alternative to jewel/dominick's - lagrange area?

I know that alternatives to the big two have been covered in other posts ad nauseum, and I've looked through them.
However, I feel like most of the places people seem to LOVE are way off the beaten path for me to incorporate into my regular rotation.
I've meant for sometime to investigate this and never had the time and just kept going to Jewel (They always hook me back in with 4 for $10 soda 12 packs!). Now I'm staying home with the kids, and 1) have a little more free time or wiggle room with my schedule and 2) in this weather, I count going to a new grocery store as a field trip.
I just went to Pete's Fresh Market, and love the fact that I got a ridiculous amount of fresh produce for about $12 (onions, green onions, carrots, red potatoes, red peppers, plums, apples, strawberries, garlic, avocadoes). The rest of the store I had a hard time evaluating the prices as I am used to Jewel pointing me to what's on sale and am never really sure on the actual price of an item.
BUT it was a 10 minute drive for me (Pulaski location) which is well worth it for the produce.
Anyone have any recommendations for the LaGrange/Riverside area to help me eliminate Jewel from my life forever (well, except to satiate my soda addiction!)?

Thanks in advance for possibly rehashing a topic you may feel sick of.

Get acquainted with the Trader Joe's on LaGrange road between Ogden and the railroad. Lots of staples - coffee, cereals, snacks, excellent cheeses, wines, dairy, nuts, and the like. All at excellent prices, much lower than Jewel - or Dom's.

They have produce, and it's generally good quality, but the prices are not so startlingly low as the other stuff. Bananas always a good buy, though.

Don't know about produce in the LaG. area. Good places are Nature's Best at Chicago Avenue and Cass Ave. in Westmont, and the produce at what used to be Boback's just off County line Road south of I-55 in Burr Ridge is greatly improved and very well-priced. They have good meat and deli items, too - much better than Jewel-Dom and also quite reasonable.

For top-quality meats and specialties there's Casey's in Western Springs, facing the Burlington tracks. It's not low-priced, but all their stuff is wonderful, and they will custom fill all your butchering needs.

Bon Appetit

MikeLM wrote:They have produce, and it's generally good quality, but the prices are not so startlingly low as the other stuff. Bananas always a good buy, though.

What turns a lot of people off about TJs produce is that it is all pre-wrapped so you lack the opportuntiy to look it over or to buy in the quantity that you want.

You'll be getting a "Super Tony's" in the North Riverside Mall in a few days!!

Berwyn Fruit Market is pretty good, but a little bit pricey. Quick trip east on Ogden, and turn right on Harlem. East side of road. It's right there. I have a feeling that the new Super Tony's is going to be something special. It is occupying the space of a former Dominick's that was pretty big. N Riverside is much closer than you think. take 31st st e, turn left @ des plaines, and right on 26th. Bam, you're there.

Also, for IN SEASON produce, you will be hard pressed to beat the prices at the Egg Store in Cermak Plaza (Harlem and Cermak - S E corner.) I don't really buy anything there other than in season produce. Right now it's a go to spot for citrus fruits. Really though - I think the Super Tony's will be on par with that Pete's where I also shop. Tony's is a certi-saver or certified, so you'll be getting better grade meat at a cheaper price than Jewel also.

There are quite a few options in the La Grange area. It just depends on how far you're willing to go.

Up on Ogden, at the Ogden exit off of 294 you have a Wild Oats.

If you're willing to go a little further there's a Melrose Fresh market on Harlem and 103rd in Bridgeview. I like it for the fresh meat and the huge produce section. The rest can be hit or miss but I find myself over there once a week for most of my produce and a good deal of my meat.

At Harlem and 79th street you have a Tony's. They have a nice produce section and friendly butchers that have always been able to help me with any questions or requests.

Thanks! I have these visions of people everywhere having secret little stores where they're paying like $8 for a full carload of groceries. Yes, I'm delusional and apparently a bit paranoid about groceries, but you can see I've been scarred by the Jewel/Dominick's sheep mindset - baaaaa.

I have to admit, I've just never been that adventurous, as I would see the flyers for Tony's or other places and always think "Oh, looks dodgy." and not want to take the time (or lug 2 kids along) to go to a store that I go into and feel like, "EW. Wouldn't eat a thing from here." However, my disgust with spending so much money at Jewel has pushed me to find some alternatives.

I'm excited for the SuperTony's - I'm definitely not far from there, and that's an easy trip (I'm actually in McCook, like Joliet Rd. and 1st Ave/I-55) for me to make.

For meat, we practically lived at Casey's for a few summers -gaahhhhh so good. But now my husband works at a meat distributor/butcher company, so we don't have to purchase meat at stores too often anymore.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm definitely going to set off exploring over the next few weeks/month!!

It might be too far west for you, but Nature's Best on Cass in Westmont has great cheap produce and ethnic items, and good lamb. Use the money you save there to buy the rest of your meat at Casey's. Plus, when you go to Nature's Best, you are near Katy's Dumplings!

For staples, consider a monthly drive to a place like Ultra, on Roosevelt Road in Lombard. Their prices on many name brand items are 15-20% cheaper than Jewel, and if you have pantry space to store a three month supply of your favorite canned whatever, then it will be worth it.

Erzsi wrote:There are quite a few options in the La Grange area. It just depends on how far you're willing to go.

Up on Ogden, at the Ogden exit off of 294 you have a Wild Oats.

If you're willing to go a little further there's a Melrose Fresh market on Harlem and 103rd in Bridgeview. I like it for the fresh meat and the huge produce section. The rest can be hit or miss but I find myself over there once a week for most of my produce and a good deal of my meat.

At Harlem and 79th street you have a Tony's. They have a nice produce section and friendly butchers that have always been able to help me with any questions or requests.

I think the Wild Oats is now a Whole Foods. Also, the Super Tony's in N Riverside is now open!

amykate76 -

I just got back from the new Super Tony's. If you liked Pete's Fresh, then you are is serious business here. They are basically identical although Pete's might have more of a selection of Hot deli prepared foods. The produce section is pretty much the same size, and has better prices. I don't go to Pete's every week, prolly every three weeks, so I'm just going off of a guestimation of produce pricing. If Pete's was priced better, I WOULD go every week. Don't be one of the herd that thinks Jewel / Dominicks are the only places to shop simply because they advertise on tv. Once you start to compare prices, you are going to get really angry for a while when you figure out how much money you've wasted at J/D. Especially on produce, chicken, and beef... Oh, and canned goods... Oh, and DEFINITELY lunchmeat...And milk...And orange juice.

J/D prolly have the mkt cornered for cereal and soda, but really, that's about it.

J/D prolly have the mkt cornered for cereal and soda, but really, that's about it.

Not at all- TJ's have a great selection of cereals, many of them analogs of the mainstream brands, at about 2/3 the J/D prices.

Same thing for crackers.

Ooh, now I'm so excited to go to Super Tony's that I'm irritated I did any shopping this week! Thankfully, it's been my new goal to cook at home at least 5 nights a week plus lunch daily for the kid and me, so hopefully I'll run through everything quickly and be able to justify a trip to Super Tony's early next week!

Thanks!

MikeLM wrote:J/D prolly have the mkt cornered for cereal and soda, but really, that's about it.

Not at all- TJ's have a great selection of cereals, many of them analogs of the mainstream brands, at about 2/3 the J/D prices.

Same thing for crackers.

I can still get Kellogg's / Post / Gm/ Quaker boxes of cereal for better prices (under 1.00) at jewel/dom with coupon+sale price on a regular basis. This is what I meant. Sale prices + Coupons make Jewel / Dom worthwhile especially since they take expired coupons. Cereal is one good example of this. When they have these cereals at 2 for 3.00, I'm the person in line with two cartfulls of the stuff and a stack of 1.00 off coupons.

I usually get my cereal at the Sam's Club on La Grange Road in Country side. I get a better price on the larger boxes because my kids are still in the stage where they like to snack on dry ceral through the day.

The Tony's on Harlem isn't dodgey at all. Well, I guess that depends on your definition of what Dodgey is. It's clean, full of fresh produce, and has a pretty friendly butcher. As far as everything else its pretty run of the mill.



seebee,

I didn't know that Wild Oats turned into a Whole Foods, I'll have to check it out again this weekend, I haven't been over there in a long time.

seebee wrote:I can still get Kellogg's / Post / Gm/ Quaker boxes of cereal for better prices (under 1.00) at jewel/dom with coupon+sale price on a regular basis. This is what I meant. Sale prices + Coupons make Jewel / Dom worthwhile especially since they take expired coupons. Cereal is one good example of this. When they have these cereals at 2 for 3.00, I'm the person in line with two cartfulls of the stuff and a stack of 1.00 off coupons.

Mrs. jlawrence has full responsiblity for acquisition of cold cereals and three or four other grocery items. She **NEVER** pays over $1.25 for a box of cereal when you throw in the coupons and the like. of course, she waits on sales.

Walgreen's also has some great deals for cereal and a limited # of SKUs. Also, you can also get some pretty good deals at Big Lots.

jlawrence01 wrote:Mrs. jlawrence has full responsiblity for acquisition of cold cereals and three or four other grocery items. She **NEVER** pays over $1.25 for a box of cereal when you throw in the coupons and the like. of course, she waits on sales.

Walgreen's also has some great deals for cereal and a limited # of SKUs. Also, you can also get some pretty good deals at Big Lots.

I try to stay under 1.00, and sometimes can get 50C. Normally though, the best I can do is 3 for 5.00 with 1.00 off coupons which = 66c / box.

Never been here but I'm curious of Riverside Foods.

48 E Burlington St
Riverside

I've driven by it M-F for the past 5 yrs. I've gone in three times, I think. Nothing interesting. Little neighborhood store.

I've gone to Riverside Foods on occasion when I would take the train from Riverside, actually. I was never overly impressed and didn't feel like I was finding any "diamond in the rough" or anything like that (I have had unrealistic expectations of non-Jewel/Dominick's supermarkets). I feel like the couple of times I was in there there was a...funk of sorts in the air, and I wasn't crazy about the place.
Great for running in for something quick for dinner or a random item before you head home from the train.