Kings Food Markets — Local services in Millburn

Yes it's expensive! BUT.... (big but here...lol), it does serve a purpose and it has it's perks. I kind of look at Kings as the first class seat of supermarkets. So, being that it is more expensive than other supermarkets, especially the surrounding supermarkets in this area, there is barely ever a crowd... Even during the C19 era this market stayed relatively empty compared to any other store you can think of. It's amazing that being expensive ironically gives you a perk of low traffic... lol.

Another thing is their meats and produce. Yes, some meats are just expensive, and maybe they might be better quality than most, but I've been getting steaks from here for a very long time. I have to say that it's pretty tough to beat their quality. Shoprite and Stop & Shop can't do it. Costco is pretty good bang for your buck. Need a Dry Aged? No prob, it costs just as much as a butcher. The thing is, I do check the circular every week and they still have really good sales on their meats, particularly the steaks. For instance, I just got some Choice NY Strips for $10.99 with great marbling. I put them bad boys on the grill the other day and I guarantee it will beat the brakes off of a prime you can get at Shoprite, although their primes are not bad at all. In this case, I would rather have this Kings steak on sale than a prime at Shoprite at regular. With that being said, Kings having a sale is the key. I only go buy meats and produce when they have a sale. A little secret though, there are some more 'cuisine' type meat selections that are a dollar or two cheaper than any store at regular price. I found it Kings, nice try.. lol

Produce is tricky. My experience is the fruits and veggies definitely last longer than the other stores with the exception of Whole Foods.. Since there is a Whole Foods close by I may pick up sales from both stores if time permits. With that being said, the produce is comparatively excellent in my opinion to the other stores, although Shoprite does okay with the organics. Honestly, the organics at Shoprite and Stop n Shop are sometimes more expensive or just as. Whole Foods seems to be the most consistent with organic prices but Kings will have that thing or 2 every now and then worth picking up on sale.

As far as the bakery there is no contest. Kings is the king. Their fresh baked cakes are superior to the other markets. Seems these other markets like to slather their cakes with that thick icing, which is cool if that's your thing, but the quality/price point of the Kings cakes for birthdays or other special events cannot be beat.

Cheeses are another thing. Great selection. I'm not a chees wiz (haha) but they do have great customer help when it comes to this department. Some brand cheeses I do recall were more expensive here than what you can get somewhere else but at least you have someone to explain what cheese is great for what and the selection is expansive. There may be a cheese you get here that you cannot get anywhere else.

Customer service is top notch. Never had a bad experience here and the people are more than helpful. I think it helps that the employee to customer ratio is lower that other stores but that's not the entire story of course.

So this is the cherry on top for me. Putting this all together, I do shop more at the other neighboring supermarkets. For me, this is not a "shop for everything" type store (I stay away from the middle isles 80 percent of the time). I have the Kings app, at least they still show a weekly online circular (Take that Whole Foods... sheesh). They normally have some good digital coupons. Just the other day I accumulated enough points to get $15 off when I spend $15 or more. Every now and then, I will get a 5 or 10 buck coupon that I can apply to my shopping. The app is more user friendly than most (definitely more than Whole Foods) So this is a very solid experience when I need to know what I can get before I go.

Yeah, so Kings for me is like a periodic first class flight. I still fly coach most of the time...

Oh, what fun!! Our group of 15 ladies enjoyed cooking with our Chef Theresa Merges & 2 helpers, Judy & Diane. We walked into the Kings of Short Hills Culinary Studio to a lovely tray of assorted cheeses, crackers and chocolates, coffee, tea, water (sparkling & flat). We put on our aprons, divided ourselves into 5 groups to prepare and cook 5 dishes. Chef Theresa explained our menu and how we were going to prepare each dish. Our menu was Grilled Eggplant Napoleons, Greek Lamb Meatballs with Tzatziki, Sauteed Halibut ala Orange topped with Seared Shrimp, Arugula Salad with Beets & Crispy Goat Cheese and Orange Vinaigrette. To top off the afternoon, we made Mini Key Lime Pies!

We were given all the ingredients, set up in different areas and off we went! We all participated in the chopping, mincing, mixing, measuring, sauteing, plating and eating! The Chef and the helpers came around to make sure we had the right equipment to prepare our dishes, knives, bowls, graters, mixing spoons and spatulas. They showed us how to use certain knives and gave us pointers to create professional dishes. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed our delicious meal. All allergies & personal preferences were accommodated. There was a lot of laughter and camaraderie.

This was our second time cooking at Kings Culinary Studio. We worked with the Chef to choose our own menu. I know we...

So one of the girls put this cooking class together so was looking forward to it. We paid $75 each. When I arrived I realized the cooking class took place inside the supermarket. When I walked in somone walked me to the culinary area. I was greeted, signed in and the lady took my temperature. The instructor Steve and his assistants had masks on the whole time and so did we.

We were making seafood dishes: clam chowder, risotto, crab stuffed shrimp, slaw, cod and a butter cream cake. Each of us paired up to make each dish and when finished we packed it up so we could bring it home due to Covid. The class was very hands on and Steve was very thorough and quick with each station. We made everything from scratch which was a first for me. When I got home I ate. I had to add a little season salt to some items but it wasn't bad. The chef really didn't push for us to add to much salt. We did a good job as a group. It was definitely...