Alternative Grocery Store Options

Now that the East Windsor Superfresh , many East Windsor area residents are looking for other places to shop. There is the just down Route 130 in East Windsor that has a wide selection, fresh food and good prices, but the store is often quite crowded with shoppers. If you are looking for a less busy place to shop and are looking for new food experiences, try these grocery stores:

: This Indo/Asian supermarket is located next to Hot Peppers in the new Windsor Crossing Shopping Center, located just off of Route 130 between Walmart and Home Depot. The store offers everyday items like fruits, vegetables, potatoes, coffee and eggs and has Indian cuisine staples like basmati rice, curry and dal (dried lentils, peas or beans). This is a great place to go if you like Indian cuisine and know how to whip it up yourself. Even if you don’t know how to cook Indian food, you can try their frozen entries like naan pizza in a variety of flavors, or their instant curries.

Target: Most of us know by now that the East Windsor Target, located on Princeton-Hightstown Road, has opened a grocery section. There, you can get standbys like orange juice, milk, cheese, bread, eggs and non-refrigerated items like crackers, chips and cereals. There is a fairly large frozen-food section and some selection of meats and frozen fish and shellfish. The store has regularly been mailing out coupons for things like free eggs and bread to attract business, so you may be able to find some deals there.

: This vegetable and fruit market is in the Burlington Coat Factory shopping center on Route 130 in East Windsor. There, you can find an array of fruits and vegetables that is much more diverse than what you’ll find in a typical grocery store. The store also has a great deli counter with fresh meats.

Asian Food Markets of Plainsboro: Located in Plainsboro at 66 Plainsboro Road, this is a wonderful place to go if you want to buy rice in bulk (and not pay through the nose for the tiny bags of rice sold in most grocery stores) and want items like Asian dumplings (you can buy them in the frozen food section), tea of all sorts and instant Korean, Chinese and Japanese soups. You can get fresh seafood here – you’ll find much of it still alive and swimming in the store’s tanks. I love to browse the store’s housewares section, where beautiful Japanese dishes, bowls and plates, chopsticks and rice cookers can be found.

Trader Joe’s: Located at 3528 U.S. Rt. 1 in West Windsor, Trader Joe's is a terrific place to shop if you’re interested in organic foods and all-natural products. You can find everything you need, like fruits and vegetables, soaps and personal care items, healthy frozen foods and prepared foods.

McCaffrey’s: Situated at 335 Princeton-Hightstown Road in West Windsor, McCaffrey’s is an upscale supermarket. The prices there seem to be higher than what you’d find at ShopRite (although I haven’t done a thorough price comparison, so don’t quote me on that), but the quality of foods at McCaffrey's is quite good. The store has a great section of prepared foods if you won’t want to cook, and their bakery is also good – I ordered a yellow, raspberry-filled cake there about a month ago for a baby shower, and it got rave reviews. Plus, the cake was very beautifully decorated.