Peach salsa...I could eat it with a spoon...sweet, yet hot...yum. I go for treats mostly. Belgian chocolate bars (huge), cheese popcorn, many varieties of chips, guacamole, hummos, jars of red pepper spread, pizzas, juice sticks, ice cream, oh yeah, the fish...it's good too. Flowers are fairly priced and lovely. Oh, and the cartons of soup...tomato and red pepper, apple butternut squash, mixed vegetable...all good. Tried licorice Altoids last visit...amazing...and the dipper cookies...you must get the ones with the chocolate bottoms...you could get fat shopping here... read more

Small selection due to small footage. Sells alcohol. It's Trader Joe's.

So I'm from California and this was the first Trader Joe's I've been to outside of it. First, let me say that I was a bit taken back by the exterior of the grocery store. I've never seen a Trader Joe's with painted murals on the wall...which I thought was pretty cool and unique (a bit sketch, but nevertheless, cool). There wasn't much of a difference between this Trader Joe's and the ones I've been to, except that this one is a bit small. However, they had everything I needed and that's all I could ask for. They even had free samples of wine that day...AWESOME! If I had a complaint for the store, it would be that some of their produce didn't look very fresh, which they usually are! Maybe because I went on a Sunday evening...who knows. I gave their buffalo jerky a shot and it was really delicious. The meat was lean and full of flavor, although it was a bit pricey. However, I would buy it again just because it was so good. A lot of their snacks are decently priced and their chocolate-covered pretzels are out of this world. Oh yeah, they also take manufacturer's coupons! read more

We love this Trader Joe's! Well, we think they're all great, but this one has a wine section, so it's a bonus. And since it has a parking lot, we can get a bunch of our shopping done all at once. The staff is always helpful and nice (they really like working there, go figure!) They don't carry all the name-brand stuff (the cereal section, for example) but there's surprisingly little that we need that we' can't find. read more

Wow! Amazing products (local/organic) at an affordable price with superior customer service, to boot! I am 6 months pregnant and this weekend the gentleman bagging my groceries graciously offered to walk with me out into the cold and put my massive & heavy grocery bag in the car trunk. Talk about going above and beyond. Trader Joe's is the best!!!!!! read more

It's in Cambridge having to spend time there is one star gone, and another star lost for the lovely clientele that frequent this location. There's so many people that go here it almost feels too small of a location but that's usually around the time I get to the aisle with the Charles Shaw (yes $2 buck chuck, although living in a reccession has forced them to jump the price to a whopping three dollars) wine and then all is good with the world... read more

Like the below reviewer, I'm also from California. Maybe it's the fact that I'm from West LA, but I didn't find this Trader Joe's particularly small (maybe because West LA has some absolutely postage stamp sized stores). This Trader Joe's sells wine which is apparently a big deal in this state as not all grocery stores sell wine or alcohol (WTF?!?!). The store is well-organized, the food is delicious, and the staff is very friendly. The cashier carded me and legitimately thought I was at least close to legal drinking age. For someone who is brushing up against 30, that bit of flattery was automatic 5 stars for me :) read more

Sunday late afternoons are swamped... but they have sweet flowers at reasonable prices, and seasonal produce, and foods packaged so someone like me can manage the meal sizes. The staff is super friendly, and it's nice to have parking space out front. Love this location! read more

The best thing about TJ's is that you can always count on fresh produce, great samples, and low prices. I always visit TJ's everywhere I go when they have them and I was not disappointed the food was great and the service was good as well. read more

Love it here! Very clean. Employees are friendly. Good selection of food and whatever you can't find, they will order for you! The one issue is the parking lot can get really crowded. Otherwise, this is a great store. read more

This is the bigget and best Trader's Joe. The staff is well informed and the food and prices are great. A tip ....trader's Joe has the cheapest and best quality extra virgin Olive oil. It's $ 4.99 and it is sold under their bran name. read more

Wonderful and conveniently located in Cambridgeport. Although, it can get pretty hairy on the weekends. I love and get: 1. beer and wines 2. fresh cut flowers (for any occasion) 3. a variety of frozen fruits 4. mango salsa 5. frozen entrees that would otherwise take much time and effort to prepare from scratch at home. read more

Staff is super friendly, and like all TJs the produce is awesome. There is plenty of parking, BUT it is by Memorial Drive, afternoon commuters make entering and exiting the parking lot hell. read more

I have had both good and bad experiences, this is a very busy location so on multiple times I felt like the place was picked through and didn't have much of what I needed. If you hit it after a recent delivery it is fantastic. As with all trader joes great staff and this location has a great wine selection for very affordable prices!! Also as of March you will need to bring in your own bags so I think this too may catch people off guard (but is great for the environment)! read more

Great place to save some money on food, and to meet people

PICK AND CHOOSE I always think of Trader Joes as corporate food masquerading as "health food" or "small shop" food. It's the packaging--the products, the storefront, the interior design, the aprons on the employees, the employees. It all combines to look so 70s, so relaxed. I can't help but think there's something going on that strikes me as fishy each time I enter the place. I'm not saying don't shop there. I shop there for specific items: wine, collapsable sponges, castile-peppermint soap, rice crackers, chocolate ganache frozen cake (mmmm), dry pasta, raw almonds and pignolia nuts, and grapeseed oil. My friends like the place. Just about everyone likes the pace. I guess I like the place but not the feeling I get when I'm there. PLUS: The samples at the back of the store sometimes taste just awful to me, take for instance the gingerbread they were setting out for sample tasting yesterday. Warm cardboard. UGH! And the gingerbread coffee was weird. read more

Great Store. Parking lot stinks. Good I can bike if necessary...

This place is perfect for occasions such as home parties where you need some organic food, wine, cheese, unique frozen items etc. Otherwise, I feel that it's better to go to other stores if you want to do your usual grocery shopping. read more

There's not much to add to what has already been said, except that in an era when good, friendly service is almost non-existent, this particular Trader Joe location is an anomaly. Everyone I ever encounter inside is friendly and genuinely happy to be there. The management is obviously doing something right, and business schools should study their model. The shelves are always stocked, there's never long check-out lines, and I always leave their store in a good mood. What more could we ask for? The complaints about the parking lot and how busy it is inside are petty - the benefits and uniqueness of this place vastly outweigh any little inconveniences. read more

Typical Trader Joe's. Unfortunately seem to be out of stock of items sometimes. One occasion they were out of the tomatoes I wanted. Also have been out of stock of gallon sized whole milk. read more

Generally speaking, I LOVE TJ's! The one issue is ONE person who works at the TJ's on Memorial drive. She's a total bitch. I have tried being friendly, saying hello when I am checking out, and nothing... I have gone so far as to change to a longer line if she is there. I've spoken with others and they have had the same experience. the selection is awesome and so are the other cashiers/staff read more

Great for a quick treat, or to stock the apartment with goodies! Usually they have some great free samples that I fill up on...and then usually buy whatever they're sampling. I'm actually heading over there tonight! read more

To all german expats: they sell (cheap) Ritter Sport Chocolate at the register and before xmas they have LEBKUCHEN. Also nice cheese selection Ideally combine with a visit to micro-center and whole foods for the perfect weekend shopping. read more

The beer selection here is amazing and its prices are great. It is way better than the Whole Foods around the corner. The only problem is the parking lot out side this place is an absolute zoo. read more

Trader Joes has some unique ready made meals. Be careful to check the labels because they can sometimes be extremely salty. But try their eggplant and lasagna ready made meals when you don't have time to cook. You can do almost all your shopping their sometimes, get fruit, vegetables, bread, and other necessities. There are a definite take for some of your shopping but not all. You can also buy things like low salt and chemicals popcorn. If you make lunches for your children there are great varieties of snacks to put in their lunch boxes like breakfast bars, popcorn, low sodium animal crackers, ect. read more

The issues I mentioned below in a previous review are trivial when compared with something I just read: TJ's is refusing to pay just a few pennies more per pound of tomatoes to their farm workers, even though McDonald's, Taco Bell and Whole Foods have already agreed. If you log onto sumofus.org, you can read about how this impacts the families of pickers and how, if TJ complied, it would cost their customers only about 1 cent more per lb., and through that website you give TJ's your opinion. Previous comments: Although I really love TJ's and couldn't wait for it to arrive in Cambridge (after my transplanted LA daughter told me about it), I do have a couple of gripes. One is that there is way too much salt added to much of their frozen foods. So many free samples that I've tried were delicious, but after reading the ingredients, no thanks. Why so much salt? Secondly, TJ's frozen pie crust is great - when using it for a dessert, but piecrust that contains sugar doesn't work for a quiche, savory pies, pot pies, etc. The sad thing is TJ's not only gives you more piecrust for your money than, for instance, Pillsbury does, it also does not contain partially hydrogenized lard like Pillsbury. But, at least there is NO sugar in the Pillsbury crust. I make my own crust for the savorys, but if Pillsbury cn skip the sugar, why can't TJs? Last gripe is that TJ's drops items they may have carried for years without any warning. Although I understand that space is limited and management has to make choices about what products to sell and what to phase out, products that my family had become totally addicted to have disappeared, suddenly, -Poof! - like the frozen boulliabaise. That stuff was amazing and I haven't been able to find it anywhere else. They got us hooked and then decided to keep the tomato-based fish stew - a bad choice, in my opinion. I finally figured out that the wonderful seasonal items also disappear - like turkey gravy, and stuffing, etc., but at least knowing they're temporary, gives me a chance to stock up. P.S. Regarding positive attitude of staff, I'm not sure if it's still true, but one of the reasons I think staff is happy is that they actually get real benefits. read more

Overall, this Trader Joe's is excellent. It sells alcohol, unlike the Alewife Brook location. It's simply THE best place in Cambridge to buy wine and beer--their prices destroy dedicated liquor stores and smaller groceries like Broadway Marketplace. The parking and traffic situation is miles better than Alewife Brook. This location does get crowded though, especially on Saturday mornings/afternoons, and Sundays right around noon, when MA alcohol sales start. Sunday morning is the perfect, empty time to shop if you don't need alcohol, and Sunday later in the afternoon (around 3) is best if you do. Not sure about weeknights, but Tuesday seems to be their restocking day--avoid! Friday nights are pleasantly quiet. Overall, not much to say about the products that hasn't already been said here on Yelp. It's smaller than Alewife Brook, so it doesn't have everything--it's noticeably lacking in home and personal grooming products. Their produce sometimes leaves something to be desired (it's either picked over, a bit too old, or lacking less common things), but the prices handily beat Shaw's (their main Cambridge competitor, in my eyes) and blow small markets out of the water. Their store brand food is EXCELLENT, and highly recommended. Prices generally reasonable, although a few things creep a bit too high. Most of the meat is cheaper than you'll find elsewhere, and often healthier. See, for example, their uncured bacon and chicken sausage, both of which are just as good as the cured or pork options elsewhere. Cheese is a particular strength - extremely cheap and high quality. Two complaints, neither of which TJ's can do much about. One, they don't sell products like aluminum foil, paper towels, etc., nor do they sell soda, so they can't be one stop shopping--a trip to TJ's is often supplemented by one to Target, Foodmaster, or Shaw's. Second, as has been mentioned on Yelp already, lazy customers frequently play with their phones or even stare into space rather than bagging groceries, which slows things down for everyone. The cashiers shouldn't have to thank people when they bag their own groceries--this should be common sense and common courtesy at a store that has no baggers. read more

You know you're officially an adult when you write a review about a grocery store. With that said, I love coming to Trader Joe's when I don't feel like going to "Whole Paycheck." Although the TJ's in Coolidge Corner is closer to where I live, this location is my absolute favorite because it has a huge parking lot. Like many others, I come here mostly for the wine. Let's be real.. where else can you get a decent bottle of red for 5 bucks?! The produce is hit or miss depending on what you want, but you can't really complain for what you're paying. Some of my current favorites include: almond buttah (when they aren't sold out), organic virgin coconut oil, English cheddar w/ caramelized onions, and tomato and roasted red pepper soup. read more

Everyone is so pleasant and helpful . I love their breads and apps. The best cheese too. So many great summer dinner options

Fav store!! Booze and wine found! Everything neatly shelved, easy to find what I want to buy. Food is fresh and love the organic fruits. Cashier packs my items with care, very friendly. read more

My cat loves this place. They sell her favorite yoghurt. Plus, the staff is very friendly. It does get crowded at times but they are well staffed and the wait is rarely very long. Fresh vegetables and minimally processed food (like Hummus) are superb. High turnover means freshness! Freshest in Boston. Great bread. High marks for selection and quality from Tortillas to Brioche. Frozen food at Trader Joe's has always been among the best around. Tons of wine and knowledgeable staff to help with the decision making. The food and coffee sampling is a great way to try out things you'd never think of picking. Parking can appear crowded but even during the busiest of times a spot can be found within a minute or two. read more

Fruit is always fresh. Compare with some of the economic Asian supermarkets, the quality here is better. Compared to Whole Foods, the price is way better. So this is at the good price range for student / white collar people to find decent food with reasonable price. read more

A member of your staff refused to accept my Permanent Resident card as a form of ID and so I had to put my wine back... which was the reason I came to your store. I have never had a problem with using my card as ID to buy alcohol in Massachusetts. I have used it for many years at liquor stores, grocery stores, in restaurants, and in bars. Not only did this member of staff refuse my card, but she asked me an ignorant question: "How long are you staying here (in the US) for?" implying that somehow I am not here permanently. I'm a United Kingdom citizen married to an American citizen, and I'm here permanently, which is what the Green Card proves! To make matters worse, the cashier next to her got wind of this conversation, and told her she was wrong. He said that in 30 years he has never heard that a Green Card is an unacceptable form of ID. They engaged in a back and forth argument while I stood there slightly embarrassed. By this point, I had already put back the wines I wanted to purchase, and just couldn't get out of there fast enough! (I'm a Brit) There was no sincere apology and she made me feel like an outsider. I won't be back!! read more

We all know that Trader Joe's has great easy-to-prepare items that no one else has. And we all know that they sell cheap wine. But I'm going to let all of you in on a little secret: Schloss Biebrich Sekt Trocken. This is the best stuff in the store, both in terms of taste and price. Sekt is German sparkling wine, meaning that this stuff is basically champagne (although due to EU labeling laws they can't sell it as such) but slightly less bitter. TJ's is the only place I can find the stuff, and for something like $3.99 a bottle, the QPR is off the charts. read more

Sometime between recess and lunch I went out with my boogie board gang, the west side bandits. We felt naked in our civilian clothes so we decided to go to the home of dragon energy, primark. We ran into those east side boozoos along the way and those sheep energy bird brains didn't stand a chance against us. I can't Ollie but I can kickflip, it's a real sore subject for me. We shredded our way through the army surplus store and DID NOT find what we were looking for. We ended up going to primark and got our uniforms, they weren't the usual rompers but they were dragon energy as heck. We took sexy pictures in the park and our group leader crop dusted people along the way. We decided not to go to a friends barbecue because we were getting too "Chummy" with her. We went back to our team leaders house for a party and no one showed up. We sprayed up with the sluttiest cologne we could find and headed to Middle East. We danced at zuzu and this nasty woman yelled at our group leader, she was clearly into him; he observed the group policy to never engage and he didn't. He was hopping for a otpbj, but it never materialized. We went back to watch clubbed in the dark and we cried in silence and deep contemplation. We got our burgers at this place and it made me Ok. read more

I have to vent on my recent visit to this store. We had three bottles of wine, a six pack of 16 oz beer, a salad, two cups of yogurt, a bag of frozen meatballs, and a dozen eggs. The jerk cashier asked if we wanted a bag (brilliant), to which I replied, "yes". The guy stuffed all of the items into ONE of their shopping bags! At first, I thought he was kidding, and I was too shocked to say anything. The bag was so heavy, my husband had a hard time carrying it to our car. The jerk didn't give back our cart, so that wasn't an option. He also plunked the receipt on the top of the FULL to the brim bag, and it promptly blew off as soon as we walked outside. I wish I had it to report this a-hole! read more

Awful Check-out experience: Rude and incompetent check-out agent I am a regular food and wine shopper at Trader Joe's in Cambridge and have to say that my check-out experience with H**n*h was just awful. In addition to food items I had purchased 36 bottles of wine and accordingly I brought 3 spare paper cases with different sized spaces, because I have observed that some wider bottles do not fit well in narrower boxes. When I put the cases on the check-out counter, H**n*h told me to place my empty boxes on the cart itself. I therefore explained to her that I was happy to box my wine, given that I had bought so many varietals. She therefore twisted her mouth angrily and continued to ring the items. Although I had placed similar bottles of wine together in the cart, she angrily pulled our random bottles and rang them through, while I was trying to box them appropriately. When she finished ringing, she insisted that I immediately swipe my card to complete the transaction. Long story short, even before I had packed all the items away, she handed over my receipts to me and started ringing the next customer's items, laying them on top of my purchased items! H**n*h epitomizes the rudeness and incompetence that people associate with the city of Boston. Efforts to call the store and speak with the store's manager have gone unfulfilled: despite being told that the General Manager would be in the store on certain days and times, when I call I am told that he has left for the day This is 2015, shouldn't the management be willing to listen to how their crew are performing? read more

This is my favorite place to food shop! I love the Trader Joe's brand anyway, but this is definitely my favorite location. They have unique products that are fresh and delicious tasting. Their prices are great too, especially when you compare them to Whole Foods or even the natural sections at Shaw's and Stop and Shop. Unfortunately the produce is hit or miss but I have most of my produce delivered to my apartment by Boston Organics. The store is clean and well-stocked, and I know my way around pretty well by now. I like this store better than the Coolidge Corner location because the parking is much easier to come by. I used to like the Fresh Pond location better until I realized that the Memorial Drive TJs sells alcohol. My cats love their cat food- the ingredients are good, minimal by products and the price is good. Plus, the staff members are known for being super friendly. What else can I say? I am here at least once a week! read more

very friendly staff... easy to find parking. organized. but they discontinued my sriracha potato chips!! :(

Not all Trader Joe's sell wine and beer - this one does! Excellent and very moderately priced one selection, and a few of their favorite craft beers.Very convenient parking, wholesome food, what's not to like? read more