Okay, Lidl. I want to pronounce you correctly. Little? Leedle? Lydil? I've heard it's the middle…read moreone, but in the end, I don't entirely care about your name as long as you continue to provide some pretty decent supermarket selections and prices. I took my first trip to a Lidl location last week (Center Moriches, hence the review placement) with my GF and her sis and we were relatively pleased with the results.
What I'm not so pleased about is knowing one day sooner than later that my dear local Best Market will be transformed into a Lidl. The two stores are (dare I say drastically) different and I'm going to miss the wonderful produce selection and overall pricing that Best has supplied through the years.
Having said that, I don't want to start off on the wrong foot with Lidl, so this trip helped in getting me prepared for what they're all about. Honestly, if you've been to an Aldi store it's not far off from that. Lidl is a little (pronunciation?) more advanced than Aldi with their bakery setup and what seemed to be a slightly stronger supermarket feel.
Lidl carries a large portion of their own name brand products and knowing this can make things both exciting and (probably a little) annoying. Often, you go to Shoprite or Stop & Shop and have the pick of name brand products. At Lidl, it'll most likely be their brand and maybe one or two others. So therein lies the problem some may face with this place in that you probably (definitely) can't do all of your shopping here. Though some may solely frequent Trader Joe's for their food purchases, I'd chalk Lidl up to those (like me) who use Trader's for the fun and unique items you may only find there. Going in with that mentality can showcase what Lidl has to offer.
With that in mind, our trio went up and down the aisles, gathering some intriguing goods that were mostly specific to Lidl. Bottled iced teas, marinades, canned soups, chips, cheeses, barbecue sauces, salsas, and a few other random edible things. Lidl does have a section of products for the household and even to wear (sandals and backpacks to name a few), but we didn't venture in that purchase direction.
If I stopped there, it wouldn't make a lot of sense. I mean how can I review a supermarket specializing in their own brand of stuffs without actually trying out the goods? A week later gave us the opportunity to dive into a bunch of what we bought. Nothing could be reported as "bad" as everything either tasted great (iced raspberry white tea, jerk chicken marinade, sharp cheddar cheese) or good (Nashville hot bbq sauce, salami and pepperoni sticks). This bodes well for future trips, especially when Lidl starts popping up closer to home.
Overall, the Center Moriches Lidl was pretty impressive for what it is (which would be a unique supermarket store that can be included in your everyday food shopping, but probably won't fit all of your needs). Respectable prices and friendly staff were also check marks in the positive column so whether you know how to pronounce this place or not, give em a try and see if you like Lidl.
