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Hynes Convention Center (Green)
Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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I have this annoying habit of intermittently complaining about being left behind et cetera.... To which a friend always exclaimed,"...You have arrived! You are Mary Tyler Moore...." So I am. There is nothing like a cute little grocery store within walking distance of my apartment to make me feel like I have arrived in a big city.
The thing about this store is that it is sufficient. It has everything I need to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next few days. Prices are lower than any other grocery store in the city (except perhaps in Chinatown). I don't end up buying excessively because I have to track home on foot. Good for the environment. Good for my wallet.
God bless Trader Joe's.
While this is the teeniest TJ's in the area (indeed in the entire country) I love it. It's so compact that it only takes one or two visits before you have the entire store memorized and can blaze through in 15 minutes emerging with a week's worth of food. For $30. Shaw's won't even spit in my eye for that amount.
If you're looking for an abundance of fresh produce you'll need to look elsewhere but their selection is typically sufficient for every day use. I can't say that I have ever purchased leafy greens that weren't a wee bit on the funky side but that seems to be TJ's as a whole.
Pro-Tip:
Don't be afraid if you come in and the line wraps through the entire store, the awesome staff will cruise through it in under five minutes.
Groceries in Boston for the EXACT SAME price I pay in NC??? I couldn't believe it! But it's true!!!
Trader Joe's has great food and is super cheap. I am still in shock every time I go through the check out and my bill is like $30 for a ton of food. The best part about it, is that everything I buy is super fresh and very yummy!
I know this location is small, can get crowded, and most importantly lacks three-buck Chuck, but I'll take it any day of the week over Shaw's. I do venture over to Brookline to get wine every few weeks, but for day to day stuff I stick to this location since it's much closer to my house.
If you haven't been, please go immediately! It's by far the best grocery store in town!
Love this place, I do almost all of my shopping here. It is small and the place gets crowded, so I've found that the best time to go is Sunday morning...
If you like chocolate, try the Sipping Chocolate.
In every city in which I live, there must be a ghetto grocery store. It started years ago, when I first lived on my own and went to grocery stores which were either rundown or in a bad neighborhood. Now, even if I go to grocery stores that don't fit that description there is still a ghetto grocery store in my life and it ends up being the one that is weird or not as nice as the other ones. Thus, this Trader Joe's has become my ghetto grocery store but I love it. Thankfully I just got a job that is near here so I can run by after work and pick things up. The size is que ridiculoso but it makes for quick shopping if you know what you want. This is not a TJ's for wondering aimlessly. Get in, get what you need, get out.
The moral of the story is that Trader Joe's is awesome, even the ghetto one. Just don't expect any alcohol or much produce to choose from. And common sense should help you realize that you shouldn't go here on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, so yeah...don't.
I appreciate an urban market, which is why this Trader Joe's location gets an extra star. It's in the heart of Boston and sometimes I need that. Otherwise, I avoid this location at all costs. I am the biggest Trader Joe's fan, but it's just too small. They don't have everything I need (Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup? Cabbage? Canned clams?), but they do have the basics when I'm in a bind (rice, hummus, popcorn, yogurt). Also, everyone loves the TJ's wine selection, but they don't have a license to sell her, thanks to the city of Boston (you'd better head out to the Brookline or Cambridge location to get your drink on). The weekends here are deplorable - way too crowded, super long lines. 3 stars for trying, TJ's. You did what you could.
You're not going to believe this, but I will say it nonetheless. I once bought a six-pack of granola bars here for 99 cents. In all likelihood, some numerically-negligent employee forgot a digit at the front of the price tag. Imagine my helpless gratitude when, in an act of saintly grace, the cashier rang it up as 99 cents anyway.
And these weren't even those syrupy bars of dry, granolafied concrete that blemish the faces of vending machines on college campuses across America. I mean, Trader Joe's granola bars had sunflower seeds and everything. Eating them was like having a bird feeder explode in my mouth.
Normally I'd give any Trader Joe's a 5-star rating, but this one is missing two things:
-Wine (TWO-BUCK CHUCK, WHERE YOU AT?!)
-Produce? (Yeah there is some produce but the selection is oddly limited.)
However! Great products, dirt cheap. I used the TJ brand pomodoro sauce every day for a month and it had only cost me like $3. Decent bread; good pastas (WAY CHEAP); great meats (best burgers I've ever made!). Even a cheese section with some pretty nice stuff, even for how small it is.
This is one place where you should always go for the store brand; it IS good, and it's very cheap.
The kicker: Got a mini-party-platter of sushi (I think it was like 24 pieces?) for $5.99. And no, it didn't suck; it was actually pretty good! Suck on that, Whole Foods! (Byyy the way... my last $28 grocery trip to TJ, after I compared, would have cost about $50 at Whole Foods. Let that sink in for a sec.)
I've heard great things about their chocolate, too, but I haven't dared yet...
As for how cramped it is... Yes, it's cramped. But the lines move VERY quickly.
I actually take the T on occasion to go to this store instead of Whole Foods. It's THAT big of a deal.
I super-dig Trader Joe's. This one's fun and underground.
Carries my favorite bread, almond milk and frozen Chana Masala (seasoned chickpeas).
Dissapointed with the mostly-green bananas and over-all pitiful produce section when compared to its sister stores.
Shocked and appalled by the absence of a wine section; TJ's is my favorite when it comes to groovy picks of wine.
But, still, this is my favorite market near home for its healthy basics, yummy chocolate, down-to-earth and sweet service and super low prices. Plus, Wonderful frozen fish selection! Even carries some soy ice cream :)
Anybody who voted TJ's as moderately priced is a bit naive. This is a city....and these prices are cheeeeap for fab quality.
Don't get me wrong, I am the biggest Trader Joes fan ever. However, when compared to the "typical" Trader Joes, this location does not even compare.
One must completely avoid this location at all costs on the weekends. The line gets crazy long and the store looks like it has been ransacked. Often, they'll be out of a lot of things which sucks, since often times, one goes to Trader Joe's specifically because you want their unique items you can't get anywhere else.
The store is tiny so there's nowhere to que in line... hence the line goes completely in front of the frozen fish and dinner section, making it inaccessible.
There's no wine or beer section, which is a major bummer. The selection is limited, generally speaking, since it's so small. Barely any types of Luna Bars, limited dried fruit and nut selection, and even if they have a large selection of something (like nut butters) they only have a 2-4 of them, so they inevitably run out and don't restock.
The service is always pleasant and I love their free samples.
I guess the store does the best it can given the small space, but it's not a good portrayal of everything Trader Joe's has to offer. It's kind of a bummer, and I hope they open a larger store somewhere IN Boston.
This is the smallest Trader Joe's that I have ever seen! They do a great job with the space that they have though and the staff is very friendly. The prices inside are excellent considering the quality of the food. Trade Joe's corporation gets a 5 star rating from me, but this specific branch gets only 4 starts for two reasons:
1. No Alcohol - In other states Trader Joe's has some of the best wine and beer around, this is a big loss.(I know this is probably MA's fault, but it is still a problem)
2. Its Tiny - They do well with what they have, but this does restrict their selection. To get a perfect 5 it would need at least 2-3 times the current space.
I'm a huge Trader Joes fan, but this location leaves a lot to be desired.
For one thing, the layout of the store is kind of weird, with little corners and nooks. It's as if they just tried to squeeze the store into a space that wasn't meant to be a grocery store. It also seems physically smaller in floor space than the other stores.
As others have mentioned, the line can be VERY long, especially on weekends. And as such, with so many people, they often run out of stock- especially on some of their more popular items.
With that said, though, the people in the store are always wicked nice and it still IS a Trader Joes, so I'm giving it 3-stars.
1) I found my veggie burgers and soy ice cream sandwiches for half the price they are at Shaw.s
2) Delish Spicy Blackbean Dip. Yum.
3) Shrimp stir fry that I'm making for dinner tonight for 4 bucks, yes!
My typical routine when going to this Trader Joe's....
Enter
Hop on escalator to go down
See HUGE line
Get back on escalator to leave
I don't understand why this place is sooo busy, well I do but... It gets busy after work but it is busy every day right after work so, one has to ask, why the hell don't the employees anticipate the tide wave of people and get on the registers before they have to start ringing bells for more Hawaiian shirted folks to belly up to a register!?!?!?
Went in looking for some bottled water to bring into the Convention Center, and Trader Joes sold me for $0.49, a bottle of spring water similar to what the Convention Center sells for $2.75.
Walking around this Trader Joes, this store offers a similar selection to what you find in other stores, however I noticed immediately...there is NO BEER and wine. The Trader Joes that do sell beer, wine and spirits usually have a great selection (of TJ branded, really affordable beer, vodka, tequila, rum, etc... as well as microbrew and premium stuff), so I was really shocked. I asked the cashier and he explained to me that in MA, there is a law preventing chain stores like Trader Joes from selling liquor in more than 3 locations per city, as small liquor stores cry about the competition...
It's okay Trader Joe's, it's not your fault...
This isn't your typical suburban cookie cutter box store Trader Joe's. You're not shopping next to the Home Depot and Linens & Things. This is the city. You're on Boylston St in the Back Bay, and with an urban setting comes an urban layout. This basement level Trader Joe's is small, cramped and crowded.
That being said, TJ's does a terrific job offering the same superb products and great values as the larger locations, with minimal sacrifices. Prices are fantastic (no discernable markup over other locations) and for city dwellers, the location is fantastic.
No wine at this location; you can thank the Commonwealth's terrible liquor license laws for that.
And if you're not found of crowds, are claustrophobic or have social anxieties, avoid between 4pm and 6pm on weekdays.
I prefer the Neehan location, but for efficiency purposes, I dal with having to cross boylston steet to get my TJ fix.
Before grocery shopping at Shaw's make sure you stop at Trader Joe's to check and see if they have your items your looking for, for 50% less.
I literally see the items I buy at Trader Joe's for double the price at Whole Foods or Shaws. I still cannot believe the deals I get here and the food is awesome.
Trader Joe's is a must for economical city living and someone living on a student budget.
Store #510, you're nice. I'd like to treat you to dinner sometime. Perhaps a home-cooked meal?
Sun-dried tomato chicken sausage, with artichoke hearts, tossed with whole-wheat pasta and Parmesan cheese?
Or how about a chicken and veggie pizza, prepared with whole-wheat dough, fresh tomatoes, spinach, sliced mushrooms, part-skim ricotta cheese and baked chicken?
Better yet, albacore tuna with freshly steamed green beans, partnered with a slice of toasted multi-grain wheat-sprouted bread with herb goat cheese spread on top?
For dessert, dark chocolate and fresh strawberries.
Come on over at 7. Be a dear, and bring a bottle of wine, ok?
Great location, accessible to the Green Line and #39 bus. A little tiny, but manages to have a great selection.
Best of all? The prices are ridiculously low. I bought a week's worth of food for a whopping $25 and some change.
So what if they don't sell booze? You can find liquor in Boston at about 50,000 other places in the area. Space doesn't need to be dedicated to it here. I can find vodka and wine down the street, I can't find the other stuff TJ's sells.
I work right upstairs from this Trader Joe's, which is DANGEROUS.
Need a cheap, quick lunch? The frozen burritos are delicious! Only $2.49!
Vegetarian lasagne . . . $1.99!!!
I can't unfortunately recommend the salads or sushi. They're kind of gross.
Whenever I need to buy refreshments for my department needs, this is where I go. Big tubs of cookies, which are to die for! And I love the dark chocolate covered pretzels . . . mmmm.
This is where I exclusively buy my bread now. Not only is it way less expensive than anywhere else, it is seriously the BEST bread.
The people who work here are all very friendly too, and the lines move quickly. Love love love Trader Joe's. I just wish I had one close to where I live. My only other complaint is that they don't always have what you're looking for. When they run out of something, such as a certain kind of soup, they take awhile to get it in stock again.
Good things come in small, extremely cramped packages!
I love this location because it's right on my walk home from work. Good selection of frozen foods and snacks. They do not sell wine.
I went for the first time on a Saturday today - and it's crazy. The line wrapped around half the store. My suggestion is just to relax, hop in line and get the last of your items as you travel by them. It was annoying when people kept cutting through the line to get stuff they were going to pass anyway. Also annoying were the random people griping about the length of the - if you can't quietly deal = then wait until a slower time to go!
This place is always PACKED. But that is because it's in the Back Bay and it's CHEAP. Honestly, I think my weekly shopping here is half the price compared to if I go to Shaw's or Whole Foods. However, the fresh fruits and veggies do not compare to Whole Foods, and I really don't like buying lunch meats that have been vacuum sealed. If they had a really great fresh fruit and veggie selection, and a deli, I'd give it 5 stars.
Best of the best? CAT cookies, lentil rice biryani, mushroom flatbread, whole wheat bread, granola, any soups/spices/sauces, mini ginger snaps, sausages, OJ/Milk/eggs etc. I stock up on frozen food whenever I go.
The cashiers are always super pleasant and chatty, and the check out line moves pretty quick.
This Trader Joe's is a very small location that is usually packed (going on a Friday night? Fuhgedaboutit). But, they have a very large selection for such a small place. The prices are also great. Whether you want some inexpensive whole grains, fresh vegetables, frozen goods, a $6 tray of sushi (so-so..), or organic grub galore, this place has you covered.
Great place for a lunch break ($3 sandwiches, cheap drinks), free food sample bar, and friendly staff.
This claustrophobic, dingy, hole in the wall is plagued by long lines and a pervasive sense of low-level chaos. Beware.
poor thing..
THE smallest Trader Joe's I've been..
It's wee.
But I find the staff to be particularly friendly and helpful here, and they somehow manage to pack most of the foods I want into this teeny tiny space. If only they had alcohol...
La La La La La La LOVE IT!
I've been shopping here for quite some time. What I think is great, is that it has nearly everything you need, and nothing you don't. When I go to big stores, I'm like, "ooh, grape juice on sale...marshmallows...". Just stuff you really don't need. But TJs is great for my weekly shopping of cheeses, pastas, canned goods, eggs, soy milk.
UMMM GREAT PRICES ON OLIVE OILS. $6.99!!! That's a steal.
Good cheeses and cheese selection. makes it easy to try new things even if you're not sure you like it. Ummm...also CHEAP FROZEN FRUIT!!! Great for smoothies and snacks!
Did I mention CHEAP!?
I LOVE TRADER JOES. Here's why:
-all their frozen veggies are awesome. They are precooked to perfection so all you have to do is literally throw them in a pan. I've used them to make awesome pasta dishes, stir frys, sandwiches, salads, you name it.
-their tasting station has tons of good ideas! I almost always get what they are cooking up.
-um it is cheeap. seriously. for the quality you get, you're paying 1/4 of what you'd pay at whole foods.
-new and interesting frozen things (pesto bread with tomatoes my new fave) that are always rotating, and always pretty healthy.
There are a couple of problems with this particular location.
-tiny, esp produce section!
-no wine?!?!
-gets soooo busy around 6pm.
But OMG, I go here at least once a week and I could live off of what they have in their frozen section.
Sometimes I feel like I'm sponsored by Trader Joe's, that's how much foodstuff I have from here. In fact, part of the reason I came to college in Boston is because I knew that Trader Joe's existed out here too. It's ridiculous how much money I save by shopping here. It's tiny but efficient, if you don't need to get alcohol. They even manage to fit a sample station in the corner, where you can try a bit of whatever they feel like promoting that day (potato pancakes with applesauce last week. yum).
My favorites: Fiber Bread, cheap pastas, 15 cent bananas, huge cereal selection, really good hummus, frozen food that actually tastes good, strawberry soy yogurt, mochi ice cream, chipotle salsa, orange peach mango juice...okay, I'm not going to lie, EVERYTHING here is good. In fact, a gift certificate to TJ's would make me happier than anything else.
I like the Fenway murals all along the walls when you first walk in. If you look closely, the scoreboard has TJ playing against WF (Whole Foods, no doubt). Obvi, TJ is winning.
I love Trader Joe's so much, I want to take it behind a middle school and get it pregnant!
The location may be small, but it stocks a little bit of everything you need. This Trader Joe's stock is heavy on the frozen just-pop-it-in-the-oven fare, so it's a great place to stock up on goodies prior to a party (their spanikopita is amazing). Their americanized interpretations of non-american cuisine can range from amazing to abysmal (case in point: their craptacular uber americanized korean bul go gi), but everything's priced so low that it doesn't really matter if it turns out tasting a little blegh.
I am in love with their meringue cookies (chocolate chip and regular) also... so much so that I want to take it behind a middle school and get it pregnant! Um, ok. I'm going to stop with that.
Convenient, but lacking a lot due to its tiny size. The produce section is tiny and a lot of times you can't find normal everyday things like, onions (no, im not joking).
Everything else is great, they pack this store with basic essentials, but I wouldnt be able to do my weekly groceries at this location.
Gah.
I always conveniently forget that this tiny TJ's is merely a shell of its normally wonderful self, and those artistic chalkboard funnies always draw me in... and so I go downstairs, grab a basket, and attempt to start shopping, only to remember that this TJ's never has anything I'm looking for. And the lines are always lo-o-o-ong.
Oh yeah, hi TJ's, just wanted to let you know that you forgot an inch and a half of this granola bar. Oh and every other one in the box too. I'd appreciate a free one next time. Thanks.
Other than that, I've been loving you for years. I thought it time I finally came clean. I don't know what I'd do without your frozen section. You're a cheap date, I gotta say. It's refreshing to meet someone like that these days. Whole Foods is too high maintenance for me.
I wish there was some order behind your layout but I guess the point is to have me snake around and explore everything, eh? You don't mind that I skip your produce right? I just can't deal with all the plastic and big quantities. But I adore your for faux Asian foods, pasta sauces, cheap detergent and hummus.
Just don't make me feel guilty for forgetting my canvas sack.
xo,
Ligaya
I have a love/hate relationship with Boylston Street's Trader Joe's.
I love what most everyone else loves... great food at (mostly) great prices. They have THE BEST fresh salsa I have ever tried. I also really like that they have a few things that you just don't see anywhere else. Good variety of international foods. You never know what you might find.
This is a small TJ's so there is no beer/wine section and the produce section is a little sad and very expensive in my book. Better off going to Shaws or splurge at Whole Foods for your veggies.
The staff are so friendly and nice, and they always have a little taster bar in the back with something to try.
All in all, a great place to shop for things you can't get elsewhere, but for some basics, booze, and produce I hit up the other markets.
I totally agree with all these good reviews.
The 3-star review is to get your attention: This is a much smaller Trader Joe's than the others in the area. They DON'T have the usual cheap wine here.
It is great for food but the choices are limited.
I've seen Trader Joe's stores with more vast selections, but this one is the most convenient to get to from where I live (oddly, since I live in Somerville, but it's fairly close to the T and, in my opinion, worth the lengthy trek back and forth from Davis - even on a bicycle). As is typical of Trader Joe's, everything is cheap and delicious, the employees are friendly and helpful, and I can find pretty much everything I need in a typical week here.
One gripe is that I bought some carrot ginger muffins that I discovered, once I got them home, didn't have much life left in them (read: within two days, there was mold). But that's what I get for never checking the date on anything. Check the dates!
Maybe this place deserves three stars from me, but it gets an extra star for being absolutely essential to my lifestyle.
Its small, but its 0.3 miles away from my apartment. So, a weekly TJ run is a must.
(+) Awesome food, reasonably priced, although the place is small, it does not feel cramped.
(-) The produce section is lacking, and so does the bakery/bread section.
Oh, and its wheelchair accessible, but the lift is broken (and has been every time I've been there)
Still, pretty good.
So this location is indeed small, but it's perfect for shopping if you don't have a list of specific things that you need.....if you do, I would just go up to Shaw's because Trader Joe's isn't going to have everything you're looking for. That being said, you can still find a lot of bargains, and if you've got the time, go here and then finish shopping at Shaw's....you'll definitely save some cash doing it that way.
The upside of that is that they have LOTS of snacks for cheap, and the things that they do carry are the best of the Trader Joe's assortment. I loaded up a huge bag of snacks for co-workers yesterday for $25. Also, for the size of the store, they have a good selection of frozen foods.
I am deducting two stars for no booze and the small produce section.
I love delightfully inexpensive they make organic food. I love their Trader Joe's brand and how much stuff they manage to smash in this store. I find it hard to shop for a week but if I just want to get quick random things, I love it here. They don't have a lot of options outside of their brand so I can't get my Silk Soymilk here.
I am in love with most of their cookies and nuts though. I love the mini crunchy chocolate chip cookies and the white chocolate drizzled cranberry (maybe, I forget but they were awesome) soft biscotti size cookies. The sesame covered honey almonds are great too.
The only bad part is the steep stairs and the small aisles but it's in the heart of Back Bay. They do have an elevator but the aisles would be very narrow for a wheelchair or walker.
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