If you sit and wait for the day when you can waltz into Whole Foods, throw down a credit card without a care and leave with a mountain of sweet Georgia peaches, plump blackberries, bulk almonds and fresh shrimp, it's time to get off your bum and head way west to A & G.

Located in the Polish- and Mexican-flavored Portage Park neighborhood, the market combines the joy of a place like Stanley's—row upon row of reasonably priced produce—with a freshness that other cheapie veggie markets sometimes lack. And while it's not littered with organic products, its sheer range impresses. Green beans are joined by wax, cranberry, pole, long and fava varieties; packets of blueberries and raspberries sell for $1.50 a pop; and good ol' Michigan apples are joined by ethnic goodies like calabacita (Mexican zucchini), Indian eggplant and (prickly pear cactus).

And while cherries and carrots dominate the central part of the massive store, which is dressed in an Old World decor with faux painted windows and wooden stalls for the produce, they're encircled by a wealth of grocery items. Sausages by Andy's Deli hang along the wall; an island of cheeses dishes up everything from smoked gouda to asiago at Trader Joe's prices; a giant bakery turns out baklava, delicate cakes and robust loaves of rye…and just wait until you get to the shelf after shelf of prepackaged bulk walnuts, wasabi peas, dried mango and pinto beans. While the dry goods and dairy sections house any Mexican or Polish staple you might need, A & G also stocks urbanite-loving items like vitaminwater and Fage yogurt.

Centerstage Reviewer: Kate Schwartz