I Drive 45 Minutes Just for These “Perfect” $2 Potato Chips

Last winter, on a weekend trip to Chicago, I found myself wandering into a local dispensary and discovering my new favorite strain of Lay’s potato chips. The second I spotted cucumber chips on the store shelves, I knew I had to secure a bag. I’m the type who fully bought into the recent dill pickle trend, and so I was ecstatic (and maybe even slightly skeptical) to see the OG snack brand go back to cucumber basics. 

It’s safe to say I was all-in from the first bite. There’s a certain set of flavors I’ve come to expect from snacks (standard condiment-inspired ones, like barbecue, sour cream, and ranch), and Lay’s cucumber chips are in a completely different class. So ever since my trip, I’ve been on the hunt to find them. (I promise, this story has a happy ending.) 

A friend suggested I visit the Asian grocery store JMart, and so I phoned another friend and made a little day trip out of it. It took us about 45 minutes to drive to the nearest JMart in Flushing, Queens (if you live outside of New York City or Chicago though, you can order them online). 

After I spent even more minutes searching for the snack aisle, Cucumber Lay’s and I were finally reunited.

If you like sweet and salty, these chips bring a whole new dimension to this combo. They’re crisp, cool, and unexpectedly perfect in the best way. Something about their flavor leaves a cooling sensation on my tongue, which perhaps explains why I have to stop myself from polishing off an entire bag in one sitting. 

Unlike an actual cucumber, the sweetness in these chips is very pronounced, and it’s coupled with just the right amount of savory you’d expect from a really good chip. The fundamental cucumber flavor is in there and distinguishable, but altered. It’s almost like eating a half-sour pickle (minus the sour). 

They’re delicious on their own and have made the perfect snack for when I need something fun and satisfying to unwind with. I’ve never even thought about pairing them with anything, but I could see them working alongside a pastrami sandwich and a side of cole slaw, and maybe even with a few swigs of Sprite. 

Driving just short of an hour for Cucumber Lay’s is well worth it — a total win, considering I don’t have to book a flight back to Chicago to enjoy them. Even better, each crisp-cool bite feels like a small souvenir from that long weekend away. 

Buy: Lay’s Cucumber Potato Chips, $2.29 for 2.46 ounces at Yami

Do you travel far for certain groceries? Tell us about it in the comments below.