'Utter Disappointment' — This Gourmet Aldi Pasta Is Turning Customers Off In Droves

Aldi may be known primarily as a budget grocery chain, with each cart-full slashing your weekly shopping bill, but that doesn't mean that there aren't luxurious items to be found on the store's shelves. By selling over 90% private-label products, the company is able to offer a wide variety of foods while still keeping its prices quite low. There aren't many stores where a $100 grocery haul could feed a family for a week anymore, but Aldi is one of them. That said, not every item for sale in Aldi is a winner, and there is one seemingly gourmet product in particular that has left many shoppers deeply disappointed: the Priano Lobster Ravioli.

At first glance, this fresh pasta looks like it should be an absolute gem. For starters, the appearance is stunning. The pasta itself is decorated with bars of red and yellow, giving it a show-stopping appearance on the plate. Beyond the looks, though, there is the simple fact that it is a 9-ounce package of fresh pasta selling for, at times, less than two dollars, depending on location. And, finally, the filling in the ravioli is, well, lobster, paired with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. With all of those factors combined — the luxurious filling, the rock-bottom price, and the spectacular appearance — this product should be absolutely flying off the shelves. And, indeed, it did draw plenty of interest from shoppers. Unfortunately, while lobster-stuffed ravioli tends to steal the spotlight no matter what table it ends up on, this Aldi-brand product simply doesn't deliver on that promise.

"The nicest thing I can say is that it was edible," wrote one Redditor of the Priano Lobster Ravioli, "aside from that it was a complete and utter disappointment." In their comment, they went on to explain that they are a great lover of ravioli, but that this product had a strange fruity flavor to it, and they ended up throwing most of it out. Another commenter echoed the sentiment, stating, "It was almost gross. Edible, but almost not." For them, the taste was both overly fishy and strangely sweet, not an ideal combination for, well, anything. The concept that these ravioli only just barely cross the threshold into the territory of foods that are actually edible is a common refrain across the internet.

As disparaged as these Priano Lobster Ravioli might be in many circles, however, there are some out there singing their praises. "I'm usually not a fan of lobster ravioli but I give this 4.5 out of 5 stars!" Writes one Facebook user. "It was really good!" Even in that original Reddit thread, there were a few fans mixed in among the many detractors. One commenter even went so far as to say, "I REALLY wish I had bought every single 50% off one the store had and frozen the ones I didn't cook. It was extremely tasty."

Perhaps the conundrum here is simply a case of getting what you pay for. There may be a reason that you don't see too many budget-friendly lobster options out there. We won't blame you if curiosity wins out, and you pick up a pack to see for yourself — it is awfully inexpensive, after all. For us here, though, we'll stick to our homemade lobster and mascarpone ravioli.