AJ’s Fine Foods

June 7^th, late afternoon visit. Mashed potatoes were pretty decent in spite of big chunks of potatoes within and something very sweet in them also. Stoic woman in deli did not know her product and had to call out the chef who was equally dry. One star rating is due to the worst customer service I’ve experienced at any grocery store, including Basha’s. The woman behind the counter at the hot deli, on a Tuesday around 4:00, never broke a smile. My sister asked for rotisserie chicken and was told there were none. I found three in the warmer ready for pick up, when I walked by with the chicken I told the woman, «There are two chickens left in your warmer.» and smiled, she said «What!?» and still never broke her hard face. Check-​out people weren’t much better as they did not make eye contact with myself or my sister, not more than three words, «Your receipt.» were said to us as they were chatting amongst themselves. We and our families won’t go back, EVER!

Food and store are very nice. My review is on the customer service and follow up. My mom ordered a roast beef meal from AJ’s for Christmas dinner. We followed the cooking instructions exactly. After hours in the oven, the meat was barely cooked. Temp was fine in my oven.
So I managed to cut some pieces off and sear them in a pan. But most of the roast was rare and cold.
I emailed AJ’s just to ask about the cooking instructions and got no response. I sent them a msg through FB and a corporate guy said he would send my question to the manager at the store. No response.
So thanks, AJ’s. You sold us a very expensive meal for an important holiday dinner. Your instructions sucked and the meal was sacrificed. Then you can’t even write me back. I wasn’t asking for anything. Just a response. Here are your 2 stars. Thanks for nothing.

We love AJ’s! The specialty food selections are outstanding. We love to get a light dinner and eat on the patio. Tonight we enjoyed soup and salads. The service experience at the deli counter is sort of hit and miss. Tonight they were understaffed. We will be back.
First of all, the service at the deli was much improved since our last visit! Tonight was another fun dinner on the patio! We enjoyed the fountain while enjoying our meal of turkey chili and the NY steak dinner. We will be back!

Shopping at AJ’s can feel like a trip to a beautiful museum. And yes, you will pay for it.
But what I did NOT expect and GOT was food poisoning from AJ’s.
We have now twice picked up food from AJ’s fast food area – Pizza, salad, soup, to take home on the weekends.
And both times we have been sick for days afterwards: stomach aches, diarrhea, gas, etc.
We ate at the outside patio one day a month or so ago and I went to the ladies room in the back. I noticed that an AJ’s employee in the stall next to me put her APRON on the restroom floor while she was going. That alarmed me, but I thought ‘oh well’.
Twice since then my husband and I have been sickened after grabbing a slice of pizza from AJ’s.
This Place is TOXIC: DO NOT EAT fresh food from there! I will never eat their fast food again – how disgusting to be sick for days after eating at such a nice place!

One of my favorite places for a quick bite. Everything from their bakery to their food line is awesome. Sushi and outside grill is simply okay. Their coffee and mix drinks are also delicious. They also specialize in catering for special events. Pasta Thursday’s are amazing from 4pm to 7pm. You can call in pizza orders too for pickup. Their grocery also has specialty items that you can’t find at other places. They also have a really nice patio to sit and relax. I’ve brought my dogs many times with me. Service is always top notch!

AJ’s is one of the best spots to buy specialty products. The produce is always fresh, and some of the items are difficult to find elsewhere. The full-​service meat counter is great. I like that you get options like USDA Prime or Choice, wet and dry aged. There’s a good variety of pretty much everything — sauces, oils, vinegars — you name it.
Finally, the thing I go there for, even when I don’t need anything else, is the duck fat. They have the Rougié brand, 320 grams for about $ 16. Sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t take much for things like pan roasted potatoes, hash browns, etc, and it gives such great flavor.

This place is awesome!!! I had never been inside until last week and boy am I happy I did. This place oozes high quality products; from the decorations, to well the food, obviously.
I got their quinoa salad and chicken flautas and both were delicious! It took a lot of willpower to not want to buy all of their cheese because they have quite an array. They even have a sushi bar inside-​crazy! I will absolutely be going back here ASAP to try all of the other foods they had!

I only come here a few times a year, and it’s straight to the bakery for me. I get all my holiday and birthday desserts here and they are always great. I love that I can get a variety to suit my parties cravings and spend zero time baking and more time with my guests. The chocolate mouse in the chocolate cups is always a staple that everyone loves. You really can’t go wrong here for your parties bakery need.

Very nice grocery store with everything you can think of! We stopped in for Italian sodas and cupcakes this afternoon and were pleasantly surprised by the selection and the reasonable prices.

If you’re looking to purchase your wedding cake from a bakery I recommend looking elsewhere. After calling 2 times in a week and being promised a call back and not receiving any call back, I called a 3^rd time. The man I talked with was rude and dismissive and told me that they would not be able to prepare my cake because it’s within a week of
Valentine’s Day. (February 20^th) If you’re looking for friendly customer service I would recommend going elsewhere. So disappointed.
A note to management: If you won’t make wedding cakes within a week of any holiday, don’t advertise wedding cakes, since 2 weeks out of the month you won’t be able to get a cake. Absurd.
Can’t wait for our tasting with the friendly and accommodating Viro’s Italian Bakery. YUM!

Whole Paycheck … wow. This is spendy place but Stunning. Orgasmic display of food. I can see why the ladies love it.
The staff is super helpful.
Beautiful shopping center at the top of hill overlooking Tucson.
I should come here and lunch sometime.

Love this place. Desserts are incredible and sushi bar is just amazing. Had the AJ’s Caterpillar Roll and will definitely be coming back for that!

The previous review was more for the sushi bar in the left back corner of the store, and now that they have their own Unilocal page I’ll write a review for the grocery store.
AJ’s is not a place one can do all their shopping because it specializes in fine foods and have limited space. For instance, cleaning supplies are limited, but chocolate takes up half an isle and is spread throughout the store. Also, very few would have a budget (or stomach) to eat so much rich food, pun intended.
That said, AJ’s has wonderful foods imported from many places as well as high line domestic producers. I would say European companies dominate, with North American next. Excellent cheese selection, a very good produce section with unusual (compared to Safeway or Fry’s) fruits and vegetables. The staff works hard to remove the old stuff and keep everything fresh. One pays for it, but the benefit is not having to hunt and peck through questionable stuff.
Two areas the store excels. The meat department has a very large array of cuts and qualities of meats (prime and choice), a full butcher shop and one can always request fresh cuts. They can cut a pork loin, or lamb, to almost any size. They even sell something they have called Kobe beef (not sure they still have it), but it is not actually Kobe beef from Japan. Apparently from an American ranch that has some connection to a herd in Japan. This area of the store also has lots of pre-​cooked (mostly birds) items like chicken breasts prepared in 5 or 6 ways, as well as some of the same versions raw that can be cooked at home. Their twice baked potatoes are very good and consistently so.
The second is fully cooked and hot meals, particularly on the weekends. Prime rib (often on holidays), turkey, even duck sometimes I think. For a fixed price one gets the main meat dish, two hot sides and I think one cold. It’s been awhile since I have bought one, but these are a real life saver on last minute hot meals for holidays or special occasions. There is so much food in one serving it is basically feeds two people, or provides left overs (or perhaps one serving if you have to stuff yourself silly or are a big person)!
Other departments are good I’m sure, but I don’t have much experience with them like the wines, bakery or outdoor BBQ. I think their flowers are overpriced for what one gets, and try to avoid picking up anything next to the checkout stands. They have a decent selection of beers which can be purchased by the bottle (most of them), for trial and error.
Oh yeah, they at times have excellent almost homemade soup, usually 3 new selections each day, but it is a real hit or miss so be sure to sample before buying.
Overall a very good shopping experience almost every time, and certainly not like most grocery stores in town. Also the staff is well trained with good management and friendly.

I go here for the iced coffee. Probably the best in town, great flavor and smooth! Also their deli has some delicious food and oven fired pizza. Their deserts are also amazing. I wouldn’t ever buy groceries here as they are EXTREMELY overpriced and owned by the same company as Albertsons and food city, so I’ll go there. The staff is always friendly and they have great catering dishes.

AJ’s selection as a grocer is definitely a bit limited. It feels like half the store is wine/​beer, a good quarter is cheeses, and the rest is just miscellaneous high-​end odds and ends (note: this is a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea). The real gem here, though, is the food counter. You can order incredible sandwiches made-​to-​order, or get pre-​prepared options like various kinds of pasta salad, soups, or green salads. They also have one of the best desserts and pastries in town for very reasonable prices! Everything is so fresh and tastes incredibly gourmet! It’s also a great option for ordering birthday or special occasion cakes. They only get 4 stars because of the limited grocery selection and the generally high prices (with the exception of the desserts/​pastries, which are very fairly priced).

Best grocery store ever.
It is pricey. They had organic strawberries (in season) the most gorgeous red, for $ 9.99. Luckily for me they had some cheaper organic, not as red, strawberries for $ 5… But they also have rare hard to find produce like dragon fruit… Tons of fun cute gifts.
But the real reason to go there is for the bakery, there is almost always a 10 minute wait. But always worth it. I almost always end up with the black and white cake, reminds me of one from home, so moist, not too chocolatey. Then I’ve got to get my strawberry lemonade. Though check out their always changing flavored ice teas!
They’ve got sushi, paninis but honestly, I couldn’t tell you a thing about them… I just can’t go there without getting a slice of pizza. And the biggest regret you can make is not getting the daily special. It may sound weird, gross… But I promise you, these ppl know what they are doing.
Then to sit outside and see the mountains… It’s just stunning.
Oh, and a wide selection of beer… Which you can drink on the patio as well!!!

I was visiting a friend from out of town and we stopped at AJ’s to grab some wine and cheese. This place was my heaven. Walls and walls of nice bottles of wine, a whole section devoted to gourmet cheese, a floral department and a dessert bakery. I could have spent hours in there. I felt like a child in a toy store. I wish AJ’s would expand to the East coast.

Is there a better grocery store than AJs? NO WAY! I have been a fan of AJs for years. They have a great selection of specialty items as well as everyday essentials. I think my favorite part however, is the prepared food selection and the flowers. From sushi and sandwiches to delicious nightly dinner entrees and a bakery to die for. Ive been getting their iced teas for years. if you like it, invest in a refillable up 75 cents for a refill will help you kick that expensive Starbucks habit.

Good luck getting out of here without spending twice as much as you intended, but how can you regret those last-​minute melt-​in-​your-​mouth coconut macaroons? A slice of spicy Italian sausage pizza the size of an Ultimate Frisbee? A bag of tender, succulent Guaymas shrimp? A hot-​house orchid for your sweetie? I challenge you to remain in a blue mood faced with counter upon gleaming counter stocked to overflowing with rare morsels, dainty baked gems, and the best selection of import beers north of Sunrise. I sometimes feel guilty munching a $ 4 black and white cookie on the lovely patio if I ponder privation in the world, but what a way to forget.

Like many here, I’d never shop here every day. However, I really think they assume people will have a different everyday store, they know what they are.
They’re the only place I’m aware of outside of Costco to grab Prime rated steak, they’ve got at least one weird, ultra boutique version of most of your normal groceries, and go ask the incredibly friendly wine attendant for personalized pairings.
Yes, you’ll pay a small fortune for some of the stuff, but it’s nearly always worth it. Plus sometimes you’ll see a small of herd of rich, spoiled little kids running behind a harried-​looking nanny screaming for this or that. It’s pretty funny.