Lidl is a welcome addition to the grocery scene in Kips Bay, serving Murray Hill as well. I have never been in a Lidl store, so this was a first for me. There is a Trader Joe's on the other side of Third Avenue and a Fairway on Second Avenue. Walk into Lidl and see the choices, with good produce selections and an array of baked goods. Where are the plastic bags for loose produce?
They stock everything one would expect at a grocery store and they have a large space in the basement at this location. The layout has all the refrigerated and freezer cases along the right side and along the walls of the space as you walk in after descending the escalator. They have an elevator to the left side as you enter from street level. They still have some kinks to work out with their layout, but it's organized fairly well for a new store.
Lidl is carrying prepared foods in direct competition with Trader Joe's: Indian prepared foods, orange chicken, some Italian prepared food selections and some Asian bagged and frozen foods easily prepared. There are plenty of options in meat, poultry, and dairy as well as frozen and fresh seafood; though, the latter is not their strong suit and the edge goes to Traders for cheese.
Prices were in line with those one finds at Traders and my total was in line with what one would expect at Traders. Both stores carry items the other does not and Fairway cannot be topped for selection. Lidl carries more inventory than a typical Traders and more closely resembles a regular grocer in this manner. I already prepared and liked Lidl's Chicken Tikka Masala and it was good and very close to what one would find at Traders.
Bottom line, if you like Traders, you'll like Lidl. You'll appreciate the way Traders triages and manages their line better than Lidl and Traders manages more cashiers than Lidl in typically smaller spaces. Lidl does not help you with bagging your groceries the way Traders does and Lidl has some self-checkout lines, which some people like and some do not. I fall into the latter category. Nevertheless, my cashier at Lidl was friendly and efficient.
The future is looking very good for Lidl at this location.
3.9 stars read more