Joe Caputo & Sons Fruit Market Deli & Fresh Meats

Had my first problem ever with Caputo’s. Yesterday I came in for a handful of items including 3 items from the deli. When I got home I just threw all the deli in the fridge. Today I noticed the smoked turkey wasn’t there. I looked in the car, in the driveway, I look all over the fridge nothing. On mistake I think the turkey wasn’t put in the bag. I went in today and talked to Tony and with a check of there records went back to the deli and replaced the turkey. This is another reason why I call this my Caputo’s.

I have been coming here for nearly 20 years. Great meat and deli counters. Super friendly help and great produce. You can’t go wrong here. The only downside is they so get busy at peak shop times.

They have one or two things on sale from time to time, but nothing to brag about. Meh

This store for the most part offers quality produce and deli at competitive prices. However, the layout of the store is very cramped. Narrow spacing and congestion makes it difficult to move the shopping cart around the store, and a similar situation exists outside the store to navigate the car through the front parking lot.
BTW: What happened to the reported plan to relocate this Caputo store to the site of the former Dominick’s (1555 Lee Street) by 2014? And why do the store’s 2015 calendars that were issued to customers list the street address of the Des Plaines store as 1555 Lee Street? In my opinion, Joe Caputo & Sons Fruit Market runs the risk of losing some trust with the public when the store’s ownership makes promises (reported in the local newspapers) that it fails to deliver.

Fantastic selection and great prices can be found at this Market.
Staff:
Friendly and helpful. The Deli folks are very knowledgeable when it comes to their meats and cheese. Free samples of their meats and cheese are also available on request.
Atmosphere:
This store is extremely cramped with narrow aisles. You can’t go through certain aisles if there is a person with a cart there. I also dislike the amount of flies the store has during the summer. Very unappetizing. Especially when you can see flies on exposed bread. The Frank Sinatra music constantly playing hasn’t gotten old either. Fly Me To The Moon!
Selection:
I love their sales and overall quality of their meats and produce. 79 cent Avocados, $ 2 per pound Ground Chuck, 3lbs of Bananas for $ 1! They have some great weekly bargains. Their baked good is also nothing to scoff at. Their Canolli’s are something to fight over with friends haha.
I would not recommend shopping here on busy hours of the afternoon. THey really need to consider moving into another building. Other than that, I enjoy shopping here for their great selection and prices.

I live in Des Plaines and shop at Caputo’s whenever I’m in the area, because they have a great selection of fruits and vegetables, deli products and a nice selection of Italian Bread.
About 2 weeks ago, I received a sales flyer advertising sirloin steak for a very low price. Because we were having company that weekend, we went. Once there, I noticed the rib-​eye steaks looked great and were only $ 1.00 more per pound. We purchased the rib-​eye steaks. BTW, they are USDA choice! We grilled them rare and medium rare. Ate them. We all agreed that the meat didn’t just taste great, it was so tender you could almost cut it with a fork. Haven’t had meat that tasted that good in a long time.
Looked at this week’s flyer and the price for a family pack of New York strip steaks is $ 6.99 per pound. We’re going back! Again that’s for USDA choice meat, not Government Inspected meat.
Pricing at Caputo’s has always been great, and I’m definitely a sales shopper.
I shop during the day when it’s not so busy. Weekends can be a madhouse.

Ive been shopping here for 5 years now.
You need to be picky, as with every other store nowadays. But it’s hard to get the prices better.
I mainly shop there for the fruits, veggies, some herbs sometimes.
They are super busy, which contributes to the less favorable reviews. It is too small for the choices and quantities they carry. The parking lot is crazy small.
But were they empty– you wouldn’t ever realize the lack of space.
Again, they are crowded.
There is a reason for it.

Every thing in the store looked fresh, the deli is nice and clean with good prices for cut meats and cheese, and they have fruits and veggies for low prices!

Stopped by because I was enticed by the giant signs in the windows. Reminded me of a small local grocer with cheap and fresh produce.
Cheap, yes. Fresh, ehhhh. Some of the herbs were in open bundles in the cooler area and already rotting. And about half the fruits and vegetables we bought, which looked good, started going bad the next couple of days in the fridge.
We did stop by 30 min before closing, to be fair. Then again, staff was everywhere restocking for the next day’s opening, so maybe it’s always like this all day.
The fruits and veg were pretty cheap, but given the big shelves there wasn’t as much variety as I thought.
I live too far away to make this a regular grocery stop, but I don’t know if I’d make this a top choice even in the area. Unless you’re really broke yet can afford to go shopping every day or two.

I tend to agree with the previous reviews of Caputo’s…
Seems the quality of produce and meats has diminished over time.
Parking still an issue as well as the cramped aisles…
Prices are still reasonable but the Shop-​in-​Save has better pricing now.

I’ve been in here three times and every time it was jam-​packed and the staff were very rude. The parking lot is very small so I’ve had to park behind the building. The lines were long because they only have two check out lanes. Maybe that is why the staff was so grumps? o_​O
I’ve heard rumors they will be moving to the empty Dominick’s store on Lee and Oakton. The larger space would be great and I’d be willing to give them another try.

This place is great for the size. They have phenomenal seasonal produce and a great-​looking butcher (can’t vouch for the taste on the meats.) My favorite part about this store is the ethnic selections. I love making Mexican cuisine, and they have all the ingredients I need, and the items are much fresher/​have a higher turnover than if I were to go to a larger chain store. The only down side is it is a small store and gets pretty cramped; also they don’t have ALL the necessities on most grocery lists, but they do have enough to make a trip there for very fresh seasonal produce or ethnic foods.

Whats up with all the damn flies in this place? I feel like they should try and keep the doors shut. This joint is a little off. Yesterday I bought 4 rotting mangos for 50 cents.
You can score odd discounted produce daily by the front door… and the flies.
Flies everywhere, man.
I wouldn’t recommend doing a full on shopping trip to Joe’s. The aisles are really narrow and there are usually old Italian ladies chatting everywhere so It’s hard to get around…
and flies.
Flies…

I go here for desserts particularly the cannoli. I also came here once to get some lunch and got a to go box of fried tilapia, mac n’ cheese, and veggies for about $ 5. So tasty!
Caputos has a really interesting eastern/​western european product selection. The meat, veggies, and fruits are waaay cheaper than jewel or dominicks. Plus, you get that hearty vegetable smell when walking into the store-​kind of like if mother earth took a shit, it would smell this lovely. None of that sterile cleaning product smell you would encounter at a more corporate grocery store. Bleh.
Only downside is that this place is small and the aisles are kind of like slivers. I feel like i’m playing bumper carts when shopping here and having that big ol’ cart right in front of you just increases your chances of getting hit. Wear a helmet if you bruise easily, her her…
Anyhoo, the cannoli i bought here today is calling my name. I must eat it now! muahahah.

Karen A — Chicago
There are no words to describe how I feel about this place, the music is delightful and the store is clean. Yes it is small and yes it is crowded but the food your purchasing of produce and what have you is excellent. They are worth all the aggreciation that other shoppers have — I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!

PROS:
1. Fresh produce
2. Boars Head Products!
3. Decent prices
CONS:
1. Small parking lot
2. Small store, can get very crowded

Man alive this place was amazing! I am a fan of grocery stores. I tend to like being surrounded by fruits and vegetables (man that has so many other implications in my life). I am also a fan of inexpensive fruits and vegetables.
I usually don’t find myself in the suburbs. Being that I don’t have a car I can’t imagine that I would have ever discovered Joe Caputo’s had I not been with a friend of mine. She lives near by and kept saying that we would save the produce-​buying for the market. I thought she was just being quaint by using the word «market» thinking that instead we would go to the local Jewel-​Osco (which I despise). Then we pulled into the jammed-​packed parking lot and made our way inside. But before I could even step in the door I was tempted by the fresh Rosemary and Basil plants (I tasted the Basil and it was MAGICAL).
Then we walked in. I couldn’t believe it!!! As a vegetarian it was my mecca… so many vegetables… so many fruits… so many herbs… so many cheeses… and pastas… and breads… and did I mention cheeses? Now I know that the city has Stanley’s and Harvest Time and countless others. But do they blare Frank Sinatra over the PA? I don’t think so. We purchased loads of food and fantastic fresh Mozzarella all for under $ 30. This (and getting to watch True Blood with my friend) made my trip to the suburbs worth the long CTA ride.

As far as produce markets in my suburban area, I think there’s a dichotomy just like the Sox vs. Cubs across Chicagoland. On one side, you have ardent Caputo fans who love the wide variety of imports and the nice deli they offer. Then you got the Jerry’s Fruit Market fans such as myself, who will trample (or get trampled by) little old ladies to get at the 59 cent strawberries.
For one day, I was in the area by Caputo’s and saw they had a nice garden center outside, plus the aforementioned strawberries. So I stopped in and sure enough, I found onion sets to plant in my garden… yes the onion sets that Home Depot did not have. Better yet, I got to scoop my own mix of colors — red, yellow and white, rather than settle for a bagged bundle.
I stepped into the store with my onion sets and strawberries in hand, not even taking a cart or basket since I didn’t expect to buy anything more. I walked by the deli. Ooh! Fresh pizza dough to make your own pizza at home. Gotta have one of those. Whoa! My 6 year old son pointed out that a particular fancy pasta was on sale. Add one of those.
«I want a burger for dinner today,» he then suggested as we passed the bakery area and they had the mini burger buns perfect for kids. Across from the buns, I saw ground beef at a great price, so I grabbed that too.
Before long, my arms were full of stuff I had no idea I’d be buying, all at a better price than the big grocery chains. Despite a lot of people at the checkout, a second cash register opened quickly and we were on our way.
After my experience, I’d give them 5 stars, but I am a Jerry’s fan after all…

Ughhh. I really don’t like this place. My Mom, really does. Had to take her shopping last weekend, now that she is finally back at her own place (yay!). Now, I can say why I do not care for this place. The aisles are half the width they should be, two carts cannot pass going in opposite directions easily. The parking lot is a joke, way too small. The people who frequent the place don’t seem to have a problem abandoning their cart to wander around to the next aisle, or hog the whole aisle, narrow as they are. The whole store is just crammed to the brim with stuff, I am always afraid that I will knock over a whole shelving unit should I happen to bump it trying to navigate these tiny aisles.
They do have a lot packed into this place and the deli, meats and produce are good. I just would rather not have to squeeze through the store to get my shopping done.

Better quality produce than many other stores, but always very crowded and it’s not laid out that well when you’re walking in. If you want to look at/​pick produce from the first couple of things… you’ll likely hold up people getting into the store. Also suggest not brining your kids with, because they touch things and my kids have been yelled at by employees on more than one occasion because they touched some of the nuts near the check out or were touching jars on the shelves by the check out… while I try to get them not to touch, usually these things are not sitting at the checkouts where the kids are forced to stand with me for more than 5 – 10 mintues.
Generally, I like what we can pick up here, but I hate navigating the parking lot! I have had people yell at me for backing out of my space in the itty-​bitty lot, a little too slow for their taste.