Cermak Produce

Pros:
+Huge Selection
+Great Pricing
+Free Parking
Cons:
–Customer Service
Cermack is great for finding all of your Latin food staples, as well as a variety of Latin American produce. It’s significantly cheaper than the major chains in the area. The cashiers and staff are difficult to communicate with sometimes. Some of the cashiers have conversation with each other while ringing you up. Bring change to receive a cart. The produce is always fresh and very low cost.

Noticeably less pricey than the Cermaks in Humboldt Park and Bridgeport, but much less of a selection than either. They also have different suppliers. Comically close to an Aldi supermarket.

This new location of the Cermak Produce chain (with the much fancier name of «Fresh Market») is to me more like a Mexican Market. I really loved the product that they had. It was fresh and looked like it was garden-​fresh. I stopped here to pick up a few things and was really pleased with what I saw. The store is brightly lit, they had a wide range of products and very good pre-​made food like guacamole and Salsa Verde.
The staff who work here are more Spanish speaking which I expected would be a lot harder to explain as to what I needed but they were also very helpful and helped me buy everything that I wanted and also suggested me products that I had never tried before which I thought was a really pleasant to see unlike most of the bigger grocery chains.
I didn’t know quite a lot of the products that they had but the staff was really nice and they let me taste food items which I had never had before like Pork Skins and many fruits and vegetables more native to Mexicans. It is also exorbitantly lower priced than buying groceries in the city, one box of guacamole costs around 3 $ which is much fresher and tasted really really good.
The only downside would be that there is not too much place to move around and it can get pretty crowded at times. The other issue I had with this place was the product that my friend bought was 6 months old and was going to expire in the coming week which I thought was the only downside in the quality of product. Apart from that everything looked really fresh. I also loved the meat department at this store. They had a wide range of meat choices and they had meats that were already marinated in mexican spices which looked really good. I would suggest this place to others definitely even thought it is pretty far from where I live, I would come back to this place surely.

Without Cermak Produce, my life would lack dulces de tamarindo… and diabetes.

It’s stuffy with tiny aisles that are sure to frustrate you on a busy weekend. You’ll have to juke like Adrian Peterson to maneuver around workers with large table-​carts that take up ¾ of an aisle as they stock shelves. Monotonous, not particularly clean or organized, the parking lot is jacked up, but it’s totally convenient since it’s right around the corner from the pad. They always have what I’m looking for in a Mexican grocery store, often times on the cheap.
Perhaps the greatest upside to this location is that Aldi is just a few feet away. So when I need cheap white people things and brown people things, I can knock them out in one trip.

This place has almost everything. It services a diverse neighborhood, and carries products the cater to each group, and at a super affordable rate. It’s a wonderful alternative to big chains, and has efficient service.
There aren’t many low points, but their frozen foods, teas, and chip selection are all modest compared to the rest of the store. Also, they have no vegetarian protein products like fake bacon.
Clean, friendly, affordable. I wish it was closer to my house.

Was I at the same Cermak Produce that everyone else was at?
It’s been about 6 months since I moved out of Logan Square and every now and then I find myself missing something. The other day, I officially missed Tony’s. I never noticed how clean I thought Tony’s was until I came here. If I really wanted, Tony’s COULD be my «one stop shop», but that is not true about Cermak Produce, that is not true at all.
The produce is cheap. That’s about the only good thing I can say. I had a grocery list of about 10 items and I found about 4. The best part? It’s for a «Mexican lasagna», which means most of the ingredients should have been readily available here. Nope.
I won’t complain about the small aisles. Instead, I’m going to complain about the people who stand in the way and refuse to move when you say «excuse me». In fact, you could probably say it in 5 different languages and they would still ignore you. I only tried two before I politely pushed them out of my way.
I know a grocery store is bad when I actually prefer shopping at Jewel. Have you ever been to the Jewel on Ashland/​Roosevelt? Aside from the fact that it’s Jewel, it’s also awful, but I’d rather go there than deal with this place.
Additionally, the parking lot here is awful. I recommend parking in between two spots, as that seems to be the norm. In fact, you’re lucky if you can find a spot. Really though, this is the least of my issues.

Great fresh variety of fruits, vegetables, and meat. I bought 4 lbs of ribeye stakes, vegetables, & fruits for $ 30! I love the fresh bolillos they have and French bread too. If you’re looking for Mexican spices look below the produce sections that’s where you’ll ind them. If your driving by Cermak you should stop by, it’s worth the trip.
There is a parking lot available where Aldi has it’s own side and I have never had problems finding parking even on weekends.

SUPER cheap!
Meat…veggies…fruit is always fresh!
Love that there is never a long wait at check out. I spend around 30 $-35 for a weeks worth a food. That includes lunch and dinner!
Has a liquor section too!

IS THIS PEPPER HEAVEN!
This is my new favorite store! And I was so lucky to find it!
I forgot to pick up poblanos yesterday and I needed them for my homemade rajas de crema. I was in Pilsen and flipped on the GPS, then all of these grocery stores popped up. I decided to go to Cermak Produce because based of the name I assumed they had a parking lot and a large selection. I can not believe I just profiled a grocery store. And guess what I was right! Score one for freedom!
I now have an alternative to Stanley’s. The prices were amazing. Rick Bayless and all his airport Tortas are killing me, so I’m taking my Mexican food up a notch at home. Yes I’m making fresh homemade Tortas today. I am so excited. Right now I’m roasting some poblanos and jalepenos. On a side note my wife informed me my Torta had more flavor then Rick Bayless’s Torta. I don’t believe her but I will take the compliment… now if she could only review my food on Unilocal!
Back to the store. There were 20 different types of tortillas of all shapes and sizes. They even have a cute tiny one too. I have no idea what you would put on it because it would be gone in two bites.
There are tons of meat options too. I love the thinly pre-​breaded steak and chicken. Perfect for a Torta but not today. I will have to come back and try that in the future.
The fruit and vegetable prices were great. I only came in for Poblanos but walked out with 3 bags full and it only cost $ 15. Limes were 10 for 99 cents, so I picked up 20. Can we say fresh margaritas? Yeah!
If you need chicken feet, then this is your store. I was thinking I could make some sacrifice and get the Cubs season turned around but I’m not into the Vodoo so I passed. Also if you need a giant piece of fried pork then this is your place.
I can hardly wait to come back here and stock up. There is also plenty of parking in the lot too but I can see this lot getting crowded on a weekend, so I may stick to coming here during the week.

I was doing my laundry at the Spin Cycle next door, so I decided to walk over to get some grocery shopping done while my clothes were being washed.
One word: OMG.
This place has the most inexpensive produce I’ve ever encountered in this city. I got a bundle of kale for only $ 0.89. Seriously. They pack in a plethora of items not commonly found in big name grocery stores. The presentation is impeccable.
They even have a liquor section with a wide variety of beer and wine.
Thank God I had to get some laundry done, or else I would’ve never discovered this Pilsen gem.
Highly recommend it here. Definitely going back for all my grocery needs.

I love this place!!! It’s even worth the drive on Cermak which is all tore up. (Careful!) You can get a parking spot right in front of the door and I’ve never had to wait to check out. You do have to use a quarter to get a cart.
This place has crazy low prices!!! I always go here when I’m going to make salsa. I went here tonight to make pasta, ham, and vegetable gratin. Came home with three bags of stuff for less than $ 20! At Jewel it would be nearly $ 100. Honey Crisp apples for $ 0.60/lb! ($ 2.50/ lb. at Whole Foods.) 10 small oranges for $ 1.70! (I’m making orange juice!) Frozen corn and peas for only a dollar a bag! This place is cheaper than Aldi’s! Pay attention though, I noticed the yogurt at $ 1 is more expensive than at most stores. The only things I couldn’t find were emmenthaler cheese and heavy cream. They have a much bigger selection than I expected. I especially love the Japanese cookies/​snacks!
I discovered this place because Jewel is always out of cilantro or of they have it it’s sandy and wilted. I’m changing my grocery store to Cermak Produce even though I live right across the street from a Jewel.

I love this grocery store. I am from rural Ohio, and the prices here are comparable to grocery stores «back home» (meaning way cheaper than many places in the city). The produce is fresh (I have gotten a few things that went bad sooner than I’d like, but it’s still probably fresher than the average Chicago grocery). You can buy a container of their fresh-​made guacamole for $ 3.99 (probably less than it costs to make it yourself!), and they have a great selection of seafood and meats. I use a lot of limes (in homemade juice and vodka tonics) and most other Chicago grocery stores sell them 2 for $ 1 if they’re on sale. Here, you can get 10 limes for $ 1. If you are looking for a dessert, try the rice pudding in the dairy section. It’s pretty good. I’m also always on the hunt for jarred tomato sauces that don’t contain high fructose corn syrup. I found some here for way less than at Jewel.
If you are used to a larger grocery store, you may need to adapt your cooking habits if you wanted to only shop here. However, if you live in Pilsen you can easily make this your main grocery store if you augment it with a trip to a larger store every now and then. (Some of my standards that I couldn’t find here were quinoa, steel cut oats, whole wheat flour, sun dried tomatoes, and feta cheese).

The meat and produce are super cheap and fresh. I can buy a week’s worth of groceries for under $ 30. If you cook a lot of fresh food and live near by it’s a wonder. They don’t have a lot of variety but you learn to cook what they do have and save some cash. My Mexican-​style cuisine is almost acceptable. Pete’s Fresh Produce is up the street and ten times larger but why walk a mile when this great little place is just a few blocks away.

This place is okay in a pinch, but doesn’t really compare to the quality and size of the Pete’s Fresh Market that is located further west on Cermak, especially with the produce.

This place has fresh produce and fresh meat! And it’s unbelievably priced! In a GREAT way! Since becoming domesticated, I have grown to appreciate places like this!!!
I would say 4.5 stars since they are a bit smaller than my fav — Pete’s Market — but since it’s closer, i can cancel that out. So 5 stars it is — for price, freshness and convenience.
Let’s just say I bought enough food for a whole week’s worth of dinner and lunch for $ 30 bucks. I KNOW! Cray, cray!

This place is an old standby for me in terms of finding cheap, good produce in non-​CSA season without having to head all the way up to Stanley’s. Aside from the fruits and veggies, CP also has a great selection of deli-​made salsas, guacamole, sofrito, and more.
I also get a lot of dried fruits and nuts here for very reasonable prices.

As a downtown denizen looking for a nearby alternative to my beloved – but utterly inconvenient – Jerry’s, I was excited to see praise of CP on LTH Forum, and then again here on Unilocal.Alas, this is your average neighborhood produce market: the quality level is serviceable – except for some garlic imported from China which was wack, but the onus is on me for purchasing it – and the prices on some things were very very good. Ultimately, if you’re looking for Mexican food stuffs, particularly from the fifth quarters of the cow and pork, this is a great place; it just so happens that on this particular evening I wanted veggie-​tables, and CP didn’t fulfill my needs.
Oh, lesson learned: don’t buy whole nopales.

This store literally has the cheapest celery I’ve ever seen. 2 giant bunches for $ 1. That’s even cheaper than Casa. My roomie and I got about 2 weeks worth of fruits and veggies for $ 27. Plus they sell giant buckets of pork lard. What’s not to love?

I go out of my way to get produce here. I have found that most of the other produce facilities in my area just don’t live up to the prices and selection of Cermak produce.
Their selection is unbeatable — they have anything you could think of. Their prices are also excellent — everything is the lowest price possible for the highest quality.
The staff is always very friendly and I’ve always been greeted warmly whenever I visit the store. I’ve always had pleasant experiences with the store and, like I said, I go out of my way to come here.