Trader Joe's

East Liberty became home to the first Trader Joe's specialty grocery store in Pittsburgh in October, 2006. The privately held chain based in California has more than 250 stores located in more than 20 states. The October 2006 issue of Consumer Reports ranked Trader Joe's the second-best national supermarket chain in the nation, after Wegmans.

Location:

The sole Pittsburgh location of Trader Joe's is in East Liberty, a few miles east of downtown Pittsburgh.

Trader Joe's Pittsburgh
6343 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206
412 363-5748

Type:

Specialty grocery store

What to Expect:

Trader Joe's bills itself as a unique neighborhood grocery store, and unique it is. The employees all wear Hawaiian shirts, they use bells rather than a PA system to communicate with "the crew," and there are plenty of unusual food items too. About 80 percent of the items carry the Trader Joe's label, many imported from small producers overseas, and all free of artificial colors, preservatives, flavors and MSG. The store is small, with about a tenth the selection of the standard grocery store.If you love health or organic foods, unique flavors, unusual prepared entrees or one-of-a-kind snacks, then check out the Trader Joe's experience. But if you're looking for one-stop shopping, go elsewhere.

Hours:

9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily

Web Site:

Trader Joe's