Review: Villa Park Fruit Market

I am so happy I wandered into this place over the weekend. I went into the Villa Park Fruit Market a looong time ago, probably when we first moved in. Back then, it was a hole-in-the-wall ethnic market with a small meat counter and rows of fresh produce. That was then, and now it is sparkling and lovely.

The market underwent a renovation at some point since my last trip in. The store is now spacious, sprawling and impeccably clean. It even features a juice bar, deli, upscale bakery and expansive meat and fish counter. I saw some of the most amazing pastries and cakes available for far less than I would expect to pay. Of course, the main attraction is produce. There are aisles of fresh produce, specializing in in-season items peppered with exotic finds such as prickly pear leaves, aloe vera leaves, jicama, apple pears and more. Best off, it's cheap, cheap, cheap!

I picked up a watermelon for $.99, a dozen eggs for $.99, a large bunch of cilantro for $.40 and a 3-pound bag of onions for $1.49. My entire cart of produce ran me less than $10. Here's a look at just a couple of the items from my cart after I washed everything.

The quality of the produce is great and the price can't be beat. I was impressed by the selection as well. I don't think other items there, such as dried goods, dairy or beverages, are that great of a deal, but that's not where I end up spending the majority of my money anyhow. I'll definitely be heading in again and I would suggest you do too if you're in the area.