My first visit to a Whole Foods Market was years ago, after completing a job interview in Yorkville…read morein Toronto. I definitely remember what I got: a slice of tiramisu. At that time, it was the only Whole Foods in the greater Toronto area. Whole Foods has grown on me, likely because Markham has one and I frequent it often. I don't fit the profile of a typical Whole Foods shopper who tends to carry expensive handbags, must get everything organic, and can afford all things expensive, including tiny bottles of elixirs that extend their years on planet Earth. I like their dairy-free items. I love Carbonaut bread and the entire bakery section, including tiramisu. There are specific items that I get at this store. If I'm looking for romaine lettuce or celery, you'll likely see me at a grocery store that offers these items at normal, cheaper prices. Four years ago, I was in the Glebe and saw this Whole Foods store. I didn't go in. I had already got what I needed at a Metro. On my most recent visit, after spending a few hours exploring the area with a friend, I realized that I needed almond beverage and lemons. I had yet to set foot in any grocery store. They were good reasons to check this store out. I had parked underground. The elevator got me to this store. I exited the elevator on the main floor to hit Winners. This store has a cafe that occupies the entire floor. It was busy just before noon. People must love getting coffee and a baked good here. When I returned just past 5 pm, you could hear crickets on this floor. The cafe was closed. It was different. My local one is still open when I'm there at 7 pm. I have yet to hit the cafe at any Whole Foods location. I took the escalator up to the second floor, which is where the entire supermarket is. I immediately found almond beverage. Organic. Sugar-free. Perfect. I also found the produce area. The Rainier cherries looked good. They were also so expensive that I blocked the price out and moved on. I got a couple of lemons. You could get a bag of six. The price was the same if you calculated how much one lemon was going for, so you might as well pick your own pristine-looking lemons. I looked around. It has the usual salad and hot food bars. You pay by weight, which does add up if you aren't careful. There were lots of snacks and drinks to choose from. A can of flavoured carbonated water was going for $2.69. It makes you wonder how this store determines the prices that it sets. It was enjoyable looking at the plants and flowers. It's a nice grocery store. I had an equally nice woman at the checkout area. I paid for my items with a debit card. I didn't need a bag. My lemons were already in one, so I carried it and my carton of almond beverage to the elevator. It was convenient taking the elevator down to the underground parking lot. I walked to my car, paid for parking, and left. The lemons and almond beverage were great. I'm glad that I got what I needed at this store. I had a fun time shopping here. It's my second Whole Foods that I've been to where it has two floors. We'll see if I return in another four years. Maybe I'll try the cafe... haha! (262)

I mean it overhyped in my opinion! It's pricey and in this economy who ca affort 10& strawberries!read more

What a great little find! Elderast is a small but mighty organic grocery store. They don't have too…read moremuch selection, but have a little bit of everything. Their prices are comparable to larger chain health food stores. I was super thirsty, so popped in for some kombucha. They only had 2 brands in their fridge: Pur Kombucha in a bottle, with 2 flavours ($4.49 each) and Live Kombucha in a can, with 3-4 flavours ($3.89 each). I opted for the bottle, but would have liked a bit more variety, but I totally understand that their space is small. I was helped by a super friendly staff, who was such a good ambassador for the store I thought he was the owner, but advised me that he was not. He told me about their fruits, vegetables, and fruit AND vegetables baskets that are available for home delivery. The produce is all organic and the price is pretty good ($30 for a small basket, $40 for a medium and $50 for a large). We already get a vegetable home delivery service directly from a local farm, but the fruit option is appealing. The staff member told me his name, but as I'm writing this review it has slipped my mind (sorry), but we chatted and he told me he is a commercial pilot and works at the store part-time. He was very welcoming and knowledgeable and an asset to the store for sure. The store is new as they only opened in December 2021. They are a great addition to the neighbourhood. Street parking only.

They have some good deals with the pc optimum points card and sometimes in store specials. The…read morestore is clean and the staff are relatively pleasant to deal with. This location is relatively small compared to other Loblaw locations. You can find most of what you need, but there are some things that are not available here. They only take Visa & MasterCard; no AMEX.

We passed by Loblaws craving for sushi, and as usual, you can find all your cravings at Loblaws…read more We visited the store and the selection was quite big for a supermarket. The staff was very welcoming and happy to help. When we located the sushi fridge, we decided to try the below: Spicy shrimp mango roll Dragon boat Assorted maki boat California nigri boat Sushi ginger and wasabi are already included in the set, but unfortunately, we did find chopsticks For presentation, the boats and selection were well displayed and well organized For the taste, i would give 3/5. Flavors were not very relevant, and one piece of salmon has a weird taste. The dominant taste was the sushi rice, and the makis were a bit dry.

My daughter brought me to the Orleans Farmers' Market. I can't believe I've lived in Orleans for…read moreover 8 years but had never been there before. Mother's Meal was one of the vendors at the market. I love Korean food, but had never had their dessert pancakes before, so I got a walnut pancake for us to share. It was $9. It was good, but too sweet and sticky. It was filled with walnuts, sugar and cinnamon. The dough was very thin. I would have liked a thicker dough with less filling for a cheaper price, haha. I would also like a pancake with red bean filling. Hopefully they will expand their menu ;) The owner, Kevin, was very pleasant. He spoke with my daughter, but I overheard as I was looking around, haha. He told her they plan to open their own restaurant soon. Currently they only sell at Farmers' Markets, the one in Orleans and Westboro, and at the Parkdale Night Market. They are also at the Lansdowne Market but only sell kimchi and cold foods there, due to certain rules about how many vendors can sell hot foods. They are waiting for their turn to be able to sell hot food there. They make and fry the pancakes to order, so there's a bit of a wait. We ordered and then walked around the market, which worked out well. I hope to go back and try their savoury chicken pancake sometime. It's $15 though. Ouf, things are so expensive these days!

My friend met up with me at Ottawa Farmers' Market a few Sundays ago, to show me around this market…read moreand the Glebe. It was gracious and a lot of fun! I was last at Aberdeen Pavilion four years ago. We were at 613flea on a Saturday. On Sundays, it switches to being the Ottawa Farmers' Market here. It's cool that if you love farmers' markets, you can get your fix the entire weekend here. We walked around, browsing and thinking about what we wanted to get for lunch. We sampled homemade kimchi that was pretty good. Free samples are always terrific. I always find inspiration being a tourist and witnessing products that I have never seen. Vodcow was one of them. It's a lactose-free chocolate cream liqueur. Cool! Che Malambo caught my attention. Whenever I see an empanada, I want it. It's exactly what happened at this stand. I got a beef empanada that had so much filling that it wanted to burst. It was my first time having egg sharing the same filling stage as the beef. The egg was excellent. The filling was seasoned nicely. The outer part of the empanada was yummy. There was live music happening as we browsed. There was also a strawberry social inside Aberdeen Pavilion, but we didn't see much. It was a bit of a disappointment, as it was strawberry season. No demos. No samples. Nothing. Oh, well! We both stopped at the Thai Kitchen Catering Service stand. I ended up getting more finger food. I ordered a pork wonton and a shrimp spring roll. The man at the stand was so nice that he gave me a pork wonton on the house. I also got a Thai iced tea. Drinks were self-serve once you got a cup from him. I made the mistake of pouring sala cider instead. Oops! He was great getting me another cup and I made sure that I got Thai iced tea, which was cold and excellent on a hot day. We sat down and ate. I loved my pork wontons. They were crispy on the outside. The filling was nicely seasoned. I could taste basil, which made them heavenly. There was decent shrimp filling in the spring roll, which had a nice crunch to it. My friend got the chicken pad khee mao. She loved it. She said that it had bean sprouts, which she wasn't fond of. There weren't a lot of them and ate them all. I didn't have a chance to swoop in and eat them for her! It was fun watching a couple across from us with tackle eating a jerk chicken meal. We may have missed that stand, but we were practically doing play-by-play commentary about the jerk chicken going down. People-watching is a fun activity here. The produce and fruit that vendors had this day looked so fresh and vibrant. Although I didn't see much going on at the strawberry social, I will remember smelling ripe strawberries as we passed by various vendors and how happy I was. (259)

I love the Farmer's Market at Lansdowne. They are open year-round! In the winter they are in the…read moreAberdeen Pavilion, other times of the year they are outside. They are open every Sunday. Everything at the market is locally grown or made. They have lots of vegetables and some fruits, products like honey, maple syrup, jams and spreads. I have to admit that my favourite vendors are the ones that sell baked goods or ready to eat foods (like arepas, and samosas). There are also artisans that make jewelry, soaps, wooden cutting boards, and other items. Some vendors are there all the time, and some only occasionally. If you like Farmers' Markets, why not head down to Lansdowne and check this one out and support our local entrepreneurs?

It's challenging dealing with most of tne staff. They are not friendly and most of them speak only…read moreFrench. I saw a women there who was disabled ask for help and was rejected. She was furious. Weird vibezzz!

If you are looking for environmentally-conscious, local and fresh food, look no further. Herb and…read moreSpice is an amazing place to pick up groceries, health items ( skincare, vitamines), fresh food, pastries and smoothies. I specifically go for the smoothies which are awesome. My favourite is by far the green goddess. It's 8.50$ for a smoothie but they have these point cards so you can redeem a free smoothie after a certain number of purchases. The staff are always friendly, helpful and super knowledgeable about where their products are coming from! So great!

This is the best place that I have come across, in downtown Ottawa on Bank street. I have been…read moregoing there to get my supplements for many years and they are just as good now as they were then. The gentleman/owner that is usually at the cash, is a man full of knowledge, you never go wrong when you ask him questions or advice on his products. I recommended his store to many people I have come across in my bodybuilding life and today I still recommend his store it has everything you need at your fingertips and more.

From the owner: At Nature's Care, we are passionate about helping you reach your health and wellness goals - safely…read moreand naturally. We carry vitamins, herbs, sport supplements, body care products, nutritional bars, probiotics... and much more, at competitive prices. Our on-site chartered herbalist can help you select the optimal combination of products to suite your unique nutritional needs.

Yay! I finally made it in here for more than just a shawarma. This is a great little grocer in the…read moreglebe and I was really surprised with what they offerings. I was greeted by the sweetest employees - this business clearly really cares about customer service. Although it's a tiny store (cozy is a good word!) They have really great produce (way better than larger stores) and a decent selection. They stock bread from the Rideau Bakery and have a freezer of prepared meals (and gluten free products!). They also have a great selection of organic products (and produce!), A great spot! If this was in my neighbourhood I would be there all the time.

While i love their selection i have become very unhappy with their service. It seems that their…read moreservice is not what it use to be. My last four visits left me feeling unappreciated. The first of the four was their discounting a product only to be charged full price at the cash. The next visit the clerk was rude over my ringing the bell for service. Then on Thursday i ask about buying the container of 4 salads and the manager tells me the price is $8.99 a pound so buying more will not save me any money. So i buy two salads. On Friday i go back to buy another salad only to be informed that the price is not $8.99 a pound but the smallest container is $6.20. When i explain what i was told the previous day, they treat me like i don't know what i am talking about. I will now shop at a store that has more consistent pricing policies.

Healthy Planet just opened up about a month ago. This location is in the Ottawa Trainyards. It's…read morenext to Urban Barn and in the same plaza as Nordstrom Rack. Healthy Planet is a Health Food Store similar to Kardish and Natural Food Pantry. Since they are new, when I went they still had some empty shelf space, but I'm sure with time they will fill it with products. The store is big and bright and they carry a lot of items that I like at slightly lower prices than their main competitors (who I named above). They carry Vegan Rob's chips, which I absolutely love. They also carry Fiasco Gelato, as well as Mapleton's Organic ice cream! I saw lots of frozen breads, but not any fresh bread, and they don't have a bakery section :( They have a beauty section, but very limited brands of cosmetics. They have skincare, bath and body products too. They have a rewards/points system, but like their competitors it's pretty minimal. You get 1 point per dollar spent and get $5 off when you reach 500 points. So spend $500 and get $5 back. Better than nothing, I guess, lol. It's free to join the rewards program. I'm in this area a lot, so I will likely be going here often. Hopefully they have lots of sales and will have a clearance section, lol. Lots of free parking in the plaza.

From the owner: Healthy Planet is one of the best known & largest health food store chain in the GTA, we carry a…read morewide range of brands in health foods, supplements, sports nutrition and beauty care category with nutritionist on duty to advice you according to your healthy needs. Healthy Planet as retail chain focus on product selection, meeting the constant needs of our clients , adapting to changes, providing exceptional customer service, and above all, our commitment to providing the lowest prices to our customers. We believe in keeping prices fair, and building life-long relationships with our customers.