We just got an Aldi's in town. What is good and what isn't?

[Mickey527]

The Aldi's here is more than 1/2 hour from my house but I try and get there about every 2 weeks or when I run out of ice cream bars.
I LOVE the La Mas Rico premium Ice Cream Bar Coconut flavor. It is the creamiest coconut ice cream with tons of fresh coconut. YUM!!!
I also love their cereals, especially the fit and Lively with the freeze dried strawberries and blueberries. I used to get a similar one at Walmart but for $2 more.
The milk here is $1.69 a gallon. In Stop and Shop it is $3.89 a gallon.
I bought the thin sliced pork chops and they were the most tender I have ever tasted. I have some in the freezer now.
I also just bought some of the frozen bacon wrapped filet mignon for the dinner I am planning when my son comes home for leave from the Marines. Hope they are as good as the photo looks.

 

[luvmickey5374]

We LOVE Aldi!!! We have never gotten a bad thing there and have tried most everything including the meat. I think the meat tastes better than most of what we get at Wegmans (our local grocery store) The prices cannot be beat! I can feed my family of 4 for 60-80 dollars a weekAll you can do it keep trying different things and you'll be in love...promise!!

 

[drinkme]

We've been shopping there for almost 10 years. Everything has gotten so much better over the years. Some things that you should buy that are cheaper there that you may not think would be good:

Garbage bags
meats
yogurt
ice cream


The only thing we've bought that we didn't like was the kitty litter.

Someone mentioned something about their hamburger patties. They "used" to be bad, but now they're good. This year the hamburgers are awesome. But they sell 2 kinds, get the ones in the bag (not the value ones in the box).

I read on another thread somewhere on the Dis that the Aldi's stuff is actually top name brand stuff that is repackaged. I certainly believe it!

HTH

 

[lspst8]

The one thing I will never buy again is their knock-off Bisquick mix. The waffles and pancakes I made with it tasted like a cardboard box. I'm also not a fan of their potato chips and other snacks, but the blue tortilla chips are great.

I love all their pizza making kits .... both the one where you mix up the dough and the one that comes with premade crusts and sauce. They are so nice for a quick dinner. You just add cheese and any toppings you like. And the cheese is good at Aldi's too, especially for the price. It can't be beat.

 

[labdogs42]

I need to try Aldi's. We have one, but I have never gone in there for some reason. maybe this will inspire me! Thanks!

 

[punkin]

I just don't get what the Kona is about. It says Kona and under that "100% Arabica". Who cares since it gives Starbucks a run for its money for under four bucks.

There are basically two types of coffee beans sold commercially (there are others but they are virtually unavailable to most consumers so I will not talk about them). The two are Arabica and Robusto. Kona coffee is a varietal of the Arabica bean grown in Hawaii, but it is still Arabica.

 

[micheleq]

The Aldi's here is more than 1/2 hour from my house but I try and get there about every 2 weeks or when I run out of ice cream bars.
I LOVE the La Mas Rico premium Ice Cream Bar Coconut flavor. It is the creamiest coconut ice cream with tons of fresh coconut. YUM!!!
I also love their cereals, especially the fit and Lively with the freeze dried strawberries and blueberries. I used to get a similar one at Walmart but for $2 more.
The milk here is $1.69 a gallon. In Stop and Shop it is $3.89 a gallon.
I bought the thin sliced pork chops and they were the most tender I have ever tasted. I have some in the freezer now.
I also just bought some of the frozen bacon wrapped filet mignon for the dinner I am planning when my son comes home for leave from the Marines. Hope they are as good as the photo looks.

Hi Mickey527, I'm your neighbor here in Fairfield & my dad's side of the family is Bridgeport born and bred! I haven't been to the new Aldi's in Milford yet, but was going to give it a try this week. Sounds great. I usually go to BJ's to get my milk (it's $2.02) instead of Stop and Shop too. Even the 7-Eleven near my house has cheaper milk than Stop & Shop!

How's the chicken? My grandmother is here from SC this week and she wants to cook a big batch of chicken cutlets for my family

 

[allison443]

I went to Aldi's for the first time a couple of weeks ago..only bought a few things. The best purchase was loaves of Italian bread that are partially baked and you bake for about 8 minutes...the family raved about it! It tasted delicious!
I also got their brand of crackers (like Ritz and honey grahams) as well as fruit snacks. Everything was fine. (I didn't realize in advance that there were no grocery bags there though! Unloading the car was fun!)

 

[LisaNJ25]

The only thing I have ever had a problem with is the dry cat food lol.. my cats would not touch it.

I am usually there a few times a week and have no other complaints.

 

[pamrob]

GREAT

Staples - Flour, Sugar, Salt, Spices
Frostings
Canned Beans
Olive Oil (Extra Virgin)
Taco Shells
Au Gratin Potatoes
Frozen Uncrustable Sandwiches

AWFUL
Coffee
Spaghetti Sauce
Pastas

Also - look for brand name stuff - they get close outs - merchandise and food.

While I agree I don't care for the coffee, I don't mind the spaghetti sauce. I generally make my own but I usually keep a couple of jars on hand in case of those last minute dinners.

 

[monorailsilver]

I haven't been yet either & there is a new one that opened that is about 30 or so minutes from me.

What do I need to bring to the store? Bags? Do I have to pay for a cart?

 

[fakereadhed]

There are basically two types of coffee beans sold commercially (there are others but they are virtually unavailable to most consumers so I will not talk about them). The two are Arabica and Robusto. Kona coffee is a varietal of the Arabica bean grown in Hawaii, but it is still Arabica.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Jsme]

I haven't been yet either & there is a new one that opened that is about 30 or so minutes from me.

What do I need to bring to the store? Bags? Do I have to pay for a cart?

You can bring your own bags or buy them there. You put a quarter in the cart and then you get a quarter back when you put your cart back.

 

[CouponCon]

I really like the reuseable grocery bags they are big and wide cloth bags that fit alot for $1.99. They are by far the best bags I have seen....Oh and I also love the frozen pizzas!

 

[Denine]

WOW! Thanks for all the info.

I bought their raisin bran, but DD said it went soggy too quickly.
Dh go their cornflakes.
I did buy a bag of marshmallows, so I will see about those.
I did buy a box of the uncrustables too. DD hasn't had one yet. She had their "lunchables" today and thought it was good.

I also bought some frozen fish.

This is going to be an intersting experiment.

I didn't think their lunchmeat was that great a price. I also didn't think the pasta was that great a price.

I do shop at BJ's for a lot of stuff, but this should cut down on grocery store prices.

I was disappointed that the frozen chicken breasts had broth added.

I will see what else I get in the future.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

I love Aldi!
My kids eat soup and cereals like they are going out of style, so we always stock up on that.(I think the soups are just as good as Campbell's...actually read somewhere that they are..not sure if it i s true or not)
Love the tortilla chips, esp. the ones in the paper bag.
Great basics...flour sugar, eggs, milk, etc. I get a lot of frozen stuff there too...I just wish they had more fresh meats...from reading what others have posted, I think our local store may just be smaller than others.
I agree that produce is hit or miss there..I just shop carefully in that section...sometimes it goes bad fast, and isn't always the best price.

 

[Lars624]

The only thing we've had so far that was really bad from Aldi's was their taco seasoning...it was very salty. The milk here is only 1.49 a gallon.

 

[C.Ann]

The only things I don't care for are their chips, coffee, and their spaghetti sauce.. Everything else has been excellent - including their produce and meat.. I do a TON of baking, so of course I get all of my "staples" there - and the savings on nuts alone is worth the trip..

Normally I'm strictly a Hellmann's Mayo gal, but last year I tried an experiment.. Purchased Aldi's and put it in my empty, clean Hellmann's jar.. Served it to my adult DD, her DH, my DGD, - as well as a large group of other guests - and no one noticed the difference.. I've done the same with some of their other items because certain people up here tend to insist on only "name brand" items and so far no one has caught on.. (And believe me, if they had even so much as a "hint", they would not hesitate for one nano second to "call me" on it - LOL..)

I love Aldi's.. They have literally saved me thousands of dollars since arriving here in NY.. There is only one Aldi's that I won't shop in -and that's because it's in a seedy section of a city that I won't venture into.. All of the others I have been to have been fine.. Very clean, very well stocked, and a very large variety of items to choose from - at a considerable savings..

It's really a place where you have to try this and that to determine what's a "good fit" for your family.. If you don't like it, you can return it for a full refund..

 

[HeatherPage]

How do Aldi's prices compare to say a Wal-mart Supercenter?

Thanks in advance!

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Their milk, pancake mix (just add water type stuff, it's very good) their steak sauce is ok.