It's tough to describe Jungle Jim's - it's a huge grocery store with nearly anything you want to find from any where in the world under its roof. It truly is a world marketplace for food items of any kind.
A good friend, Tony Jobe, who lives just outside Cincinnati, told me that if I ever made it over to Cincinnati that I had to go to Jungle Jim's. "You just wouldn't believe the place, Will," Tony told me. So when Cindy and I spent a long weekend in Cincinnati in May of 2005, we went to Jungle Jim's out in the suburb of Fairfield, OH.
Tony was right - I couldn't believe the place. First of all, it's truly a destination. Secondly, it's a grocery store that happens to be a destination. There is such a diversity of foods and culture in the place that it just boggles the mind.
The background of Jungle Jim's is pretty simple - "Jungle" Jim Bonaminio started Jungle Jim's from a roadside market in 1971 and it turned into a humongous grocery store that takes up over four acres. He wanted a grocery store that would be fun for everyone to shop in. I think he's accomplished that and more.
The thing that I liked about Jungle Jim's was the foods from around the world. They have aisles that are dedicated for nothing but English foods, German foods, Mexican foods and many, many more nationalities. They have an area called "The European Village" with rooms dedicated to food from France, Italy, Greece, Ireland and more.
Olive oil? What kind? They have over 60 different types on the shelves.
They have a large Kosher section in the place, too. And there's also an Amish section in Jungle Jim's - full of chicken, eggs, candies, butter and other products made by the Amish in Ohio.
Everything is big at Jungle Jim's - the seafood department (they have tanks in the building that you can look down into to see the fish they have swimming around), the meat department, the deli and the liquor and wine department. Actually, I was a little shocked at some of the high prices of their wine, beer and liquor. A six pack of Belhaven beer was $9.99 - three dollars higher than what I've paid for it in the Quad Cities.
Wine department at Jungle Jim's.
Their produce section is the size of many typical grocery stores. And they have everything in there. Pomegranates, they have 'em. They have over 20 different types of apples to choose from. There's citrus and fruit from Florida and South America. It's amazing.
They also have a big bakery area where they make their own bread, cakes, pastries and other baked goods. It smells wonderful in there.
Jungle Jim's also carries the largest selection of specialty hot sauces that I've come across.
Seafood department at Jungle Jim's.
Jungle Jim's is not one of those places that if you need to run in and get something and get back out in a flash. It's an event, a happening, a destination. It's difficult to shop for less than 30 minutes in the place. Figure on spending an hour, minimum, and walking out with a lot of great food.
Comments