Food 4 Less
Mariano's
Pete's Market

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1) Fareway-No other store can compete with the meat counter. That alone makes it tops. Great selection of local stuff as well. I can not wait for the new one to open and I hope it has a bakery.

2)Hy Vee-What Dominick's tries to be. Best produce around. Great hot food. The Friday Grand Buffet can not be beat. Only bad thing is the lack of diversity in the ethnic foods.

3)Old Greek store on Halsted. The one that burned down,I forget the name. If you liked Greek/Mediterranean food this was the place for you. 6-7varieties of olives,4-5 variations on Feta cheese. Spices,wines you name it they had it. The guy behind the counter would always help me when I was making something Greek pick the right stuff. If he did not have it he told me exactly what to get. I was sad when I read it burned down and would not rebuild.

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

Every now and then you make some damn sense...

Dude,I am German and Polish. You know how bland that food is? I love trying foods from all over the world. The only stuff I really do not like is French,except when it is fused with Vietnamese. I just started eating sushi,wow was I wrong about that stuff.

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

The Fresh Market is a good place to pick up a few specialty things, like curry mixes or sauces, things like that. I go to the one in Kildeer; not sure if there are others in the area.

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Fareway is top notch. Meat counter and service above and beyond the best. Hy Vee is ok if you hit the sale items otherwise they stick it up your giggy. Aldi for staples like canned fruit and soup. Hy Vee produce is real good but buy only when on sale otherwise bend over. Aldi Momma Cozzi deep dish pizzas are real good seem similar to Malnatis that I have ordered before at one fourth the cost.

DG just got a Caputo's. I wasn't really impressed and it seems as expensive as whole foods. Am I off on this?

When I lived in Chicago, I used to shop at the Caputo's on Harlem Ave. fairly regularly, combining it with trips to a few other places (Riviera, Nottoli, Caputo's Cheese Market, etc.).

The quality of the produce was generally very good, although not as strong as Whole Foods. The prices were definitely a lot cheaper than WF, though.

I typically liked to shop there for canned San Marzano tomatoes. They sell excellent Italian varieties at a very good price. The store usually had deals on Italian sodas and European mineral waters as well.

In general, I think the Caputo's on Harlem sells a nice variety of high-quality produce, cheeses and meat without charging exorbitant prices. I would've been grateful to have it in the Evanston/Rogers Park area, which isn't particularly strong for grocery stores (although I like a couple of the area supermercados--most notably Morelia--quite a bit).

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Publix
Giant Eagle
Meijer

I miss Meijer.

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Same thoughts on the one in Addison. I shop mostly at Costco now but by small ammounts of produce and lunch meat from the new Pete's near us. I'm more than a little shocked that Caputo's pricing is the same as Whole Foods.

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Caputo's is great for standard non-organic and ethnic produce. That stuff is all priced competitively. The reason I prefer it for ethnic stuff is the clientele. The Indian, Mediterranean, and Eastern European specific produce is shopped pretty heavy, and as a result turns over pretty quickly. Their organic produce is overpriced and doesn't sell well. They are okay for canned stuff like beans, tomatoes, etc. as TM mentioned, and not bad for oils, vinegars, etc. The deli is pretty reasonable, their other meat is so-so. The prepared and "American" foods (cereal, cookies, canned soups, etc.) are way overpriced. Caputo's is a great ingredient store, more so than a ready-to-eat store.

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I don't remember half the time if I'm hiding or I'm lost

I thought you lived in Uptown?

You can't beat Argyle St. and Devon Ave. for a lot of the stuff you're talking about. Patel Brothers is glorious!

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huh? There's a Pete's near my work in Evergreen Park and i go there every once in awhile because the deli has Boars Head stuff and their produce is really good too- i don't think their prices are anywhere near Whole Foods

I fixed my post. I meant Caputo's.

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ah ok

never been there

i think Pete's is actually pretty good overall....ive never bought meat there though, i mainly just use it for their produce & deli

Same here.

Produce and deli along with anything I may pass on the way to the register that is a good sale.

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