Emilio’s Produce

I have lived in Logan Square all my life and that is how long Emilio’s has been here.
It’s decent to stop in if you want to buy a couple things, sometimes their fruits are shady, but overall I buy meat and fruit here in a pinch.
They have homemade guacamole and pico de gallo for sale.
I often wonder how long this store will last here… with the neighborhood changing and all. It will probably be a Starbucks in a couple years. *sigh*

At 2.5 stars, Emilio’s is way underrated. It’s no Stanley’s, but for a little neighborhood hole-​in-​the-​wall, it’s pretty great.

Buy the salsa in the plastic containers. Specifically, the chunky red salsa. You will not be disappointed!

this place was like e coli waiting to happen when i first went in a few years ago. recently i went in again — twice in two days — and was quite pleased with the produce section. they didn’t have everything, but they did have the essentials and they weren’t all rotten or anything. The place appears to have been reorganized /​cleaned up significantly, and that’s a good thing.
overall:
convenient location, nice cashiers, mexican bottled coke… all in all, good for staples and very affordable.

So much better after it re-​opened. I did not like going in there before but now I seem to be there everyday. The produce is fresh, the staff is nice and the prices are great! I am so happy that I get off the train and pick up items to make dinner. Items that like oatmeal and cereal are a little higher than say Jewel but if you live in the neighborhood so should stop by.

This place is actually good now, before they renovated and re-​opened, it sort of sucked. Seems to be run by a family, and I’ve been pretty pleased with it since the re-​opening. Definitely worthwhile if you need some staple produce.

Yes, it’s re-​opened. Yes, it’s clean and brand spanking new, but it goes beyond that. Today I had one of the most pleasant meat shopping experiences I’ve ever had at a Latino market.
I had a hankering for skirt steak so I thought I’d roll the dice at Emilios. I’ve shopped there a couple times in the past month and everything has looked good and the people working there are very nice and helpful.
So, I approached the meat counter. I did not see the skirt steaks right away, but the man behind the counter (I have a feeling he is an owner) asked if he could help. Arrichera? was my one word question. Well, what ensued was a friendly and enlightening tutorial about skirt steak –the difference between inside and outside skirt and trimming, etc.
I have always found skirt steak to be hit or miss however, so I took the man’s word for what was the better choice, had him trim off the skin and took it home, knowing the proof would be in the pudding, or steak.
Well, this was some of the most tender skirt steak I have ever bought and grilled at home myself. I highly recommend supporting this store, especially if you live in the neighborhood, as I do.

Unilocalers, read me please!
three months ago, i would not have returned to this place. it reeked of bleach and the meat fridge was highly suspect. but let’s not live in the past here please.
emilio’s has reopened under new management and i am certain that whomever emilio is, he can stop rolling over in his grave. everything here is clean and does not smell like it has been dunked in cleaning agents– thank goodness!
the fresh produce seems to be in pretty good shape and the dry goods look to be stored well too. prices are fair, if not cheap. they do sell some other goods (soap and basic essentials) and they are at a higher price, but we are paying for convenience here, folks. all in all, i’m very impressed with this «new management» and am super thankful that they saved this grocery hot spot.

I begrudgingly hoofed it to Emilio’s after work one day last week to pick up some limes — about the only produce I have had consistent luck with — when I noticed butcher paper half-​covering the windows — that store is cleaned out. I can only imagine the smell inside. *shudder*
What with that newish awning and the recent improvements to Cozy Corner next door (I think they’re owned by the same person/​people), I’m hoping this is the start of a massive renovation. Because really, the other reviews really do have it right:
— the chill cases are not remotely cold and some of the dairy I’ve bought has suffered for it
— speaking of dairy, I’ve managed to buy a few different things — milk and cheese — and the packaging REEKS of bleach, which was disconcerting. What was it sitting in that was so nasty that the only recourse was to toss a bunch of bleach on it?
— the meat case area smelled pretty rank and yeah, the sign about inspecting your meat first before you leave because there are no returns was a BIG red flag
— the produce was really not great quality. Wrinkled peppers/​chiles, rotted apples, hard citrus, etc. This was the one place I could consistently count on getting black plantains from, however, and I loved that.
— the occasional credit card minimum thing. It’s illegal, folks. Stop it.
— I’ve gotten bugs in those little bags of pasta they sell for 2/​$ 1. I know the price alone should have made it clear that that was a possibility, but I just don’t wanna see bug husks floating on the top of the water when I empty a package of pasta into the pot at home, nomatter the price.
— I’ve gotten more apathetic than surly service. The meat counter guys have been okay to me but the chick up at the front is kinda… she isn’t unkind or not nice, she’s just sorta there. The extent of most of our conversations has been her telling me my total. Although what I don’t appreciate is her unwillingness to give me change. Like, if my total is $ 11.27 and I hand her all bills, she’ll ask me immediately if I don’t have the 27¢, which is annoying. Keep a decent amount of change in your register; it isn’t my problem that someone can’t keep the one cash register in the joint liquid.
Anyway, past all that, it really isn’t a terrible place to pop in to grab some forgotten item on the way home from the train. It isn’t ideal by FAR, but it works. I really hope they’re renovating because that location is great for a mini grocery store.

I can never find any fruit or vegetable sans bruises here. Last week I needed 10 mini potatoes and the whole lot of them were squishy when I got home. Gross. This is a good place to stop if you need milk, eggs, or a bottle of water. I don’t totally hate this place, I just think they consistently sell rotten produce and it’s a bit contradictory to their «fresh produce» sign they display proudly out front.

So… I walk in there the other day against my better judgment to grab some quick salad fixings and burger toppings. There was a bird flying around inside. Yep, an actual shitting, walking in garbage, taking bites out of god knows what bird. This on top of the normal foul-​smelling, low quality of the store. The usually-​surly staff didn’t even seem terribly concerned about this. We walked out without spending a dime.
The sword of gentrification shall smite this foul little bodega out of existence. I came up around little butcher shops and small family grocery stores, and this place would have been run out of business. Original neighborhood flavor my ass, this place sucks.

i love to supporting local businesses. prices are right on meat and vegetables. they have almost everything you need. if you want the meat cut a certain way just let them know. i feel like they will go out of there way for you and i love that. location; its about a 20 second walk from the California blue line.
all in all i love the spot and its walking distance from my crib.
location location location!

I get off the train at the California stop, take 10 steps and I’m in Emilio’s. I don’t know what all the bitching is about because they’ve got pretty much all the basics you need for a quick stop at the grocery store on your way home from work, especially if you don’t drive. AND they are cheap. I had no problem with the freshness, everything looked more than edible to me, including the meat.
For $ 19.53 I bought a 4 lb chicken, an avocado, some potatoes, 4 different herbs/​spices, milk, eggs, carrots, garlic, and some other stuff I can’t remember. They had a bunch of dry goods too.
I will definitely pop in here again. Both the staff I dealt with were nice too. Four stars for a wrinkly bell pepper or two.

This is the closest grocery store I have to me. It’s good for picking up your basic needs (milk, eggs, vegetables, pasta). The produce is pretty decent. Mostly mexican brands. Don’t expect to walk away feeling fulfilled. It’s not the worst, but I’d take the trip to Tony’s where there is far more selection.

Mostly go to this place when we’re in a pinch. need a gallon of milk, or some bread and are too lazy to get in the car. It’s a block away so it’s convenient. I do always check the dates, though. The produce is ok, but you have to use it immediately. It always seems like it’s on the brink of going bad. I got in the bad habit of stopping here every other day to buy more avocados than I should be allowed to eat! Like that we can get the good authentic tortilla chips and tortillas. Get lots of canned goods like black beans here. Never got the guts to try the meat yet. Can’t really complain when there are no other grocery shopping options around within walking distance in Logan Square.

Yep this place sucks, but with so few neighborhood grocery options you can’t avoid it.
The cold cases are not that cold, the produce is not that fresh and I’m not brave enough to try the meat. And, boy, is the service surly!
Hope these folks either clean up their act or go out of business. The former would be preferred, but the later seems easier.

To categorize it with a half-​assed, condescending analogy — the only way any of us know how, of course — Emilio’s Produce is the convenience store of local produce marts. If you suddenly get a hankerin’ for the o-​so-​delectable Doritos-​Butterfinger-​Triple X Vitamin Water TV watchin’ combo, as we ALL have, I’m willing to wager you’re not getting in your car for the trek to Target.
I mean, you go to that length, and you’ve committed yourself to all that constricted sitting, the pushing of the peddles, back and forth, gas, break, retard, accelerate, stop, go, and then when you GET there and grab your nougat-​chocolate confection, overly seasoned tortillas and one-​third Brazilian super-​fruit flavored semi-​sports beverage and ONLY those items, you start to wonder as you see the toiling, streaming masses with their MULTITUDES of desired goods, paranoid that all the other, «true» shoppers are watching you, staring down their noses with their ever-​accusing, beady eyes, all thinking «That’s ALL they came for? They came to a super market for JUNK FOOD? Why, the nerve,» prompting YOU to question your OWN motives and judgment in the whole, terrible, complicated ordeal that YOU’VE PLACED YOURSELF IN, GODDAMMIT.
…*ahem*. So. Yeah. Who wants that?
Regardless of what ever I just elaborated upon in my run-​on tirade above, I’ll have to just assume I was right, and agree with myself in saying that the majority of the appeal in going to a convenience store is in the namesake.
No, not «store.» That’s a given.
You’re not going to drive to Target for candy, chips and a drink when there’s a 7 – 11, The Logan Pantry, and a Citgo within a short walking distance, just as you’re not going to drive to Jewel or even Carniceria Jimenez for a few Potatoes, pieces of fruit or a few pounds of meat or fish when Emilio’s Produce is only a short jaunt down the street. Convenience is what you pay for here, not so many aisles of variety that you seldom SEE all of it rather than merely LOOKING at all of it hoping that your automatic sensory perception recognizes what you’re looking for in the myriad.
And for that availability, I give Emilio’s a 3. Take the convenience out, and it’s a 1. Because really, in all of my rambling, that’s all it has going for it.

Not the greatest produce store ever. A few fresh selections (just general lettuce, tomatoes, bananas, etc) and a fresh meat counter. Not the freshest produce, either.
Semi-​decent selection of canned goods and other Mexican goods (tortillas, canned beans, etc.).
I’ll only stop in here if I need something quickly and I’m desperate (it’s only a few blocks from my house). I’d go out of my way to go to Cermak Produce or Stanley’s.

This is not a typical grocery store. I’m in here at least 3 times a week to pick up tortillas, beef shank, chicken, peppers, Sayzon, etc., and I’m usually elbowing my way through families stocking up for the week or picking up their daily tortillas — it’s that kind of a place.
It’s astonishing how much cheaper it is than shopping at a standard grocery store for fresh goods — the produce is practically free! I can spend $ 5.00 and make enough food to last the fella and myself a few days. Produce, as other reviewers have noted, can be spotty, but I’ve noticed that the stuff with the highest turnover (peppers, carrots, cabbage, cilantro, etc.) is always very fresh and very inexpensive. C’mon — 10 limes for $ 1.00? Can’t beat that with a stick. Meats have always been very good and very fresh and, if they aren’t too rushed, they sometimes throw a little extra in for free. :)
Dry goods (toilet paper, rice, canned goods) are standard, fairly limited and a bit expensive, but will do in a pinch. Nice selection of Mexican sodas (yes, cane sugar Coke in glass bottles!), plenty of cheese (if you are looking only for Mexican cheese, that is — no cheddar here) & dairy, and fresh tortillas for about 25 cents a pack.
Not where I would do my big stock up grocery shopping, but perfect for your daily needs or if you (as I do) cook Mexican food several times a week.

I was lured in by the sign advertising arrachera for $ 3.99 a pound. Less than $ 20 for 2 lbs. of that, an onion, a couple of serrano chiles, some cilantro, tortillas, and green tomatillo salsa, and I have enough tacos to last me a week.
Obviously it’s not farmer’s market fresh or sustainable farm tasty, but it seems to be on par with or better than anything you’ll find at a Dominick’s or Jewel. Hooray for Emilio and his produce?