Brisbane has come a long way over the years but it can still be frustrating trying to get a decent…read moremeal late at night. Hospitality workers, shift labourers and the inveterately disorganised know this fact only too well - if you end up trying to sort out dinner after the 9pm mark on a weekday you won't be able to get anything from the major supermarkets and your takeaway options will be seriously limited. That's why I appreciate the role of chains like IGA. To me, they represent the happiest compromise possible between a 24-hour convenience store and a full-blown supermarket. IGA Milton has an especially good range and boasts impressive opening hours: 6am - midnight 365 days a year (foreign readers from countries where 24-hour supermarkets are easy to find will have to excuse my excitement)! The deli here is quite gourmet, with a good selection of salamis and prosciutto as well as an array of olives. There are also some wholesome ready to eat salads and other heat-and-eat options like tortilla stacks. The nearby cheese selection showcases a well sourced selection of brie, camembert, blue and many others. I've even bought a very tasty pre-made sand crab lasagne from the refrigerated section. I suppose we have the area's high socio-economic status to thank for these epicurean touches.

Yep, I'm jumping on the bandwagon to rave about Baroona Road IGA. Such a sellout, aren't I? Hardly…read more Have you ever tried getting a park in Baroona Road Centro? It's a nightmare! My roommate laughs at me every time I say I'm popping down there for groceries and sarcastically wishes me luck getting a park, and he's not wrong. It's every man for himself when it comes to parking at this place. Horrible parking experiences aside though, this IGA is a godsend. The amount of times I've panicked when I've had nothing to take to work for lunch the next day or I've run out of milk and this place has saved me, I simply cannot count. One particular occasion I forgot it was a coworker's birthday the next day so I frantically rushed into Milton IGA at around 11pm and quickly swiped up a chocolate mud cake. It's a constant topic of conversation in my house how amazing the Baroona Road IGA's opening hours are. 6am to 12am every night; how does it get any better than that? Plus it's a TINY place, and yet I always seem to be able to find everything my heart desires. How do they manage to pack all that stuff into this tiny little space? Beats me, but they do. I prefer it to even larger supermarkets where they'd have about five hundred different brands of washing powder or mango juice because Baroona Road IGA always has what I need. For a small place, it has a ridiculously amazing selection of gourmet cheeses and healthy cooking options, plus a better range of caesar salads than I see in larger IGAs or Woolworths stores. Rather than go to Toowong's large and probably cheaper Coles, I prefer to go here. It's more convenient, and the selection is excellent. It's far better than any other chain grocery store I've experienced thus far. Everything is super easy to find whether you're in a rush or planning a larger shop. Because of Baroona Road IGA, I never go hungry. If you're a Milton/Auchenflower local, you'll find that you cherish and appreciate this IGA as much as me; if you survive the rat race of the car park out front, that is.

You probably won't believe me, but I always wished there was a convenience store here and when Busy…read moreBee opened last year I was chuffed. You see, I often visit family in a unit block next door but I'm usually there after hours and as you may have noticed, WIckham Tce after hours is pretty dead. When I visit my family, I've often come straight from work and am dying for a Coke or something to go with dinner or someone needs me to get milk or whatever. So, finally that FOR LEASE sign went down, and Busy Bee bumbled in. It's a pretty typical little convenience store, but it is such a godsend where it's located. They sell some random little knick-knacks and a few imported goods to which always makes for some interesting impulse buys. The staff here don't speak much english but they're so lovely. Busy Bee often has good deals too, things like two for ones or drink/snack combos. I know lots of places have these (especially pretor stations), but Busy Bee's are actually worthwhile in terms of value which is a nice change. So if for some reason you're ever on Wickham Tce after hours (and you'll be one of the only ones) and you need an ice cream or some cheezels, rejoice! Busy Bee has the sweet stuff (lame joke, I'm sorry). But seriously, how cute is the name and the sign!

This place has decided to charge a $5 minimum eftpos fee which is a violation of their terms with…read morecommon wealth bank. I suggest you take your business elsewhere

Oh look, yet another convenience store in West End. What is it about this place that makes it so…read moreconducive to having such a large number in operation? It must be all the munchies going on. What sets this place apart is the amount of Asian groceries you can get here. The store has about four aisles, two of which are dedicated to Asian 'cuisine'. The inverted commas are necessary because I'm not sure two minute noodles, no matter how many Chinese characters appear on the packaging, can be considered cuisine. But it is a tiny supermarket so I don't think they can be criticised for their choice to stock long-life products. Of course they still have the same stuff every other convenience store does; cold drinks, snacks, basic ingredients and toiletries and pre-paid phone credit. I like that this one has a little something extra.

I've always wondered what the W in W supermarket stood for…read more For a while I thought it was for Westend, but now I'm sure it's for WHATEVER. (And it really does offer a hodgepodge of products that fall under the "Whatever you could possibly Need from a convenience store" umbrella.) My favourite aspect of this store is the large range of asian groceries on display, from hello pandas, pockys and chocolate to shampoos, noodles and dried ginger there is something to satisfy everyones wants. Be sure to also check out their fridge full of delectable asian ice creams (Green Tea or blue lemonade = my life guys) Right on Melbourne St, This little store is well worth a peep in when cruising through Westend.

Standard, run of the mill 7-Eleven store. Range within this store is comparable to others. There is…read morea private car park and it is located next to a couple of bottle shops if you need to buy beer with your potato chips.

A swell little supermarket. Seemed to be quite busy when I was there, but the staff were pretty…read morerelaxed. Opening hours are very convenient, especially if you've had a few at the pub and need something on the way home. I bought my first ever Go card here, so this IGA will always hold a special place in my heart.

This IGA is the size of a medium sized supermarket, yet it's open at convenience store times of day…read more(6am - 12am). Store produce is made up of your usual supermarket stock (including the Black & Gold brand) but a tempting range of international influences can be found in their extensive deli and bakery. You might not have come here craving a Cheesecake Shop Cheesecake or a biscotti, but you'll probably be haunted by it for days to come.

I go in every fortnight and the young man that serves me each time is so very polite and with a…read morelovely smile and even have a laugh with him. Great little store

I'm not sure this store is exactly what I would call 'convenient'; unless you've been hit by…read morecravings for some junk food or that's all your diet consists of, they won't be able to help you too much. It's a tiny little place so I suppose they've had to make some decisions as to what sells best, and they have decided to fill their shelves with mainly chips and chocolate, with a few toiletries shunned to one side on a shelf of their own. Yes, it's convenient for certain things, but not if you're in need of some last minute ingredients for dinner or don't fancy the idea of heart disease. When I called to check the opening times, the guy on the other end of the line informed me when they open quite decisively. As to when they close he didn't sound too sure - their closing time depends on trade, so be warned that what is listed is not set in stone by any means.

The local corner store is an institution around the world with many entrepreneurial types setting…read moreup shop with the intention of providing the day to day essentials of modern life. There are factors common amongst each of these stores but it is the little differences I have always found interesting. Given that the major selling point of the local convenience store is the convenience of its locality many of these businesses just don't try very hard. If the choice is between walking one hundred metres or driving five minutes to pick up some milk, there is an immediate advantage to the corner store. One such establishment can be found on Banks Street and it has the lived in, run down appeal of the family run institution it has become. Walking into this little shop feels more like popping into a neighbours house to borrow some sugar, their paper and three litres of milk than the exercise in capitalism it is. There is rarely someone at the counter but the flyscreen door behind it that runs down towards the family's living room allows whoever is home to hear if someone has entered the store. I've always been greeted with a smile and it never feels like I am testing the attendants patience when I can't settle on a purchase.

I love corner stores. They never have the fluoro lighting that haunts 711's and sure, you pay a…read morebit more but at least you know you're helping out a family and not a major corporation. This little convenience store has a truly eclectic range of stock, and although the range is tiny I've always managed to find what I need. Not a place to do your grocery shopping, but indispensable for the last minute forgotten item.

Before I ever set foot in the place I knew it as the one with all the event posters covering its…read morewestern wall. Now I wander in occasionally for some noodles or one of their exotic and bizarrely tasty Asian style soft drinks, like baby coconut juice with pulp or the soy drink with basil seeds. The latter features the seeds floating in solution, with their black inner and translucent ectoplasm giving them the appearance of microscopic organisms. It's pretty tasty though if you can get used to the unusual texture. They also stock all the usual noodles - vermicelli, hokkien, udon et al - spices, dried goods and tinned exotica. You need to go up to the mezzanine level to find the Asian offerings, with the lower level looking conspicuously like any Western corner store, with sweets, soft drinks and a heated cabinet full of good old Aussie meat pies. There's a seemingly defunct blackboard menu with a range of hot food but no prices next to them, making me wonder how long it has been since the full selection was operational.

Yes!! I always just…read morethought this place was a dingy little convenience store, boy was I wrong! It's located on Vulture Street directly across from Brisbane State High School. As you enter you soon realise your taste-buds are about to go to heaven. They have a front section as a bakery selling pies, pastries, sweets and everything in between and the back area up a few steps is an Asian grocer. The best part is the $4 Banh Mi - I'm going to make a big call, definitely one of the freshest I've had in Brisbane in a long time. It's like Kim Thanh in West End, only 200 times better and no grouchy old Vietnamese ladies!