Aldi opens in Great Neck, NY: A Game-Changing Grocery Store. The new Aldi in Great Neck, NY is stocked with Black Angus Choice steaks, Italian Pasta choices at prices your regular supermarket can't touch - and European pantry finds like Biscoff Spread that disappear fast. Here's exactly what to buy and how to cook it.
Wondering how Aldi stacks up against Lidl? Read my full Lidl vs. Aldi: Two European Grocers, One Clear Winner breakdown.
The closest Lidl to Great Neck is just a short drive away - check out my Lidl in Fresh Meadows, Queens: My Favorite Finds at This European Grocery Gem or another European grocery haul worth reading.
Great Neck Just Got a New Store: Aldi
If you live on Long Island, you already know that grocery shopping can feel like a premium sport. So when Aldi quietly soft-opened its brand-new Great Neck location at 38 Great Neck Road (right next to Planet Fitness) on April 22, 2026 - ahead of its originally anticipated summer debut - the neighborhood noticed. The grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 8:30 a.m., and the first 200 shoppers will receive a Golden Ticket worth up to $100, plus bags filled with Aldi goodies and free shopping totes.
This is Aldi's 19th Long Island location - and if you've never shopped at one before, you're in for a genuine surprise. This isn't your average grocery store. It's a finely tuned European retail machine that delivers real-food quality at prices that will make you question everything you've been paying at the regular supermarket.
Aldi Grand Opening Ceremony
Anticipation is building in the neighborhood as Aldi prepares to open its doors, giving local shoppers an early first look during a soft opening on Wednesday, April 22. The celebration continues with an official grand opening ceremony on Thursday, where the first 200 customers through the doors will receive complimentary gift bags and "Golden Tickets" loaded with Aldi gift cards worth up to $100.
The roughly 21,000-square-foot store is designed around Aldi's no-frills, efficiency-first model, offering a streamlined layout and a curated mix of everyday essentials at wallet-friendly prices for nearby residents.
The European Model: Why Aldi Is Different From Every Other Grocery Store
Aldi was founded in Germany in 1946 by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht, and it pioneered what the industry now calls the hard-discount model - a philosophy built on radical simplicity, ruthless efficiency, and obsessive quality control
Here's what sets it apart from every other store on Long Island:
- Limited SKU count - Aldi carries only about 1,650 core items versus the 30,000-50,000 SKUs at a typical American supermarket. Fewer choices = lower overhead = lower prices.
- 90%+ private label - Over 90% of Aldi's products are its own brands, eliminating national brand marketing costs and passing the savings directly to you.
- Streamlined store layout - Aisles are designed for speed and efficiency, with products often sold directly from their shipping boxes.
- No fancy frills - You bag your own groceries, bring a quarter for your cart, and skip the loyalty card circus. Every operational simplification translates to price savings.
- Quality-first private label - Aldi recently rebranded its entire private label portfolio, now placing the Aldi name front and center on packaging - a signal of full confidence in product quality.
This model originated in postwar Germany and has since expanded across Europe and the United States. In the UK, Aldi is planning to add 80 new stores over the next two years with a £300M investment. Great Neck is now part of this global retail story.
Does Aldi Have Kosher Food?
Good news for Great Neck shoppers - yes, Aldi carries kosher products. Given that Great Neck has one of the most prominent Jewish communities on Long Island, this is especially relevant for local shoppers wondering whether Aldi fits their dietary needs.
Aldi offers a selection of kosher-certified products, and the availability can vary by location and season. The Great Neck store is well-positioned to serve the community's needs, and Aldi's kosher offerings tend to appear throughout the store - from pantry staples to seasonal and holiday items.
For the most current list of kosher-certified products available at your local Aldi, you can check Aldi's official kosher FAQ page directly, which is updated regularly. As with all Aldi specialty finds, availability can move quickly - so when you spot a kosher item you love, it's worth stocking up.
Why You Need a Quarter for Aldi Carts
Aldi requires a 25-cent deposit to use its shopping carts as part of a cost-saving system that keeps prices low. By unlocking a cart with a quarter and returning it yourself to get the coin back, shoppers help eliminate the need for employees to gather carts across the parking lot. This simple system reduces labor costs, which is one of the many ways Aldi keeps groceries more affordable compared to traditional supermarkets.
Biscoff, Speculoos, and the European Pantry Aisle
One of the most beloved aspects of Aldi is its rotating "ALDI Finds" section - a weekly-changing assortment of specialty and seasonal products, often straight from Europe. This is where you'll find Belgian chocolate, German spaetzle, French mustard, and one of the most talked-about European pantry items in the world: Biscoff Spread.
What Is Biscoff - and Is It the Same as Speculoos?
If you've ever wondered what Biscoff actually is, or why it tastes so different from any other spread on the shelf, the short answer is: it's made entirely from Speculoos biscuits - the caramelized, cinnamon-spiced cookies with roots in Belgian and Dutch baking tradition. The full deep-dive is at What Is Biscoff? on whatsinthepan.com.
And yes - Biscoff and Speculoos are essentially the same thing, with Biscoff being the brand name by Lotus Bakeries and Speculoos being the broader European cookie category. Aldi carries its own Speculoos-style version under its private label for around $2.19, compared to $4+ for the name-brand Lotus Biscoff.
How to Actually Use Biscoff Spread
The spread is far more versatile than toast. A complete guide to how to use Biscoff Spread covers every application - from swirling it into cheesecake batter, to layering it in no-bake bars, to using it as a frosting base or ice cream topping.
If you grab a jar at Great Neck Aldi, here's what to make first:
- Biscoff Lava Cookies - molten-centered cookies with a Biscoff core. One of the most shareable desserts on the site.
- Biscoff Tiramisu - a European mashup that makes perfect use of those Speculoos biscuits as the base layer instead of ladyfingers. Pictured below.
- Biscoff Butter and Chocolate Chunk Cookies - rich, deeply spiced cookies with pools of dark chocolate. These are the recipe to make when you want to show off.
Aldi's Italian Pasta Selection Is Surprisingly Legit
Aldi's pasta aisle punches well above its price point. Their Specially Selected line includes bronze-die cut pasta, which gives the noodles a rougher, more porous surface-exactly what you want for sauce to actually cling to instead of sliding off.
You'll find classic shapes like rigatoni, pappardelle, and penne, along with dried pasta made with semolina flour, the same high-protein wheat used by Italian producers. It's not De Cecco, but it's closer than you'd expect for the price.
For a great selection of great pasta recipes and pasta cooking techniques, head to The Complete Guide to Pasta Recipes and 10 Best Pasta Recipes For Any Night of The Week.
Great Selection of Bacon at ALDI Great Neck
One of the big standouts at the new ALDI in Great Neck is the bacon section, especially anything under the Appleton Farms label. Appleton Farms is one of those ALDI brands that quietly does a little bit of everything on the meat side, from everyday bacon to ham slices and pre-cut pancetta, so it's easy to build a full breakfast or brunch board from just that one brand.
If you're a bacon person, their center-cut and thick-sliced options are where things get really interesting.
Beyond bacon, Appleton Farms also does convenient salty staples like pre-sliced boneless ham and ready-to-use cured meats, which makes the Great Neck ALDI an easy one-stop shop if you're putting together breakfast sandwiches, charcuterie-style snack boards, or quick weeknight pastas.
I highly recommend to use this excellent bacon on Grilled BBQ Chicken and Bacon Skewers (pictured below).
The Steaks: The Real Reason to Shop Aldi's Meat Section
Here is where Aldi genuinely surprises people. The meat case carries Black Angus Choice grade beef at prices significantly below traditional supermarkets - and several cuts have developed a serious cult following. Aldi steaks are predominantly USDA Choice grade, one level below Prime, but entirely appropriate for home cooking when your technique is dialed in.
At whatsinthepan.com, I've built a complete steak resource library for exactly this reason: you don't need Prime beef if you know how to cook. Start with the best cuts of steak for pan-searing - a guide that maps every cut to the right cooking method, including everything you'll find in Aldi's meat case.
You can learn How to Cook Sirloin Steak (Pan-Seared, Juicy Every Time) here (pictured below).
Steak Cuts Available at Aldi
| Cut | Notes | Best Cooking Method |
|---|---|---|
| Top Sirloin Steak | Lean, versatile, ~$10.99/lb; great blank canvas for marinades | Pan-sear, cast iron |
| Petite Sirloin | 3-pack, ~½ inch thick, fast and even cooking | High-heat sear, 2 min/side |
| Black Angus Choice Ribeye | Rich marbling, buttery flavor; 6-pack ~$17.50 | Cast iron, reverse sear |
| Black Angus Top Sirloin | Large family-size portion | Pan-sear or grill |
| Grass-Fed Ribeye | Available periodically; leaner with deep beefy flavor | Medium-rare only |
| Skirt / Flank-Style Thin Cuts | Great for quick weeknight meals and marinades | High-heat, fast sear |
How to Cook Every Aldi Steak
Aldi gives you excellent-value beef. The recipes and technique guides below close the gap between a $10/lb sirloin and a steakhouse experience.
Step 1: Nail the Fundamentals First
Before you cook any Aldi steak, two foundational guides will make every cook better:
- How to Cook Steak Perfectly Every Time - Pan-Sear Method - This is the master technique guide. Dry brine, high-heat cast iron, butter basting, resting. Everything you need to know in one place.
- Steak Doneness Temperatures - A complete reference for internal temps from rare to well-done, because guessing doneness is what separates a great cook from a frustrated one.
Step 2: Choose the Right Method for Your Cut
For Sirloin (Top Sirloin & Petite Sirloin)
Sirloin is the most underrated steak cut - lean, flavorful, and budget-friendly. For Aldi's Top Sirloin, use the classic pan-sear method with a hot cast iron and a butter-herb baste. The full recipe is at Sirloin Steak.
For a dressed-up sirloin dinner with a classic French-style sauce, Steak Diane is the recipe - a pan-seared sirloin finished with a cognac, cream, and Worcestershire sauce that comes together in the same skillet. It's pure French bistro energy with an Aldi price tag.
For a bold, pepper-crusted preparation, Peppercorn Steak uses sirloin as the canvas for one of the most satisfying pan sauces in the French tradition.
For Ribeye (Black Angus Choice & Grass-Fed)
Ribeye is the highest-marbled cut in Aldi's rotation - buttery, rich, and self-basting as it cooks. For thick-cut ribeyes, why reverse searing is actually brilliant explains the low-and-slow-then-sear method that gives you perfect edge-to-edge doneness - and when it's actually not worth the extra time (thin steaks like Aldi's 6-pack ribeyes don't need it).
For a weeknight showstopper using any Aldi steak cut, Garlic Butter Steak Bites in Rich Herb Butter Sauce takes a single ribeye or sirloin, cubes it, and sears the pieces in a garlicky herb butter until golden. It's one of the highest-converting recipes on the site - and it works brilliantly with Aldi's value cuts.
For Skirt Steak & Thin-Cut Flank-Style Cuts
Aldi's thin-sliced beef cuts are made for marinades and fast searing. The Chimichurri Marinated Flank Steak recipe is your playbook here - a bold Argentine herb sauce does double duty as marinade and serving sauce, and the high-heat sear takes under 5 minutes per side.
Step 3. Master the Pan Sauce
After you've seared your Aldi steak, don't touch those fond-covered drippings in the pan. That brown crust at the bottom is pure flavor, and Pan Sauces 101 teaches you exactly how to deglaze it into a silky restaurant-worthy sauce in under 5 minutes. This is the single technique that elevates discount beef into a proper dinner (Steak Diane for Two and Steak Au Poivre.
The Complete Aldi Dinner Game Plan
For the full picture of how to turn an Aldi haul into a week of exceptional dinners, browse the Steak Dinner Recipes, 10 Healthy Shrimp Recipes (Low Carb, Low Calorie, High Protein) and Best Chicken Thigh Recipes (Easy & Incredibly Juicy) collections on whatsinthepan.com - these round-ups everything from quick weeknight pans to weekend dinner party centerpieces, all with techniques that work perfectly on Choice-grade beef, any chicken or shrimp.
Steak Diane pictured below.
The Aldi Shopping Strategy for Home Cooks
If you're heading to the new Great Neck Aldi, here's a practical game plan:
- Buy meat in bulk when it's there - Aldi's meat supply rotates. When you see grass-fed ribeyes or a family-pack of sirloins, buy extra and freeze. The packaging is freezer-safe.
- Check the ALDI Finds aisle first - European imports like Biscoff Spread, specialty cheeses, and imported cookies move fast.
- Trust the private label - With 90%+ of the store being Aldi's own brand, you're not settling - you're buying a product the company stakes its entire reputation on.
- Pair Aldi meat with steak techniques - The right sear, the right temperature, and the right rest time is what closes the gap between $10/lb and $30/lb steak.
The Bottom Line
The Aldi Great Neck opening isn't just a new grocery store on the Plaza - it's the arrival of a 70-year-old European retail philosophy that has quietly outperformed traditional supermarkets across three continents. Whether you're picking up a jar of Speculoos spread for a Biscoff Tiramisu or stocking your freezer with Black Angus sirloin for a weeknight pan-seared steak dinner, Aldi gives Long Island home cooks serious quality leverage at a price that makes sense.
And when you get home with that steak? You know where to find the recipes.
Want to see what's happening at Lidl next door in Queens? Head over to Lidl in Fresh Meadows, Queens: My Favorite Finds at This European Grocery Gem!
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