AJ’s Purveyor of Fine Foods

The best grocery store with great people and great food. this is the place I go for kombucha and ezekial bread. I love their prepared foods as well!

AJ’s unsweeted tea selection is amazing! With so many flavors and healthy variety and all for under $ 2. There is also a bakery to curb the sweet tooth while drinking grean tea, watermelon tea, southern peach tea but my favorite, tropical tea.

store closed 9÷19÷2012 ***expensive way too expensive

I will miss you.

This review is for the liquor dept.
I must admit, I am impressed. Ed, who took care of our order for some wine we wanted for a party, went above and beyond. He not only helped us place an order for the product which wasnt available, made sure he got in time, called us when it came in and ensured we got the best price for the product.
Also, the man knows his liquor. I feel for his liver :) Jokes apart, he was very knowledgeable about his department and helped me make an informed decision on some other spirits we wanted to get.
Excellent service. I will def be coming back even though I know the prices are slightly on the higher end.

Great for when I want to treat myself or someone else. I go here for Papyrus cards, ahi tuna salad, fresh salsa, and occasionally meals to go. The parmesan chicken from the butcher case is better than I can make myself from scratch.
Excellent customer service as well.

Milk is for babies.
I have been purchasing my package beer from here for a while, so I think I should impose my view on this beer universe.
–Abbaye de St Martin. Brewer is Brasserie De Brunehaut, Belgium. 11.2 fl oz, 9% $ 5.
Poured in to a tulip glass shows a dark brownish hue. Tastes starts up nice with a lot from the aroma. Very boozy with a good mouthfeel.
–Stillwater Artisanal Ale, Cellar Door. $ 12.
German wheat & pale malts then accented with a blend of Sterling & Citra hops. Poured in to a tulip glass is a hazy golden straw color with mild white head, minimal lacing. In the aromas, sage, clove, yeast. Very inviting. Medium bodied mouthfeel. A pleasure to run across your palate.
–Trappistes Rochefort 8. $ 7. Brewed by Brasserie de Rochefort (Abbaye de Notre-​Dame de Saint-​Rémy)
Let me start with an introduction to the abbey. On this spot in St-​Remy we were received. Or we are monk or just pass-​by, here we are not at home, but with God. The monks have the duty to make this spot beautiful and harmonious. The passer-​bys can enjoy the beauty of what it means, to feel God among us. Since the foundation in 1930, the abbey has, through the ups and downs of the ages, known a rich history. This history we can summarize in a few words. Men who leave everything behind to live with God and in that way open the eyes for the Ressurection of the Lord. Saint Benedict has introduced this principles in the VIth century by means of a rule which is observed till today.
Poured into a Trappistes Rochefort Goblet. Hazy dark brown almost the same color as a beer bottle. Lots of sweet caramelized brown sugar, over ripe dark fruits, belgian yeast, slightly boozy. Exceptionally built, subtly complex. A great beer, but not quite as good as other Belgiums.
–Tripel Karmeliet 11.2 fl oz. .8.4% Blond, robust, smooth, and fruity. 3 grain ale.
–Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel 2009. $ 19.99. Score 90. Beautiful spice aromas. Fruit notes of blackberry, and wild berries. Mouthfeel is balanced with soft tannins, good acidity and alcohol.

Great local chain. I try to shop here instead of Whole Foods and not just because its closer to me, but because its nice to support locals for sure.
The quality here is amazing, awesome butcher case (Kobe!), great deli (Boars Head!), great prepared food (pizza is awesome!) and a fantastic bakery.
i try not to go here too often just because its bad for my wallet and my waistline!
Oh, and great beer and wine selection.
I do all my «regular» shopping at Frys or Fresh and Easy and then get the luxury items here.

Love this location because it is so close to my work. We stop by almost daily for a tea and perhaps a sandwhich or some amazing dessert! The ladies in the bakery are always so nice and now know us because we go there so much! So thankful for my refillable AJ’s cup that their fabulous corporate office helped me track down. Love this place!

At AJ’s you can buy fresh baked pizza. Try it. It’s honestly one of best pizza’s you will ever have.
Staff is very nice. Overall great experience.

I love AJ’s, but this one, at 7^th and Thunderbird, is far inferior to the Central and Camelback AJ’s. Not crazy about the staff here, and it just doesn’t have as much cool Whole Foodsy stuff as the midtown location. The salad bar BEYOND BLOWS, too. It’s basically the worst salad bar in the history of salad bars. It’s a «gee, thanks for throwing us salad-​eaters a bone with the mixed greens AND the iceberg. How kind.» salad bar. It’s a «why bother with the big salad box? You can fit everything they feature in the small one» salad bar. It’s a «$ 8.99/lb?! What the?» salad bar.
The wine guys here are always pretty cool and helpful though.

Still where I generally go about once a week for a good wine. a great steak. and the hard to find gourmet. I just feel good at Aj’s… maybe because it reminds me of all the gourmet shops of home. LOVE Aj’s

They sell duck fat in the freezer section.
Really, need I say more?

Nice, smaller location for AJ’s on the West side of the road just south of Thunderbird. Good selection like all AJ“s, but often I find a few hidden gems in the beer or spirits section because this AJ’s can get overlooked due to its normally modest selection. (In other words, people who want the best selection often go to the bigger AJ’s instead!).

Dear AJ’s,
When I worked at the Pointe Hilton at Tapatio Cliffs down the street from you, you were the only thing I had to look forward to in the day. There were a gazillion restaurants I could have eaten at on site, but they all sucked shit and treated other employees like crap for some reason. You were my half hour reprieve from that god forsaken place, where I could escape the whiny assholes who’d come up to the front desk and my puffy-​cheeked manager who’d roll his eyes if I wanted to smoke a cigarette. Remember when I would come in twice almost every single day, once for breakfast, once for lunch and then you’d see me drive by at the end of the day and I’d wave and almost get into a car accident because I wasn’t paying attention to the road? Ahhhhhhh…
You’re the only store in the valley that I know of that sells Cock and Bull ginger beer, quite possibly the best there is in the world, even better than the really good Jamaican stuff. [ *if anyone knows of better ginger beer, cough it up because I am in love with it* ] Your other selections of gourmet sodas were all excellent choices too. I really like your sandwiches, man; they hit the spot just right.
I wish I’d met you under better circumstances. If I hadn’t hated my job, you would have seen me smiling through the aisles. As it was, you probably saw me eyeballing one of your many fine wines, contemplating if I should get drunk and tell my boss to go fuck himself. Don’t worry, I didn’t. I did quit though and immediately celebrated by eating a sandwich outside of you.
I miss you a lot. I don’t really drive my car very much anymore, and if I did drive, no offense, that’s pretty much the last part of town I’d like to be in, aside from obvious ghettos. Perhaps I could move you, brick by brick to a new location that is closer to me? No? That’s fine. If you’re not comfortable, I won’t press it any further.
With that, I just wanted to let you know that I love you. I’m still a member of your sandwich club and have the card in my wallet. It will be used again, old friend.
–Billy

My little one and I stopped in for a sweet treat the other day I let her choose. We had the chocolate mousse cups and my bad I didnt take pics because I couldnt wait to dig in. Working from top to bottom it was in layers. It had a huge fresh strawberry on top it was garnished w some thick chocolate slivers then there was the cream so light and fluffy I mixed it with the mousse at the very bottom there was a small layer of choc cake and the whole thing was in a flower petal shaped cup made completely of choc. The little one could not eat all of hers and it was hard to waste such goodness but I didnt want to overdose. Mental note next time one to share is good. I also bought a few of there decorated pretzels they are such pretty little works of art I want to recreate them and put them on my kitchen walls! The staff is always pleasant here AJ’s has always been a fav of mine I like their catered dessert trays they are always a hit!

That’s too bad, but isn’t it funny that I just wrote a review on Sportsman’s…lol Not a bad replacement in my book.

New info from AJs, they have reconsidered and plans to close this store are currently on hold.
*************************************************************
AJ’s will be closing this location at the end of March 2008.
The currently are planning to replace AJ’s with a Sportsman’s as they bought the name several months ago.

Put it in the baby book. Baby’s first AJ’s. And you’ll always have a special soft place in your heart for your first.
I love that while this location is in a nice part of town, it’s not quite the same level of frou-​frou as many other spots. That means rather than dealing with the Scottsdale types who have to dress up to go to the store — you’re dealing with a greater range of folks — but they are all willing to pay a bit more for the good stuff. I will say, you’ll pay less for a box of cereal or box of triscuits at a Circle K than you will at an AJ’s. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything on sale.
But there is just nothing like their fresh food. Be it produce or the meat section, the colors are brighter, the items are bigger and you just know it’s going to taste better. Their chicken breasts and pork chops are so amazingly good, and so large, you want to eat them all at once, but you just can’t. You have to try some of their pre-​prepped meats. My fav is a pork loin with apple stuffing. Wow.
And of course, great pre-​made foods too if you just want to pick up something to go. I’ve been suckered in to their desert section far too many times. And they are always good. But dang they can be pricy — so it really has to just be a special splurge.
If you haven’t tried an AJ’s yet, I suggest this one to ease you into things. There may be quite a few Lexus in the parking lot, but there won’t be too many Hummers.