Chicago, IL
11/23/2008
How can you not love Aldi? I mean come on?! I used to think growing up that it was a poor people store. I know that sounds horrible, but kids are screwed up. Anyway since I'm footing my own grocery bill these days, Aldi is awesome! Its the same basic stuff I'd buy at Jewel, like canned beans and veggies, baking supplies, crackers, cheese, etc., but way cheaper. Can't say no to that!
And on a strange note, they have some freaking awesome frozen pierogies. My Polish grandma, who used to make her own, would get frozen pierogies at Aldi when she didn't feel up to making them herself. They were her favorite. That has to say something right? So yey for their pierogies! And everything else they have there. I learned they are the same company as Trader Joes, so i feel pretty confident in the stuff I buy there. I mean a lot of what they sell are pre-packed, processed food, but you can find some great deals in there on less processes stuff too. -
Review from Nick S.
Chicago, IL
6/21/2009
It's Aldi. What can you expect? Long lines and everyone in your way, cheap stuff. You don't need to pay twice as much at a Trader Joe's to get your rice, canned vegetables, soup, beans, milk, eggs, cooking oil, etc.
There definitely are some items I would pass on like pretty much the entire produce section for one. I didn't have the guts to try the $1.99 filet mignons, something that finds its way on my grill at least once a week.
They accept debit but not credit, and charge you for the bags so remember to bring your Aldi bags with you next time or you'll have a huge collection of them. You also have to bag it yourself.
If you frequent this location I recommend going to Stanley's for your produce and either the butcher at the Jewel (works for me) or one of the various ones downtown for your meats. -
Review from Theresa C.
Chicago, IL
2/14/2009
To start let me say I love Aldi. I've always loved Aldi and in recent years they've really classed the joint up, you can get feta and decent produce most of the time, and its SO cheap. I love being able to do a months worth of grocery shopping for $50. I'm a big fan of the frozen meats, they keep forever and while they aren't really good enough to stand alone they're more than adequate for anything that's not just stand alone meat. I use the frozen salmon for burgers. The can goods are canned good, but cheaper and things like the make your own pizza box are amazing. I love Aldi food!
This is my favorite Aldi. It's clean, they always have everything that I want, including SKIM milk, which you can't find at every Aldi. The cheese lunch meat section is always kept up very nicely and the staff are really great. I really like this Aldi because I think it has the nicest customers of any Aldi I've been to. There are always people who offer to let you cut if they have a giant cart and or buying say milk and eggs. I love this Aldi and try to make is a point to go there.Listed in: My Old Neighborhood, Cheap Groceries are very…
-
Review from c w.
Brooklyn, NY
4/22/2009
Vegan Cheap-O Heaven!
Aldi's is awesome. They have a plethora of 'accidently' (& non-accidently) vegan goodies. In fact, earlier today i was just thinking that the only thing they were missing was soymilk, then voila! i get the ad in the mail and they have 3 kinds now! go aldi! other fun stuff includes:
tons of different crackers & chips
caramel corn rice cakes
'fudge stripe', 'fig newtons' & 3 different kinds of sandwich-style cookies (like oreos)
graham cracker pie crusts
whole wheat pastas
hummus (2 or 3 kinds)
coconut milk
jell-o style cups, some with fruit chunks (made with carrageenan from seaweed instead of bones)
pineapple & artichoke salsas (in the fridge section by the hummus & meat)
huge 3lb tubs of buttery spread (although totally full of hydrogenation)
asian dinner kits & bowls (actually labeled 'vegan')
frozen fruit bars
other staples are super cheap frozen, canned, & fresh fruits & veggies. their bags of spinach stay fresher way longer than the ones i get at stanleys & their avocados are like 69cents. they're rock hard when i get em but they ripen to perfection, unlike others that somehow magically skip to rotten. they have the cheapest cans of beans around.. about 50cents each. the 99cent bags of tortilla chips and potato chips is great for parties... as is their wine & beer.. i love the little chart on the back of the wines that tell you where they land on the sweet/dry scale. i wish fancy wines did that!
the only reason why im not giving them 5 stars is because today when i went they were no longer carrying canned pumpkin. this may not sound like a big deal if you only use pumpkin in the fall, but i use it all the time! i usually buy a few cans every couple weeks & loved getting it for 79cents. i'm so bummed.. so long chocolate pumpkin shakes... pumpkin pecan cinnamon rolls... pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes... pumpkin waffles with pumpkin syrup.. please bring back the pumpkin aldi!!! there's an extra star in it for you.. -
Review from Allison V.
Chicago, IL
11/13/2010 10 Check-ins Here
Great selection at super prices. You can feed many with a small budget. If you can cook then you can be creative with the selection of food available. New products introduced often. $3 wine.
It is a fun experience to see how much you can get for how little money.
YAY ALDI. -
Review from Daniel L.
Chicago, IL
3/21/2008
Cheers, Aldi.
I've rustled up some pretty involved dishes from exclusive Aldi produce I'll have you all know, without consulting that Aldi based recipe book.
It's not teeming with variety or fresh food, plus some more choice items will appear one day and disappear for the next few months. I once bought some dates there, for example, for a Sticky Toffee Pudding, but I've never seen them again. And the staff won't necessarily know what a lot of the produce is.
Meat and veg is decent. Beef, pork. Get yer chicken from elsewhere, Ciales Poultry maybe.
Avoid weekends. -
Review from Kara K.
Chicago, IL
1/8/2010
I was always skeptical about this store. I remember growing up, we teased the kids who were spotted going into Aldi with their parents. Anyhow, my mom was in town one Thanksgiving and she suggested we go to Aldi to get somethings for our Thanksgiving dinner...I looked at her like she had tentacles sprouting from the top of her head! Well we went, I was amazed and I've been going ever since. They don't have name brand items but it's a great place to shop for staples, even some meats. I've tried spaghetti sauce, cereal and some snacks but they just don't measure up as far as taste is concerned.
What I don't like about this location is that in order to get a cart you have to insert a quarter in this little box and when you're done you get it back. There's always some crackhead in the parking lot who will take the cart back to the front from your car so he can keep the quarter. Also, you should bring your own bags because you either have to purchase them or collect boxes as you walk through the store to haul your groceries out. One last thing: they don't accept credit cards, just cash and debit.
Like I said, you can't do all of your grocery shopping here but you can get key items and will be amazed at how cheap it is.Listed in: Fridge Fillings
-
Review from Jenna S.
Chicago, IL
3/1/2009
I can't believe I haven't reviewed this Aldi yet, but here I am. I normally like this Aldi and I would have given it four stars yesterday, but my visit here today was... bizarre. Sunday must have turned this place into a circus, because I've never really seen it this crazy.
Of course, right when I arrived, there were no carts. None. Instead there were approximately 25 pigeons sitting in the corral where the carts should be. It was a little creepy because they were all cooing with their eyes closed. So no carts. Annoying. I had my quarter all ready and everything and then... nothing. So I just went in with my reusable bag and began filling it - I would have bought more but I had no place to put it.
The aisles were maddening - there were annoying people meandering slowly and aimlessly through the aisles doing a whole lot of nothing. Oh, and they all had kids who were just screaming. I've never seen so many screaming kids just going crazy. It was like a nightmare. I hate children, but I especially hate children whose parents do nothing about their wretched behavior. Gah.
So I quickly made my way through the aisles so I could get out of here as soon as possible. I got stuck at the lettuce cooler because two guys were just standing in front of it with the door open whispering about some "bitch" they met at the club last night. I know this conversation was really interesting and important, but do you have to have it while you're perusing hot dogs? I found it all kind of amusing, but I just wanted some Romaine lettuce.
Finally... I got to the checkout and the guy who rang me out was awesomely friendly. He really turned the entire experience around for me. I went through the line quickly, he shoved everything in my tiny reusable bag and sent me on my way with a "Have a nice evening."
Just a note: do you want to know where all the carts were? Just laying around in the store. Apparently people are so rude and trashy that they could care less about that quarter they put in, so they just left them laying all over the store. Tons near the checkout, tons just abandoned in the aisles. Oh, and a bunch just kind of laying around in the parking lot on the northwest side of the building. Since we, the customers, put the quarters in the carts in order to save the company money (there isn't a guy who is in charge of putting those away) the carts won't get put away! I'm sure one of the employees will do it later when there aren't so many customers and he isn't so busy (and he'll pocket all of your abandoned quarters) but that's not his job which means the rest of us have no carts.
I've been coming to this Aldi since I moved to Chicago for college. We always used to come here on weeknights right before it closed (we lived right across from a 56 bus stop in the loop) so we never went when it was super busy. I can safely say I'll never be back to this Aldi on a Sunday (unless I want to lose my mind) but I'll try to come back another time when things are a bit calmer (afternoon, maybe? Wednesday evening?). I do love this Aldi, but prepare for a madhouse on the weekends.Listed in: Aldi!
-
Review from Vickie L.
Chicago, IL
7/17/2009
Aldi is F-ing awesome. Haters are snobs and spend 2-3x more just because they think they're too good for the private label stuff. I work in marketing, private label stuff IS the brand name stuff! They just pay the brand name people $$ so they can slap their private label on it.
I love Aldi, I can spend less than $100 and throw an awesome party with about 90% of the food items coming from Aldi. This location is especially great because they have a liquor section and fresh meat section. The clientele is what you expect, though lately I've seen a lot more younger "white" people in there. I even saw a guy driving a Jaguar buing alcohol here. Sucks to be him.
You can definitely get almost all your canned goods here at a fraction of the price at the bigger grocery stores. They don't have a lot of healthy-alternative items, like low fat items and low salt items, but I think they are getting better with their Fit & Active line. You won't get all of your fruits & veggies here, but they have a decent amount, but you have to buy gigantic bags of them. The frozen meats are a great deal, like 3 lbs of chicken breast for $7!
Reminders / Helpful hints:
*Bring a quarter for your shopping cart!
*Bring your bags so you don't have to pay for bags or scrounge for boxes.
*Do NOT during the first week of any new month, that's when everyone gets their unemployment checks and stock up for the month. It's virtually empty if you go the last 2 weeks of the month.
*Go with a list - the first time there is kind of overwhelming, and they put all the bad-for-you stuff (i.e cookies) in the very first aisle, you tend to put anything in your cart because it's so cheap! And when you check out, you're like, I totally forgot I put that in there!
*They only take debit cards or cash. No credit cards -
Review from candace l.
Chicago, IL
1/30/2008
Since this place is close by, it's my go to place for the basics. I only wish this Aldi was nearly as good as the Aldi in Germany...where you can actually depend on them for grocery shopping rather than a few random products. The problem here is that...........
A: the inventory is so inconsistent that I never know if they will have what I am after.
B: DO NOT go around 5-6 pm because you will find ma and pa and their 2-5 kids that load up 2-3 carts of groceries in one stop. Need I mention that getting behind them in line is a real downer???
C: Yes, you have to pay for a cart deposit, but I never really buy enough there to justify needing a cart..You also have to buy the bags, but hey, why don't you go green and bring your own.
D: I would skip the produce. Occasionally in the summer the veggies are ok. But most often they are a little sketchy.
E: I admit they have great deals from time to time. You just have to snatch it up right then and there because when ma and pa come with their brood and fill their 3 grocery carts, there will be none left for you!! -
Review from JAMES M.
Chicago, IL
12/18/2008
This place is awesome!!!!! I walked in here last week like a rockstar and treated myself to a couple of treats.....
I got some Macadamia nut cookies, some twisslers, some juice
Some dried fruit, and other goodies!
They have booze!!!!!!!
Aldi has booze!!!! Sorry for my excitement but when I saw bottles of wine in one isle and on the next aisl pairs of boxers I almost teared.........
Most of the things I need at a cheaper price!!
Shake & bake seal of approval! -
Review from Megan W.
Chicago, IL
3/21/2009
Get over your label obsession and buy your food at Aldi. The last time I was there, it also looked like they revamped their produce section too. I bought green peppers, carrots, strawberries, grapes, onions, and potatos--all of which were just as good (if not better) than Jewel.
This place is great for all of your cookout/party needs as well--nice steaks--6 bucks for 4 lbs of 85% lean ground beef (you want that fat if you are grilling trust me), pork chops--cheap paper products--condiments--the list goes on. It's great because it's the same quality of Jewel--just cheaper. It's also almost as cheap as family dollar or Deal$ (haha), but actually edible! Yeah, I've sunk that low to know! Just go. I can now buy cool shoes and gas up my car because of this place. -
Review from Marc R.
Updated - 5/12/2010 2 Check-ins Here
My friendly neighborhood ALDI. I went back in this week and tried some new stuff (special purchase: Indian sauces and Italian Lambrusco (damned good)) and my girlfriend bough some makeup.
I don't shop at Aldi because I am broke, I shop there because of the deals I get on the things I like from this store, and shop at other places for my better wines, etc. There is nothing exotic about ALDI. Perhaps it is one of the few places in Wicker Park where the people who lived here 10-15 years ago, and still often do go to shop. Not everyone is a college graduate wasting time and skills searching for his or her dream job, trying to get a band that stinks off the ground, or living in an apartment someone else paid for. Diversity! It's a diverse city. Yay for ALDI for bringing us all together! Ok, I will get off my soap-box.
The "only at Aldi" stuff is a bit strange for Americans, but except for a few upscale merchants most places worldwide charge for bags, only take debit (the rest of the world is not a fan of credit), and have the little "quarter-in-the-cart-get a quarter back" system. So, bring your own bags, bring a quarter, and bring your debit card. Life is a trade off, but why pay 100% more for a bag of Spinach?
What have I used for over a year and would suggest to anyone:
Fit and Active: egg beaters
Fit and Active: soy milk
Vanilla creamer
Spinach in a bag
Hummus (garlic lovers, tahini, and red pepper)
Wine (red from Spain, white from Germany)
Beer (the Dutch one is pretty good)
Cereals (these are produced by Kellogg's)
German Roasted Coffee (Medium)
Boneless leg of lamb (awesome deal)
Almonds
Shredded cheeses
Brie and Camembert cheese rounds
edenVale Havarti
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (my friend from Italy uses it also!)
Chocolate: all freaking kinds of Awesome Austrian and German chocolate!
The milk, eggs, yougurt, and prepared salads have all been fine. One friend, a dancer (yes they are usually broke), loves the seasonal potato salad and the seasonal beef frozen tamales!
What has my GF used:
Lacura makeup (Made in Germany),
The cold medicine, pain medicine, antacid.
Lacura: For a girl who can easily drop $200 at ULTA, for her to use this stuff is a big deal. She will only use the stuff that says "Made in Germany" on it because she heard a rumor that it is sourced by a major German cosmetics company and beat more expensive brands in tests in England. What do I know? For $25 she can get $200 worth of stuff she would get at ULTA. She did not want to like Lacura, but does. You go girl. Saving money is hot.
I agree with some criticisms. Sometimes they are out of the hummos and the unsalted almonds! Darn. People who like the same stuff I do, often grab it all up!1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
9/12/2009
I have shopped at ALDI in Europe and they are 10 times better with Aldi Markt (owns Trader Joe's) as… Read more »
-
-
Review from Mimi S.
5/16/2010
So let me preface this by saying that I have a pretty darn big family (4 kids, half are teens & a hubby) so it's important to shop at at least 4 stores per month to please everyone.
Aldi is one of the stores I frequent (and this one specifically because of the staff and store) for popcorn, snacks, juice, soda, some microwavables, the few organics and eco-friendly items they have, the special items (i.e. $7 curling irons, $1 coloring book, $3 baby jammies, etc), some frozen foods and the Fit & Active brand products. I spend about $150 or less per month here and honestly, its well worth it. I also shop at Trader Joes, Meijer's and Stan's Fruit Market monthly. When you have to make a dollar stretch on a teacher's salary, this is the route to take. Just be selective and understand that not all of their products are a go! Hope this helps!!! -
Review from Jaime E.
Chicago, IL
12/17/2007
What the fuck, Aldi?
Are you a 7-11 on steroids? Are you a really piddly grocery store?
Some places can pull off an identity crisis with style. flair.
Regretfully, Aldi, you are not one of these places.
Bring change, unless you want to carry all your groceries. The carts are locked up and it takes a quarter to set one free. You also need cash or your debit car in order to pay. And your own bags to carry the groceries out of the store.
I guess it depends on how much you like a bargain. These days, I guess i'd rather spend a bit more but not have to drive/bus/walk all over town to get everything I need. -
Review from Tim L.
Chicago, IL
7/24/2009
Sorry but Aldi is just not a good grocery store. It's a big German chain who thinks they know what lower income families in the US want to buy on the cheap. The only reason they are still at this location is because they are behind on their demographics and haven't switched it over to a Trader Joes, the other chain they run. Oh and the owner of Aldi also happens to own the world's most expensive orchid collection. Seriously you're going to buy that 5 year shelf life XL bag of potato chips from a billionaire orchid collector?
Sure this house o' carbs is cheap, but shopping here is like clipping a diabetes coupon. If you're looking for cheap go to Joong Boo/Chicago Food Corporation or hit up Danny's on Western. Tons of cheap fruit, veggies, fresh/frozen fish. Then treat yourself to some korean soup or carne asada when it's cold outside.
People, buying punch by the gallon with 50 grams of sugar in it for $1.99 is never a good idea. -
Review from Suzanne B.
Chicago, IL
11/28/2008
I grew up with Aldi and while I never purchase everything here I'm able to get a majority of shopping done at Aldi and the rest at Trader Joe's...
My groceries for a few days set me back $11.49 and that includes a bottle of decent wine.
Plus, they take debit which is great since I never seem to have cash on me. -
Review from Paula L.
6/14/2010
I shop at Jewel, Target, Trader Joe's, Stanley's, Aldi, etc. Aldi has the most affordable and freshest produce ALL YEAR AROUND. Most stores run specials on seasonal fruit, but not Aldi. I went there Saturday with $20 in my pocket and walked out with a bag full of grapes, pears, peaches, blackberries, etc.....I've been on a fruit salad kick lately.
Some people (my mother) are snobs about Aldi, but not me. I'll shop any place that is convenient and I can get a lot for my money. I especially like the fact that you can bring your own bags, I feel like I'm saving the planet each time I go there.
There are a few cons about Aldi. The aisles are somewhat narrow, some families shop in large groups of families: everyone from grandma & grandpa down to the newborn which makes it challenging because of the narrow aisles. Lastly, the security guard is who always sucking on a toothpick and while she's not staring me down....HARD she's chatting it up with the cashier. Question? How can you stop a potential sholifter while constantly eyeballing me. Honestly, with prices like that the security guard can undress me with her eyes all she wants. -
Review from Liz Q.
Pittsburgh, PA
3/27/2007
I will admit it. I am scared of Aldi. Now, before I am accused of being a label whore, I admit that I am an equal opportunity grocery hater. I despise the Dominick's I go to. I want to spit on the Jewel.
But Aldi creeps me out more...maybe it's the way it's organized. I don't know. I do get a kick out of they way that some of the brands there try to trick you into thinking they are mainstream - like instead of Del Monte they could have Del Ponte.
I don't want to say don't go. I can't say go.
SIGH. What am I to do? -
Review from Tiff H.
Chicago, IL
10/21/2009
I'm Asian. I'm cheap. I love Aldi.
At home, only poor people shopped at Aldi and I thought they were all about low quality foods, but I quickly learned to take that back when living out in the real world...in the big city. My sister visited me for 3 months here in Chi, and she fell in love with Aldi too. We would have fantastic cooked meals such as ribs, honey sweetened carrots, seafood and beef stir fry, shrimp fried rice, etc etc....such variety and orgasms in my mouth for an average of $45-60 a week total for two people! :)
I try to buy in bulk at Costco but my trips are few and far between since I only go when I run out of paper towels and toilet paper. Therefore, I shop at this Aldi since it's as close to a full fledged supermarket as I can get near me. There are some things like oyster sauce and toilet bowl cleaner...stuff you can find at Jewel...that I can't find here. Target's close by for those things tho. However, not a big deal since those aren't items I buy every week.
I've tried pretty much everything here. The only thing I've bought at Aldi that is a hit and miss is the package of bell peppers....then again, the so called fresh market near my house has funky looking bell peppers too. I'd go to Stanley's if I had a car. The tomatoes and strawberries are a bit iffy....but only when I get stuck with looking through the last of the lot. They do have a great selection of frozen fruits and veggies I take advantage of, especially when the winter comes around and it's a little costly for fresh produce.
It's Aldi...Nick is right...the long lines and people in your way, it's what you've got to expect for them to keep prices a little lower...come on...$3.84 for 100 packets of Splenda...!! It's closer to like $7 at Jewel! Besides, I dated someone who worked at Whole Foods...people go in there with food stamps too. Aldi is great for the basics. If I can't find it at Aldi ie a single onion or oyster sauce, I'll just stop by the fresh market next to me. I'm so glad I discovered this place especially when I really had to start watching my budget...I'm not the only one; in the last year, I've seen tons of people outside the stereotypical Aldi demographic shop here...even really nice cars in the parking lot! Honestly, the only thing that will keep me from coming back is the -18 degree weather...that's when Peapod will come in handy. :) -
Review from Dawn G.
Chicago, IL
4/7/2010
Staff is super friendly- only other store with friendlier service is the newer one on N Clybourn with the fancy parking garage. They always have the staples I get here I do about 95% of my grocery shopping here and this one does sell wine/beer- selection is minimal, but the wine I've tried so far has been tasty and the beer I've heard no complaints. I also have to say that the large CHEAP cloth bags they sell are the best things that ever happened to doing laundry outside a building- seriously...
My only gripe like all Aldi's is the quarter guy in the parking lot, always trying to get quarters from you after carts, which is why I prefer the carts to be in store like some of the other locations. -
Review from Katie M.
Chicago, IL
11/18/2009
I love this place! They are soo much cheaper than my regular grocery store and within walking distance of my house. I have compared prices and usually save about 50% compared to what I would have spent at the regular store. They are a great place for dairy products, produce, and cheap wines. Their $3 winking owl actually isn't too bad!
Downside is you have to pay with debit card or cash and you have to pay for bags and carts but just bring your own bag and you're fine -
Review from Laura R.
Venice, CA
5/3/2007
Where else in bucktown can you get a bottle of wine for $3?
-
Review from Crystal P.
Chicago, IL
12/3/2008
Like some others that have reviewed Aldi before.. My brother and sisters and I had a nickname for Aldi.... We used to call it the "ugly Store" as kids and well young adults .. but now the the economy is in decline... and people are losing their jobs well it's the most beutimus thing ever ( let alone store)... I bought a ton of crap for less then half of my Jewel bill and a quarter of my whole foods one! Just ignore the surly cashier and the fact that you have to pay for bags and the long lines and you'll survive... promise...
Listed in: ukiebucker park
-
Review from Ceda X.
Chicago, IL
8/15/2007
From the same people who bought you Trader Joe's, there's ALDI or shortened for Albrechts Discount out of Germany. Europeans love this place in Europe and there's no reason you shouldn't either. All the above points are true, this place is great for essentials and the occasional quirky seasonal item. I've been able to procure young duckling during Thanksgiving for under $8. I would skip the produce aisle and head down North Ave to Stanleys where the produce prices are usually even cheaper and fresher.
-
Review from Diana R.
7/14/2008
Hey its aldi... cheap and sweet. They have wine too! All I can say is thanks for saving me some money so I can buy more cases of wine. Oh and I love the fit and active protein bars... although I don't eat them for the protein, they just taste like candy and I love them.
-
Review from Brian S.
Chicago, IL
1/25/2011
It's aldi, not much more to expect. I just wished they didn't depend on only one cashier for the line that ran all the way towards the back refrigerator section.
