Trader Joe’s

I loooove this place! I used to hate going grocery shopping, but Shopping at trader joe’s is not a chore. I know a lot of people shop here, but it never gets super crowded.

Unbelievably awesome. Excellent value for a great price. I can’t believe the values I get here for nutritious and delicious food. I love how the store is so compact, focusing their offerings so you avoid the clutter and chaos of other stores. I love how you can find healthy, easy to prepare lunches for great prices. I love the free yummy coffee they offer. The staff are unbelievably friendly. I often visit once a week. Fun and creative.

Trader Joe’s customer service is the Chick-​Fil-​A of grocery stores. The experience is consistent, pleasant and professional every single time.
Not only are their products fresh, healthy, ethical and affordable, their staff is passionate about the mission of the organization. I truly appreciate Trader Joe’s and wish we had more than 2 locations in Austin.

I love trader joes and this location. Sunday’s are always really busy but the staff get you through the lines very quickly.
I love the wine selection and the the flowers. I always feel like I am getting a good deal. My favorite things are the pink lady apples and the lemon poppy seed muffins. Also there dumplings are amazing! I like to get my snacks and wine from trader joes because of the good prices and organic options.
The staff is great and are always so friendly, one time I did have to return a few items and they helped me quickly and got me in and out quickly.
Be back soon!

I’m a huge Trader Joe’s fan. I love their food, their prices, and my favorite wine is there. I’m usually always trying something new. Today I had the TJ Meatballs with a Spicy Siracha and BBQ sauce. It was YUMMO! I def bought some and then some. Of course I stocked up on my wine. I’m also going to try the TJ Face cleanser, I heard it was pretty good.
This location is just as great as several locations I’ve been to. Well Miami is by far the most challenging location. One word = parking. This place had numerous amount of space since it’s near other shopping locations. Right around the Arboretum so be prepared to eat at some places if you get the munchies.

Trader Joe’s is absolutely the place to go for awesome frozen foods, great selections of cheeses, fresh fruits and veggies, and cheap wines and beers. Some of my favorite items below:
Granola (lots of different varieties!)
Cookie Butter (put it on everything!)
Nuts (always a great price)
Herbs (basil — you can get a huge bundle for real cheap)
Peanut Sesame Sauce (for Asian Coleslaw)
Breakfast Quiche (frozen good)
Orange Chicken (frozen — can feed 4)
Chow Mein (frozen, serve it with the orange chicken and you’re a god)
Fresh Mozzarella
Brie
Two Buck Chuck (Trader Joe’s Wine — it’s about $ 3, buy it by the case!)
There’s tons of other items, but these are kinda my go-​tos. You can find a lot of interesting items here and some tried and true favorites.

Moving here from California, I was delighted to discover that there was a Trader Joe’s just down the street from my new place. Friendly employees that are always down to endorse their favorite products, specialty items that you won’t find anywhere else like brioche toast (delicate mini toasts,) an amazing cheese selection with a featured cheese every month, chicken pot pie ravioli, and many, MANY more!
Their return policy is golden: if you don’t like it, bring it back for a full refund. I have had to do this on occasion and I’m never met with attitude. Sure, I can’t buy aluminum foil here, but isn’t that part of the specialty store charm?
Props to my last cashier, Kyle, who brightened my day and helped me leave with a smile on my face!

It takes a while to figure Trader Joe’s out, especially in Austin where we have so many top-​shelf (pun-​tended) choices. Here are the three top reasons I know of to shop there:
#THREE: You like your wine but not what it does to your wallet. Trader Joe’s «2 Buck Chuck» is serious value for your money and the rest of their wines are always reliably good.
#TWO You are hopelessly addicted to something of theirs. I’ll get in my car and drive 10 miles for any of the following: Chocolate covered cherries, choco chip cookies, truffled pâté, steel cut frozen oatmeal, Pizza al Pollo Asado (now drooling on keyboard), extra extra good fair trade organic coffee choices.
and the #ONE reason to shop at Trader Joe’s:
You just aren’t a great cook or don’t have the time to be one (or the money to shop on this level at Whole Foods) and you want to eat healthfully/​deliciously. You also like to entertain but you’re not much of a chef. Goodies like frozen lobster tails (just add butter and garlic and pop in the oven per package instructions) and pre-​cooked baby lamb chops will add dazzle to your table and a sparkle in your guests eyes.

Can we talk about how much I love and miss Trader Joe’s? I lived on the west coast for several years before moving to Austin, and took TJ’s for granted. It was so lovely to stop off there, quickly walk the 6 or 7 aisles, pick up great, tasty food, check out quickly, and be on my way home.
This isn’t to knock HEB — I’ve shopped HEB for years. But TJ’s is special: They take care of their employees, the stores are always clean and organized, and I love their specials. I realized yesterday that I’ve never written a review for this location, so I had to remedy that!
Yesterday’s visit was just as great as any other time: We bought beer, wine, meat, cheese, snacks, desserts, and pretty much everything else under the sun. This was the first time my man has been in one, and I think he was afraid it was going to be a snooty, stuck-​up Whole Foods-​esque type of place, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a small, friendly grocery store. TJ’s has gained yet another fan.
Stay wonderful, TJ’s — and build a location up near Mopac/​Parmer, so that you’re even more convenient for me to shop at!

I only stop here to buy the 100% American Maple Syrup. It is really hard to find it in the markets around here. I don’t want to buy Canadian because they store it in huge tanks and you never know how old it is, plus by consolidating it they control the price too. I just don’t feel good about that practice.

I am a dedicated Trader Joe’s shopper. When this location had its grand opening I was there! I love the choices, the prices, the people and of course all of the awesome pumpkin stuff this time of year. If you haven’t shopped at a Trader Joe’s yet, you should totally check it out.

I was so excited when they announced TJs was coming to ATX and that one would be in my neck of the woods!
I go to TJs to get ingredients for a lot of my weekly frozen food, soup, and mixed salad items to make meals at home and the price point is usually par for the course!
I also love the wine selection and $ 4 Chuck is still a steal (though this location is small, so the variety is not as good as other locations I have been to).
My only complaint is that they tend to discontinue certain items at the drop of a hat, so don’t get to attached to things (especially in their bread dept).
I have also found that due to the horrific design of the parking lot for the shopping plaza here (I have seen so many near accidents because people drive like idiots and/​or feel entitled to pull in/​out of spaces w/​o looking or cutting the exit line at the stop light on Great Hill Trl) and the size of this TJs location, unless I do my grocery shopping at certain times on certain days I am prone to «grocery store road rage» because it seems the ATX TJ shoppers rank a –2 on the courtesy scale.
The cashiers at this location, however, are some of the friendliest I have ever come across in the TJs ‘Verse!

So, you know how they do these magical things, right? They purchase other vendors wonderful food stuffs. I love them for finding the (cough, wink) «Trader Joe’s Fermented Sauerkraut with Persian Cucumbers». This stuff is yummy for the tummy. Literally. We need all those healthy probiotic bugs in our gut!
Plus, it’s named after on of Austin’s most famous (or infamous – your choice) Unilocalers.

I sat on this review FOREVER because I wanted to love TJ’s, but considering I still haven’t dragged myself back to check it out again, here we go.
Trader Joe’s is what it is.
1. Good cheap produce, organics sometimes cheaper than regular stuff at other stores.
2. A great beer and wine aisle.
3. Fun foods you can’t find elsewhere.
4. Lots of TJ’s branded junk food (said both lovingly and wistfully, not hatefully).
However, I’m not able to get my whole grocery list there, I had to run over to HEB for half of it. I know that’s not what TJ’s is about, it’s more of a specialty store, and I’m probably cranky that cookie butter sounds delicious but I’m trying to be good, but I kind of need a one stop shop most weeks, which is sadly why I won’t end up here more often.
Also, the parking lot is a HUGE pain. I mean, I know a lot of parking lots are bad in Austin, but this one is crazy annoying to get out of.
Super friendly staff and cashiers though. Extra love for that.
If I found the thing that I had to have here I’d be back more often — but nothing I bought changed my life, so I’ll probably just go spend all my money at whole foods since I work down the street and can get everything I need there. :P

I did a nurse travel assignment years ago in California. It was the first time I got to visit a Trader Joes. I bought some green chili cheese tamales and some wine and me and my fellow travel buddy had ourselves a delicious dinner that didn’t cost much. About three years ago, I worked in San Francisco for five months and this time, I really got to know Trader Joes. I would walk the three miles to TJs, shop, then catch a cab home (I didn’t have a car with me). I learned about the two buck chuck, their delicious frozen foods section, cookie butter, maple steel cut oats (perfect with half a banana and a handful of blueberries), pumpkin croissants that you bake fresh (yum!), cold brewed coffee, and fresh meats. The best part was how affordable everything was!
The best news ever happened when I got home to Austin. I found out they were building TJs in Austin!!! Flash forward to June 2014 and Trader Joe opened in north Austin! I go fairly often, make new discoveries (like the tapas cheese pack) and find the same friendly workers, great deals, low prices and tasty treats. It’s awesome, like totally!

Still only stopping in occasionally for snacks, flowers, wine and pre-​made salads on my lunch break. Also for gluten-​free cookies for my GF peeps in my office on treat days.
Employees are still super friendly and helpful.
I think I finally put my finger on why I’m not a huge fan. So much of their stuff is frozen heat & eat items, and I like to cook from scratch. It’s perfect for people who want grab and go items, or folks who don’t cook. However I’m not going to buy a frozen lasagna when I can just make one myself. I am a fan of their ravioli though.

I want to love Trader Joe’s I really do. I love how clean it is. I really like that each one is unique to the neighborhood their located in. But it’s mainly a cute and trendy store.
The associates are super helpful. Today, I was looking for some Matcha tea in the pure form not mixed. They only had the Matcha Latte Mix. No worries. So not a big deal.
With that being said. It definitely does not cater to all my grocery shopping needs. It is not a one stop shop in regards to groceries. I go when I want to pick up some of their specialty items (cookie butter), inexpensive beautiful flowers, cheap wine and the $.19 per lb bananas.
However, I don’t go out of my way to go to TJs. If it’s in route to wherever I’m going I’ll stop. I will hop in and grab a couple of items and be on my way.
Pros: clean store, nice people, unique items
Cons: small selection, additional grocery shopping my be needed.
Trader Joe’s is no different than any other grocer. They cater to a certain group just like Whole Foods, Sprouts and HEB. You just have to decide if they are right for you.

I like TJ’s for several reasons. They are clean and prices are fairly cheap. You can find some good deals here. The produce is usually beautiful and fresh, however, I have seen some sorry looking bell peppers. Unilocalers have been Unilocaling TJ’s for quite a while now. I have been to several locations, but, never really focused a lot of time in either place.
Today I went in for some wine. They have unbelievably crazy deals. I had never heard of most of the brands, but, who cares. I have several friends that have told me for months to go check out the TJ brands of Merlot, Cab, and Shiraz. At $ 2.99 per bottle what did I have to lose? I walked out with six bottles of wine for under $ 25!!! Sorry liver! :(
Prices at TJ’s are very affordable and they have lots of organic products. Since I was in there acting like a wino just released from overnight, I decided to buy some supper. Didn’t take me long to pick out two packages of bolognese ravioli and a pomodoro sauce all for under four bucks each! Now that’s a real deal shopping deal! I will be dropping more dough at Trader Joe’s and I pray I don’t turn into a wino!!! The cheap wine is very good. You have been warned!

Trader Joes, you’ve made me the happiest woman alive.
My grocery life is 1000% better with you now.
Here is how I’ve lost 40+lbs and how TJ’s is helping this Unilocal foodie keep it OFF!
$ 1.99 frozen chocolate bananas
$ 1.99 dozen eggs
$ 2.99 egg salad (120 cal, 14g protein, 2g carbs)
$ 3.99-ish salads (220 – 350 cal)
Cut up veggies, samples all the time, frozens are reasonably priced and never break the bank. I cannot believe I lived without one before you came to my hood.
For the times that I am naughty, that wine selection $ 3 – 5 won’t break the bank, pumpkins for $ 3 from Halloween season and desserts for when you are broke but still want to eat fancy but can’t go out.
I’m enjoying everything they offer. Finally, if you need bottled water, may I suggest the huge bottle of water for $ 0.50 that they have that keeps me hydrated all day when I need something that gigantic?
The fact that you are in close proximity to that 24 hour fitness gym I frequent helps too. I’m sorry to betray my dearest HEB, Randalls, Sprouts and Whole Foods… it’s just not the same. Plus associates at the store are the sweetest every time I check out or just have too many groceries to carry. I’ve had them come up to me with baskets so I can throw all the stuff I will buy into there so I am not walking around with groceries in my arms.
P. S. I love that they also give me free paper bags and no judgement when I forget my own reusables.
PPS. Since it’s now Christmas time, the grocery bags are holiday themed and oh-​so-​festive. GO NOW and be as foodie healthy as me so you can eat amazing but never break the bank!

Here’s all you need to know about Trader Joe’s, besides it being my favorite of the Joe-​named places (I’m looking at you, embarrassing crab shack):
Best musical soundtrack in a grocery store.
Ever.
When I find that I can walk in, grab the item I’m looking for, take a detour up the frozen section to see that the seasonal Pumpkin Macarons we’ve been waiting for are finally in stock, pay, and still not be to the end of Siouxsie and the Banshees cover of «Dear Prudence» that was playing the three minutes and forty-​five seconds I was there, that’s a win that the nearby HEB can’t deliver at 7pm on a Thursday…
Let’s talk about what Trader Joe’s is not.
Do you need to do all your «grocery shopping» in one stop? Trader Joe’s is not for you. We use Costco for our paper products, cleaning supplies, meats (thanks, FoodSaver!), etc.
Did you grow up with «Hellman’s Mayo» or whatever, and wouldn’t consider anything else? Then Trader Joe’s is not for you. You’ll either embrace the store brand, or TJ’s is dead to you. Now, it’s not all great. The Trader Joe’s «Fruity O’s» did not, at least to me, replicate my fondness for «Kellogs Froot Loops». And even the macarons I’m a fan of… The chocolate/​vanilla combo box is «meh», but the mixed flavors box was great. Even the best restaurants, I don’t like every single item on the menu.
Which leads me to…
Is it «as expensive as Whole Foods»? My $ 2 bottle of TJ’s Asian Sweet Chili Sauce laughs in your face. The macarons I mentioned, sold frozen but a 30 minute countertop defrost away from your enjoyment, sells for $ 4.99 a dozen. Which will get you about two and a half macarons from the WF. And, at least in the mixed flavors we had, we enjoyed them just as much, if not more (not influenced by the great price). I swing by for work lunch and get freshly cut fruit (because I’m initimidated by pineapple, and also somewhat lazy) and it’s $ 3-​something for a container, not the WF $ 5+.
I haven’t even perused the boozy bargains I hear so much about. And there is still plenty of gluten-​free stuff (which means that the popular «Cookie Butter» is dead to us) for the wife that I still need to discover when I do spend the time to «shop» there, instead of my usual grab and go. It is a great place for a quick stop, though, with many packaged salad/​etc., options. And if I was having a small gathering at the house, there are many prepared food choices that would make me seem like a chef for very little effort (though I’d still get the shrimp tray from the Costco).
You keep the quality up, and the prices down, and I’ll keep shopping here while humming along to Pet Shop Boys, Trader Joe’s…
4.1 stars.