I was excited to learn that Maine would be getting an Aldi - even if it took me months to finally visit. I got there early in the day and there was ample parking. HINT: Be sure to bring a quarter with you to get a carriage and don't forget your reusable bags! The store was clean and well stocked, easy to navigate. Produce: I have a small garden and get my produce from a local farm so I am picky - the produce here was not great, but there were some deals. I got some super fresh and plumb green grapes for $1.29/lb and fresh parsley for $1. Honestly, if you are picky about produce like I am, you will not be impressed at all. Dairy/Cheese/Deli: I got several types of cheese that were a great price and very good (we love a good snacking platter at our house). We also enjoyed trying several of the dips they have - HIGHLY SUGGEST the crab rangoon dip. Pantry Items: Things we loved were the store version of Lara Bars and Kind Bars. We use a lot of bars so this was a great savings and they were very good! Other items I loved - the carton coconut milk, coffee creamer and a really nice clear storage bin with bamboo lid ($6!) that will hold all the snack bars and protein bars at home. Overall - would this be my main grocery spot? No, but I would make the trip for the cheese, dips, dairy items and some pantry stuff. read more

I tracked Aldi out for the first time recently and was pleasantly surprised. Granted it was in the middle of the day on a Friday but the parking lot was nearly empty as was the store. When I first walked in I was immediately impressed with how big it is and how much space there is in the aisles, so it's definitely not tight like Whole Foods is. As soon as you enter on the left they have really good looking refrigerated pizzas that you would just pop in the oven. They also had a good selection of health drinks such as kombucha, coconut Waters, etc. I noticed tI noticed the Aldi brand had a dubai chocolate creamer that was actually organic which was really surprising to me. In fact one of the two things I bought was marinated chicken on skewers. My husband grilled them and they were very yummy. I didn't look too much into the freezer section, but I did notice they had Johnny pops for a decent price, which are frozen popsicles that are typically quite expensive. They're ice cream. Selection was also unique and interesting. The second item I bought was organic raspberries. I'm very familiar with Aldi in Europe and its very much the same here. You pay a quarter to get a cart, which I did not do. You are expected to bring your own bags and bag your groceries yourself. There's also lots of space for you to properly pack your groceries, if you need to, after you've checked out. Myself adding Aldi to my grocery store rotation. It's the type of place I would go to pick up. Something very easy for you to cook for dinner. Like the pizzas, salad kits, chicken skewers to grill, etc. read more

Aldi - Grocery Near Me - Portland, Maine

Definitely doesn't live up to the hype, and the "savings" are dubious. Aldi in the States are never as good as in Europe (and honestly there are far better chains there too), but for some silly reason I went with heightened expectations, thinking hey, we're in Maine where we already have great shopping options, so it must be decent! Nope. Aldi claims that this store offers "a curated assortment of quality products shoppers want and need" and "exclusive brands," but this is corporate nonsense. What you get is a random assortment of Big Corp off-brands with near-expiration dates, bad produce, and messy aisles with swathes of bare shelves. I went on a Tuesday afternoon, so I at least I was able to avoid any crowds; in fact it was pretty desolate, with maybe 10 of us wandering around. Aside from that positive note (I guess?), here's what I encountered: * nearly all of the produce is in large bags (not good for non-bulk buyers), and the selection is limited (no radishes, e.g.) * I had to scrabble through nearly all of the packs of Romaine lettuce before finding one without rusty leaves * limited frozen veg and fruit (I was hoping to stock up on the fruit in particular for smoothies, but it'll be back to Trader Joe's for that) * random canned goods and condiments, much of which is mega-sized * egg selection limited to icky factory options, with open containers on half-bare shelves * I finally found some plain sparkling water proclaiming to be "from Italy" (snicker), but seriously, not even plain seltzer anywhere? * I found some chicken breast that looks OK, but a lot of the packages were slimy (at which point I gave up looking at any more meat) * did not see any nuts, baking goods, or the like * paper and home goods random and cut-rate (think single-ply) What they do have: lots of big boxes of sugary cereals, frozen pizzas, pre-packaged meals, and what seemed to be an entire aisle of soda and energy drinks in mega-sized bottle packs. Maybe there were some treasures tucked away that I didn't find----but when the rest of what's available is so sub-par and the store organization this bad, why would I waste more time? I'm a single person and I didn't have a huge shopping list, but I wasn't able to get half the stuff on it----so while yeah, maybe I technically saved a few bucks, I still had to stop elsewhere on the way home. So that wasted time + gas being $4.50, my trip to Aldi didn't yield any savings at all, especially considering the low quality. If Europe wants to bring their shopping chains to the US, could we please have Carrefour instead?? read more

Another budget grocery shopping option comes to Portland from a European-based company. Not a lot of inventory, but what is there is very reasonably priced. Not enough there to do ALL of your grocery shopping, but great for a foundation or for supplementing, especially if you know the standard cost of the items you are buying. For my mental price comparison of ALDI to Costco and Hannaford (aso owned by an EU company), I found quite a few items were less expensive than both, and will be adding ALDI to my rotation of "specialty" stores aimed at keeping grocery costs down. Fun fact: ALDI and Trader Joe's are owned by the same family, but different corporations. The ALDI brothers (Karl and Theo Albrecht) split their business in the 60's over a decision on whether or not to sell cigarettes in their stores. They both went on to acquire different grocery stores and chains in Europe, the UK and U.S. read more

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Rating is about Aldi. It's not about comparing it to other grocery stores in the area. While this parking lot is a strip mall parking lot, it can get very crowded, especially on the weekends. Aldi carts - bring your quarter! You will need to use a quarter to release the lock chain holding the carts together. Your quarter will be returned once you push the lock back into place. It's hard to explain, you will just need to see it to understand. I didn't take pictures, because it was really crowded and I didn't want to upset anyone by delaying the process. The last Aldi I went to was in NH or near the border. I was pleasantly surprised to see this location was a larger store with more produce, and a larger freezer and refrigerator section(s). While the variety of things is limited, they had something for every grocery category; Fresh fruits and vegetables, premade, deli slices, butchered meats, such as, beef, chicken and pork. We bought boneless pork and it was great and very reasonably priced, frozen seafood, frozen convenience foods, cereal, bread/rolls, desserts, canned goods in every category, condiments and a weird aisle that reminded me of a seasonal aisle/TJmaxx back of store type of stuff. I bought rice cakes, boneless pork, a huge frozen pepperoni pizza, deli meats, rolls and bagged salad and bread and candy. It all came to only $30! I was surprised. The store was definitely chaotic, as it was a Sunday midday. The staff working feverishly to keep the shelves stocked since it was still the first week of opening. The cashiers were pleasant, maybe because they get to sit while working? LOL Bring your own bags, or boxes to collect your grocery haul. For what it is, it's clean and as organized as it can get. If I'm in the area, I would definitely stop again, as I heard they change out offerings frequently, so it would be interesting to see what they offer at different times. read more

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Haven't been to an Aldi since I lived abroad, so I was excited that there was one opening right here in Westbrook. Like many others, I was curious about the initial hype but... this is not going to be somewhere I frequent: there's barely any plant-based options, the store has such a confusing layout, the lines can be so long they go all the way to the back of the store, (when I've come) some of the produce is rotten, and the aisles are too small for the enormous carts (as non-cart-pushing people we often had to flatten ourselves against the shelves because [apparently] the person with the cart has the right of way). Another reviewer said it gave a Save-A-Lot feel, and I agree! I think lots of us are grocery shopping at least two or three locations now just to get everything we need. While I can appreciate they're a budget-friendly option, with Market Basket half a mile away I'm not sure why someone would choose Aldi over it. read more

When we lived in Florida I had to Aldi stores within 15 minutes of our home. 10 years of shopping on a weekly basis. It became my favorite store along with Publix. Today I ventured into the new Aldi's on Brighton Avenue & found the store to be much much larger than I was accustomed too. I found it too big, it looked empty due to its size. The foot traffic was very slow today. The selection & pricing is definitely Aldi pricing. Will I be back?, absolutely when I'm in the area. My Dr's office is no more than 10 minutes away. I'll still be frequenting Trader Joe's as my shopping choice. read more

Wanted to see what the hype was about. Have never gone to an Aldi so grocery shopping stop#1. Apple parking in the shared lot. DON'T FORGET A QUARTER to unlock a shopping cart. You get back when you return the cart. Looks like Sav-a-lot with some items still in boxes and bright lighting. Simple signage to know where you are and where you want to be. Produce and bakery got you first with packaged refrigerator foods and meats along the back of the store. Aisles had a mixture of items, literally, half the aisle is food related, the other half housewares and other non essential items. Meat selection was decent as were the prices. Dairy on back wall, Frozen foods on back wall before registers. Need for shopping location #2, but not bad! 3 of the ten items needed we found at Aldi. If in the area will likely stop in. Cashier was friendly, bag your own items along the front window on a counter provided. read more

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Store started out great but has quickly gone downhill. Aisles are messy and unorganized. Produce is not fresh. The Finds aisle is barely stocked, about 40% of what is advertised, and the front end Finds aisle is a horrible mess. Pantry items take weeks to restock. The floor freezers with current specials are mostly empty. Seasonal items seen online and in ads arrive up to weeks later than advertised. Have asked for the manager to discuss inventory but is always too busy or unavailable to come out. Most cashiers are great. However one, a younger guy there, scowls and doesn't say one word to you. Understand it's hard to get staff but that behavior is not acceptable. Have shopped at Aldi stores 20 years now before being in Maine. Was excited for Maine to finally open a store but this one HAS to do better. read more

I am so excited we finally have an Aldi in Maine! For those people who don't get it or are not impressed, give it some time. You will eventually figure out its allure. Im just glad I dont have to drive to New Hampshire anymore to get my aldi favs. Just wait until the Aldi octoberfest items show up and never skip the cheese department. read more

So, I am from NH and decided to check out Maine's only Aldi. J have been to Aldi in many states. What a disappointment it is. The store big, alright but the isles are so big you could drive a truck thru them. The prices are higher. For the same exact, name brand product I paid $1.49 in Manchester last week was over $2 more. The floor design by where the vegetables just makes no sense. To bad that Maine's first and only Aldi is such a disappointment. read more

A great value on food and groceries! So glad there is one in Greater Portland Maine now!

I love it. I love it. I love it. I had been to an Aldi's in Rochester New York and fell in love. I found the store on Brighton Avenue to be a bit too big for what it has in it, but we venture there every two weeks without fail. We love their dips and cheese selection in the back. We love trying new things and Aldi has wonderful pricing along with some cool items. I can't find anywhere else. read more