AldiWhat to buy and bring home

Aldi is a German grocery discounter: first of all a grocery store, mostly store brands, with prices lower than regular supermarkets. The most interesting categories are sweets and chocolate, snacks, coffee and tea, and inexpensive store-brand hygiene, skincare and vitamins. There is also a small home and kitchen section. But the main draw is the Aldi Finds aisle.

At Aldi it is easier to find European products with a more familiar taste: German chocolate, cheeses, baked goods. Twice a year, in spring and fall, there is German Week, a week of German foods from the Deutsche Küche line.

Aldi is very popular in Europe and less widespread in the US, though it is growing fast: in 2026 the chain is opening more than 180 stores and reaching almost 2,800 locations, with new ones appearing in the Southeast and West. Aldi has been in California since 2016, mostly in the south of the state: Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties and the Inland Empire. I have only seen Aldi in California in Los Angeles.