Specialized Groceries in Vancouver
Because Vancouver is a veritable Shangri-la for epicurean delights, fine and specialized grocers abound, if you know where to find these sometimes-hidden gems.
Specialty Stores
Meinhardt
For the food-conscious shopper, Meinhardt on South Granville Street is one of Vancouver’s finer food retailers, offering a Euro-shopping experience with earthy appeal. The selection isn’t large, but the quality is high. Linda Meinhardt, the owner, says this in her blog on the store’s website: “These are tough times, and no matter what, waste is expensive and unforgivable. Keep your fridge lean. You’ll enjoy your food more, and save money.” Meinhardt’s espouses a distinctive concept in food shopping, where you eat your food the same day you buy it.
According to Linda, the paradigm originated with the Europeans, who, for years have enjoyed daily trips to the market, and the very freshest produce, meat, bread, and dairy. North American food shopping favors a vastly different concept, whereby you stock up on as many food items as you possibly can at one time, resulting in an overflowing refrigerator, freezer, cupboard, and garbage pail. Meinhardt strives to change this way of thinking, and does not apologize for the smaller selection of items and rather utilitarian, functional approach to shelving and display. This is a store worth visiting for your daily grocery needs.
3002 South Granville Street (original location)
Hours: Monday-Saturday 8 am to 9 pm
Sunday 9 am to 9 pm
Tel: 604-732-4405
And:
3151 Arbutus Street (new location)
Hours: same as South Granville store
Tel: 604-732-7900
Urban Fare
Urban Fare is Vancouver’s most polished gourmet market, located in Yaletown, striving to be at the pinnacle of the blossoming fine food culture in Vancouver. A trip to this market is something to be slowly savored, like fine wine or chocolate. Urban Fare calls itself an ambassador “for the love of food,” a belief that is evident in the array of fine and gourmet food items and the high-end appeal of its stores. For the gourmand, or for those who simply appreciate the finer things in life, Urban Fare is the store of choice, and now with three convenient locations, all downtown.
Urban Fare, Yaletown
177 Davie Street
Tel: 604-975-7550
yaletown@urbanfare.com
http://www.urbanfare.com
Urban Fare, Coal Harbour
305 Bute Street
Tel: 604-669-5831
coalharbour@urbanfare.com
Urban Fare, Alberni
1133 Alberni Street
Tel: 604-648-2053
alberni@urbanfare.com
Stong’s Market
Stong’s Market of the Dunbar/Southlands area, on Vancouver’s Westside, is a neighborhood institution dating from 1931, the year of its opening. Stong’s is a prominent supporter of local community and education, offering rebates to local schools for every dollar spent by parents either at its “bricks and mortar” location, or online at its website. For the shopper loyal to smaller, locally owned businesses, Stong’s is the emporium of choice, featuring a large, well-stocked deli with a very decent selection of meats and cheeses. This market also speaks organic and, according to one shopper, “walks the walk” and lives the concept of natural food rather than just “being full of talk.” Stong’s also offers online shopping and delivery service to the metro area.
4560 Dunbar Street
Hours: 7 days a week 7 am to 10 pm
Tel: 604-266-1401
http://www.stongs.com
Giuseppe’s Bread and Deli
Giuseppe’s Bread and Deli is another local institution, much-loved in spite of its somewhat out-of-the-way location on Hastings Street and its unimpressive appearance. Giuseppe’s is both an Italian grocery store and deli in one, offering tasty sandwiches and simple homemade Italian fare, served with that never-ending Mediterranean hospitality. The shopping selection is not large, but of good Italian quality. Loyal clientele include bus drivers (from the nearby transit loop) and patrons who prefer authentically Italian fare and old-world charm.
3596 Hastings Street
Tel: 604-299-2316
Fujiya
Fujiya is a real Japanese food store, the kind of place where you can find hard-to-locate Japanese food items, and where local Japanese actually shop. An on-site kitchen provides fresh bento lunch boxes and sushi, as well as a cooked-food counter with all kinds of tasty treats. You can shop for the highest quality rice (Japanese are very picky about their rice and in Japan, have stores that sell only rice) and the finest green teas.
Fujiya offers everything you need to ring in the New Year (Japanese style), or celebrate one of the many Japanese festivals. This store is a real gem for Japanese expats and others who have either lived in Japan or have, at the very least, experienced authentic Japanese fare. Fujiya also offers catering services, and you can order party trays of sushi and sashimi, as well as trays of food delights such as gyoza, Japanese-style sandwiches, chicken karaage, deep-fried shrimp, tonkatsu, and other delicacies.
Fujiya, Clark
912 Clark Drive
Hours: Monday through Saturday 9 am to 7 pm
Sunday 10 am to 7 pm
Tel: 604-251-3711
http://www.fujiya.ca
Fujiya, Downtown
1050 West Pender, Suite 112
Monday through Friday 10 am to 6 pm
Tel: 604-608-1050
Fujiya, Richmond
3086 St. Edwards Drive, Suite 113
Hours: Monday through Sunday 10 am to 7 pm
Tel: 604-270-3715
Parthenon Importers
Parthenon Importers is a specialty Greek market on Vancouver’s Westside, featuring all kinds of imported Greek food and gift items, in addition to a fully-stocked deli with a terrific selection of feta and olives. Loyal customers especially love the 3-liter cans of olive oil, balsamic vinegars, figs, and fresh pita. For all things Greek, the Parthenon is your go-to market.
3080 West Broadway
Tel: 604-733-4191
Organic and Natural Markets
Whole Foods Market
For the organic-conscious shopper, Whole Foods Market offers a very pleasant shopping experience with its spacious stores, in-house deli/bakery/salad bar/hot food bar, and gourmet selection of cheeses, fine salts, oils, and other goodies. The store offers good value with its in-house brand, 365 Everyday Value®, and competitive pricing on most items. An instant rebate is given to those eco-conscious shoppers bringing their own bags, and you can choose to donate your rebate to one of three charities supported by the company.
Their health and wellness section has a good selection of homeopathic and natural supplements and vitamins, and Vancouver’s newest location in the heart of Cambie Village has an extensive Whole Body section with all kinds of body care products for the entire family. Their rough-cut artisan soaps are worth trying, and indeed, look good enough to eat!
Whole Foods, Cambie
510 West 8th Avenue
Hours: 7 days a week 8 am to 10 pm
Tel: 778-370-4210
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/cambie/
Whole Foods, West Vancouver
925 Main Street
West Vancouver
Hours: 7 days a week 8 am to 9 pm
Coffee Bar opens at 7 am
Tel: 604-678-0500
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/westvancouver/
Capers Community Market, Kitsilano
2285 West 4th Avenue
Hours: 7 days a week 8 am to 10 pm
Tel: 604-739-6676
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/ itsilano/
Capers Community Market, Robson
1675 Robson Street
Hours: 7 days a week 8 am to 10 pm
Tel: 604-687-5288
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/robson/
Choices Market
Choices Market is a leading retailer of both natural and conventional foods. The concept behind the name was to offer its customers a choice between organic or naturally-grown food and conventionally-grown food. With 7 stores in the area, they are western Canada’s largest natural food retailer, and the company is committed to sustainability, an important principle in Canada, and offers a recycling program where customers can return certain types of packaging to a Choices recycling center.
Choices Market, Kitsilano
2627 West 16th Avenue
Hours: 7 days a week 8 am to 11 pm
Tel: 604-736-0009
kitsilano@choicesmarket.com
http://www.choicesmarket.com
Choices Market, Cambie
3493 Cambie Street
Hours: 7 days a week 8 am to 11 pm
Tel: 604-875-0099
cambie@choicesmarket.com
Choices Market, Kerrisdale
1888 West 57th Avenue
Hours: 7 days a week 8 am to 10 pm
Tel: 604-263-4600
kerrisdale@choicesmarket.com
Choices Market, Yaletown
1202 Richards Street
Hours: 7 days a week 8 am to 11 pm
Tel: 604-633-2392
yaletown@choicesmarket.com
Choices in the Park (Burnaby)
6855 Station Hill Drive
Burnaby
Hours: Monday through Saturday 8 am to 10 pm
Sunday 9 am to 10 pm
Tel: 604-522-6441
stationhill@choicesmarket.com
Choices At The Crest (Burnaby)
8683 10th Avenue
Burnaby
Hours: 7 days a week 8 am to 9 pm
Tel: 604-522-0936
thecrest@choicesmarket.com
Choices Market, Whiterock/South Surrey
3248 King George Highway
Surrey
Hours: 7 days a week 8 am to 10 pm
Tel: 604-541-3902
whiterock@choicesmarket.com
Famous Foods
Famous Foods is a smaller-scale natural and organic supermarket on Vancouver’s Eastside, featuring a large dry-goods section where you can purchase anything from oatmeal to almonds in bulk quantities (store’s own packaging) at incredibly low prices. The selection is tremendous and stock is kept fresh through the high-volume sales this little market does every week. Famous Foods is popular with local Vancouverites because of its excellent prices and neighborhood-store atmosphere. The store offers free parking in behind, and will carry your groceries out to your car for you.
1595 Kingsway Avenue
Tel: 604-872-3019
Home Delivery Organic Grocers
There are several reliable online home-delivery organic grocers in the Vancouver area, and most of them offer delivery to the entire metro area. Nearly all of them sell organic food and produce exclusively. Your order is hand-delivered to your front door in sealed Rubbermaid bins on the designated delivery day for your area. The empty bins are exchanged each time you order for full bins holding your new order. Standing weekly orders can usually be set up, or you can order by the week, or on an as-needed basis.
There is a one-time refundable deposit of $10 for each Rubbermaid bin, and most grocers have an order deadline, which is typically 24-48 hours prior to your designated delivery day. You don’t have to be home to receive your order; your bins are left wherever you specify (front or back door, typically), and in the summer months, contain ice packs, freezer bags, and dry ice to keep the contents cold for up to 8 hours.
Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery (SPUD)
Free delivery with $35 minimum order; great website, easy to navigate; customer satisfaction high priority; rewards points; weekly prize draw incentive for low average product distance.
Tel: 604-215-7783
Toll-free: 1-877-473-5001
Email: vancouver@spud.ca
Website: http://www.spud.ca
Delivery area: Lower Mainland and Sea-to Sky to Mount Currie
Green Earth Organics (GEO)
Free delivery with $35 minimum order; choose from fully-customizable bins or pre-selected bins in different sizes (e.g. you choose which products/produce you want each week OR GEO chooses a nice selection of produce for you, you determine bin size); GEO will deliver to your office as well.
Tel: 604-708-2345
24hr Hotline: 604-708-5969
Email: info@greenearthorganics.com
Website: https://vancouver.greenearthorganics.com
Delivery Area: Lower Mainland, contact for specific areas
Blue Moon Organics
Delivering organic produce to Anmore, Burnaby, Belcarra, Coquitlam, Langley, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Pitt Meadows, New Westminster, Maple Ridge and Mission.
Tel: 604-462-8822
Email: info@bluemoonorganics.com
Website: http://www.bluemoonorganics.com/
Healthyway Market
Low prices on weekly home delivery natural and organic groceries. Must spend more to get free delivery;
Tel: 604-854-5004
