5 Reasons to Shop at Pete's Fresh Market in Chicago

Pete's Fresh Market is a big store with little notoriety. It's not all that famous, but it's not a bad store to shop at. When you think grocery stores you think of Kroger brands, or Safeway brands, or Whole Foods Markets and the like... but it's not likely that you'd insert Pete's Fresh Market into the mix. At least here in Chicago, there are more Pete's Fresh Markets popping up throughout the city. It used to be that you only found this store on Cermak Road just west of Western Ave, but now there are more of them in the city and suburbs replacing former Dominick's store.

I want to share with you the reasons why I believe you should consider shopping at Pete's Fresh Market:

1. Produce Selection

Their produce selection is unmatched! You'll almost always find a good deal on any fruit or vegetables you'll see here. Besides this the produce selection is always stocked and always intriguing. Not only will you find your common fruits and vegetables, but some non-common ones such as papaya, guava, various peppers and melons. This section, literally, takes up at least one-third of the entire store. The rest of the store is okay, but this is the section that most appeals to me, and the main reason I shop here.

2. Mexican fare

It used to be that this store was only in one of our Mexican neighborhoods, but now they're popping up all over the place. I think as a result, there is an excellent selection of Mexican meats and cheeses available for purchase as well. Also their produce selection reflects Mexican fare as well with their big bulb green onions, cilantro, and other options. It's rare to find a store that sells Chihuahua cheese along with Asadero and Cotija cheeses. You can also find Jarritos in their beverages aisle.

3. A store that's clean.

This is definitely one of the cleaner stores I've seen to be so big. Everything is well organized and labeled, and the people are very friendly to you and willing to help from my experiences there. Sometimes when a store gets big it's easy to drop the ball at times, or catch them during an unpacking time, but I've never found that to be the case there. I've been at the store near closing time and it was still in pristine condition, which is impressive to me.

4. Location, location, location!

Now that they're adding new locations (at least in the Chicagoland area) they're easier to find. There was only one location that I was aware of, and now there are at least two more that are popping up in key spots of town. It's becoming a store that's separating itself from its competition due to location.

5. Herbs and Spices

Pete's Fresh Market has quite an array of herbs and spices, including dried peppers. This is actually another area where their Mexican fare comes out. It's rare to find stores that sell coriander, cumin, adobo spices, and the like. You usually have to go to a Mexican neighborhood, or a grocer that has a great ethnic section to find goods like this.

Do I necessarily recommend you do all your grocery shopping here? No, I don't. Just the areas I mentioned before I believe are worthy of a visit here. There are some things here that are higher than at other stores, but that's with most places. You just have to know where to shop for what items. Overall, Pete's Fresh Market is a keeper in my book of grocers. Hopefully you have one near you and then you can see what I've been referring to.