Image of Cincinnati cityscape at night.
Food - Drink
Why Ohio's Hidden Gem Grocery Store Jungle Jim's Is A Must-Visit
By ERICA MARTINEZ
Everyone has a favorite place to go grocery shopping, and for those living in Ohio, that store might just be Jungle Jim’s International Market. Despite only having two locations in the Cincinnati area, each store has over a whopping 200,000 square feet of shopping area and offers more than 180,000 products.
When visiting the original Jungle Jim's in Fairfield, you may think you’re at a theme park: there’s an elevated monorail protruding from the store, plus life-sized fiberglass zoo animals lounging beside a waterfall behind a gated space, and the ceiling is also painted to look like the sky. The store even offers free tours to new visitors.
CEO Jim Bonaminio gets most of his decor from other stores practically for free and repurposes them, and in addition to the typical American grocery store findings, Jungle Jim’s has an international section that sells hundreds of items from over 70 countries. For starters, you’ll find over 1,400 global cheeses sold at the store.
You'll also find over 800 kinds of produce, over 17,000 wines and 4,000 beers, and whole sections dedicated to toys, honey, hot sauce, and cookware. Jungle Jim’s even hosts events like cigar nights, pint nights, wine tastings, wedding receptions, and a cooking school, and the company also has its own weekly podcast.