Lincolnwood Produce

After doing a quick google, it seems that Lincolnwood Produce has been mentioned many times, but does not have its own dedicated thread. How can this be?

Being unemployed means that you have lots of time but little money, so I have been searching for a better grocery store than the Jewel I went to for convenience's sake. I've been all over on the hunt for the perfect grocery, when all along it was just a couple of miles away.

The produce is the first thing you see upon entering, and it's a beautiful sight indeed. The well-stocked aisles remind me pleasantly of the Berkeley Bowl, something I never expected to find in Chicagoland. The grocery section is midsize, with a good selection of imported products. There are often good deals to be had in the meat aisle.

Not being a superstore, I still have to go to da Jewels to pick up the Ovaltine and Jif my husband requires for survival, but all in all, it's a fine store. Today's expedition netted a week plus of groceries, for a grand total of $62.

Lincolnwood Produce
7175 N Lincoln Ave
Lincolnwood, IL 60712
(847) 329-0600

I swear I've seen Ovaltine at Lincolnwood, Suzy - it's just in a glass jar instead of the canister. While it's not my go-to market, it is airy and open, has most of the stuff I'm looking for, and that huge deli always tempts me. You're right, the thread is long overdue.

I live near Lincolnwood Produce and have been countless times. It's convenient and the pricing is good (great selection of olives and good dolmeh at the deli counter). However, their produce quality is definitely 2nd or 3rd tier. I have rarely found a red pepper that isn't on the verge of mushy. Their berries and grape tomatoes are hit-or-miss (sometimes well past freshness, other times best used the day you buy them).

Unbeatable for dill/cilantro/parsley/jalapenos/scallions/shallots and a number of other items but not necessarily the best prices for everything else based on quality. When I shop at Costco I know that I can get up to a week or more out of the larger size packages of various produce items. Buying something from Lincolnwood and finding it to be unusuable a couple of days later ain't such a bargain.

I'm a regular shopper at LP, I normally go there once every week to ten days to stock up on produce (I don't find them to be 2nd or 3rd tier as far as grocery store produce goes) and other staples.

Their prices are great, the produce selection is very good, and I really like the deli section and the varied fresh bread options. They get bread from D'Amatos every day and also have a lot of different types of middle eastern breads that are fun to try.

I really like the place. The size of the store is very do-able, I'm usually in and out of there in a half hour or so, never wait in lines to check out, and a trip that would probably cost me $125 at Jewel or Dominick's costs me around $70-$80 at LP. I still go to the regular stores for certain items, but I spend far less at them now and I don't get nearly as frustrated since I no longer even look at the shitty expensive produce they have to offer.

As my office is right down the street, I visit LP on a semi-regular basis. Is it my imagination, or are they never crowded?

I've been going to Lincolnwood Produce for several years now, even though it's not the closest market to me any longer. Their prices are very reasonable and their produce is definitely higher quality than I've seen at Dominicks or Jewel. I also find their giant deli section to be great for an impromptu picnic (or just sandwiches for lunch.)

"their produce is definitely higher quality than I've seen at Dominicks or Jewel."

Absolutely disagree. It's in no way higher quality. In some instances, it's appreciably lower.

spinynorman99 wrote:"their produce is definitely higher quality than I've seen at Dominicks or Jewel."

Absolutely disagree. It's in no way higher quality. In some instances, it's appreciably lower.

Wow. What Dominicks or Jewels do you go to? In my experience, the produce there is more expensive, more attractive, and tastes like a plate of ass. By contrast, the produce from LP has been varied, fresh, and flavorful.

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:

spinynorman99 wrote:"their produce is definitely higher quality than I've seen at Dominicks or Jewel."

Absolutely disagree. It's in no way higher quality. In some instances, it's appreciably lower.

Wow. What Dominicks or Jewels do you go to? In my experience, the produce there is more expensive, more attractive, and tastes like a plate of ass. By contrast, the produce from LP has been varied, fresh, and flavorful.

I have to agree with Suzy. In fact, I stopped shopping at Dominick's (in part) because of how awful I thought their produce was. Jewel is the closest store to me, so I do occasionally shop there but I consider their produce to be average at best. Otoh, I consider LP a shopping destination, not just for produce (very nice quality and fantastic selection) but also for a variety of other items, too.

=R=

I bought a half a pound of blackberries at LP a few weeks back for $1.99. Insane. Totally not about eating local, I know. But . . . I bought two of the half pound shells and made a rocking old fashioned cobbler. If you were to find anything mushy at LP I would encourage you to bring it back or to the attention of the staff. It seems like a pretty thoughtful, diverse market. Much more so than any Jewel or Dominick's.

bjt

I have to agree that while I do need to look at the produce and not buy blindly (but where would I do that anyway?), I find this a combo of A/B produce. Much of it is very good and lasts multiple days. Stanley's has true B/C produce, for comparison (at least in my opinion). They have much more variety than most city Jewel/Dominick's do, too. And I've certainly seen my share of B ad C produce at Jewel and Dominick's, too. If I lived closer to Lincolnwood, I'd go there more often. As it is, if I need to go to Lowes or to get bagels, I always squeeze in a stop at Lincolnwood.

I bought a half a pound of blackberries at LP a few weeks back for $1.99. Insane. Totally not about eating local, I know. But . . . I bought two of the half pound shells and made a rocking old fashioned cobbler. If you were to find anything mushy at LP I would encourage you to bring it back or to the attention of the staff. It seems like a pretty thoughtful, diverse market. Much more so than any Jewel or Dominick's.

That must have been the same week Dominicks had them for $1 a half-pint. I also bought a bunch. I'm not critical of people who LOVE Lincolnwood Produce -- if it meets your expectations, then go for it. As for pointing out "mushy" they are indeed extremely accommodating but there have been numerous occasions when I needed something, berries, grape/cherry tomatoes/bell peppers, when all they had was mushy.

I still go every couple of weeks or so for the above-mentioned dolmeh, their Italian-herb and pitted Kalamata olives, feta, eggs and occasional produce, but it's not my primary stop. And when I'm lucky enough to get a warm baguette, it's an immediate impulse buy that is half eaten before I get home (about a 3-minute drive).

spinynorman99 wrote: I'm not critical of people who LOVE Lincolnwood Produce -- if it meets your expectations, then go for it.

Guess I have low expectations as you can count me a fan of Lincolnwood Produce.

As I said, I've gone there countless times for as long as they've been open. They're nice people, they have some way-out-there foreign products, good deli items and great overall pricing, but they'll never win me over on produce (I'd be less peeved if they renamed themselves "Lincolnwood Market" because produce is not their strong suit).

spinynorman99 wrote:produce is not their strong suit.

I don't think produce is their only strong suit by any means (see above discussions of the large and varied deli section and their imported products) but to me it's one of their strong suits. I've always found Lincolnwood Produce's produce to be very competitive on both quality and price.

I'd like to know where you shop that has such cheap, high-quality produce. (This is a serious question...if such a place is out there, I want to go there.)

I'd like to know where you shop that has such cheap, high-quality produce. (This is a serious question...if such a place is out there, I want to go there.)

First of all, I never said I get cheap, high-quality produce. I really don't know of any place that offers both "cheap" and "high-quality" consistently. I buy produce that I find to be of good quality, sometimes it's not the cheapest, but I find it to be worth the cost. I get a lot from Costco, I also buy from Jewel and Dominick's. I even stop at H-Mart when I'm in that area. I don't have one "go-to" store, and if I did it wouldn't be Lincolnwood Produce. There are just a number of areas where they fall flat for me. Like I said, everyone has their own standards

I have found that H-Mart and Marketplace on Oakton often have more variety as far as produce is concerned, and are I've found both to be cheaper than Lincolnwood - and the quality is about the same or better. Produce is a fickle mistress, sometimes you have to go to more than one place. However, I like the other stuff at Lincolnwood, which isn't tucked into little corners you have to discover like at Marketplace. It's not on my regular rotation, but it probably would be if I shopped exclusively on evenings or weekends, since the aisles are open and wide and it's rarely crowded.

For eli, starting in Budlong Woods, the Cermak Produce at 4234 North Kedzie would be a good alternative for variety, prices and quality. I have shopped at Lincolnwood Produce when otherwise in the area. I would not go out of my way for their produce but usually find some things to buy when I am there.

These independent to small chain stores tend to be very responsive to wholesale market conditions with prices moving up and down quickly according to the supply-demand balance at the wholesalers they use, which makes price generalizations and comparisons tricky.

Price aside, how does the produce at Lincolnwood Produce compare to that at Whole Foods?

Stopped by the Fresh Farms in Niles on the way home from work tonight and it's head-and-shoulders above Lincolnwood Produce in produce quality and selection. Time will tell if they can keep it up past the opening but it's pretty impressive. The rest of the store is pretty amazing

Stopped by the Fresh Farms in Niles on the way home from work tonight and it's head-and-shoulders above Lincolnwood Produce in produce quality and selection. Time will tell if they can keep it up past the opening but it's pretty impressive. The rest of the store is pretty amazing

Because this forum gave me such a good lead on Fresh Farms, I stopped by Lincolnwood Produce Tuesday night for the first time after my second visit to Fresh Farms. I totally agree with you. There is no comparison, I thought FF blows it out of the water. I'll also rate Marketplace on Oakton higher too, at least on produce.

Still shopping Lincolnwood Produce regularly (and always seemingly spending $62...odd) but there is one issue I have with the place. No matter how many reusable bags I provide the baggers with, they insist on filling two or three bags to beyond maximum capacity. I had asked several times that they distribute stuff a little more equitably to make them easier to carry, but the responses I've gotten have ranged from blank looks to outright refusals. Anyway, I've taken to redistributing stuff once I get to my car. Annoyingly, my freebie reusable bag from Dominick's was so full it burst open before I could do so. Sabotage against the enemy?

I'm very sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Lincolnwood Produce is closing sometime in the next couple of weeks. The deli counter has about 1/3 of its usual offerings on display and the shelves are being cleared out. Everything in the store is 20% off.

Although this thread is short, mentions of Lincolnwood Produce abound in other threads. I will sorely miss this store. I'm sure others will as well. I imagine it was just a matter of time, since Fresh Farms opened not too far away, and now the invasion of multiple Mariano'ses.

Steve-

I'm with you in mourning this closure.

Their store is right across the street from my primary care physician, and that is the only time I visit the store is when I have an appointment with her. I don't know if Fresh Farms is close enough to affect them, but I could see Mariano's affecting their business. Does anybody know what is going on with the old Dominick's on Pratt? Cermak was supposed to take over the store, but then I heard that they decided to not open up there, and they were either going to try to rent out the store or sell it. I don't see how anybody that moves in that store can compete with Mariano's. I have noticed that the Kosher Jewel on Howard still has a fair amount of business when the people who keep Kosher are shopping there. I'm waiting for Meijer's to start building their store in Skokie too. Thanks, Nancy

Hi- I thought I herd that the guy that owns Lincolnwood Produce owns the whole shopping center?

NFriday wrote:Hi- I thought I herd that the guy that owns Lincolnwood Produce owns the whole shopping center?

That is true.

According to the Trib, Binny's is buying the property.

FEH

Pie Lady wrote:FEH

I'll see your "FEH" and raise you two "FEH"s. Damnation!