I've been going to Aldi for years and I love that this location is not truly different from any others. You always know what to expect with some fun finds mixed in. This store was very clean and really easy to navigate. All the isles are well stocked too. I had a breezy check out experience and found great deals as usual throughout the store. A great experience! read more

Stopped in here for some random groceries! I usually go to Trader Joe's or Sprouts, but Aldi has some great products for good prices. The quarter thing isn't always convenient because I never have change, but I somehow always find a stray one in my purse. The staff is friendly and I don't mind bagging my own groceries. I was in and out of the store in less than ten minutes. read more

I had a good visit at this Encinitas Aldi. I picked up some avocados, uncured lunch meats, ground turkey, high grain sandwich bread, and some radishes. All items were available, well priced, and in good condition. The lady at the register was very friendly and helpful. There's plenty of parking at this location. The place was very clean. read more

Quality groceries. Great prices helpful and friendly staff. Love their produce and meats

Aldi is a market where you can find great prices on food, drink and miscellaneous home items. The store here in Encinitas is always, bright, clean and inviting. What I mainly go to Aldi is for the ice cream. Their store brand is Belmont and the cost as of April 12, 2022 is $1.97 for 1.5 quarts. Remember the Fudgesicle bar you used to eat when you were growing up? Well...I swear, the Chocolate ice cream they sell tastes exactly like that Fudgesicle I remember. It brings back a lot of good memories. The only down side is there are times when I've gone to Aldi and their Chocolate ice cream is completely out of stock. Not to worry though, they have other great flavors and Strawberry comes in second. Spring is here, but Summer will be upon us in no time, so keep Aldi in mind when you're on the lookout for something to cool your taste buds. read more

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Aldi has become my new go to for groceries. With the skyrocketing prices of goods and my limited budget Aldi is perfect. The choices are fairly basic but it works. The store is clean, easy to navigate, no long lines, quick check out and friendly employees. Always plenty of parking available also. Thanks Aldi. read more

Bring a quarter for the shopping cart. No quarter no shopping cart. Bring your own bags to pack your own groceries. The cashier puts everything back in the shopping cart once it's paid for. So to clarify-you put groceries in shopping cart, unload to pay for them, cashiers put them back into cart, you've to bag them (at the bagging zone). Return cart to cart station to get ur quarter back. Prices are not that low- T.J . beat dairy prices, Sprouts beat fresh produce prices. I'm NOT going back, that's for sure. read more

ALDI - Bab - Grocery Near Me - Encinitas, California

They just opened this market today. I needed couple of items and stopped by. There were plenty of open spots in the parking lot. Perhaps because folks don't know that it's open yet. You have to deposit a quarter into the cart to release it. Then you get your quarter back when you return it, by clicking it to the other cart in place. This was weird. I understand that it cuts the cost of paying someone to collect the carts. Unfortunately this is not convenient for folks with children and for those with disabilities. That immediately removes one star for me. When I got in, I didn't see any shopping baskets. This was another thing that I didn't like. But considering that today is day one, I'll let it stay at 4 stars. As far as the produce section. It was well organized and easy to find what you're looking for. There were all the staples you find in a grocery store. Dairy, eggs, meats, desserts, vino, carbonated drinks, etc. The young lady that was my cashier, Cassandra was very welcoming and helpful. She gave me coupons to use for my next shopping trip to Aldi. Looking forward to coming back when I need more stuff for the home and trying some of the brands that are new to me. read more

ALDI - Grocery Near Me - Encinitas, California

I love Aldi's and shop here at least once a week. Great prices on quality frozen cod and ice cream, Amazing deals on self bake pizza. BUT 4 stars because it was closed at 830pm on Sunday when it's publicize to close at 9pm. read more

I love shopping at aldi. The employees are very nice. They have a decent selection of food. The price are decent. My favorite part of going to Aldi is going to there special aisle where they have random stuff sometimes it good sometimes it bad. Overall definitely recommend going to a Aldi. read more

I wonder why there's so many bad reviews. This location is clean and spacious, and the cashier was super nice. He strikes conversations with every customer. I think many older customers will appreciate this nice gesture. Prices are always great at Aldi, and this location is well stocked. read more

Was there today with my mom who suffers from dementia. The checkout guy was one of the rudest people I've ever encountered. Rushing us along and super abrupt. My mom was struggling with her credit card and he grabbed it out of her hand to swipe it. I literally wanted to slap him and in my opinion he should never be allowed to work in a service industry job. What a loser!!! read more

Aldi Encinitas, CA is good for certain items, but it seems obvious the store buys certain items from vendors late in the buying cycle. If you blow through an item then this is not an issue, but if you like to shop once per week you should limit the quantity of items like bananas as they go bad about twice as fast as nearby markets ( They also typically are about half the size). Also don't suggest to buy milk there unless you have a big family and you consume it quickly as it also goes bad about twice as fast milk at nearby stores. Considering these negatives if you you consume the food you buy at Aldi in a short number of days the pricing can save you a bunch of money. And Aldi certainly puts competitive pressure on other nearby supermarkets which everyone benefits from. read more

ALDI - Small banana's from Aldi that don't last long - Grocery Near Me - Encinitas, California

I didn't realize that there were already several Aldis in California; I've seen a couple of them in the Midwest but never went to one. Yesterday was my first time going to an Aldi and I know this sounds dumb but I was excited. This store was incredibly clean and everything was spread out, which I liked. The produce was extremely fresh which surprised me, especially since everything here was so cheap! WAY cheaper than Smart and Final, which I didn't expect. Everything here was at least $1-$3 cheaper than what I'd pay at a discount grocery store. Granted, a lot of the stuff they sell are their own generic, in-house brand but to me the food we bought tasted about the same or only slightly worse. The cashiers don't bag your items but there is an area to bag your groceries at the front of the store. Parking was a breeze and make sure you have a quarter so you can use their carts. Also bring your reusables! read more

Love the marriage of unusual finds and value. My recent discovery was a variety of of shelf-stable quinoa cups that have several flavors like mango-jalapeno. I also love the seasonal selection of bratwurst, the different kinds of cheeses and things like quark that I still have yet to discover what it is. It also regularly has a decent selection of affordable wines that are found elsewhere for more. Get the weekly mailer to be in the know about the weekly sales-- As a native San Diegan, it's worth it to find avocados at $.39 each- cheapest in town so I stock up. Don't let the grocery cart set up or the self-bagging throw you for a loop. Just keep an open mind and see what you can find when you take the time to look. read more

The mixed reviews about Aldi piqued my interest in this business. After reading a recent article mentioning gluten free bagels and Kombucha as draws to this market, I thought it was a hipster store, which is not my thing. Being a cook by nature, I tend to shop staples and organics and avoid the trendy stuff. When I pulled up into a massive, easy to navigate parking lot at 8:50 I was shocked that Aldi was not yet open for the day. Most grocery stores are busy stocking, prepping and cooking fresh breads and such early in the am, therefore I was alerted to the lack of freshness and set my expectations as I read some other Yelp reviews. I grabbed my $.25 for a shopping cart when the clock struck 9. The carts are equipped with a lock system that requires a quarter. When you put the cart back the quarter is returned to you. Many people here are complaining about this, I think it is because they do not want carts damaging cars in their lot and do not want to have to send employees out to pick up carts. I began working my way through the produce aisle first where I bought apples, portabello and crimini mushrooms and a bunch of avocados at good prices. The cheese section was decent and I picked up asiago and parmesean cheeses in sterile containers. These were not artisan cheeses by any means, just enough to get me through a couple of days after vacation. I am not typically an aisle shopper, most of the things found in the center of a store are prepared, packaged and canned food, and I prefer to shop for ingredients. The Black soybean and edamame pastas were an exception and made it to my cart. Most of the products in this section were of brands foreign to me so I reserve comment on the quality at this time. They also buy overstocked products and sell them, I would assume that the products are not that great. My next stop was the beer and wine section, and Aldi fell short. I picked up some random cooking wines and a 6 pack of tangerine pineapple IPA and made it to the checkout line. When I got home I realized that two of the bottles of red wine were either rancid or intentionally carbonated and I read the label again which had no indication of being carbonated. Do not buy wine at ALDI! Nobody was there and to my surprise the checker ran up behind me to someone who got in line after me who had about 25 heads of iceberg lettuce and 2 other produce items. She was counting the items before gazing up at me and asking if I minded letting that person go ahead of me, giving me no opportunity to say no. I think 4 stars is fair for Aldi, it is a basic store with inexpensive goods and low service and it is better than the other discount markets that I have shopped at. It is close to my gym and I can stop in for a few items on occasion, however it is not a disruptive find that will change the way I like to shop. read more

Aldi Encinitas. Fraudulent advertising practice. Aldi put on ads at a certain price but it's not available at 10 am. I asked them to honor their ads price or give me a rain check, they refuse to do it. Manager told me to get lost. read more

My first experience here included me offering to take a shopping cart back up to the store for someone in the parking lot. The guy responded, "Only if you give me a quarter." I couldn't understand why he was asking me for a quarter when I thought I was doing him a favor by taking the cart off his hands. And then... I found out why. It costs $0.25 to use a cart here... and all the carts not in use are locked up (see picture). I thought that was crazy, but (to their point) they never have to pay an employee to gather carts from the parking lot since everyone has an investment in it. Next, I walk into the store. It's clean and bright, and the fresh produce area is right there at the entrance. The produce section is SMALL. And the organic produce section has only 5 organic veggies/fruit to offer. REALLY? With only 5 organic things, why bother? At this point, considering that my household primarily eats organic foods, and I like to have lots of fresh fruits & veggies, I'm pretty bummed. Just past the produce is the bread area. Not a single gluten-free bread product in sight. Now I'm so discouraged that I'm wondering why I came here. The good news is that things got better. ALDI offers a good selection of organic products that are packaged (boxed, canned & frozen). They offer both dairy & meat that is without growth hormones / steroids. They have pasta which is made without wheat. Of course, most of the non-wheat pasta is made with soybeans, and too much soy can affect a person's hormonal balance, so I'm not sure how to react to those pastas. I did find some organic popsicles that were made with chunks of whole fruit, which is a welcome sight in my household during the summer. And the prices of all this were pretty good. The register/checkout area was strange... even if you bring your own bag, the cashier puts everything into a cart which you then have to take out and bag for yourself. It causes a bit of a clusterfck in the exit area, but again, the store is saving money by not paying employees to bag things... and the hope is that the saved money boils down to lower prices for the customers. The long & the short of my experience... only come here if you want packaged products at a reasonable price, & don't expect any kind of stellar customer service since it's a bare-bones operation. If your expectations aren't set any higher, you'll be satisfied. read more

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Bring a quarter to get a cart. You get it back when you return it. I love that this is non-nonsense shopping. GREAT prices, decent selection. Super fast checkout. You bag your own groceries after you pay so the line moves fast. read more

I get delivery through Instacart, but only from ALDI. I am in Leucadia so I assume its Encinitas location. All good. some product is different and European in flavor, and a pleasant surprise. Private labels through ALDI. Some not so good . Only real issue are the strawberries.. tart. rest of delivery ,and prices good. Good items: Whole milk honey Greek yogurt (large container), Gouda cheese, the strawberry kiwi juice, lime whole milk Greek yogurt (5.3 oz) All vegetable quality good LAST DELIVERY... buyer/driver replaced items that I specifically said I didn't want read more

ALDI - Navel oranges good, as well as Dunkers and coconut chocolate macaroons - Grocery Near Me - Encinitas, California

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I don't know his name, but I wish did. Seems to be in a super big hurry to close the store which I understand but he doesn't have to be rude... I said so you guys close at 8 every night? . ..... I thought it was nine....and he said that's what I said like six times. Just rude. I wish I could go to my job and be that rude and still have a job. read more

Great selection of frozen goods compared to the Mira Mesa and San Carlos/La Mesa location. We got stuffed clams and other goods. It was well stocked when we stopped by on a Friday afternoon. Close by the 5 freeway when we left the area. Cashier was nice and lines cleared up fairly quickly. read more

I was happy to see this supermarket chain make its way from the EU to CA. Although it is technically it is a "bargain" supermarket. But the supermarket is well organized and the aisles are spaced out well; and therefore, Aldi does not feel like a bargain market. The quality of the fresh veggies and salads are excellent. The kombucha selection is minimal and only slightly less expensive than places such as Trader Joe's and even Ralph's. I do not recommend the frozen seafood selection. The seafood still does not taste as fresh from frozen seafoods bought from Trader Joe's and While Foods. My only (and big pet peeve) complaint is that there is a shortage of cashiers so lines can be long. Parking is ample. read more

I love this store. No it is not Whole Foods Market. And no, shopping here is different than your regular food store experience. The Dairy Products are all superb and very nicely priced. The Crackers, chips, bread, etc is also great prices and good. Products from around the world. It is a "world different" experience. The Staff is Great, helpful and considerate. Bathrooms are clean. They put your food in your basket cause it saves time and you choose how you want to pack it. You put a quarter in the cart slot so you put it back where you found it. Carts cost over $200 each people... The seasonal items I have purchased many. And their motto is true. Here Today Gone Tomorrow... read more

I'm not sure why people are complaining about the shopping cart system that ALDI has in place. This is in place so you fat asses actually return shopping carts to the designated areas. Burning those extra calories won't hurt and it helps keep the parking lot clean. The groceries are priced very well and the staff is friendly. If you don't like it at ALDI, you have Walmart and Target just a few minutes away. People always have something to complain about..SMH. read more

First visit to Encinitas Aldi. Store was well organized for COVID compliance with one-way aisles. Items in the Wednesday ad were sold out on Saturday ... especially meat. Still, we found most of the items we wanted, including eggs (at $1.59 per dozen). Carts were available without the usual quarter deposit. Nice store with very good parking. read more

I have been counting down the days for this place to open and it doesn't disappoint. They surprised me with the opening day. I feel like I just checked the website last week and didn't see any update on it. Anyhow there was a big grand opening today where they were giving away reusable bags, free shopping carts, churros and some fruit snacks. They also had a promotion that you could win free groceries for a year. The store was nicely staffed and plenty of corporate people on hand to answer questions. But what I really loved most of all was I saw one of the corporate bosses doing cart round up in the parking lot and that said so much to me about how much they work as a team. Aldi in general is a great concept where it takes the frills out of the branding but the quality is still top notch. It's one of those places that you don't know until you know. I actually disliked what I saw when I went into my first one but I kept on hearing people raving about them in my mom social media groups so I gave it a chance and my gosh! The quality is awesome, the prices can't be beat. I mean $.35 has avocados!! Once you pass the learning curve of bagging your own groceries you might grow to love it too. Especially when you're saving a good 30% every week on groceries. read more

ALDI - Outside the entrance - Grocery Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Consider this as a budget-priced food store with mostly private labeled brands, a limited selection, but very good prices. There was not a big selection of organic products, there was a poor selection of good wine and an aisle or two of weird household and auto items. There was a huge selection of bread, some interesting cauliflower crackers and good half sour pickles seemingly packaged in house. I'd call it weird. At the same time it was very clean, had wide aisles and the one employee I saw - the cashier - was friendly. I left with 5 miscellaneous items that cost me $12. It's been ages since I walked out of a store and paid so little. Likely will not go back because it has too few items I'd normally buy. read more

I would give minus ten stars if system allowed. Vons, Ralphs etc. no need to worry. I would be surprised if this place makes it to the holidays. They adv. a grand opening celebration. Meaningless. No greeters, no samples no nothing but a required 25 cent piece to free up a shoppng cart! What!! Next, a section that says "organic" but with very little organic items. A lot of generic brands and moderate to high prices. The morning we went (Sat.) they had one cashier whose register kept jamming. Had to call a supervisor. Took a good 5 minutes to buy a bottle of overpriced non-organic orange juice (all they had). ALDI: a lot of dissapointment inside. read more

We love Aldi and primarily shop here for most of our groceries, especially staples like milk and eggs. Store is always clean and easy to navigate. There have been issues with supply shortages lately, but that seems to be many stores and not just Aldi. Glad to have a decent Aldi in North County SD. read more

Okay, I get the .25 cent shopping cart thing and bag your own groceries but the selection is poor. About 95 percent of the store items are generic. On my first (and last) visit, there were quit a few of us at the shopping carts trying to come up with a quarter to unlock a cart to start the process. The store is clean and the aisles are wide. I went there to do my "normal" shopping and I was disappointed that the only two things I was able to purchase from my list was bananas and avocados. If you don't mind mostly generic items and a limited variety then this store will do. To me, this store is a slight step up from a Dollar or 99 cent store. Remember, bring your quarters. read more

I have been enjoying going here for months now and just love it. They have a great way of keeping lines minimal and constantly have new products to try. They are cheaper than Trader Joes too for a bonus! Keep the organics coming! read more

I started using ALDI back East about 12 or so years ago. I have found them fairly consistent wherever I have seen one. I find it amusing that people complain about "paying" a quarter for a shopping cart. That is not it at all. Return your cart and you get your quarter back. If you are one who likes to leave your cart anywhere in the parking lot, then you lose your quarter. Someone else will use it and take the quarter when they return it. It's a good process. Once you try a few items, you will find that the quality is good on the majority of items. Prices are competitive. They don't have greeters, baggers, samples, etc. somebody has to pay for all of that and I would rather not. For those who are doing the comparison to Trader Joes, do some research and you might find out some interesting relationships. It's a good place for quick shopping on many basic items and a few interesting finds, all at decent prices. Go with an open mind and enjoy the trip! read more

ALDI stores tend to be clean and this one is no exception. When I could not find an item, one of the associates found it on the back. She was obviously busy, but did not hesitate to retrieve it for me. I am sure I will return. read more

I've been going to the Encinitas Aldi upon moving to the area in 2019. The prices are very competitive however limited items carried int the store. I frequently purchase the 'boneless' chicken thighs however nearly always find small pieces of bone in the meat and have to remove them. Today I discovered that at my last visit I was charged 3 times for a box of nut bars (similar to the Kind bars). Since I bought a large piece of salmon I didn't think my bill was that high until I looked at it today. Cahshier name: Maria. Thanks for making my day Maria - NOT!!!! read more

Today was my first trip to ALDI. I had to search for everything because I don't know the store but the staff was extremely helpful. I couldn't believe the savings on so many items I purchased! Yes, the selection is more limited than in larger supermarkets but the amount of money I saved and the friendly staff has sold me on the place. I plan on being a regular from now on. read more

For those of you who have never shopped at an Aldi's, PLEASE read up on what makes an Aldi's an Aldi's before you complain about it. The 25 cent cart "rental" charge ensures that the carts don't leave the immediate area, and their employees don't have to waste their time collecting them from the parking lot. The checkout process, where you bag your own groceries AFTER leaving the checkout is to ensure efficiency, compared, for example, to a traditional grocery where often the bagging process (particularly if you're not willing to do it yourself) doesn't even START until after you've paid. The comparatively limited selection of items allows the stores to have a smaller footprint, and therefore pay less in rent. Seriously, how many different types of mustard does anyone actually need? You want the option of artisanal organic imported mustard with mustard seeds hand-picked by Harvard graduates, go to Whole Foods. And pay Whole Foods prices. It all boils down to German efficiency, and is EXACTLY what allows you to enjoy savings of more than 30% on almost everything Aldi's sells. read more

Ughhhhh where do I start... I guess the first thing, a quarter in the shopping cart.. why? They already have trackers that won't let people take them out of the parking lot. Who carries change on them these days? Luckily mine already had a quarter in it. I left it there, so if everyone just leaves it we've beat the system. Then there was the minimal selection of anything. It reminds me of those fresh and easy's that used to be around. The prices are okay, cheaper than the big stores, not cheaper then Winco. Then there was the cashier sitting in a chair, not bagging my groceries and putting it into a different cart. Mind you, I have a baby in the seat of the cart and he fills the seat completely up. I was kind of just in shock about how bad my first experience at an ALDI was and I just wanted to get out of there, quickly. So, I had to take my baby out and carry him to my car while pushing the cart with one hand and asking my toddler to please hold the cart through the parking lot so I could put them into their car seats and bag my stuff in the parking lot. At least at Winco (where you bag your own) they let you keep your cart and you can bag it off the conveyor. Oh did I mention it's way cheaper! Needless to say I will not be coming back. I will keep driving to San Marcos and keep hoping maybe one day they will replace this ALDI with a Winco. read more

First visit to store...1 cashier not at her post but visibly in a heated discussion with co-worker while customers waited in line.

I love Aldi! They have some of the best prices around on dairy items, fresh fruit and vegetables, etc. I always find some unadvertised special when I go in. I love paying a quarter to get a cart because you never see stray carts in the parking lot. People return their carts to get their quarters refunded. It's a great system! I once had a stray, runnaway cart dent my new car. The store is small and easy to navigate. Be prepared to bag your own groceries. It's a simple thing to do to enjoy cheaper prices. Due to the current situation, they have someone standing at the door greeting their customers with cleaned carts. The quarter charge is temporarily waved. read more