Two words: pumpkin cheesecake. Cheesecake laced with a rich pumpkin flavor was definitely worth the cheat meal, especially from Trader Joe's. Good thing this is seasonal or I'd probably have to go to the gym 10x a week. It's well known that Trader Joe's doesn't have a large produce section compared to the likes of other mass grocers, but that's not what I'm here for. I'm here for their omega-3 enriched grass-fed/organic large brown eggs. They taste amazing and are worth every penny. What do I love the most about Trader Joe's? It's their impressive line of items of their own house brand. Their almond milk, yogurt, frozen foods (aka emergency rations), and even shampoo put other grocery stores to shame. The lines move fast, and the employees truly enjoy their job. If I have a bag of apples, they'll actually look at the bag to make sure I didn't get a bad batch, which I really appreciate. I love how this one is organized, as opposed to the location in Hillcrest, since they have more space. Unfortunately, both locations' parking lots are a nightmare to park at. No fear, just park at the side where Croutons is at and you don't have to worry about being as ruthless when navigating the warzone that is this parking lot. Good luck everyone! read more

Along with Whole Foods Market (in the neighborhood plaza) and Ralphs (next door), Trader Joes is the other frequent stories I go to to do my groceries. It is probably my fav one compare the other two. The staffs here are extremely friendly. I love the idea of Eco-friendly. They give you paper bags instead of plastic bags. Also, you can see a lot of people coming here with their own totes to get their groceries too. For the price, It's cheaper than whole foods for sure, and more importantly, I love the fonts and logos of products in Trader Joes too. The food here are amazing. There are many different types of trader joes specific foods here! Like my fav chips! I always come here to get my vegetables, salads, avocados, and meat (smoked salmon and sandwich meat) here at trader joes. The vegetables and salads are really fresh. Instead of going to ranch 99 in convoy to get my Bok Choy (Asian vegetables), I can easily grab a few boxes here for $1.99 each. Also, whenever I know that I would have a busy week soon, I always come to trader joes to grab a few boxes of their salads. Besides the salads, I love their shrimp rolls with peanut sauce which are also available in the salad area. I asked specifically in store before about the peanut sauce. The staff said the peanut sauce is only available in the shrimp roll, so they do not carry peanut sauce in a bottle. Well, I was able to find a similar one in whole foods yay. But the peanut sauce is one of the reasons that made me come to trader joes more often right? For the avocados, they have several choices including individual ones and a few ones in a bag. I always get the individual ones, $0.99 each, because they tend to the be bigger and fresher than the ones in the bags. I love the smoked salmons here. Here is my fav one in the attached picture. I always get at least three bags of smoked salmon when I come to the store cuz they always run out :( Lastly, the flowers here are really nice too! Even tho I tend to get flowers at farmers market every once in a while, but I have to admit trader joes have some pretty awesome fresh flowers! read more

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Parking sucks, but I still love TJs... This one gets busy, but if you go during downtime, it's not bad. Clean and wide aisles. Employees are super friendly and chatty. Lines are usually short since they cater to the LJ patrons who can't tolerate wait times. Other than parking, the only other issue I have with this TJs is that there is always charities hanging out at BOTH the entrance and exit asking for donations. Do you have to have them at BOTH - with only several feet apart from one another??? A big turn-off.... read more

This TJ's is amazing. The staff there are super friendly and approachable! I remember I was staring at an empty section of cookie butter and I guess I just looked devastated 'cause the manager came up to me and asked if I needed help. He was really helpful (except they ran out of cookie butter so that didn't work out too well). I never have to doubt the quality of food because I've never had a bad experience. Their fruits and veggies are always fresh and the fruit it pretty much always sweet. I think one undermined thing about TJ's is their frozen food. If you get their little family meals for yourself, you have lunch/dinner for the next few days just for a few bucks! I like to get the Kung Pao Chicken and add other veggies in it and it lasts me a good 3 days with a big pot of rice. One unfortunate thing: it's located in the worst possible parking lot of all time. It's confusing as ever because half the roads are one-way and there's random stop signs, crosswalks, and speed bumps. read more

What's not to love about Trader Joes? A leading consumers magazine has rated this as America's best "supermarket". While it doesn't have the numerous brands the big chains do, it's still provides plenty of choices with an emphasis on the Trader Joe's brand. I first started shopping at Trader Joe's many years ago. At that time, they didn't offer much in the way of produce, but their offerings have expanded significantly in the last few years. And it doesn't take a Whole Paycheck to buy here. There's plenty of organic, gluten-free, and reduced sugar choices. The staff and workers at the La Jolla location are always friendly and helpful. My only beef with the La Jolla Trader Joe's is the ridiculous parking situation in the mall they are in. This is been consistently voted as San Diego's worst parking experience. In spite of the battle to get an undersized slot, it's still worth shopping at Trader Joe's whenever you're in the area. read more

I don't need to ding TJs for the parking in this horrid lot, because it just ain't their fault. Oh, and the rest of the Yelpers already took care of it! Five things you should not leave Trader Joe's without: 1. At least 2 bottles of wine. Skip the 2 Buck Chuck - there are soooo many other good bottles for less than $10 (or even $5!). If you buy a butt-load, the friendly staff are more than happy to give you a cardboard crate and carry-out service. 2. TJ's 3-layer hummus: original, roasted red pepper, and cilantro in perfect harmony. 3. Organic anything. 4. "Dynamo," TJ's version of V8 juice. Some people love it, others hate it, but this is my opinion and I think it's awesome. It's 100% juice & has all the vitamins you need in a day (it even has protein). And since you'll love it so much you'll probably drink more than 1 glass, you'll likely pee most of them out. So you don't have to worry about becoming a Health Nut. 5. CHOCOLATE-COVERED PEANUT-BUTTER FILLED PRETZELS. If you go to TJs and leave without these in your hand, do not talk to me. read more

I LOVE Trader Joes. Where ever I end up living, I need one close to me or I will descend into sadness. The prices for the majority of products are very fair and if it seems expensive, its because the quality of the product is better than most. A lot of TJ products are organic, minimally processed and unique to their own store. My favorite TJ items? (Mostly all sweet stuff) -unsalted crunchy almond butter -pumpkin bread mix (the besttt. I love pumpkin season) -ginger cat cookies -those mini chocolate chip cookies (aka my version of crack) -macarons (you get 12 in a box for like $5, such a good deal! Personally they taste better than Lette, but Lette has better flavors) -chocolate covered frozen bananas -orange cranberry sauce (this is seasonal for thanksgiving and christmas. It is a must have!!! I scoop this stuff straight out of the container and my roommates eye me like I'm crazy, but it's soooo good) -lentil soup, and other soups :) -olive oil popcorn (it sounds weird, but this is the best snack you can ever ask for. So much healthier than that microwavable crap) I also buy green produce, spices, and tomato sauce at TJ, and then go next door to Ralphs to buy my protein, cheese, other greens, and fruits. I try to pick the cheapest prices from each store because I'm a poor college student. The staff is really friendly and quick to help. Samples including juice and food are in the back! TJ is my second love. Second only to Costco (now thats another story ;) read more

Trader Joe's - TJ macarons: salted caramel, pistachio, apricot, fig, almond, lemon. Keep them in the freezer. - Grocery Near Me - La Jolla, California

Probably the best of the North County Trader Joe's locations. It seems to be better stocked than the others. Maybe this store is stealing all of the products from the Encinitas and Carlsbad locations! We don't get the produce too much since they are only available as single, wrapped items. They do not sell by the pound (slows down the checkout process). The checkout process could be faster without the chatty cashiers engaging in the forced corporate patter (How is your night going? What are your plans for the evening?). read more

I love Trader Joe's and all the people who work there! I usually frequent my Pacific Beach location but today I went to La Jolla and want to give a shout out to Edward who checked me out, and was fantastic. Kind and gentle, efficient and super warm and fuzzy.... made my day. Love everything about this store! read more

The only unfortunate thing is that I always end up spending more than I planned. The reason why is that there's an impulse buy opportunity at every aisle! I come in for eggs, organic milk, wine, garlic, prosciutto, and/or flowers but then I come across cheap dark chocolate, frozen sable fish, cooked meatballs, and an array of prepared frozen meals and appetizers and I am essentially forced to add those to the cart. And 99% of the items I've tried taste amazing. The sable fish is my most recent find- I just thawed it in the fridge for about 9 hours- then sprayed on a little canola oil and threw on a dash of salt and broiled on high for about 9 minutes. Then I placed three slices of herbed butter on top and continued cooking for 1 more minute. It was soo tender. I'm convinced that you can't overcook sable fish. I just wish they labeled the source of the fish; the packaging simply states that sable fish can be found from Alaska to Baja California. Some of my TJ staples/goodies: -frozen sweet corn -smoked trout (in the canned tuna aisle) -prosciutto (Trader Joe's brand taste is comparable to prosciutto di parma, IMO. Volpi at TJ's is also good) -fresh mozzarella balls -roast beef in the square package -garlic naan -spinach quiche -frozen sable fish -flowers -tiramisu (though I wish they would bring back their version without chocolate chips) read more

Yelp is like a nagging middle aged wife these days for those of us who are on here with the check in's and what makes it even worse is that they have apparently hired The Beaver.. (not that one you aholes... The Leave it to Beaver guy... Wikipedia it)...LOL no wonder I don't get ROTD.. "Gee whiz that was fun! Let's write another review!!!!" Anyhow, seriously, I have gone to this Trader Joe's since the early 90's when all the Conservative Jews would shop the day before the Sabbath because Trader Joe's does have Kosher food (totally awesome) and other delights that would save someone from laboring on the Sabbath. This is by far my favorite TJ's in all of the greater Southern California area. Why you ask? Well, hell it's the employees of this place. Whoever the hiring manager and store manager is, well those peeps deserve a serious raise. Professional, courteous and respectful service and DAYUM these Mo Fo's KNOW there way around their own wine collection!!! Totes! The last two months, I have had the best freaking wine and well cheese in all of Southern California because of this fine Staff. This is more of a shout out then it is a Yelp review. By the way guys, love the Rojo so much that I am going to purchase a case if any is left and hey, thanks for the Asiago Rosemary cheese recommendation, pairs nicely with the reds you all recommended. I will see you this weekend my friends and keep up the fine service! To the folks on here who bitched about the parking, your a** needs to walk with something heavy to burn off some calories that you have in those grocery bags fatty, so walk your a** around back with your cart like I do by Braniff... and suck it up. :D read more

This location is a ROYAL pain in the butt to get parking, I mean royally bad. It takes the whole Trader Joe's parking lot cliche to a new level. So you have been warned. Also the store itself I think is a bit on the smaller side and cramped. If you used a wheelchair/mobility device it might be difficult to navigate when semi busy. The employees have been hit or miss the few times I've been there. Some issues with products being in stock, but beyond that everything has been fine. Bathrooms seem nicely cleaned and the produce has been fresh. However with the parking, I will go out of my way not to come here unless I'm desperate. read more

This was very similar to being in a communist country and I will not give up my rights to buy food. I went to this location with my wife and as we have for many years . As we were shopping a man in a red sweater came up to us and informed us we had to stay 6ft away from each other while in the store. WTF. I live with my wife and the closer we are together in a store makes it easier for other to move around us . Not to mention at the register there were a half dozen workers standing within two feet of me‍ I asked for the manager and he explain this is the new city ordinance ( not true ) . No where in the city ordinance does it say that any store must separate couples or families that enter a business together. Or that workers must all wear red sweaters, follow customers around store or separate couples/ families . I went into Ralph's next door and none of this was being done , for good measure I went to Vons and this wasn't being done either . I'm done giving up my rights . I will social distance but I will not follow laws that have no science foundation or go against common sense . I'm done with Trader Joe's forever because of this and we are 15 year customers . read more

This place is the best! I only really shop here and at Ranch 99 for my groceries. I used to think it was expensive before I really looked around, but as everyone else says, it's actually pretty cheap. The items that are slightly pricer usually should be, given that they're exotic and organic or whatever. The snacks are the best and they change their selection pretty often. I like to get their dried fruit, dark chocolate mint creams, CHIPS (the veggie and rice cracker ones are delicious and make you feel slightly better about eating them all in one sitting), and of course, 79 cent pasta and $1.19 eggs. Also, if you bought something that you didn't like, you can return it for a refund or exchange. read more

The best, biggest, and baddest Trader Joe's I've ever been to! The ones I'm used to going to in the LA area are just small, crowded and have tiny parking lots. This one, however, has plenty of parking as it shares the business complex with other stores like Ralphs. The aisles are bigger, so you're not bumping into people and carts that have stopped to casually browse items and the workers here just seem friendlier than what I'm used to. I can't get enough of Trader Joe's, and I really wish this location was closer to home. read more

Some cashiers are rude and seem to be bitter about working there. There is an elderly male cashier who wants me to bag my own groceries, which is not a big deal if you communicate it properly to the customer and not be so rude about it. What is the problem with bagging the customer's purchases? Isn't it part of the job description? Some people don't want to step on someone's toes and respect people's roles.. Another instance is when a cashier just stands there and looks at me after scanning my items. I asked if I can insert my credit card into the chip reader already. After an awkward pause and an exasperated sigh from him, he finally says he needs to see my ID for the wine. Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?! I'm not a psychic and don't know what you need or how you judge my face. There is such a thing called "communicating" with the customer. It's not that hard. I'm not sure if this location gets a lot of snooty and obnoxious customers, but there is definitely an attitude problem among the cashiers. Or maybe because I'm Asian? Hopefully that is not the case. read more

I like this place, it's just that the parking isn't so great and it's not as big as a few of the other ones I've been to. I love trying samples of whatever they're cooking up while i'm shopping, it inspires me. ;) They have these white cheddar puff chips that are so good! I buy about 2-3 every time I'm here. It's so addictive! The staff are always so nice and I'm always striking up a conversation here! read more

Fairly priced. Conveniently located. Well Stocked. I am a huge fan of Trader Joe's. This particular location is well within walking distance from my apartment. I visit at least 3 times each week and have never had a bad experience. Every employee is polite, greets me on entry, and is eager to help me find items. I have no points to critique or change. Love this store. read more

The service as always is good at TJ's, but the produce at this location specifically is trash. Bananas and avocados go bad after a day, constantly bruised and dull flavor. I'll be going to Whole Foods for my produce. read more

Even though this is the location where I was introduced to the greatness that is Trader Joe's, I have to knock this down a star for one reason - the parking. The mall TJ's shares space with also has a Ralph's, a Best Buy, an AMC, and various other stores; as such, parking is way crowded. That said, it's still Trader Joe's, full of great stuff as always; on my most recent visit, the music being played was all '80s tunes. Definitely a plus when you're shopping! read more

Love me some Trader Joe's!!! They always get me with those samples!!! I always discredit many frozen food items, but man you guys know how to make some good frozen foods!!! And those cookies and candies man... I love everything! Only con to this place is the parking is not always easy breezy. That parking lot has small spots and has so many people it's a little intimidating but it doesn't seem to stop people from coming in. Staff is always very friendly and they all really look like they enjoy working here. read more

Great employees warm welcoming!!! HOWEVER horrible customers learn some common courtesy and say excuse me and smile more you'll look prettier we get it you're in a different tax bracket and can't talk to to poor people......BE BETTER read more

I've always loved Trader Joe's. I was excited to try their take on a Chinese/North Indian mashup dish of spicy gobi masala /Kung pap. However, was incredibly disappointed to see that in 2020 this dish would still be a "trader ming's" item. This dish is geographically enticing as well as delicious, and I'm sad to see a grocery favorite still resorting to racist and revisionist marketing read more

I absolutely love to shop around grocery stores...literally the ideal dating place for me. Trader Joe's does not necessarily have everything you need like Costco (and at such great prices), but it definitely has a good variety of things you won't necessarily get at Ralph's or Walmart. A lot of store brand items and I love them all! I come here quite often to get their low sodium peanut butter. Only 100 calories for 2 tablespoon...nothing else can compare! Pros: -Good customer service. -yummy samples! -Good selection of party favors or snacks for gathering. Definitely coming here again! read more

I'm not sure if I got here at the perfect time or what- but it was not packed at all (I'm sure I got lucky), which was pretty rad cuz I was in a hurry. This location is much roomier than my usual stop (Hillcrest), and they have all the goods. I was in and out of there in no time! Happy to stop by here any time read more

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I love this store. Mainly because of the staff here. I think it's a standard with Trader Joe's that everyone that works there has to be super duper friendly. And you know what? I'm quite alright with that. It provides such a positive shopping experience for us. Anytime we are looking for something, there's always a staff member near by to guide us. OR, if we look interested in a particular item, someone's always available to let us know how it tastes. My favorite thing is the floral collection though. You can get some beautiful flowers on the cheap here!! The only downfall about this location is that it's next to UCSD. Therefore, students will stockpile their fridges and things can run out quickly here. They are usually pretty good at restocking, but there are some days, I'm like... efff... I'm hangrrrrry. read more

Love this Trader Joe's. Parking can get crazy up top sometimes but I'm always able to find parking and it's only a few minutes away from where I live. Everyone's always super helpful here whenever I ask for help in finding a product. If they don't have it, they recommend something similar. Even gave me great ideas for grilling and new products to try when I ask them. Once went 5 minutes before closing. They didn't announce last call to check out or rush other shoppers at all. They were great about it and let the shoppers finish shopping at their place. read more

I do my main grocery shopping at Von's but on occasion I do like to get some stuff from TJ. My favorite is their prosciutto and brie. I came here last week to "try" and eat healthy. I ended up buying a few of their pre-packaged salads for lunch. I definitely not a salad person so it ended up going to waste. I got to try their speculoos cookies and I liked it, it's a pretty good knock-off version of the Biscoff cookie. Parking lot is always busy since people come and go from TJ's and Ralph's. read more

I love this location. It's the best location with great parking. If you fluent Trader Joe's; you know what I mean. read more

Not to jump on the bandwagon but this place rocks. Highlights include: 1. Cheapest milk and salsas you can find in any grocery store in SD area. Not only that, but the salsas are good, except the "especial" one. Yeah it is special all right. Special in the fact that it is a rare TJ product that isn't so good. 2. The Organic Apple Granola. I'm addicted to the stuff. 3. The packaged pastas such as the lobster ravioli (just under 3 bucks, hell yeah!) 4. The sourdough bread. Best I've found outside the SF Bay Area. If only it weren't so pricey (50% more than what you'd pay in the Bay Area for a loaf) 5. Columbus meats 6. Last and not least, the prices in general. They're quite low for what you get (aforementioned bread being the one exception). So why not 5 stars? As others have mentioned, the produce selection isn't so hot. I have to go to Henry's to do my produce shopping. read more

I really like Trader Joe's as a chain in general and I must say this La Jolla location is even better than the one closer to my house. It definitely has more room across the board for every department and doesn't cram everything together in one area. The one by my house is nice, but this one gives off a better aura while you are a looking for groceries. It also seems like they have a better variety due to their large size, but they may be able to spread things out a little more (looks can be deceiving). Trader Joe's in general offers some great products that are made by them (wine included) and their pricing is typically far better than other grocery store chains. They may not have everything that major grocery store chains carry, but they do have a majority for the most part. Overall, I would recommend this chain for sure, but if you live in the vicinity of La Jolla, definitely hit up this location. Only downfall, hence the 4 stars, is the parking situation. The lot is big, but compact, so it makes maneuvering more difficult than normal. read more

Trader Joe s soooooo good to us.. it has the most delicious, hi quality, fresh salmon from Norway... it's sooo tender n deliciousAlso it's Organic chicken breast is soooooo tender as well... thank u TJ for looking after us!!!!!!! Thank u for letting us try ur red apples!! It's delicious. I bought a bag!! read more

I enjoy coming to this Trader Joe's. The staff are always friendly, they are well stocked with fresh produce. Great prices. As with all Trader Joe's, the parking lot is awful. But other than that - highly recommend. read more

Love trader Joe's, all employees are nice, Specially Mathew. Highly recommend for grocery shopping read more

I'm not going to do a review on Trader Joe's in general as a store, but on this particular location. Parking is terrible! SO crowded. It takes you a long time to get to the aisles for the parking because you constantly have to wait for people to cross in front of you. Then after driving around all the crowds, you have to deal with tight parking spots and bad drivers who don't know how to park properly. The staff there were just okay. They weren't particularly friendly and I have experienced better in other TJ's locations. (I like the one in Grossmont the most!) If I could, I would really avoid this TJ's. Or at least don't come here during a weekend! read more

Better than your average market, cause the prices NEVER fluctuate. That is what makes this place great. I mean it's a market, and prices don't fluctuate, you don't have to worry about prices fluctuating. Simple, easy, clean. Store is clean, people are friendly read more

I heart TJ's 4eva! however....the parking lot at this location scares the buhjeezus out of me! i have never seen a crazier parking lot! yet ...i still return...again and again...the store seems to be larger than Encinitas or Pb...the employees are super friendly (just like the other locations) and there is just a different group of patrons at this location...which i think results in a better store. I just wish it was walking distance from my house so i wouldn't have to drive into this parking lot! read more

This place is amazing. I love that they carry seasonal produce and foods. The staff is always friendly and very helpful. the food is decently priced, and a lot of times I will buy their frozen items, add some meat or other veggies to it and voila! Ive got some great dishes. I also like The only thing is that they dont have items like aluminum foil which most grocery stores sell. But at least theyre right next to the Ralphs, so really each time I go shopping I get what I need and go home happy. And on a side note, just to compare this to the Trader Joe's in Pacific Beach, sometimes I find that there may be new items that come here, but they eventually get to the other locations as well. So overall, I feel like Trader Joes hasnt gone wrong :) read more

I was in the mood for an apple pie and I was in the mall so I stopped in. Normally I only get dutch apple pies but they didn't have them so I got a regular apple pie. It was the 17th and the expiration date was the 20th so I expected a pretty fresh pie. After getting it home and cutting a slice I was dismayed to see there wasn't much juice inside. The crust was fine but the filling was mostly just pieces of apple and empty space. Taking bites of pie left my mouth kinda dry. This was a rather disappointing pie. Sprouts pies are much better for store pies. The store on the other hand was very nice and the staff were nice too. read more

Was in the area and needed a few things so we stopped in. Yes, the parking lot is a disaster like other yelpers have mentioned. I can't fault TJ's for that. They didn't design the parking lot. ;) I didn't really find the employees to be super chatty, except with each other. I did learn when my cashier was moving and when the next cashiers' baby class was. My cashier did offer stickers to my son, like my Carlsbad store does. Would I be back? Hmm, if I was in the area and needed something. read more