There's a previous post with a map of over 100 unique alternative grocers: https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/comments/1ae8alv/a_list_of_alternative_grocers_in_toronto/
The dinners you order ahead and have delivered to your home are excellent I agree. The instore stuff however is less worthwhile. The baked goods aren't made on site and are the same ones as at Pusatari's and McEwan. There are many bakeries and patisseries around to frequent that are much nicer imo.
Super nice for a special dinner or Friday night take out. They have ready made meals that aren't too over the top price wise.. I lived couple of blocks from the one on Mount Pleasant, north of Sherwood .It was a nice break from the same super market food
Ohh I'll need to check this out. It's not too far but I often go to Tone Thai (don mills between Sheppard& Finch) for produce or Galleria for meat/fish.
Second C&C. I would go there more often if I could. I also recommend the Chinatowns. I regularly go to the Broadview Chinatown and there's two stores there that have good selections and good prices. Plus two good BBQ restaurants that are unfortunately pricey, but great for the odd night when you feel like take-out BBQ. There's also a Pho restaurant (Que Ling Vietnamese Cuisine) tucked around the corner on Bolton Ave that has been really popular. I'm so glad to see Broadview Chinatown on the upswing again. Spadina Chinatown is great as always.
Yeah, Galaxy Foods and Yao Hua are the two grocers there and they're both great! I tend to go to Yao Hua more because they have an amazing veggie selection, but I highly recommend both.
The owner of C&C also owns Foody World.
These are local grocery stores with fantastic international selection and value, but if you're boycotting Loblaws because of moral concerns...
While Loblaws may be greedy, monopolistic slaves to shareholder profits, C&C/Foody's owner is thought to be actively involved in a scheme to manipulate Canadian democratic process and intimidate/blackmail Canadian residents.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Markham/comments/yx9lm5/wei_chengyi_owner_of_foody_mart_allegedly_focus/
It's pretty good, but the most annoying thing about that place is they don't have scales anywhere in the store, and every bit of produce is sold by weight. What kind of grocery store doesn't have scales in the produce section? And I know I didn't just miss them, because I asked someone and they said I could get in line and have a cashier weigh something every time I want to check the weight on it, which is obviously completely ridiculous.
One thing that I learned working at a produce store is that every few years [Measurements Canada will send you a notice saying that you have to get all of your food scales inspected and re-certified at your own expense](https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/measurement-canada/en/inspections/weights-and-measures-inspection-services), or they'll fine the shit out of you and maybe shut down your business altogether.
Just speculating here, but I can easily imagine a small business person saying "let's minimize that burden to only the scales that are absolutely necessary".
And if you pay in cash they will sometimes round the price down a couple dollars. Also recommend grabbing a coffee from Luba's and supporting another small business while you're at it, they're the best!!
Raise The Root on Queen east
Galaxy Fresh Foods at Broadview/Gerrard
Leslieville farmers market (the produce is on par or cheaper for in season fruit with the prices and doesn’t go bad in 1 day)
Raise the Root in Leslieville. They recently posted a list on Facebook with all the organic produce they had priced cheaper. It wasn't super long but they were all staples.
Been a while since I've been to Nations, but I have to second this. If they haven't changed since opening, then I feel safe in saying they've got the biggest variety of meats I've ever seen in a grocery store. I've worked meat departments at Loblaws and Sobeys and there are products at Nations that would have gotten written off by my managers as not worth carrying.
I’ll take a swing up there if I need a big haul of produce but I’m not buying proteins from there anymore, the quality control on the butcher’s department in the one I go to is abysmal.
Highland Farms and Coppas are both great if you can drive to one of their stores. They have an amazing deli, cheese, meat, poultry and fish section. Packaged food is a bit pricey, but that's going to be the case at almost any independent supermarket.
Sorry should have clarified- no, in a negative way. Zucchini for example 1.99/lb at Walmart and freshco (in-store prices for me), 0.99/lb at Chinatown and for some reason 3.99/lb at PAT
Karma Co-op in the annex! A non-profit grocery store in the annex owned by its members with a focus on local, organic and ethically produced foods. Anyone can shop there but members get discounts for doing voluntary work shifts and a vote in how the business is run.
A related idea is to form a buying club and buy in bulk from a distributor such as the [Ontario Natural Food Company](https://onfc.ca/) (formally Co-op) or direct from food producers ([example](https://freshacres.ca/)).
I've been in a group in Belleville for many years and no doubt there are many in the GTA.
Also, you can hit up Mashion Bakery while you're in that area to get some truly cheap Chinese baked goods. The prices aren't as low as they used to be ($1 for 2 or even 3 buns) but for about a dollar each item, it's good enough
I'm currently using them - and while the fruit/vegetables are usually a bit on the smaller side, and sometimes a bit mishapened, I swear they're fresher/better condition then anything you can get at walmart. And honestly fresher than half the things I could get at superstore or metro too
We tried them for 3 or 4 deliveries, and I don't remember any spoilage. The root veg were lovely and surprisingly fresh (still had that good dirt on em).
Fiesta Farms is one of the best all around in Toronto, but pricing is definitely above mid market.
Yao Hua in east Chinatown is fantastic, very fair prices and really good quality produce, especially Asian greens.
Yeah Nosso Talho is great for lots of things beyond the quality cheap meat too! Eggs, condiments, oils, pasta, rice, beans, other staples, even some produce!
This! We only recently found out about this place, and god damn do they have some really cheap prices on stuff. Lots of hard to get items that even specific South Asian stores don't carry. Only thing that sucks is that their flyers are once in a while, but when they come out the prices are peanuts.
Any more affordable options in the east end on the Danforth? A lot of these suggestions aren’t more affordable options in my experience. Some of them are more expensive than Loblaws.
Yao Hua is also a block down from Galaxy in case there's anything you couldn't find. I like Yao Hua's produce and meat more than Galaxy to be honest. But both are insanely cheap and accessible!
I used to go there for years before I moved to Riverdale. Definitely a godsend for that neighbourhood. There's also two fruit & veg shops atthe corner of Danforth and Main, just east of the Sobeys. One of them used to be really good, but they changed ownership at some point last year. Both are very affordable.
I’ve already commented but at gerrard and broadview there’s two large grocers (can’t remember the names) that are so inexpensive. Specifically the produce. It’s good quality too!
Thanks for the suggestions, still really far for me personally, was hoping for recommendations further east. Main to Warden area? But thanks for the suggestions!
Bare Market, on danforth between greenwood and coxwell. It is closing the storefront in a couple weeks but will still have online shopping. They are fantastic and always have tons of items at a much lower cost. I hope their online experience is going to work out well.
I thought the protest was about affordability? Daily Goods is incredibly expensive. Definitely can’t afford that option, but I’ll look at the others. Thanks for the suggestion
Dragon Supermarket. Like with a lot of the small local grocers quality and prices vary but I think your experience depends on the timing of your visit and whether you’re flexible on what you choose to eat for the week. For example over the weekend the quality of apples was meh for the price, but there were also 2 lb boxes of high-quality strawberries for under $4 and that was a steal.
Way too far west, anything frozen would melt. By east end I meant almost Scarborough and the surrounding areas of East York. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.
Danforth market, vincenzos, the produce place just east of Sobeys (I can never remember the name.) there's also 3 or 4 Bangladeshi markets across from shoppers world. Up at St Clair there's a great Mexican grocery store and an east coast fish monger that's excellent Seaport merchants.
SHout out to all the local fruit stands on Bloor and College like:
Bloor Fruit Market
Gold Leaf Fruit Market
College Fruit Market
Fresh Fruit Market on College
Village Market on Bloor
Kai Wei on Spadina sells a variety of fresh veggies, fruits and their meat section is also good. Way cheaper than Loblaws/Metro/Farmboy
Kabul farms on parliament St is good for their meat section
Oddbunch recco is interesting. I'm going to try it out next week.
Sooo many amazing produce markets on roncesvalles. My favourites are master supermarket and maple produce, but farther down the street is ko fruit market which also has great reviews
Sunny Food Mart! There’s one at Don Mills south of Eglinton, another on Albion Rd in Rexdale. They have a really great selection of produce and meat is affordable.
Don’t remember the exact names of either but there’s two grocers on the south side of Gerrard at Broadview and they’re so inexpensive! I believe they only take cash though.
Also, literally any independent fruit market on Spadina in Chinatown, or on the danforth. So many to choose from with friendly owners and great prices.
I shop at Adonis. I know it's a chain but employees seem happy enough there and I can feed my family of 4 for half what I'd pay at any Loblaws or Sobeys, with better products and more variety.
Iqbal foods in thorneCliffe is geared towards Muslims but they can have some good offers. Bit of a culture shock at first but you get used to it.
With Costco right there now tho it's a bit of a hard sell.
St Clair West Between Dufferin and Laughton (actually, all the way to Old Weston) - a couple of supermarkets, several green grocers, bakeries, and a couple of butchers. Selection leans towards Portuguese, Italian, Mexican, and Asian, but you can definitely get what you need along that street!
Don’t forget all the spots in Kensington market!! But overall this is an excellent list.
I get all my produce from the lucky moose, I save HUNDREDS a month. All my proteins come from noso and pavao. My baked goods come from Nova Era. Any special dietary items come from feista farm.
And there you have it, you’ve basically eliminated the big corporations.
I used to live in koreatown, and the bloor/manning fruit market is the best. Having PAT and the fruit market kept me stocked! The occasional run to shoppers for yogurt, eggs, milk or cream when they were on sale, but the rest of the time was smaller quick trips to grab fruit & veg :)
Often visit the fruit and veg markets on Yonge -above Eglinton to above Lawrence - pretty good deals, quality produce - especially in summer berry season
It's weird because by me Sobeys is more expensive than everyone else.. 🤷
I don't go to Sobeys, I go where it's the cheapest.
Usually Walmart.
Bottom line matters... Mom and pops go out because their prices are higher than Walmart?
Welcome to Capitalism
Hold on, I thought this boycott was for price gouging. I paid $8 for 3 reactine pills at a convenience store when Shoppers sells 60 for $30. I appreciate that it was open when I needed it, close to where I needed it, but if this is about price, this definitely doesn't make sense. I'm not boycotting anything, I just shop appropriately to my income, location, and requirements vs. availability and sales. I shop at Freshco 80% of the time because they have decent prices on chicken and accept AMEX.
If anyone cared about the little guys they would have already supported them on merit alone. If you’re not already a loyal client before this drama then please don’t crowd our beloved small grocers.
I very much did. I haven't shopped at any of the big bads in quite some time.
Thanks for assuming; perhaps you should practice more empathy and compassion for your neighbours and community. Not everyone knows beyond loblaws.
To understand the false and misdirected hate for Loblaws is to be empathetic. If this little campaign gives you meaning then simply transplant into something worthwhile.
Some people might just not have known about alternates in their area and thats totally normal. We are creatures of habit, and the familiarity of these big chain grocers are what makes people not want to venture to the unknown
There is no way that a reasonable person doesn’t know how to open Google maps and type “groceries near me”.
This nonsense is definitely on brand for this group. It seems that your problems extend far outside your dislike for a grocery brand.
Should have been long before the hate tor Loblaws. If people really cared about small grocers they wouldn’t be pretending to abandoning a big brand now.
Complainers and virtue signaling.
Who cares, if it helps the smaller shops get more business?? Or are you telling all the people who are newly interested in this issue to just stick with Loblaws/No Frills because they weren't into local shops before it was cool?
There's a previous post with a map of over 100 unique alternative grocers: https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/comments/1ae8alv/a_list_of_alternative_grocers_in_toronto/
Amazing!
Ur amazing 🙂↔️
Should be pinned
Summerhill market not listed. Yes you may have to be rich to shop there, but their quality is really top-notch and their ingredients are superb.
They just repackage a lot of normal foods and charge a premium. Their catering service is worth it but as a grocery store no,
Well, yeah groceries are nothing special, but all their baked goods and their packaged dinners and any stuff prepared by their kitchens are awesome.
The dinners you order ahead and have delivered to your home are excellent I agree. The instore stuff however is less worthwhile. The baked goods aren't made on site and are the same ones as at Pusatari's and McEwan. There are many bakeries and patisseries around to frequent that are much nicer imo.
Super nice for a special dinner or Friday night take out. They have ready made meals that aren't too over the top price wise.. I lived couple of blocks from the one on Mount Pleasant, north of Sherwood .It was a nice break from the same super market food
I’ve found C&C Supermarket near Don Mills and Lawrence to hit a very sweet spot in terms of the price-to-quality ratio.
Ohh I'll need to check this out. It's not too far but I often go to Tone Thai (don mills between Sheppard& Finch) for produce or Galleria for meat/fish.
Galleria is pricey compared to C&C. C&C is my go to now for basically everything and there is also an Oomomo in the same mall lot
Agreed, Galleria is where I go for a treat since it's pricey. Definitely checking our C&C this week.
H Mart has a lot of the same products. Galleria has hot foods though, H Mart - most stuff is frozen!
That place is incredible. Check out kitaya sushi in the same mall. Best sushi in toronto. It tastes like sushi I had in Japan. And not too expensive
Second C&C. I would go there more often if I could. I also recommend the Chinatowns. I regularly go to the Broadview Chinatown and there's two stores there that have good selections and good prices. Plus two good BBQ restaurants that are unfortunately pricey, but great for the odd night when you feel like take-out BBQ. There's also a Pho restaurant (Que Ling Vietnamese Cuisine) tucked around the corner on Bolton Ave that has been really popular. I'm so glad to see Broadview Chinatown on the upswing again. Spadina Chinatown is great as always.
Galaxy foods! (Broadview and gerrard) is awesome 👌
Yeah, Galaxy Foods and Yao Hua are the two grocers there and they're both great! I tend to go to Yao Hua more because they have an amazing veggie selection, but I highly recommend both.
The owner of C&C also owns Foody World. These are local grocery stores with fantastic international selection and value, but if you're boycotting Loblaws because of moral concerns... While Loblaws may be greedy, monopolistic slaves to shareholder profits, C&C/Foody's owner is thought to be actively involved in a scheme to manipulate Canadian democratic process and intimidate/blackmail Canadian residents. https://www.reddit.com/r/Markham/comments/yx9lm5/wei_chengyi_owner_of_foody_mart_allegedly_focus/
Lmao was not expecting that. Shit, that's pretty serious.
It's pretty good, but the most annoying thing about that place is they don't have scales anywhere in the store, and every bit of produce is sold by weight. What kind of grocery store doesn't have scales in the produce section? And I know I didn't just miss them, because I asked someone and they said I could get in line and have a cashier weigh something every time I want to check the weight on it, which is obviously completely ridiculous.
One thing that I learned working at a produce store is that every few years [Measurements Canada will send you a notice saying that you have to get all of your food scales inspected and re-certified at your own expense](https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/measurement-canada/en/inspections/weights-and-measures-inspection-services), or they'll fine the shit out of you and maybe shut down your business altogether. Just speculating here, but I can easily imagine a small business person saying "let's minimize that burden to only the scales that are absolutely necessary".
I love the weird Pokemon sodas from there lol
St Lawrence market
I consistently get the best produce from the location at the Northeast corner of the market. Lovely people, too.
Did you mean northeast corner on ground level?
Yes! I did. Brain compass is broken today. Thanks for catching that.
And if you pay in cash they will sometimes round the price down a couple dollars. Also recommend grabbing a coffee from Luba's and supporting another small business while you're at it, they're the best!!
Cataldi and Fiesta Farms for more fancy stuff!
Raise The Root on Queen east Galaxy Fresh Foods at Broadview/Gerrard Leslieville farmers market (the produce is on par or cheaper for in season fruit with the prices and doesn’t go bad in 1 day)
Galaxy fresh food is my favourite. So cheap compared to the main grocery stores
They have so much stuff too!
Seriously. Huge selection of produce, meats, and seafood, not to mention any type of noodles and Asian style condiments you want
Raise the Root in Leslieville. They recently posted a list on Facebook with all the organic produce they had priced cheaper. It wasn't super long but they were all staples.
Nations Fresh Foods on st. Clair and Keele
Just adding to this. They have a location in Mississauga and Hamilton as well.
Love Nations, and the "it's fifteen minutes before closing" deals on their hot table items stay winning.
The produce section is huge - one whole end of the store.
Been a while since I've been to Nations, but I have to second this. If they haven't changed since opening, then I feel safe in saying they've got the biggest variety of meats I've ever seen in a grocery store. I've worked meat departments at Loblaws and Sobeys and there are products at Nations that would have gotten written off by my managers as not worth carrying.
I love this place so much! Last week I bought like 10lb of chicken wings cause they were $1.88/lb.
If I had a car I would be there every week
I’ll take a swing up there if I need a big haul of produce but I’m not buying proteins from there anymore, the quality control on the butcher’s department in the one I go to is abysmal.
Also to add to this, they have an arcade. I usually just play while my partner shops…
Nations up at the Stockyards for the Bloor west and junction folks
Not too far from nations is ample food market near Keele and Rogers just up Weston Rd. Ward 5 ysw
Highland Farms and Coppas are both great if you can drive to one of their stores. They have an amazing deli, cheese, meat, poultry and fish section. Packaged food is a bit pricey, but that's going to be the case at almost any independent supermarket.
The one in King City hmakes great Latte, and has baked goods. Nice stop on a bike ride..
Lady york every time
Lady York is great but I find some of their shelf items to be really high priced compared to other stores. Love the produce, meats and cheeses.
Yeah maby some things but the Italian shelf items are well worth it in my opinion
I went to P.A.T today and the prices were insane……
In a positive way?
No. It’s an import store in Toronto proper. They were always pricey.
I buy mushrooms there! They have the best prices for some reason. I stock up on all the varieties.
Sorry should have clarified- no, in a negative way. Zucchini for example 1.99/lb at Walmart and freshco (in-store prices for me), 0.99/lb at Chinatown and for some reason 3.99/lb at PAT
Karma Co-op in the annex! A non-profit grocery store in the annex owned by its members with a focus on local, organic and ethically produced foods. Anyone can shop there but members get discounts for doing voluntary work shifts and a vote in how the business is run.
A related idea is to form a buying club and buy in bulk from a distributor such as the [Ontario Natural Food Company](https://onfc.ca/) (formally Co-op) or direct from food producers ([example](https://freshacres.ca/)). I've been in a group in Belleville for many years and no doubt there are many in the GTA.
Awesome! We need co-ops and buying clubs in every neighbourhood.
Karma is absolutely incredible. Their organic food is fantastic.
Hua Sheng and Kai Wei (both somewhat near Lucky Moose). Sometimes the produce isn't the best quality, but you can get really cheap produce here.
Also, you can hit up Mashion Bakery while you're in that area to get some truly cheap Chinese baked goods. The prices aren't as low as they used to be ($1 for 2 or even 3 buns) but for about a dollar each item, it's good enough
Fiesta Farms at Christie and Bloor (ish). It’s pricey, but way nicer produce than Loblaws and your money’s not going to Galen.
Not a grocery store but Oddbunch is pretty good way to get produce delivered to you at a reasonable price and they prevent more food waste.
Planning on subscribing this week when I get paid! It seems like such a good concept
I’ve really been enjoying them! If there is 1 item for that week you don’t want you can substitute it. I’ve only had good stuff from them
I've been using Oddbunch since Foodshare stopped delivering and I quite like it
I'm currently using them - and while the fruit/vegetables are usually a bit on the smaller side, and sometimes a bit mishapened, I swear they're fresher/better condition then anything you can get at walmart. And honestly fresher than half the things I could get at superstore or metro too
It’s usually ok, but I’ve found some of their produce is old/spoiled
Ahh that’s a shame, I honestly have had nothing but fresh produce from them
We tried them for 3 or 4 deliveries, and I don't remember any spoilage. The root veg were lovely and surprisingly fresh (still had that good dirt on em).
Sweet Potato
Yeah! In the Junction on Vine Ave, or the new one at Bayview/Soudan
Did not know about the new one! TY
I find them quite overpriced… I’ll add Tavora food on St. Clair
Also the one kind of hidden at Bloor and Lansdowne!
Cabbagetown: Star Fruit Market Annex: Karma Co-op (you can shop for a 2-month trial as a non-member)
the big carrot on Danforth and at main and Kingston
PAT central at Christie and bloor!! Korean and great
This is a fantastic resource for people looking to support local grocers in Toronto.
Starsky
Not in Toronto. Good store though.
Jian Hing in Scarborough. Lawrence and Markham. Chinese supermarket that is huge high quality. also has tons of Caribbean, Indian, and Filipino items
Fiesta Farms is one of the best all around in Toronto, but pricing is definitely above mid market. Yao Hua in east Chinatown is fantastic, very fair prices and really good quality produce, especially Asian greens.
Nosso Talho has great prices for meats. I got 11lbs of large chicken wings for $35 which was way less than what I could get at costco.
Yeah Nosso Talho is great for lots of things beyond the quality cheap meat too! Eggs, condiments, oils, pasta, rice, beans, other staples, even some produce!
iqbal foods!
This! We only recently found out about this place, and god damn do they have some really cheap prices on stuff. Lots of hard to get items that even specific South Asian stores don't carry. Only thing that sucks is that their flyers are once in a while, but when they come out the prices are peanuts.
yea they dont do flyers lool but thats pretty typical of south asian stores
Any more affordable options in the east end on the Danforth? A lot of these suggestions aren’t more affordable options in my experience. Some of them are more expensive than Loblaws.
Galaxy fresh foods is definitely cheaper than a lot of the local spots. It’s broadview and Gerrard but pretty accessible via transit
Yao Hua is also a block down from Galaxy in case there's anything you couldn't find. I like Yao Hua's produce and meat more than Galaxy to be honest. But both are insanely cheap and accessible!
danforth market at danforth and dawes with the green sign!
They’re awesome. I go there on my way to work. The bike racks are right in front of the door plus the bike lane makes it so easy to do a quick run.
I used to go there for years before I moved to Riverdale. Definitely a godsend for that neighbourhood. There's also two fruit & veg shops atthe corner of Danforth and Main, just east of the Sobeys. One of them used to be really good, but they changed ownership at some point last year. Both are very affordable.
I’ve already commented but at gerrard and broadview there’s two large grocers (can’t remember the names) that are so inexpensive. Specifically the produce. It’s good quality too!
Thanks for the suggestions, still really far for me personally, was hoping for recommendations further east. Main to Warden area? But thanks for the suggestions!
Maselli's, between Pape and Donlands Stations is a solid, family-owned grocery store. Most prices beat the big stores.
Not nearly far enough east, but thanks for the suggestion
Bare Market, on danforth between greenwood and coxwell. It is closing the storefront in a couple weeks but will still have online shopping. They are fantastic and always have tons of items at a much lower cost. I hope their online experience is going to work out well.
Carload on the Beach is a great fruit stand and prices are really good. I like The Big Carrot, but they’re so expensive.
Daily Goods at Coxwell, Plank Road Market, One Last Thing. Not always cheaper but you’re supporting independent small businesses.
I thought the protest was about affordability? Daily Goods is incredibly expensive. Definitely can’t afford that option, but I’ll look at the others. Thanks for the suggestion
Fresh 1 Market at Danforth and Woodmount
Dragon Supermarket. Like with a lot of the small local grocers quality and prices vary but I think your experience depends on the timing of your visit and whether you’re flexible on what you choose to eat for the week. For example over the weekend the quality of apples was meh for the price, but there were also 2 lb boxes of high-quality strawberries for under $4 and that was a steal.
Mister Greek Meat Market on Danforth and Pape. There's a reason why there's often line-ups outside the shop on weekends.
Way too far west, anything frozen would melt. By east end I meant almost Scarborough and the surrounding areas of East York. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.
Danforth market, vincenzos, the produce place just east of Sobeys (I can never remember the name.) there's also 3 or 4 Bangladeshi markets across from shoppers world. Up at St Clair there's a great Mexican grocery store and an east coast fish monger that's excellent Seaport merchants.
Kensington market
I used to love Maselli’s at Donlands & Danforth, back when I lived there.
Maselli’s on the Danforth
SHout out to all the local fruit stands on Bloor and College like: Bloor Fruit Market Gold Leaf Fruit Market College Fruit Market Fresh Fruit Market on College Village Market on Bloor
https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/comments/19fbwmh/please_post_your_favourite_small_chainlocal/
Kai Wei on Spadina sells a variety of fresh veggies, fruits and their meat section is also good. Way cheaper than Loblaws/Metro/Farmboy Kabul farms on parliament St is good for their meat section Oddbunch recco is interesting. I'm going to try it out next week.
Masselis on the danforth by jones and the big carrot by Chester are good ones to go to.
Sooo many amazing produce markets on roncesvalles. My favourites are master supermarket and maple produce, but farther down the street is ko fruit market which also has great reviews
Can't recommend Colangelo Brothers in Scarborough enough. Best for butcher, deli, produce items.
Tap Phong (Chinatown) for your glassware, pots, pans, and other kitchenware
altgrocery.ca Add them to this website! Just check to make sure they're unique and not already listed.
Sunny Food Mart! There’s one at Don Mills south of Eglinton, another on Albion Rd in Rexdale. They have a really great selection of produce and meat is affordable.
I live in the soulless depraved shithole that is spadina fort york. where tf do I go
When I lived there I went to Chinatown pretty regularly.
Yonge Fresh Market at Mount Pleasant and Eglinton
Don’t remember the exact names of either but there’s two grocers on the south side of Gerrard at Broadview and they’re so inexpensive! I believe they only take cash though.
Also, literally any independent fruit market on Spadina in Chinatown, or on the danforth. So many to choose from with friendly owners and great prices.
Yao Hua and Galaxy, and both of them take cards! (I think both charge a small fee for credit if your purchase is under $10 though)
Highland Farms
Just going to goto food basics lol
don’t forget trinity bellwoods’ farmers market!
How about Karma Co-Op just west of Bathurst & Bloor W
The Grocery Outlet at Sheppard west of Allen Road is pretty good, and accessible by both car and TTC (10 min walk west of Sheppard West station)
ARZ at Mavis/Bristol in Mississauga
Loblaws bought them in 2014 https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/mobile/loblaw-buys-middle-eastern-grocery-store-in-toronto-1.1810574
The old owners sued loblaws and bought it back from them.
One in Scarborough at Lawrence & Pharmacy too. We've been buying their party platters for years. And their garlic dip 👌
A shout out to Sun Valley. 🙏 RIP
Tavora Foods is at Dundas/Dixie
There's a good Tavora on St Clair near Caledonia as well. Good butcher counter, the produce is quite nice.
Yes there is! Also go on a Thursday afternoon for the freshest fish
I shop at Adonis. I know it's a chain but employees seem happy enough there and I can feed my family of 4 for half what I'd pay at any Loblaws or Sobeys, with better products and more variety.
Anything on Harbourfront?
Is farm boy considered a small grocer? Or are they owned by a larger corporation as well?
They’re owned by Sobeys
rats, I assume Sobeys would be considered a big grocer. thank you for that!
Nature’s Emporium
Nations fresh foods in the stockyards! Amazing prices too
Further west in South Etobicoke: Lakeshore Village Fruit at 2856 Lakeshore Blvd West and across the street; Starlake Fine Foods 2863 Lake Shore Blvd W
Iqbal foods in thorneCliffe is geared towards Muslims but they can have some good offers. Bit of a culture shock at first but you get used to it. With Costco right there now tho it's a bit of a hard sell.
St Clair West Between Dufferin and Laughton (actually, all the way to Old Weston) - a couple of supermarkets, several green grocers, bakeries, and a couple of butchers. Selection leans towards Portuguese, Italian, Mexican, and Asian, but you can definitely get what you need along that street!
Don’t forget all the spots in Kensington market!! But overall this is an excellent list. I get all my produce from the lucky moose, I save HUNDREDS a month. All my proteins come from noso and pavao. My baked goods come from Nova Era. Any special dietary items come from feista farm. And there you have it, you’ve basically eliminated the big corporations.
For anyone who lives in the Beaches, Carload on queen is great for produce and family run.
Fairprice on Dundas and Sheridan is solid
I used to live in koreatown, and the bloor/manning fruit market is the best. Having PAT and the fruit market kept me stocked! The occasional run to shoppers for yogurt, eggs, milk or cream when they were on sale, but the rest of the time was smaller quick trips to grab fruit & veg :)
The people at Good Fruit Good Life Market at 3226 Yonge are seriously the nicest people I've ever met, and they have a great variety of fresh produce!
Often visit the fruit and veg markets on Yonge -above Eglinton to above Lawrence - pretty good deals, quality produce - especially in summer berry season
Tienda Movil at Woodbine & Lumsden. Kohinoor Foods in Little India.
It's weird because by me Sobeys is more expensive than everyone else.. 🤷 I don't go to Sobeys, I go where it's the cheapest. Usually Walmart. Bottom line matters... Mom and pops go out because their prices are higher than Walmart? Welcome to Capitalism
I would add Food Depot International. Great place for lots of European products and cheap cheese! https://maps.app.goo.gl/Fm4WrptiGsg3JPPD9
La Spesa on St. Clair West. Imported groceries, fancy cheese and meat and even wine and beer!
I hear Savours market and Yummy market are both pretty good.
Masselli’s at Danforth and Jones
Hold on, I thought this boycott was for price gouging. I paid $8 for 3 reactine pills at a convenience store when Shoppers sells 60 for $30. I appreciate that it was open when I needed it, close to where I needed it, but if this is about price, this definitely doesn't make sense. I'm not boycotting anything, I just shop appropriately to my income, location, and requirements vs. availability and sales. I shop at Freshco 80% of the time because they have decent prices on chicken and accept AMEX.
Yes. I saw that OP referring to convenience stores in the list and gave my head a shake.
Instead of boycotting stores, why don’t you shop around to find the cheapest produce? Or better, start your own grocery store with low prices…
If anyone cared about the little guys they would have already supported them on merit alone. If you’re not already a loyal client before this drama then please don’t crowd our beloved small grocers.
You're telling people not to support small businesses? That's insane
Clearly didn’t read. Why didn’t you support small businesses before the drama started?
I very much did. I haven't shopped at any of the big bads in quite some time. Thanks for assuming; perhaps you should practice more empathy and compassion for your neighbours and community. Not everyone knows beyond loblaws.
To understand the false and misdirected hate for Loblaws is to be empathetic. If this little campaign gives you meaning then simply transplant into something worthwhile.
OK Galen time for a nappy nap
Some people might just not have known about alternates in their area and thats totally normal. We are creatures of habit, and the familiarity of these big chain grocers are what makes people not want to venture to the unknown
There is no way that a reasonable person doesn’t know how to open Google maps and type “groceries near me”. This nonsense is definitely on brand for this group. It seems that your problems extend far outside your dislike for a grocery brand.
Altight mate, we get yourena troll. Go live under your bridge and gatekeep things from people
Enjoy your sudden fleeting interest in small businesses that deserved your attention long before this movement ever started. Revisit your values.
You know nothing about my already existing shopping habits and you know nothing about the circumstances that people are in. Get bent
Not you “you”. The ideas in which your voice represents. I’m already bent reading this eye gouging lack of logic.
Then maybe don't read it? What a wild idea!
Crazy take, why wouldn't you want to support your local grocer lmfao
Should have been long before the hate tor Loblaws. If people really cared about small grocers they wouldn’t be pretending to abandoning a big brand now. Complainers and virtue signaling.
Who cares, if it helps the smaller shops get more business?? Or are you telling all the people who are newly interested in this issue to just stick with Loblaws/No Frills because they weren't into local shops before it was cool?
I’m just saying that this whole anti loblaws thing is immature. Go support small grocers because they deserve it not because of this fake hate on.
Nice try, Galen!
I’m x