With the rising cost of living (read: food prices escalating so quickly) it's great to know that…read moreyou can still bag a bargain at independent grocery stores like my favourite fruit and vegetable destination, Cato. Tucked neatly behind the hustle and bustle of Chapel Street, facing the car park at Coles, means ample parking is always available so you can shop in peace. With a no-frills policy at play, don't expect a squeaky clean, clinical shopping experience like at some supermarkets. What you can expect though is a wide array of fresh produce at affordable prices all year round. For instance when most supermarkets were selling bananas at $14/kg, Cato sold bananas at $10/kg. They're also got a small selection of Asian groceries, nuts, herbs, spices and condiments available. But my all time favourite reason for shopping at Cato is they have really hot fresh chillies: a staple in my diet!

Cheaper than the nearby supermarkets and good quality. You can find almost everything you are…read morelooking for. We've done a lot of savings just by buying our stuff from here. They have many other things that you won't find at the usual places.

Super cool place to go with your family or friends! Even cooler fact is that South Melbourne Market…read morewas found in 1887!!! You can find everything pretty much there: fresh food and clothes, coffee and cleaning supplies:) So many awesome small and cute little bistros, so you could find anything you like to eat and drink!! It is open every day from 8am till 4pm. We had a great lunch there - we tried a few different things from various small restaurants and got coffee and smoothie for deserts:) Recommend! Cheers :)

South Melbourne markets is a great market, the fresh section full of all your fruits and veg…read more Always great produce. I do most my fruit and veg shopping here, its always very well priced and the produce is fresh.

Conveniently located next to Woolies in Vogue Plaza, I normally go to Green Apple Fruit and Deli…read morewhen I can't find what I need at Woolies. Sad but true! Unfortunately, this store is my second choice but at times, has offered a good variety of fresh fruit and vegetables at competitive prices compared to its neighbour. However, I have to say that the service staff at Green Apple Fruit and Deli are certainly uninterested in anything but chatting among themselves. On more than one occasion I've had to wait for the cashiers to finish their chat before being served. And I'm not one to be picky about these things but when you're rushing home to cook dinner with a handful of groceries, you really want to just pay and get out of there. Besides that, I've picked out some very sad looking vegetables before and handed it to the counter staff to be thrown out- but when I was there the day after, the same sad bunches were still for sale. That being said, this store does have its perks - like super cheap seasonal fruit (while stocks lasts) and a good range of gourmet condiments. But unfortunately, playing second fiddle to its larger next door neighbour is only expected.

I always love having a stroll around Green Apple Fruit and Deli, there are so many great products…read morein this elegantly set out store, if your lucky you will find that they do put plenty of products on tasting usually on the weekends. the fruit and veg here is always nice and fresh and if your not happy the staff have no problem in replacing it for you, we all know that fruits and vegies do go off and its sometimes hard to keep control of so many fresh products, but I think that Green Apple is doing a great job in competing with their much larger rival woolworths, whenever woolies have a special on Green Apple are always on top of it and beat their price and usually offer better quality fruit and veg. for example: Strawberries: Woolies: $3.98 ea Green Apple Fruit+Deli: 2 for $5 Mangoes: Woolies: $3.98 ea Green Apple Fruit+Deli: 3 for $6 Avocados: Woolies: $2.48 ea Green Apple Fruit+Deli: 3 for $5 THAT'S FOR EXACTLY THE SAME AVOCADOS!! Bananas: Woolies: $2.48 kg Green Apple Fruit+Deli: $1.78 kg Nectarines: Woolies: $4.48 kg Green Apple Fruit+Deli: $2.78 kg That's Just some of the great savings you can find in this great store, I think that the staff at Green Apple are usually nice and polite, well they could smile abit more but at least they are polite. If your not happy you can ask for the young man who looks after the family business, he always seems to have a great smile on his face and always keen on having a chat to customers.

Beautifully presented produce store but you're paying the prices for it... Perfectly laid out & top…read morenotch produce on offer complete with bucket flower market in case it's a smell-the-roses sort've day. But the best thing about this fruit & vege market is not only that they have packaged nuts n all the current health crazed fads but they also cater to the juice nuts. Juice bar with all your offerings of fruit & vege, to take out the guess work & help the indecisive they have a menu board of juice mixes & smoothies to help you out. Otherwise make your own juice with up to 5 choices free with the exception of your greens like kale, mint, spinach & a few other items.

This little fruit market is oddly placed right next to all night dance club revolver, although…read moremaybe it that could work in their advantage - drunken partiers heading home and needing something to fill their bellies. Revolver patrons aside Surace Fresh has a very good selection of fresh fruit and vegetables at prices significantly lower than the supermarkets. It's hard not to be drawn in through the open doors with tempting tropical fruits like mangoes, peaches, strawberries and pineapple lining the walkway, Surace Fresh also has a cool area where you can pick up meats and seafood, Asian groceries and on the other side of the store dried fruits and tasty roasted nuts. It is hard to access Surace Fresh if your driving as parking on Chapel Street is a nightmare, your best bet is either walking or catching the old 79 tram all the way down.

Located on a busy corner of South Melbourne Market this fruit and vegetable store is high quality…read moreand well displayed. All the produce looks appealing and the herb selection is fresh and plentiful. The space is divided into fruit and vegetables which makes navigating your shopping list much faster. While more expensive then other market greengrocers the quality is better, thus proving the adage 'you get what you pay for.' If your on a budget make sure you check out the $1 bags section for produce that you should use ASAP. Multiple counters serve this busy store which means you don't have to wait too long to pay.

There's a lot of choice at the market when it comes to fruit and veg but I find this one to be…read morequite reliable in terms of quality and having everything we need. The specials are placed on the outside, so you can pick up some bargains or opt for the fresher/better looking stuff inside if you can't see what you're after. Just remember to let the staff know what you've picked up from outside to get the discount.

This place is huge and a little overwhelming, but reminds me of the greengrocers before the…read moresupermarkets roared with power. There is a huge selection of fruit and veg - strangely at better prices than you could get at Queen Vic Market. Some of the quality seems to be a bit hit and miss though. For example, the bags of onions were sprouting. Sprouting onions aside... I really liked the fact that you could also pick up cheeses and pantry staples, such as dried beans, oils, tinned tomatoes ect. WIN. Perfectly good little local greengrocer.

I really do like these farmers markets, though of course I'm not going to travel all the way down…read moreto Dandenong just to visit this particular one. However, I still think these places are pretty cool, especially with the diverse range of produce, and this particular market is definitely no different. Actually, it is larger than some of the others located around Melbourne, and has been divided up between the produce section, and what I can the nik-naks section, though that is generally the case with most of them as well. Yeah, this place is pretty cool.

I absolutely love shopping here. A few booths sell items at very low prices. I bought some…read moregreeting cards for $1.50 each, and I got scarves and gloves for very cheap. For some booths, the prices aren't as low here as they are at nearby thrift stores, but there are many friendly and helpful vendors here. I bought some of the cutest and warmest jumpers (sweaters) for $25 each. Currently the outfit I'm wearing is 75% compiled from clothes I bought from this market. Come during lunch hour and watch a cooking demonstration. At the end, you walk away with delicious fresh free food. They also have a wonderful variety of cuisine from around the world to buy here. On my first trip, I bought Mauritian food, which cost less than $5 for two items. Other than clothes and food, you can find electronic accessories, jewelry, toys, movies, and various other items. I bought my auntie some lovely natural soaps from here. Just make sure you have enough cash before hitting the shopping stalls. Some places will accept cards, but not all. There are a few ATM's in the market if you need to withdraw cash.

I was really disappointed with this market! A frequent goer of Gaswork Park and Veg Out, this is…read moreteeny tiny in comparison I am sorry to say. It felt like there is less than 10 stalls. Normally I fill my trolley with fresh produce. Here I bought a sad bunch of carrots (organic) and a bag of orange. The most impressive thing was the grilled cheese sandwich from Milawa cheese. Three layers of cheese made toastie heaven. Nom Nom nom

First day today, not sure what to expect but was pretty good. I think it needs more selection of…read morestalls that sell produce, as the selection was a little limited. All the stall holders however were really friendly and they seemed to sell out pretty early which is great. Hoping that in markets to come that they get a few more stall holders on board, as i wanted to pick up a lot more fruit and veg - tomatoes, capsicum, banana, lettuce, etc... but could't get today. Did find some great free range eggs from inverloch and some yummy looking honey. Was pleased to see 5 and dime bagels there, but they had sold out by 11am. Will be back to see how the market progresses. It was certainly very busy though!