Jungle Jim’s (4450 Eastgate South Drive, Cincinnati, OH) is the greatest supermarket in America.
Imagine waking up one day and thinking: “you know what, I’m not satisfied with the boring local supermarket.” “I want a market that has the most diverse selection of foods & beverages imaginable, including exotic foods from faraway lands, and I want the experience to be fun for the entire family.” I imagine that is what Jungle Jim thought when he got the idea for the Jungle Jim’s supermarkets in Fairfield and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Now imagine a food store as huge as a Walmart, featuring every type of food you can imagine (and some you cannot), decorated with gorillas, rhinos, real airplanes, 50′ dragons, and 1960’s cultural icons. Imagine a Whole Foods + a Wegmans + a Trader Joe’s + a liquor store + a cigar store + Disney Land, and that is Jungle Jim’s.
Don’t believe me? Check these stats:
- Five isles of hot sauce, with a real fire engine parked amongst it to get your attention.
- Two or three long aisles of soda pop (they call it pop in Ohio).
- A candy section as big as a house.
- Isles and isles of craft, international, and big-brand beers, and wines.
- Five or six isles of International foods.
- Need candy shaped like a toilet from Japan? They got it.
- Need Jelly Babies from England? They got it.
- Need Licorice Cats from Holland because that is the old thing that cures your gout? They got it.
- Need some “century eggs” or bird nest soup from China? They got it.
- Need some lollipops with crickets or ants inside them? They got those.
- Need a hookah pipe? They got those too.
Whenever I’m in the Cincinnati area I fill my entire car trunk with unusual foods, snacks, and pop from Jungle Jim’s. It makes the 10-hour trip all the more worthwhile.
Foodie Entrance:
Restrooms:
Why, yes, they do have 5 isles of hot sauce:
A random display devoted to 1960’s musicians? Sure, why not:
Coke R2-D2: