Before Lidl came to Oxford Road, Worldwide was the place where I did most of my shopping. My…read moreflatmate and I set ourselves a challenge - each time we went to Worldwide we would buy an item of fruit or veg which we had never tried before, bring it home, attempt to prepare it and sample it. This led to some rather funny looks at the counter. One one occasion, on asking our Kenyan friend for cooking information, he explained to us that they probably laughed at us because *no-one* buys just one bhindi. We soon learnt from this school-boy error. As well as fruit and veg I always picked up pitta, naan and other foreign breads here, but it's probably not the place to go for a reasonably priced loaf of Warburton's. They also sell exciting fizzy drinks from all over the world, baklava, mango lassi and every herb, spice, bean or pulse you could think of, all of which I can recommend. Things that I have purchased from here and regretted include tinned palak paneer, a tray of 30 very unethical eggs, weird smelling incense, cheese and DIY henna. As a vegetarian I've never looked at the meat counter. But I know that my Muslim flatmate bought her meat there as it is all Halal and my Chinese flatmates bought their meat there because they sold all the disgusting-sounding parts of animals that they liked to boil up in stews, such as chicken feet. I challenge you to visit Worldwide and not to come away with more than you went in for. Even the fruit and veg is priced so that you end up with 3 cucumbers (£1) rather than the one (50p) you went in for!

Worldwide Foods. Not just a clever name my dears, certainly not. While its location on the Curry…read moreMile might make you think it's an Indian supermarket, well! Remember that it's not only Indian restaurants in Rusholme. Okay, so most of them are curry houses, and that's reflected in the fact that Worldwide Foods is mostly Indian, but you're just as likely to find your Turkish flatbreads or your Jerk seasoning here as you are your Patak's pastes and poppadoms. But you'll find so much more. As I found out far too late on the way out, there's a massive fresh produce fruit and veg stall at the back. There's also a Halal butchers, and tons of stuff you've probably never heard of. We picked up some unusual little treasures like miniature crisp puri breads with cumin seeds, like tiny poppadoms, sweet buns made with sesame seeds and egg, and crumbly shortbread-like biscuits with coconut and topped with chopped pistachio and almonds. In fact, if you're as unfamiliar with ethnic sweets as I am, you may well spend most of your time in the cookie aisle to pick up new treats. As well as this there are additional niche items like rose syrup (for faluda methinks), tropical drinks, every kind of Bombay mix you can think of, canned goods and tons of pulses and rice... just do what I did and explore. It's so much fun. Worldwide Foods is nothing short of a culinary adventure!

There are plenty of arguments for and against the social impact of segregated communities in…read moreManchester. One of the overwhelming advantages of such communities however, which I'm sure will gain universal approval is their complete immunity from being threatened by giant retail food chains. You know the ones I'm talking about, the ones that've been driving out small independents outta business across across the country. I LOVE the fact that the communities remain militantly loyal to local foodstores like Madina. Upon close inspection, turns out the reason is a little more complex than just cultural affiliation. One of the main one reasons? This place is AWESOME!! There's literally a library of spices to buy (at BARGAIN prices) and experiment at home with. Any foodie/charlie out there who's sick of the monotonous nature of the shopping experience, will find this to be their culinary/chocolate factory. True, London probably bigger volume of such establishments, but they probably cant beat us for sheer quality. So next time you're stuck in traffic driving to town on Stockport road (through Levenshulme) have a break, and instead of having a kitkat, park up and have a cheeky gander.

Despite having a deceptively small storefront, once inside Madina Superstore turns out to be…read moreanother Desi supermarket easily on a par with branches of Worldwide Foods or Manchester Superstore. With the UK 'hungry gap' upon us, I bagged a box of lychees plus sundry Desi vegetable and fresh herbs. Freshness of the produce was very good, although a bit of banter with a Desi customer revealed that he was passing up on the tinda as being too big - although this is no doubt an out-of-season issue. For the mobile cosmopolitan foodie such as myself, the aim is to know where all the ethnic food stores are so that ethnic food shopping can be done with a minimum of detour from other city business and pleasure. Although there is nothing really oustanding about Madina Superstore to make you travel beyond your nearest Desi superstore, it is nice to have a proper Desi supermarket in Levenshulme to save Levy locals a trip up Stockport Road to Longsight. And visitors such as myself can combine a visit to Madina Superstore with a trip to the monthly Levy Market, or else the permanent Trove café bakery or POD deli.

A. J Afro Caribbean (Foods and Veg) in the market is an absolutely delightful place. It epitimises…read moreexactly what is so fantastic about markets such as these. Selling a full array of Caribbean foodstuffs, including seasoning, scotch bonnet peppers, plantain for cheaper than you'd find it anywhere else, and dried fish for £6. As somebody who absolutely loves the firey sweet and sour flavours of the Caribbean, this place is a jewel not to be missed.

Being of Polish descent, with a father who lives out in Warsaw, I have been to many Polish shops,…read morein this country and in Poland in search of ingredents for various traditional meals. I stumbled across the Russian and Polish Delicatessan in the market, and decided to have a peak. Walking in, I truely felt as though I had been transported overseas to do some shoppng. Every jar, tim, packet and sausage had been imported from either Poland or Russia. In such a small space they manage to cram in so much, clearly making i a favourite to the Polish and Russian communities. The staff speak in Polish and Russian and are undoubtedly from either Poland or Russia, making it a truely authentic experience. The only drawback was the display of sausages in the fridge section. It was confusing and messy, looking as though people had rummaged through. If that display had been as good as the others, I could have marked them higher.

I think this is one of 3 asian stores in Warrington. It's…read morethe oldest and the one I use all the time. Lots of fresh produce, herbs and spice galore and very cheap prices. They have a frozen section and a butchers selling goat, chicken, lamb and mutton. They also sell Milk and yoghurt. It's a great place to stock up on ingriedients if you like to cook. A kilo bag of spices can cost around the same as 50g packs from some supermarkets. I also buy vacum packed meals from here for work. Some at und £2 with buy one get one free. It's on the small side but packed with everything you need.

Brilliant little shop.More friendly than over the road.Excellent prices.Very friendly+helpfull.If u…read morecan,t find something,they will point it out 2 u.10 out of 10.I wouldn,t bother looking anywhere else.They,ve got everything I have ever wanted,+more.Geoff;;;penketh.

Eastern Food Store in Renshaw Street sells a variety of Halal, poultry and continental foods both…read morefor wholesale and retail. When you walk into the shop, you can immediately smell the aromas of Asian ingredients which sets your senses going. You are presented with essential sauces, dried and canned foods with a mid/far eastern taste so if you fancy something different, then here is a shop that can offer you that exotic twist to your dishes. There is even a butchers at the end of the shop where a friendly guy will provide you the best cuts of meat how you wish. Prices are generally a little dear but you are paying for good quality products so that is your guarantee.

This foreign grocery store offers a little wider variety than Hondo in that it sells Indian items…read moreand other Asian items as well. I personally think they are smaller than Hondo, though. (I'm not sure why someone said that Hondo was the smallest of the main three?) This seems to be a quieter shop as well, but that could because it's not as near to China town. Besides dried and canned goods they also sell fresh produce and meat. Still, I don't think you will find as wide a variety here as you will in Hondo (my personal opinion.) And the prices are a little higher.

Absolutely the worst experience of my life. As I type the food is over two hours late and yet to…read morearrive, phone calls ignored, no way to contact them and they clearly could not give a damn about customers. I hope they go bankrupt.

The variety here is amazing the store is very good and a good alternative to the big…read moresupermarkets.The big problem lies on the spacing inside of the store.Very hard to get through other customers as the spacing is tight. The second problem is they over charge you at times on the till.It happened to me last week they charged me for items on special offer,be careful they do not charge you more for special offer items.

One of the larger shops in the market, Polskie Delikatesy has a wide range of Polish groceries on…read moredisplay. When I visited I was struck by the brightness and spaciousness, with traditional wooden surfaces and attractive displays. A young punky-looking Polish woman was chatting away in Polish with the woman behind the counter and got the sense that this shop might provide a good meeting place for the local Polish community and a place where they can experience a comforting reminder of home. Being quarter Polish myself and having spent many a summer holiday in my childhood running wild through the pine forest surrounding my Polish family home, eating beetroot soup and Golabki on the wooden veranda and waking at the crack of dawn to go grocery shopping at a nearby market, I have a real nostalgia for Polish food. Polskie Delikatesy definitely satisfies my nostalgia, selling jars of pickled gherkins, Wedel chocolate (yum!) and scrumptious looking Polish bread among many other food items. If you're Polish (even by a fraction!), like Polish food, or just want to try grocery shopping with a difference I'd definitely recommend Polskie Delikatesy!

This Polish Delicatessen in Kirkgate Market is one of the larger ones. From the outside you can see…read morestraight in, and the shop space is much larger than others. They have lots and lots of Polish goods, and by the looks of things is a popular place for the Polish Community to come and stock up with home comforts. If you've been on the prowl for a fine bit of kielbasa, or just some instant barszcz (or borscht depending on where you're from), this is a great shop, easy to navigate round with helpful staff.

Customer since first opened. Incredibly helpful whenever I've made a trip from France for essential…read moresupplies. Thank goodness you do delivery, you can't get cassia in France for love nor money.

Another jam packed corner shop. This food store struggles to offer you enough crap as you enter…read more Ravi food store arch nemesis to wazi food store (in my mind at least) is again run by the same folk day in day out. I can imagine coming back here in 30 years time and just picking up what I want and leaving my change on top of the coffin behind the counter. Narr but seriously ravi is a choice corner store with everything you could want to get your mitts on, sweets, cans of soup and fresh fruit galore.

Amazing Mexican food! We moved here from US and closest we got to home! Highly suggest…read morereservations! Small dining area. Great margaritas!

Amazing. Really good Mexican food in Cumbria. Wife had seafood burrito was exceptional. I had mixed…read moregrill. Wow bloody fantastic.