I love this grocery store. Especially the insulated bag. The people there are very warm. I remember one time I had a caugh, when I check out and ready to go, a cashier women gave me a lemon, honey and a box of grass(I can't remember the name), and told me: you can try it with water for a few days, and hope you will feel much better. So nice and sweet! I really love it! The atmosphere of this store is always positive. read more

Wonderful staff, great products, and bit smaller than other ones which makes it a quicker stop and more homey. Most everything we need here and great plaza overall with Starbucks and Walgreens right along the bike path. Standard TJ's parking lot always pretty full. read more

Like this Trader Joes. It was tough going here during Covid but they are back to normal of course now. I live in Arlington so it is part of the shopping rotation. For a smaller Trader Joes I feel they are solid with customer service and selection! read more

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Yes, the parking lot sucks. However, this store is a gem. The employees are gems. Abraham is a treasure. I will stand in a long line and wait for him. My 4 year old likes to find the froggy for extra stickers and lollipops. I once lost my phone here (it fell out of my pocket when I was reaching for frozen vegetables). I left a number at customer service, and someone reached out pretty quickly. Seriously the best store. My 4 year old would come every day. read more

This Trader Joe's is still great (see previous review), but I would recommend NOT buying produce here. Their onions, garlic, shallots, and grapes are not fresh at all. I bought grapes and had them start growing mold after just 2 days. I've bought garlic multiple times, and it was rotten on the inside. Same thing with their onions and shallots. Their bagged spinach, kale, etc. is usually okay, though. I've learned my lesson and stay away from the produce here. S read more

I shop at this Trader Joe's every now and again. I purchased a few things and checked out quickly. Michael was the kindest and most polite professional I have encountered at this TJ's. He made my shopping experience today 5-star. I shopped here twice in one weekend and the contrast between the two experiences was distinct. Thank you, Michael! read more

This is a small Trader Joe's and they have a small parking lot that they share with two other businesses. During this time of Covid, they make it one way down the aisles and if you accidentally go down the wrong way down the aisle then you'll get yelled at even though there's no one else in the aisle/lane with you except for the staff member who caught you. My bad! I also got yelled at for not standing in the red box while standing at the check out. Damn! I felt like a little kid on this grocery trip. Definitely a safe place to go shopping at because they enforce all the safety pandemic rules. I came right at 9am and it wasn't bad. Not sure how crazy it would be during the busy hours. read more

Efficient, easy to find stuff, helpful staff workers. Not always a big fan of some of their prepackaged goods, but there's something for everyone. read more

Love this location. Employees are helpful and knowledgeable. Store is always clean and stocked.

This local Trader Joe's is a gem! The staff is always friendly, helpful and engaging - worth waiting for a parking spot. My son was getting married in early October and I said I would do the flowers. I almost completely sourced them from Trader Joe's and they were gorgeous! White hydrangeas, lilies, eucalyptus, white roses, etc I had no idea I could order flowers ahead of time; Sarah walked me through their ordering process and figured out the best day for pickup. When I came to pickup, some of the roses had brown petals and the manager Katie C. gave me an absolutely incredible deal on them. The flowers were over the top beautiful for the wedding, I couldn't have done this without Trader Joe's! read more

What's not to love? It's a bit smaller than some, but if I don't find what I came after, I usually find something better. Warm and helpful staff. So grateful we have a TJ's in Arlington. read more

I moved from Ca to MA and I was thrilled to have a Trader Joe's within 2 miles from my home, but this store is AWFUL! It is really small (so they do not carry all of the TJ items), many things in the refrigerated area are 1 or 2 days past their expiration dates and half of their employees are rude. I only go there if I am strapped for time, otherwise I go to Burlington or Somerville for a better shopping experience. read more

I never thought I'd find another Trader Joe's whose parking lot can be as challenging to negotiate as the one in Albany, NY. This one shares a parking lot with Walgreens next door, and the lot is too small to accommodate both conveniently. Negotiate carefully. Once you deal with that, the store is fine, though it is slightly smaller than the average TJ's. It wasn't obvious to me that they've compromised a lot on the products carried, but it's evident when you check out. The cashiers are friendly and extremely talkative. That's quite nice, EXCEPT when the lines are backed up, in which case you might not be so enthusiastic about your cashier casually chit-chatting with every customer in front of you. So if you can endure the parking and a chatty cashier, you'll be fine here, because it's still Trader Joe's, and it's still good. read more

It's not big, it doesn't have alcohol, but this TJ's tries to do good with what it has. The customer service is the what you'd expect from a TJ's: well-above average for a grocery store. This TJ's has all the other products that you'd see regularly. The drawback to this location is that the parking lot is tiny, and can be difficult to negotiate. The lot is shared with a Walgreens, which doesn't help either. Sometimes it's just to park on the street nearby. TJ's aren't that big in general, so don't expect a Wegmans experience. However, the former's got good and refined products at reasonable prices, with solid customer service. read more

Very friendly staff! I love this location! Trader Joe's continues to have all of our family staples (bread, milk, affordable meat, products without high fructose, and a small selection of beauty products). The variety and quality of produce could be better, but other than that I love it there. read more

A small TJ's but chock full of goodies. My friend got mad at me for shopping since he already shopped for goodies for my visit but when he saw what I bought, he wasn't mad anymore. Parking lot seemed full all of the time. Shares the parking lot with Walgreens. read more

Trader Joe's - Grocery Near Me - Arlington, Massachusetts

LOVE Trader Joes but what the HELL is up with this place's parking lot? It almost as bad the one in Coolidge Corner. One tip is to park on Mass Ave and save you grief. read more

It's not a big Trader Joe's, and you're going to need to augment your shopping at a supermarket or pharmacy for some things, but my goodness do they do good work. This location, like all locations really, boast truly excellent frozen foods, fresh produce and prepared items like sushi and dips at ludicrously low prices. I do my best to go to a TJ's whenever I can. I walk out $50 lighter and a pantry fuller. read more

I've been going to Trader Joe's for over 40 years. Grew up where the original one was located. My wife worked at that one as a teenager and it was an incredibly friendly place to go, which is a trademark of Trader Joe's. Except the one in Arlington. The vibe is not a good one. They seem put upon to have to deal with any customer. It isn't just one bad experience; it's typical. They are not welcoming or friendly. The Burlington one is much better in every way. Much more like the original ones in Southern California. read more

Not my favorite TJs. I come here out of convenience because it's on the way home from work, but what's the point when you can't find what you're looking for? On two occasions I needed broccoli for a recipe and they were out of broccoli. Like other Yelpers mentioned, parking sucks and spots are tiny. The staff is always friendly and that's not the problem. read more

Trader Joe's in Arlington has some pretty good food at reasonable prices. Parking is a little hectic like a lot of other places. My big complaint is the very loud music which I think is unnecessary in a small supermarket. Not sure if it is still loud-haven't been there in over a year. Hopefully the next time I go, the music will be much softer for the middle age folks like myself. read more

I have been shopping at this store since I was in college and I will do so as long as I live close enough to make the trip. If you have a busy schedule or your not a great cook TJ's is a great place stock up on easy to make prepared food and snacks. I also head here before flights, they have far better stuff then the over priced junk they sell at the airport. There are a few cons: The parking lot is big but almost always seems to be full. They don't sell booze of any sort. The prices on meat are crazy expensive. The Positives: Besides meat and few other things the prices are great. They sell great pre-made meals, that are cheaper than going out to eat. This store has better prices than other super markets in Arlington. The staff is very friendly, but not fake. read more

I'm divided on this place. I love Trader Joe's, and this store, for me, is just like all the other Trader Joe's. It's a bit smaller, but I think all the usual goodies are there. So for being a Trader Joe's, 5 stars. But.. I HATE THE PARKING LOT. Like, hate hate hate. I hate it so much we usually drive to the Fresh Pond TJ's, and the traffic around there is a nightmare. I've driven by this place in the morning, in the evening, and on holidays - it's always packed with people trying to find spots or desperately trying to make a left turn out of the parking lot. The space are small, there aren't enough of them, and the people are crazy. I'd give the parking situation 0 stars. One saving grace - it's right on the minuteman bike route! So you can lock up your bike along the route and go up for some snacks and drinks. read more

Overall, I think Trader Joe's has improved as a chain in the last few years. They appear to have a larger variety of everyday products they actually are yummy. For a while I was growing tired of flyers that boasted some products better suited for the escalator area at Macy's -- hopelessly dry cakes in pretty colorful boxes from Germany or organic cat food I am darn sure my cats would ignore in favor of the houseplants or carpet fuzz. These days, I have discovered several frozen items which I always make it into my cart. The Arlington store simply raises my blood pressure. Since it shares a parking lot with a Starbuck's and Walgreen's the parking is always a disaster. My number one complaint, however, is the behavior of my fellow shoppers. I actually prefer the sometime rough crowd of South Bay to the assortment of suburban, self-centered, just-out-of-my-fabulous-yard wearing Saab driving forty-somethings. Get your kid and your cart the heck out of the middle of these narrow aisles and for God's sake couldn't you run a brush through your seven year-olds hair before letting her wander around the store. No matter how many natural, organic products I see you put in your cart, it doesn't make up for the fact you just cut me off with your SUV in the parking lot and spent the last ten minutes giving an obnoxiously long order to the poor high school student working the Starbuck's counter next door. read more

A super extra-friendly Trader Joe's... wow! TJs tries very hard to only hire the nicest people, but there have been a few growing pains here and there as they've taken over the country. They still do an awesome job, let me tell you. I don't want to diminish the job TJs does whatsoever. But in a race for growth, sometimes a few mishires happens. No biggie. The strong TJs culture tends to weed out culture mismatches over time. This one, though, is traditional happy yappy Trader Joes. Just like a Marshall amp, this one goes to 11! Smiley person after smiley person. From the good vibes and jokes of Teresa at the sample table in the back, to the the very same thing from checkout person and her bagger (who's name tag had a sticker on it, just with the letters left like "Anda")... everyone just oozed charisma. Man, it was like a mini-vacation just visiting tonight. These folks are having a good time, whistling while they work, and it happily spreads to the customers. Both adult and child friendly. Human friendly. My ebay-esque review would be something like: "Awesome sauce'm! A A A +++ :):):)" Oh yeah... and they had seasoned rack of lamb from New Zealand. All TJs carry roughly the same stuff, but I seemed to have overlook this sku at other ones. I don't eat a lot of meat anymore, but when I do I try to eat the best, most humane stuff. It's hard to beat meat from the paradise called New Zealand! (beat meat, just caught that... hahaha!) There's also the fantastic grass fed beef products from New Zealand. Very similar to what the highest end restaurants serve. Highly recommended! read more

Smaller TJ's with NO BOOZE but their staff is so friendly and easy to talk to that you might think you're at a bar anyway - $3.99 for fancy looking loonnnggg box of chocolates makes a damn good steal for those "in-a-pinch" type of gifts. Oh, and I'm endeared to this branch cuz I got a free orchid just for wearing my magic pants and being friendly at the register. read more

The frequency of my patronage of this Trader Joe's outpost is inversely proportional to my affection for it. It's a marriage of convenience, with all the love, so formerly strong for the Trader Joe's brand, all drained away. I'm here just about every other day, but I feel like I'm just going through the motions, coming here out of some sense of obligation. Everything is in it's right place - the staples are all here, excepting the cheap beer and wine - but it just feels off, some amorphous feeling of general lacking. The parking is indeed a nightmare (the lot is like a normal sized grocery lot folded in on itself), the store feels cramped (despite the fact that there feels like there's tons of unused space inside), and the employees veer wildly from overly eager and invasively attentive to vacantly indifferent, with little in between. The cashier/checkout situation is a minefield, fraught with anxiety and frustration - the line management/queueing area is bedlam during peak times (though it moves quickly), while at night, when the store is somewhta empty, they might have ONE cashier fending off 10 people in line, while the rest of the employees stand around chatting and shuffling fliers around at the customer service desk. I've had several instances where a cashier has closed his line right in my face, right when I was next, while I'd been waiting 15 minutes just to get to the front of it, just nodding his head and offering zero explanation. read more

I wish this place had a warmer vibe. I have enjoyed both East Coast and West Coast Trader Joe's. West Coast, SoCal are some of the greats; people are friendly, helpful, and get to know the customers; I have a "Trader Joe's family' when I shop there. HERE, in Arlington, I sense that it is long aged out burnt grass which the owners continue to water with zero results. I will start with the tasting station, normally a source of excitement (especially if you're with your children), a source of joy (can I eat one more!!), and just plain fun (what is Trader Joe's cooking up this time which I will buy for dinner/snack/over indulgence) I HAVE NEVER, NOT ONCE, PURCHASED extra products when I visit the Arlington store due to my excitement, joy, or fun related to the tasting station. It is Iike I am being watched by the principal who is just waiting for me to make a mistake and smack my knuckles with a ruler. I will stop there. The management of this store needs an infusion of training, or a new store, or to visit SoCal, or Cambridge (a well oiled machine with relatively happy peeps willing to smile, offer an extra tasting station nibble not only to the kiddos but to the big kid adults, oh, did I mention the coffee samples? Cambridge will be my go to now (even though Arlington is closer), because Arlington just deflates my balloon, brings down my day, and overall misses the Trader Joe mark. Is anyone listening? Arlington Trader Joe's need an overhaul and a grand re-opening. I'll come take a peek then. read more

I really want to give this 4 and a half stars. I'll start with the bad because there isn't much and I want to get it out of the way. The parking lot SUCKS ASS. No Alcohol blows, but it's Arlington and that's the law (FU stupid law) I think that's all the bad I got. The good.... Arlington has crap for grocery stores so this place seriously saves me from week to week. Why? Good food, Cheap prices, good selection, clean, well set up, only the nicest and most helpful staff and well, it's just great! They have really nice and healthy flowers too. I HEART TRADER JOE'S! read more

Although it's an alcohol-free location, it's 5 minutes away from me, which means I have access to the great assortment of TJ-brand goodies this store has to offer. I'm especially a big fan of a few of the register employees - I've had some fun conversations with them and they definitely make waiting in line / having your groceries scanned much more pleasant. The only downside about this location is the parking situation - it's madness trying to get in and out during peak hours. I see the potential for a melee occurring with so many people trapped within the one entrance/exit spot. read more

This is a small location which, like many Trader Joes, has a parking problem. You should also be aware that it is now impossible to stop in and pick up an item or two without waiting in a line that winds completely around the store (due to Covid aisle arrows). Staff will be unforgiving if, for whatever reason, you need to swim upstream for anything. read more

Extremely helpful staff, rapid stock rotation, good selection of TJ's offerings--although not quite as extensive as larger stores. I buy my booze elsewhere anyway. Parking lot can be a challenge to navigate, but if you drove that far, you probably endured worse just getting there. Always plenty of parking along Mass. Ave, if the lot is full. All in all, a great place to shop at almost any hour--and this from a non-shopper! read more

So you're sharing a parking lot with Walgreens, which is great and everything for one stop shopping. However, whenever I am entering the parking, I am alway waiting right at the entrance as a million people are backing up into my car. There is this weird island in the middle that I'm not sure if legal to park, but plenty of people still do. They do not sell alcohol. Just the regular stuff. I only went here because it was close to my Davis Square home. But now that I have moved, I won't be back. read more

So they have my TJ's staples: mini beef tacos (frozen), ham and greyere cheese tart (frozen), and tomato-less corn salsa (jar). But for some reason, the samples at this TJs always SUCK: apple cider every day? wtf? Even Johnny Appleseed couldn't do it all the time. Lame. Anywhooty, this one is next to a Starbucks and a stairwell down to the Minuteman Trail. My newest "routine" is chugging Starbucks, walking on the trail, then going to TJs for the staples. I'm a creature of habit. No lines at 12 noon, either. This TJs sucks enough that no one besides me makes the trip. Score. read more

So the last time I went here I came across huge, gray-green, fuzzy patches of mold on no less than four separate packages of produce. Two packages of grapes, tomatoes, and ginger. These packages were in plain view of a super-friendly Trader Joe's employee who was restocking the fruits and vegetables. No action was taken. For some reason I bought a package of grapes anyway. I don't know. They looked fresh and I had a super-craving. Obviously they too were infested with mold. Yay for amazing frozen and dry food products. Boo for produce or anything "fresh." read more

I like Trader Joe's as a franchise (tangential sidenote: is anyone else bothered by the fact that they use the exact same color and font in their logo as Not Your Average Joes?). I live just down the road from this one so obviously it's my go-to place for food basics. Not a lot of variety at this one, it's small, but you'll find something to eat (or drink) and they have all those unique Trade Joe's brand things. The staff tend to be pretty friendly, I don't remember any hostility at least and I've been coming here for years. Jake M is right, though. The parking lot during peak hours. Holy fuck. Whoever designed that place? Clearly an associate of Satan. read more

To give a basis for my review, my first experience with Trader Joes has since i've moved to Boston - i've been here about 6 months - i've only heard people talking and raving about TJ's prior to that. So my first experience was the one on Memorial Drive - and overall wasn't too impressed. Probably because at that time didn't have a car and had walked from Central Square in the rain and uncomfortable shoes. But have since come to love this place - but do have specific things i go there to buy. Cheese, salsa, pizza dough, oranges (i've never had a bad orange from the produce department, i think they are amazing), various crackers, the flax seed veggie corn chips, and of course the selection of good, cheap wine. There are other things i buy, but these are the staples. So based on these reviews, and despite the warning about parking, i ventured off to the Arlington location, as it was closer to where I was. The produce section was a bit bare and not as 'fresh' looking as the Memorial Drive location - but i bought the oranges anyway. I found just about everything i usually buy, plus tried a few new TJ brand stuff i've not tried before - Joe's O's (huge fan of Cheerios, so we'll see how they stack up). But disappointed there was no wine. The staff was very nice, very helpful - as i was standing in the cereal section, talking on my cell phone with a friend, randomly discussing the labels of the boxes i was picking up, i was asked by an employee, if i was looking for a cereal with certain ingredients and if he could help me....i said no...i just thought 10 grams of fat for a cereal was a bit much. So aside from the no wine thing and somewhat of a bare produce section...this TJ's was okay - and I will probably go back...but i will be wary of the time and make sure its off-peak, based on the other reviews of horrible parking. But the Memorial Drive location will still be my favorite (especially now that i have a car here). read more

Recently, we've been making the trek up here every week from Davis Square to enjoy all that is Trader Joe's. Downside: crowdedness, and no liquor- but that's it. Upsides: -Cheap! We can load up our cart with meat, cheese, produce, snacks, anything and everything, and we have yet to break $100. We probably could if we REALLY tried, but we haven't felt the need. It's especially great that things like fancy cheeses are so much cheaper than other stores. ($3 giant chunk of brie, $5 wedge of manchego, how I love you!) -Wondrous healthy products!! Favorites include: lite goat cheese that tastes just like regular, chicken shumai, frozen chocolate covered bananas, salt and pepper soy chips, burgundy lamb tips, 0% Greek yogurt, udon noodle bowls, garlic stuffed olives... I could go on and on. -Delish samples, friendly people working there, great paper bags with handles... all the good miscellaneous stuff. Basically, Trader Joe's makes our lives tastier, easier, and cheaper. What's not to love? read more

I love Trader Joes! They have helpful staff, affordable/fresh food and it's located right off the Minuteman Trail! Here's why I gave this one three stars instead of five: 1. Terrible parking lot 2. TERRIBLE PARKING LOT 3. They run out of stuff - probably because it's small 4. Selection is limited compared to other stores - once again probably because it's small 5. No alcohol here =( read more

I was sooo psyched to move to a town that has a Trader Joe's. Unfortunately, everyone else feels the same way and the parking lot reflects that. (Go between 8-9 pm and it's not as bad.) I usually go there first for grocery shopping, despite the limited selection (more on that in a minute) - for quick meals during the week, Trader Joe's is tough to beat (the different raviolis, the frozen stir-fries and pizzas, soups, etc. and an French ham and cheese tart that's fabulous). When I make jam or preserves, I often find that TJ's frozen berries and peaches are just as good as using fresh -- and much cheaper. They've also got some neat foods that aren't readily found elswhere, like tandoori chips and Mediterranean-style yogurt. The people who work there have customer service down pat and are fun to chat with. That said, my big gripe is that this isn't a place to get basics, like flour or sugar for baking. And the produce is catch as catch can. read more