While shopping at Woodman's may not be the most glamorous experience, it hard to beat the…read moreincredible selection and rock bottom prices. The store is not as nice as the newer Sun Prairie store and gets insanely busy on weekends, which means long lines to checkout. The liquor department has possibly the best selection of wine, beer and spirits, but the staff is not as knowledgeable as some of the area specialty stores. While this Woodman's offers a large variety of produce items, the quality is really hit or miss. If you are super selective and look at each item closely, you can come away with decent produce, but it takes a lot of effort. I know, no credit cards means lower prices, but it sucks when you are in the check-out line and realize you left your ATM card at home.

It is too giant for me, hike and a half from the exit back to my car, and the rattling carts on the…read morebumpy tiles was maddeningly loud. I thought I'd just grabbed a bum cart, but the tiled flooring really creates that noise. The lay-out is bizarre. Like, you wade through the produce section to get to the rest of the store, and then it's impossible to get out through that same entrance to exit after you check out. Or maybe there's a path, but I had to push my creaky cart downhill in the snow all the way back to my car and almost got hit by several cars zipping along that same route. I'll give this store another try, because I was told by coworkers this is the cheapest option in town for groceries, but it was too massive, crowded and noisy for me. And I don't think the prices were great, even with the app I downloaded.

Trader Joe's is a national grocery chain that still manages to feel like a neighborhood store. Most…read moreproducts are their own private label, and you'll find a strong selection of organic produce, vegan options, and even fresh flowers and succulents right at the entrance. The back of the store has a nice beer and wine section--think Whole Foods-style offerings but at lower prices. For example, a six-pack of beer for just $4.99 isn't the best tasting, but at that price, it's hard to complain. Here's my biggest tip: avoid this store on weekends. I made the mistake of visiting on a Sunday around noon, and it was chaos. The underground parking garage holds maybe 20 cars, and the line to get in stretched onto the street. I ended up parking on the street in the neighborhood two blocks away, which wasn't terrible, but once inside, it was a different story. Every register line had 20-30 people, stretching all the way to the back of the store. Overall, Trader Joe's offers great prices and unique finds, but unless you enjoy battling crowds, I'd recommend going on a weekday.

We made the mistake of going to Trader Joe's on a Sunday, and it was absolutely packed. The parking…read moregarage was full, so we had to park on the street--which should've been our first clue to turn around, but we didn't. Inside, it was shoulder-to-shoulder with shoppers. That said, we managed to grab a few items we wanted, and the checkout line moved surprisingly fast. We picked up the Pad See Ew, Paneer Masala with Rice, and a couple of ice creams. Everything we tried was tasty, and I was pleasantly surprised by how good the frozen Pad See Ew was. The portion size is on the smaller side, but at $4-5, it's a solid value. Note to self: avoid Trader Joe's on weekends; weekday trips are much better.

I shopped here on Tuesday 6/13/2023. I usually shop at the Whole Foods closer to home, but was in…read morethe area, and decided to grab a few items. I was very impressed with the Madison location. The store was very clean, organized, and well-stocked. They had some great deals on items that were on sale, and it was cool to see some of their local products and other items that are not available at the Whole Foods in Illinois where I live. A shout-out to Kaleb for being an excellent cashier, and to Dalinee at Customer Service. I'll definitely stop by again the next time I'm in the area.

We couldn't resist the Prime Day deal: 50% off ice creams at Whole Foods! We stocked up and…read moreprobably spent around $200 over two weeks! This Brooklyn-based brand, Van Leeuwen has quickly become one of our favorites. Their ice cream is rich, creamy, and made with simple, readable ingredients. Earl Grey. Gooey butter cake and caramelized banana are our favorites! Normally it's $7 to $8 per pint, which isn't bad for the quality, but getting it at half price was amazing. We loaded up our freezer and are still enjoying them on these hot summer days!

This location hasn't had a review in a while so I figured it was time to write a little update…read more First things first, the location has renovated and has definitely gotten a makeover compared to the cover photo above (pictures to come later). For some background: Aldi is a German-based supermarket chain. Their MO is no fuss, no frills so that it saves money for the customer and time for the employee. Two primary examples of this - customers put a quarter in to get a shopping cart so that they're motivated to return it back to the corral; no time wasted by employees to retrieve errant carts. No baggers and one employee checks out your items in rapid speed in order to get to the customer after you. (There is a bagging counter beyond the registers so that you can bag your items at your own leisure.) Again, keep that 'no fuss, no frills' image in mind and don't be personally offended if there isn't a lot of small talk. Bags are sold separately so be prepared with reusable bags or boxes from home. Also, Woodman's or Festival Foods this is not. The selection, while it's grown in the last few years, is still not a huge grocery store. You've got your produce, snacks (both generic and brand name), basic grocery and household items, some liquor, and frozen foods. They've got a shelf full of gluten-free items and a rotating aisle of specialty foods (think seasonal snacks, candy, and/or crackers, some random cereals on sale, etc.) You can check out an idea of what's being offered at aldi.us. However, basics make up a majority of this store and they're usually what the consumer needs, and this is why I give Aldi a high rating. Because of the aforementioned 'no fuss,' prices are LOW. If you need some basic pantry staples and produce, this is your place. For first timers I'd recommend going on a day that you don't necessarily need to grocery shop to familiarize yourself with what's there. You may be pleasantly surprised with the vast deli selection or the offerings in the seasonal aisle (my husband is vegan and is particularly delighted with their meatless options in the frozen section). Build your list and then come back for those low low prices in this nicely renovated location. I will say, this spot is a hot little spot nowadays. I've usually only had time to go on later weekends or weekdays after work. At this location especially, I've experienced produce down to the last dregs in the box, packed aisles, and the weekly specials aisle is usually cleared out the first day that they're laid out (tip: check out https://www.aldi.us/en/weekly-specials/this-weeks-aldi-finds/ to see if there are any seasonal items that you're interested in). This is the only reason I docked that star. From a 9-to-5er to others, I'd advise going early in the mornings on Saturdays for the best ratio of low crowds to amount of items available. If that's not possible, weekday evenings are still chill and I've been appreciative of the friendly demeanor of people that are also there around that time. A lot of open, genuine smiles - the wonder of Aldi!

Of all of the Aldi locations around and near Madison, the Watts Road location is terrible. I if the…read morerest of them were as bad as this one I wouldn't set foot in an Aldi . Their freezer section in the standalone freezer there were several items that were unmarked. The price wasn't on either side of the freezer. I have been to this location several times and it is always as disorganized and dirty each time. I didn't have any bags with me and I needed to purchase one. however the registers that I could immediately see, none of them had any bags to purchase. As I was packing my items into boxes, I saw one self check out had a few bags for purchase. I would say I visit this particular location maybe once a month and this was the third time I have noticed that there was no or few bags for purchase. Usually, I go to Aldi in Sun, Prairie, Fitchburg, or East Madison, because they are better stocked and better organized than this particular location. This one is by far the closest one to my home, but I will go out of my way to avoid this particular store when possible.

Parking - complainers forget they're dealing with Madison drivers - bad at best. Stickers? Too…read moremany five-finger discounters; same reason they now have a security guard. And why access/egress to the liquor department is restricted. Prices? You do realize the margins are from 1 to 3% don't you? Maybe you should shop elsewhere. Staff is always, always helpful. How do you treat them?!? I wonder if you're a jerk at your place of employment? No, I don't work there or have any ownership; I just appreciate them much more than I do understaffed places, attitude-laden staff, limited selections, and lawlessness-permitted shopping. Ten year shopper.

Hands down the worst Festival location. Bad quality control, spoiled dairy, and unsafe meat…read moretemperatures, I've literally gotten food poisoning from their chicken. You know the meat/fish isn't good as you can smell the stench as you enter the store. The produce options are terrible, too. Avoid this store at all costs

I was really impressed with my recent visit to this store. There was a time, during management…read morechange, the store had deteriorated. BUT I was very surprised at the cleanliness and organization of the store. Things are really coming together, and I really enjoy the new manager who is personable and friendly. New staff has been added and they, too, are polite and helpful. Thank you to the new staff for all of your hard work making the store more pleasant!

So sorry to say the store has deteriorated. Boxes and merchandise everywhere. Such a mess, and not…read moreeven clean. The former store manager worked so hard. She is no longer there. The corp needs to step in on this place and get it organized.

Triangle Market is a convenience store, conveniently located in my walking path and usually most…read morenoticeable when I've forgotten something essential like water or a much needed diet coke and I do not want to go out of my way. A bottle of soda is like $1.75, which, by my Chicago standards is pretty normal. Water is also priced normal. I've never had bad service. I walk up to the counter with my merchandise, pay, get change and leave. What I like best is the map and store rules. I am actually a fan of maps. I think our spatial capabilities suffer just a little bit every time we use google maps to tell us how to navigate while never actually looking at the map and where we are going. In any case, the fine cartography makes navigating 1,000 sq feet much easier. Plus if I were at all uncertain about opinionated whining or paying in large sums of change, I could easily look at the back of the map and realize that these things are not acceptable by the Clerk.

As long as I've been in Madison, this main-stay market, one of the oldest on State street. It's…read moreantiquated location, unable to hold more than 10 people at one time, is cozy, a mesh of both the modern and old. Products inside are some of the most reasonable on State street

Love the Pig. Many locations with easy parking and stocks items that are on my shopping list.read more

very friendly and helpful folks work there. Their produce and meat are outstanding! A community…read morefixture and always willing to let different groups set up there inside, like the Girl Scouts to sell cookies.