Grocery Stores in Etobicoke, ON

“Mom and pop style bona fide Japanese grocery store. If you can't find it here, you will need to go to Japan because you won't find it in Ontario. PAT and T&T are great in their own right, but this is where you want to come if you need food uniquely Japanese. Prices are not cheap, but there are commonly sales and sale items. Everything you need to put together a Japanese meal. Rice cracker snacks, frozen section, pickles/condiments, sushi ingredients, soups, sauces, canned goods. Nice friendly and helpful people. You can even buy/rent a few videos here. Don't expect anything fancy and it is a small store. No problems parking or accessing by TTC, and it's a quick stop after going to Sherway. Where else can you find three different types of Japanese barley tea?”

“I purchased my groceries today at the self check out department. Your team member Anna was very helpful. Each station was busy with customers and she made her way to everyone needing help. She also kept moving around letting customers know she’s available if any other help is required. She was friendly and amazing at her job!”

“I love Healthy Planet. I go mainly to the one on Islington. I used to have to go to several different health stores to get everything I need but with Healthy Planet they have everything I need and all at reasonable prices. They have a huge selection. I especially like the wide variety of fruits and vegetables that they have. I love the chocolate-raspberry shakes at the kitchen bar. They are the healthiest smoothies I've found anywhere. No added sugar. They taste fantastic. The entire staff is friendly, knowledgeable and very helpful. I highly recommend Healthy Planet.”

“Always fresh products. I usually try new fruits and vegetables. Last week I tried kiwi berries. They were delicious. You just washed them and eat with skins on. Taste just like a kiwi.”

“I’ve always passed by Bestco and decided to stop by one day. And it did not disappoint. They have a takeout counter with lots of different options for everyone. The price is great and the serving is large.
The rest of the market is clean and very easy to navigate through out the store.
Produce is fresh and cheap. Meat looks good and a good price. Will definitely be coming back.”

“I like this store, at the front you find all kinds of cheese and fresh Geymar?? , It is a good place to do all kinds of grocery. Everything is fresh and the price is good.”

“I LOVE Balkan Express ❤️‼️

First, please let me say... This review is long overdue, as I have been a fan of Balkan Express for years!

Several years back, I found myself thinking about and MISSING my Baba's Zelnick.

I decided to put a message out to all of my fellow Macedonian friends on Facebook asking the question: "Where can I find/buy the Best Zelnick, in the GTA?"

The place that had the highest number of references was Balkan Express!

My dear friend, and fellow Macy, Katharine Hollinsworth, used to live right by Balkan Express and when she wrote to tell me how much she loved the food there, I knew I had to make the trip from Mississauga.

I called ahead and requested a large Zelnick. When I arrived, they had it ready, and maybe I shouldn't be saying this... but they gave me all kinds of wonderful samples, and I absolutely fell in love with the owners and the Balkan Express!

I asked them to make me another fresh Zelnick and took it to my father Tom (Born in Zhelevo), and he said: "This is just like my Mom used to make!" I can 'second' that!

The Zelnick is just like my Baba used to make! ❤️

Balkan Express is highly recommended!!!

Dan Bodanis
Mississauga
December 22 2024”

“First time today. Great prices & wonderful selection of cheese. Lots of yummy treats. Very friendly & kind European lady at cash pricing items. I will definitely be back for variety of cheese and cake options. ?”

“It's a warming supermarket with a collection of mixed distinctive smells from their products that remind you about your country. One supermarket which contains a huge amount of products from the Middle Eastern countries, especially Egypt. Their prices are fair and They have one of the best Turkish coffees. You will find that They have their coffee grinder also. Finally, their Staff is awesome and friendly.”

“The majority of everyday goods can be found at this grocery store. Unfortunately, I was unable to locate a plantain banana, which was the primary reason for my visit today. The prices are generally reasonable, and the cashiers are efficient.”

“To be honest they have the best delicious grilled chicken ever with basmati rice and raisins. Their store has a lot of Middle Eastern products. They baked fresh Afghan bread, It's very good and taste good.”

“This store has a great selection of many different types of Eastern European foods and drinks. If there's one downside, it's that it can be a little cramped inside, but what can one expect from a small store such as this one? Nevertheless, it's a great place to buy food from.”

“Listen I eat at a lot of Metro cooked food. As a driver I like being able to get a healthy meal for a good price. This location has the best cooked food section out of any Metro I’ve ever been to. S/o to the ladies working the section as well always friendly and courteous.”

“You can really find everything and more, at affordable prices. As an Italian I would say you're missing a nice cured meat counter if you want I'll come and work with you!”

“Nice, convenient little produce shop for when you need to grab something in a pinch. The staff isn't the friendliest, but I usually just go in and out within 2-3 minutes max, just to grab a couple of things... So it's not a big deal to me.”

“Had to go over there from Woodbridge to get the stuffing bread for my turkey best thing to use if you don't have all the spices for the time. Woodbridge. I couldn't find it anywhere”

“Hello, my name is yaneisi. I wanted to say thank you to all the staff to help me yesterday when I was there to find my phone I have found my phone customer picked it up and then brought it home and then after that I kept calling and calling and he answered and he told me where to meet him to pick up my phone I just want to let you guys know about it. I’m looking for a phone number but I’m not able to find it to take all the stuff. Thank you so much I’ll be seeing you guys very soon. I always come over with my clients to bring them shop in there. Thank you.”

“Well, let me tell you, back in my day, we didn’t have all these fancy-schmancy gizmos like you young folks have today. No sir, if we wanted to communicate, we had to send a letter by pigeon or tie a note to a squirrel's tail. Yep, that's how we did it! I remember the summer of 1938—oh, what a scorcher that was! My best friend, Wally "Cabbage Face" Henderson, and I were trying to start a lemonade stand, but wouldn’t you know it, no lemons! We had to use old boot leather and sugar packets from the diner, and wouldn’t you believe it, people LOVED it. Said it had a nice "earthy" taste. Never trust someone who likes earthy lemonade, though. They’re always up to something suspicious, like wearing socks with sandals.

Speaking of socks, did I ever tell you about the time I got my foot stuck in a sock for three whole days? Yep, that was back in 1942, during the Great Sock Shortage. You see, back then, socks were made out of a combination of burlap and hope. Terrible material, really itchy, but it’s what we had! So I put on a sock one day, and it got stuck—just wouldn’t come off! I tried everything: soap, butter, shouting at it, but nothing worked. I even went down to Old Man Perkins’ farm to see if his goat, Lumpy, could chew it off, but Lumpy just gave me this look like, “I ain’t getting involved in that mess, buddy.” Eventually, I just had to accept that the sock was part of me now. I gave it a name—Herbert. Herbert the sock. He was with me through thick and thin...mostly thin, though, because that sock sure was falling apart.

Now, that reminds me of the time I invented the sock drawer. You know, people today don’t appreciate how revolutionary it was! Before the sock drawer, folks just kept their socks in their shoes! Can you believe it? Then one day, I said to myself, “Why not keep your socks in a drawer, like the rest of your important things—like newspaper clippings and half-eaten sandwiches?” So I built the first sock drawer out of an old apple crate and a raccoon pelt I found lying around. The raccoon wasn't too happy about it, but after a stern talking-to, he agreed to be part of history. That sock drawer took off like a Roman candle at a Fourth of July picnic, let me tell ya!

Oh, Fourth of July! That reminds me of the summer when we tried to launch ourselves to the moon using nothing but a trampoline and a strong wind. It didn’t work, but we got pretty high up there—high enough that we could see Old Lady MacGuffin’s secret garden. And boy, was she mad when she found out we were up there. She chased us down with a garden hose for three whole blocks. I tell ya, kids today wouldn’t last five minutes being chased by a garden hose! But that was life in those days. You never knew when someone was going to hose you down for peeking at their petunias.

Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, the importance of a good pair of suspenders...”

“This has always been my favorite place to do my grocery shopping at in the area.
They have a healthier selection than most places.
I feel the best part is their rotisserie chicken and hot counter and most times you can find great deals for single meals at half price.
It is a bit more expensive, but the vegetables always stay fresh longer.”

“I am local to this Sobeys, therefore a little biased. It’s by far my favorite! They have the best produce and never short on anything. The staff are super nice and there’s always plenty of parking. I love this place!”

“This Sobeys is okay. It didn’t feel like a real Sobeys to me it wasn’t bright or big. The bakery wasn’t good ? and that’s what I went there for. I did end up buying a cookies and cream cake and it did taste very good. The store was clean and staff were very friendly.”

“I like grocery stores. It comes from grocery shopping with my mom as a kid. Sure, it's a part of life and is much needed. I always felt that they were cool places to spend time looking at a ton of products that make me curious and happy. I needed to get a bunch of items to make a Thanksgiving meal. During this pandemic, such special meals brought me grocery shopping at either Sobeys or Longo's. I know the layout of both my usual stores well. I wanted to change things up, though.Confession: I like supermarket shortcuts. We all should embrace them. One of mine is getting Stove Top stuffing and adding veggies to it. I was looking for a good price on stuffing that didn't force me to fight with the occasional crazy person at a major box store (starts with W and ends with -almart). I found it going for 99 cents at Fortinos.I do love Fortinos. Markham had one eons ago that was five minutes away from where I live. It left and I rarely go to any Fortinos. My closest ones are either in southern Scarborough (sounds exotic... lol) or Vaughan. On Saturday, I needed to pick up a couple of pre-orders in Mississauga. I remembered this Fortinos and decided to drop by on a soggy, rainy, gloomy day.This Fortinos is on my way home from work, which also feels like eons ago since I last went into the office. It's on Highway 27 in a vast plaza across from Woodbine Centre. I was more likely to hit the Winners nearby.There is a ton of parking. I found a parking spot fairly close to the entrance and exit. There is only one way to get in and out of the store during this pandemic, which is closer to Queens Plate Drive.I realized walking over to the entrance why I love Fortinos. It does little things to make your shopping experience more pleasant. There's a tunnel just before you hit the main doors that shields you from the elements. There's a huge banner indicating that healthcare workers get priority access, along with a nice thank-you message.I realize why I don't shop at Fortinos often, too. I can't get out of the store! I love seeing products that are new to me. I get completely excited about seeing gigantic meatballs that are ready to eat as a takeout meal, along with an amazing assortment of pizza slices. I wanted all of that, but had to stick with the shopping program.It's nicely organized in this supermarket. Wide lanes, Fresh produce. Clearly labelled sections and prices. I was so happy here! Who needs a happy pill when the high is natural... haha!During this pandemic, getting a whole turkey has been challenging in that you couldn't get a smaller one in weight. Well, it looks like things have changed. I managed to get an 11.5-pound one. So, instead of eating turkey leftovers for over a week, it's less than that now. Fortunately, I like leftovers, but it's nice to not shell out for a larger bird anymore.I found my stuffing. I grabbed a couple of boxes, as if I had won the jackpot. Prices at Fortinos tend to be on the pricier side, but they are fine if you get items that are on sale. There were perhaps three items that I got that weren't on sale, but the major items to make my meal were. I was happy.This supermarket is large. It has a similar feel to Zehrs in the Cambridge-Kitchener-Waterloo area, which I love. It's not overly large, but you do get a pharmacy and Joe Fresh. I could live here.I had a nice woman help cash me out. She and another woman bagged my groceries. It has been a while since I've seen a tag team bagging groceries. I have always defaulted to doing it myself.PC Optimum points are accepted here. I tapped using the barcode on my phone. I paid using a debit card. It was seamless.I wished both women a nice day. I then rolled my groceries over to my car.There was a man dedicated to sanitizing every single cart that was returned. I liked that.I passed by this grocery store yesterday, heading home from getting bagels and dairy-free cream cheese. Thank goodness it was closed for the holiday. Otherwise, I would have eaten my way through the market-style to-g”

“I like that they sell Malaysian curry powder. They also sell flowers.

Their butcher room is pretty warm and uses ice instead of refrigeration. That room doesn't even have air conditioning.”

“You will get most of the Indian groceries and vegetables and fruits are always fresh and they reload immediately if the bins are empty.
You can find fresh Guavas, custard apple, raw peanuts etc and they are very expensive.”

“I don’t mind paying if the quality is good. I see places like Farmboy which charges exorbitantly and we get rotten stuff or stuff that goes bad sooner.
Urban Fresh is our weekly grocery place.
It has consistently provided quality stuff although there are rare occasions when you get bad stuff but alright I guess.”

“We were very pleasantly surprised to receive more than what we asked for when we got three big boxes of Turkish delight candies which were double the size of the ones we ordered for the same price!”

“A nice place to shop but for international foods they are missing Paneer;ladies finger;and a few more cookies and stuff. Rest apart they are awesome at everything”