Whole Foods Grocery Store Review

Years ago when I was first starting ballet lessons my long-suffering mother was stuck driving me over an hour to ballet class, feeding me, and driving another hour home at least three times per week. In these dark days of parental self-sacrifice, there was a single glowing beacon: Whole Foods. The Santa Fe Whole Foods was paradise in the form of a grocery store and I ate many delicious meals from their deli, not to mention the amazing ciabatta bread loaves! Needless to say, Whole Foods already had a dear place in my heart that was not disappointed by my recent visit to a Vancouver Whole Foods.

When I first moved here, I was overjoyed that there was a Whole Foods a mere seven blocks from my new home. Sadly I didn’t realize that five of those blocks were an uphill battle while walking home and laziness and convenience won out. Now this Whole Foods is much smaller than what I am used to, but still manages to have an excellent produce section. I hadn’t planned on buying many vegetables, but was too tempted by the reasonably priced artichokes and delicious looking golden beets. I should also mention that Whole Foods is one of the few places you can find crucial popcorn ingredients such as nutritional yeast and paper bags. In fact the only disappointment about this Whole Foods was the butcher’s counter. Not only did they have limited meat options, but also the staff had no real knowledge of the products. Despite this, I was very impressed with the organization, selection, and price of the Robson St. Whole Foods. It may not be as good as Santa Fe, but it is still an excellent choice.

Leg of Lamb Sold Out
Panko $3.99/227 g
Star Anise $5.99/20 g
Artichokes 2/$3 (current special sale, regularly $2.49/each)

SuperValu Review
MarketPlace IGA Review

Urban Fare Review

Whole Foods Robson St.

SuperValu Grocery Store Review

  

Sometimes the simplest grocery store can surprise you. SuperValu is the Canadian equivalent of a Kroger store in the US. It is a great one stop shopping location for anything from a mop to frozen scallops.  Aisles are clearly laid out and it is rare that you need help finding things, which is lucky since the store is minimally staffed. SuperValu has a large number of surprising products. In the summer they sell local fruit and vegetables in a special produce section. They also have a good selection of frozen products including delicious seafood, a large ice cream section, and frozen fruit. 

Overall I definitely recommend visiting the SuperValu for any general grocery shopping. The one surprising disappointment was a lack of artichokes, but upon inquiring, I was told that they had artichokes just last week, but have stopped ordering them because it is the end of the season. Despite the lack of a large organic presence and the low staff numbers, it is easy to find almost anything here. I was most impressed with the large spice collection that had not only one brand of star anise, but also a second that was amazingly inexpensive.

Leg of Lamb Not sold
Panko $3.29/227 g
Star Anise $2.99/12 g
Artichokes Unavailable

MarketPlace IGA Review

Urban Fare Review

SuperValu Davie St.

MarketPlace IGA Grocery Store Review

It can be rather shaming to objectively review a place that you go to regularly and realize that it is not as great as you might think. Unfortunately, this is what happened to me when I went to review the MarketPlace IGA. I do most of my grocery shopping at this store simply because it is 1.5 blocks from my apartment (as the jaywalker runs) and has some organic produce available. I will admit that the first few times I went shopping there, it was extremely difficult to find what I needed. So difficult, in fact, that it took me over fifteen minutes to find the frozen food on my first trip. Somehow I put this behind me and continued to shop there.

Fast-forward eight months and I still go to this same grocery store on a weekly basis. Any time that I need to find a new ingredient results in frustration. This store truly has potential to be great. They have high quality produce, a good frozen section (once you find it), and the cashiers are some of the friendliest people in Vancouver. It is also conveniently located next to the movie theater, near my apartment, and on my way home from ballet class. However, MarketPlace needs to hire someone to do a full reorganization of every product they sell before I resume my regular shopping there. Until then, I will be taking my business to Urban Fare where the prices might be higher, but at least I can always find what I want. Hopefully someday when laziness wins and I go to the MarketPlace IGA, the system will have been fixed and I won’t be forced to wander through chaotic aisles in search of anything from panko to honey.

Leg of Lamb Not sold (can be special ordered-price unavailable)
Panko $2.19/150 g
Star Anise Not Sold.
Artichokes $2.99/ea.

Urban Fare Review

MarketPlace IGA Burrard

Urban Fare Grocery Store Review

Within eight blocks of my apartment there are over eight grocery stores. Some are small family-run shops that are wonderful in the summer and display their products on the sidewalk. Others are lower quality chains that have endless sales and promotions. And of course there are the “boutique” stores such as Whole Foods (Capers) and Urban Fare. It is extremely easy to just fall into a rut with one store and never actually see if it is the best option. I chose to visit four popular grocery stores near my home and compare prices and availability of four semi-gourmet items. First on the list is Urban Fare.

My first impression of Urban Fare upon moving to Vancouver was that it is the Whole Foods of Canada. The vegetable and fruit selection is very impressive as is the large cheese section and butcher’s counter. That said, they have a lot of work to do on bulk items and dried goods. I cannot complain too much about the small bulk selection though, because it is truly refreshing to find bulk items at all. Perhaps this area will become stronger in the future. Overall the store is well-laid out and I did not need any help to find the items on my list. The prices are more expensive than other stores in the area, but there is a lot to be said for one-stop shopping. Being the bread addict that I am, my favorite part of Urban Fare is the bakery. The pastries look amazing and the fresh baguettes are inexpensive and delicious. My favorite purchases here: fresh baguette and St. Andre triple-cream cheese!

Leg of Lamb $12.99/lb
Panko $3.59/227 g
Star Anise $11.49/17 g
Artichokes $3.59/ea.

Urban Fare-Alberni St.

MarketPlace IGA  Review