Owner is a very very rude man, avoid this shop…read more He will tell you he has the item and you waste your time going there and he doesn't have AND doesn't care. I called to ask a question and he was rude and then hung up the phone. Appalling service. Don't give this man any money - he doesn't deserve customers! Will write bad reviews everywhere. I will add pictures next time I am nearby this shop

This Polski Sklep (Polish Shop) is my to-go place for all things considered pork. Having grown up…read morein Germany, I need my pork sausages and my cold cuts made from pork. Alas, most British butchers or supermarkets only offer the usual watered-down hams, which have lost all of the interesting flavours. Here at Poziomka you can find literally dozens of different kinds of hams, sausages and other meaty treats. But not only that, this is a clean and well-sorted paradise for all things considered Eastern European: buttermilk, pickles, cabbage rolls and various kinds of sweets that you wouldn't find at your typical Tesco. I love coming here and just browsing through the shelves and finding things that I had grown up with, but had somehow forgotten about. (Polish and German share quite a bit of food heritage.)

The Turkish Food Centre is a large supermarket where you can find cheap imports form turkey, and…read moreother Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. It is a joy to live near by, open 365 days of the year, 8am to 10pm without fail. Organic vegetables, tomatoes bursting with colour and flavour. They have a large delicatessen where they have a large selection of olives, Halal meats and cheeses , and make their own Turkish bread on site too. It all has a lovely smell of when you walk in. They have absolutely everything that a Turksih Chef would need. My family shop here virtually everyday to get bread and other certain thing they might need for whatever is being cooked. For quantity, it is by no means competition for any large supermarket chains, but as for quality, it definitely is. It is a regular for me.

Once in a while I have a craving for Greek Salad...and then I always come here, as they have all…read morethe ingredients right here and there: tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, red onions, fresh olives, feta cheese, lemons, etc. Furthermore, you can get all kind of "Mediterranean" products here, as well as different cured meats.

Nice local store with a great range of vegetables in good price. Recommended for every N19 :)read more

It was great! I stopped by to pick up some ingredients because I was cooking for a dinner party at…read moremy friend's place. I'm Singaporean living in the US, I was visiting London and wanted to make some signature Singaporean dishes. I even picked up a pandan cake that was very much like how it's made back home! They had pretty much all the ingredients I needed and I was very happy while walking around there looking at everything they had to offer. Also the roasted duck and BBQ pork in the restaurant section looked very good but I haven't tried it. Very clean supermarket with a vast selection of Asian ingredients. Enjoyed the experience. I will be back!

Wing Yip is the extensive Chinese supermarket. Stock up on everything from froZen dimsum to fresh…read morefish and meat. As it caters to all the restaurants in the area goods also come in wholesale quantities. Plenty of parking. If you want to eat there's a main restaurant. Go in by the exterior entrance and tell the staff how many you are - turnaround is swift as it's something like a 200 cover place. Menu is extensive, food is great. There's also a cafe between this and the supermarket, more limited menu but just as good.

As a hungarian I am a regular customer here. Helpful, kind and good humoured staff. Quality…read moreproducts although expensive. Go and try "Turo Rudi" (chocolate) and "somloi galuska" (dessert)

The bread, cakes and pastries of Hungary don't get enough press. The French have rather cornered…read morethe market, and we all tend to forget about the equally established coffee and cake culture of Austria and Hungary. However, after you've had a strudel slice of poppy-seed and morello cherry Meggyes-Mákos Rétes, or a slice of seven-layered, hard caramel-topped Dobos Torta, you'll probably start remembering it. Danube, Harringay's Hungarian bakery opened a few years ago now. A brave move, given the number of Greek and Turkish bakeries already on that stretch of Grand Parade, including a formidable rival in the form of Yasar Halim's excellent Turkish bakery. However, it looks like Danube has carved out a niche for itself supplying local shops with bread, so I hope that it survives. There always seem to be Hungarians popping in for bread when I go, so fingers crossed. In the actual shopfront, they sell a wide selection of Hungarian breads made from various mixes of grains, potato bread (burgonyás kenyér), rolls and baguettes. They also have a good selection of Hungarian cakes and pastries, and sweetened and enriched breads, including chocolate/vanilla plaits. Fellow Hungarophiles will be delighted that the labels are bilingual, so if you want to try out ordering egy szelet Esterházy tortát, legyen szíves!, you can get the staff to laugh at your awful accent with ease. At least, that's what always happens to me. Oh, they also sell pretty decent coffee.

This local store not only rips you off by trying to charge you on average a 70% more than anywhere…read moreelse in the local area for some of life's essentials but they are also extremely rude, unhelpful and lack any kind of basic customer service. I was in the store on one occasion where I witnessed them tell the guy in Front of me that the price was even higher than there label noted because on the can it said 50% extra free by the manufacture. Unbelievable. This place has been praying on the locals and ripping them off for years. Go out of your way not to use them. Unless that is you like being treated like crap and ripped off at the same time.

I don't agree with the previous review. The author ignores the very wide range of foods and drinks…read morethat it stocks, which is unusual in the area. And I have never found the staff, rude, unhelpful or discourteous. I have patronised them for about 3 years. it's not the cheapest store but the prices are regular.

In my endless quest to be cooler than all you people I shunned the food stalls of Sunday UpMarket…read morewith their mobs of people wearing ironic large sunglasses, I turned my nose up at the hog roasts at Shoreditch cliches 93ft East and the Truman Brewery, and I certainly wasn't going to join the More4-loving set lunching away at shiny chain restaurants in what used to be wonderful Spitalfields. No, I decided I'd abandon the Time-Out guided Sunday masses and wonder the wrong way down Brick Lane in search of authentic options. And because of that my lunch for £2.40 consisted of two of the best spinach samosas I've ever had and two hearty but dry fish cakes. It was window placement of these savoury cakes, samosas and pakoras that magnetised me into Ambala. The rest of the shop was largely devoid of the Bangla sweets they profess, but do I look like I'm bothered? It was lunch time, I wanted something salty, satisfying and solid value and I found it in spades. Next time you do the sunday brick lane thing, give Ambala a look. Don't just be another sheep having free range tofu sausage crepes with the other Nathan Barleys.

I work in the City with a team from India and they have established a custom of zipping out to…read moreAmbala on a Friday afternoon and returning with a huge box of hot samosas. When I find out who came up with the idea I shall demand that they are promoted and given some sort of employee of the decade award. Ambala sell a vast range of Indian/Pakistani savoury snacks and sweets. Both their lamb and vegetarian samosas are fantastic, their pakora is great and so is more or less everything else they sell. If you work near this part of London you absolutely have to go in here and buy enough of their delicacies to fill a wheelbarrow, push it straight back to your office and bask in the warm adulation of your co-workers as they scarf hot eastern yumminess. Unfortunately they aren't open early otherwise I would pick up breakfast here.

I can't say enough good things about this place. I'm fortunate enough to live about a 5 minute…read morewalk from the place, but even if I lived in East London I wouldn't hesitate to venture down here to buy my meat. The quality of their produce is top notch - for example, one Sunday lunch my sister bought a whole lamb shoulder (over 2 kilos) to roast for a few hours. Between the five of us, we ate THE WHOLE THING. It was just that good. I don't think I could ever describe lamb as being more-ish, but none of us could stop. HG Walter offer a comprehensive selection of meats including the lesser known cuts, game and special items every week (seasonal animals, specialty meats such as rare-breed pork etc.). They have a large variety of sausages (usually more than 10), really tasty burgers (particularly their lamb and mango one), and some pre-prepped stuff such as marinaded chicken breasts, kebabs, and prepared quail. Also, if you ask for them, they'll provide you with very cheap bones/carcasses for stock making which makes some damn tasty stock. They also sell eggs, some pretty decent local vegetable produce, some cheeses and deli items (a small pate selection including their excellent pate campagne, olives, olive oils, and a variety of condiments from companies such as Tracklements and Seggiano). Although the place is always busy (they're open until 7 which is perfect for the walk home), as mentioned by Vikki the line diminishes very quickly. The staff are great, they're always friendly and helpful. If you're not quite sure which cut to buy, they'll ask you how you're cooking it and will offer an appropriate suggestion. Likewise, if they're out of stock of one thing, they'll suggest an appropriate replacement (and not just upsell more expensive cuts). Shopping here is an absolute pleasure. In terms of price, it's not cheap cheap but cheaper than the some of the big name butchers in London. Their cheaper cuts are great value when you consider the quality - the belly pork is one of my staples at 7 quid a kilo and I find I can just about afford it on my PhD stipend. In conclusion: as I said before, I'd happily travel across town to shop here. A very enjoyable shopping experience and that's before you've even tasted their food. One last tip: their Scotch Eggs are absolutely OUT OF THIS WORLD. Trust me. The crunchiness of the breadcrumbs, tastiness of the oniony-sausagey inside and the soft egg. They're a total steal.

This small family butcher's is just packed full of unspeakably good stuff…read more There's the standard range of sausages, joints of meat and mince, but these guys take it to the next level! Skewers of marinated meat, stuffed chicken breats, gorgeous varieties of sausages (I can reccomend the chilli, but be prepared for some big heat!), and a chock deli section complete with luxury cheese and unbelievable pork pies. Also shelving behind with top quality dry goods and jars, and a small area of organic vegetables outside. And if you want a summer treat, get one of their handmade burgers, a ciabatta roll and a barbie. Sheer bliss! I used to rate Moen and Sons in Clapham as my top sausage provider, but they are now facing some stiff competition!

As Tom Jones sang:…read more "It's not unusual to find Lebanese nut shops on side streets in London" OK... that wasn't a hit song or pleasurable lyric. But here indeed is a small shop offering nuts from the middle east. They also offer Baklava-like pastries and other dry goods, but by any measure it's not a standard corner shop. The owner is an absolute delight... Mr. Happy. But as mentioned, this is a tiny store - not a destination to find everything you want like the Harrods of Nuts. The selection is much smaller and simple. If walking near, stop by for a snack. Go somewhere else for a meal.

This is a great little shop which I walk past every day on my way to work. They have a supply of…read moredifferent flavoured cashews, peanuts, and my favourite - chinese peanut crackers, which are a pound for 100gms. They also have a range of other jarred bits and pieces and sacks of lentils and beans but I only go for the nuts. The shop owners are really nice and happy to help.

Japan Centre is an unique visit for any Japanese culture and cuisine enthusiast in London (was…read moresurprised to find it). This emporium feels like a slice of Tokyo, offering a massive selection of authentic groceries, specialty ingredients, and even unique kitchenware and stationery that you won't find in a standard supermarket. The variety of ready-to-eat options is impressive--from fresh sushi and bento boxes to delicious matcha croissants and mochi doughnuts. It's a great spot to grab a quick, lunch or pick up high-quality snacks and pantry staples. Whether you're there to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere and frequent cultural events, it's a fantastic experience in the heart of Leicester Square!

Amazing place to get some of my favourite Japanese foods at affordable prices. They have a great…read morerange of items and often have multiple brands of each item like matcha, noodles and seaweed. I'm not personally into sweet things but they have a great range of sweets and pocky sticks. They sell kitchenware items like chopsticks, cooking utensils and bamboo whisks. They also have cute little stationary that isn't expensive and will make great stocking stuffers closer to Christmas. We tried a couple of bakery items, including a matcha croissant and a mochi doughnut which I've always wanted to try. The doughnut was nice and lighter than a regular one. The croissant was flaky and really nice but the matcha-white chocolate type topping was too sweet for me personally. I'll definitely be back for more bamboo shoots and fermented foods!