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.

I've been coming here on and off for years and the owner (Mrs Sirianni) has known me since my high…read moreschool days. Sadly Mrs Sirianni passed away almost two years ago but her sons and grandsons are now running the place. The store is full of items you will not find in your local Coles or Woolies - excellent antipasto, huge selection of cheeses, Greek and Italian desserts and fresh leg ham straight off the bone. All are reasonably priced for what you are getting. The store itself is still great but it does lack the atmosphere it had when Mrs Sirianni was still alive. Times change of course and I do see a lot of the locals still use this store regularly.

This big Asian grocery store stocks all the pantry staples plus a whole lot more. There is fresh…read moreproduce, which stocks hard to find vegetables like bitter melon, okra and long melon. There is also the Fish Shop (the trading hours for this are a little different to the main supermarket), frozen produce, sauces and pastes, crockery and cooking utensils, confectionery and more varieties of drinks than you can imagine. They conveniently split the isles into the different countries and styles of food too- Japanese, Korean, Philippines. However you will still get lost in this place and will spend all afternoon walking up and down the isles. Head up the back for a huge range of teas - both teabags and loose-leaf tea. You can find so many varieties of Chinese green teas and Oolong teas, plus more varieties of tea I don't even know, at half the price of fancy tea shops like Tea2 and The Tea Centre. I got a 227g tin of Oolong tea for $10, which is more than half the price of 250g of Oolong tea from Tea2.

So you already know that out of all the amazing Asian grocery stores in Sunnybank, this one is the…read morebest, but I feel compelled to tell you about the recent discoveries I made here. First, they have the cheapest green tea around, plus a lot of other herbal tea flavours you can't find anywhere else. This earns a big, fat stamp of approval from me. In my opinion the range of tea available in most supermarkets is incredibly boring and unadventurous, so I was very excited to come across their wall of tea at the back of the store. Second, a friend and I were wandering through the store, searching for something exciting for dinner when we saw dumplings (many, many, many types and flavours). There were many brands and numerous fridges full of them. We eventually decided to try some prawn ones, but we didn't expect too much since they came frozen in a packet. They were absolutely delicious, just as good as the ones I've had in restaurants, and they were amazingly cheap. A packet of twelve was something like four dollars. I plan to return once everything that's currently occupying the space in my freezer has been eaten, and buy a year's supply of these delicious dumplings, which will probably last me about a week.

An IGA is always a godsend at desperate times. Open from 6am til midnight 365 days of the year,…read morethey can solve many last-minute crises. The New Farm IGA is my local grocery store and also has a separate gourmet deli section adjoining. During the Brisbane floods last year, the IGA was one of the few supermarkets that stayed open the majority of the time until a power outage put even them out of business for the day. The staff are lovely and the turnover seems pretty slow, so you'll get to know the faces of your checkout assistants quite well. There is always a good selection of fresh fruit and vegies available, but the meat range can be limited at times. Everything is a little more expensive than you'd expect to pay at a larger store, but for the convenience of an 11pm shopping trip, a little extra cash is worth it.

I live around the corner from iga Brunswick St new farm. It has great hours 6am to 12 midnight. The…read morestaff are friendly, quick and efficient. I go there all the time and highly recommend it

WELCOME Fresh Food Having been brought up on a Chinese diet,…read moremost forms of Asian cooking is second nature to me now. I can't count the number of times I've scoured Brisbane looking for a specific ingredient without which my authentic Thai or Malaysian or Chinese dish would fail. WELCOME Fresh Food is one of my regular suppliers for Asian groceries. For those who are use to shopping at Woolworths or Coles, there are two things you'll notice about Asian grocery stores in general. Firstly, the aisles are not very wide. It wouldn't be unusual for two women with normal sized child-bearing hips to get wedged in an aisle. WELCOME Fresh Food is no exception. There is nothing you can about this. I repeat, there is absolutely NOTHING you can do about this. The only way to deal with it is to learn how to sidle, slip and slide through temporary cracks in the crowd. If you do tend to get claustrophobic, fortunately there are quiet periods - go first thing in the morning or half an hour before shutting. Do not go around midday on a weekend! Secondly, you may notice that the level of cleanliness is not like Woollies or Coles. I'm not saying there are bugs crawling around but sometimes floors are streaked with mud or grocery juices. Things can get slippery so be careful! Also, unturned stock tends to sit on shelves gathering dust. Fortunately, WELCOME Fresh Food is one of the cleanest Asian grocery shops I've been to so hopefully you won't encounter any problems. Finally the range of products at WELCOME Fresh Food is excellent. It's difficult for a general Asian grocery shop to stock everything - that's why there are specialty Asian grocery shops which will focus on Korean or Indian. WELCOME Fresh Food does a decent range of most South East Asian cooking products. I'm singing their praise higher than usual because they helped me out the other week with a purchase of Kombu (seaweed) which I was unable to find at four other Asian grocery stores in Sunnybank. Trading Hours (Open 7 Days) Monday-Saturday 8.30am-7pm Sunday 9am-6pm Public holiday 9am-6pm Closed on Christmas Day & Boxing Day

This has to be the biggest, busiest Asian supermarket in Sunnybank. Given its size you would expect…read moreit to have the biggest range of produce and as far as I can see, it does. Along with all the usual longer life stuff there's a good sized fresh produce section with vegetables that actually look good, unlike some of the other places where the bok choy falls to one side in protest as soon as you pick it up. One thing I like about this place is that they have more than one check out - I've been in one too many Asian supermarket where I've had to wait for much longer than should be necessary just to buy one item, while I've been stuck behind people buying a week's worth of groceries because there's one measly cash register in the entire place.

If you like to brunch somewhere chic, surrounded by cool boutiques in a buzzy area, this might not…read morebe the place for you. It's based in a small, suburban shopping centre in the Coorparoo/Camp Hill area.Inside there's a deli counter and little mini grocery store (stocking high end oils, vinegars etc etc). And a huge trestle table where you can sit and sip coffee or brunch. If you're after more space, just outside you can sit in the cafe's "extension", which is quite spacious, airy and has huge French windows that open out. Unfortunately onto a carpark. I came here to order some gourmet salads for Christmas Day. And although they sounded amazing, creative and probably would have tasted divine - at $23.50/kilo, I had to fan myself with the menu and have a sit down. Before leaving without ordering. I have it on good authority that this is THE place that locals come for brunch on a weekend (but book a table). And the sarnies are apparently to-die-for. As is the expense, I'm sure.

Fig Tree Deli is your typical deli cafe with a range of meats, cheeses, oils and the like and…read moreplenty of seating both inside and out. The atmosphere is nice and relaxed and the space makes it an easy option if you're looking to meet up with family or friends. While not extensive the menu is sure to feature at least something that will interest you. My personal pick being the BLAT with its thick bacon, generous smear of avocado and mayo it is a real treat. Their coffee is Merlo and is good without being anything to write home about. All things considered, a Sunday morning coffee and BLAT in their very open and breezy outside seating area is a great way to start winding down the weekend.

Convenient location downtown and near my hotel. I pick up gluten free snacks and other items from…read morehere when I'm in Brisbane. Employees are nice and helpful. Casual environment and they fit a lot of stuff in a medium sized space. Lots of self service checkouts.

This is my must "go to" grocery when I am staying in downtown Brisbane. I usually pick up a local…read morebeer selection along with coffee and Aussie style licorice. This time, the licorice flavors changed since 3 years ago and Coles didn't have my favorite flavor. The store is well organized, clean, and the clerks are very conversational during your checkout process. I prefer this store over others when staying downtown Brisbane.

When you've got a busy working day, knowing you've got a good lunch spot to go to is pretty…read moreessential. You give your head a break, you stretch your legs, and usually you think about something other than your work. After my first day at a new co-working space in a suburb I'm not familiar with, I was happy to get out. My new co-working buddies and I ordered simple but delicious food. My tuna sandwich hit the spot like a boss and kept me going until way past afternoon tea time. I will definitely be back

Every neighbourhood should be so lucky to have a one-stop gourmet shop like the Rosalie Gourmet…read moreMarket. Spending almost four years living only a few hundred metres from their front door (often adorned with bouquets of fresh flowers to take home), I'll not hazard a guess as to how much of my pay cheque has been spent on fresh loaves of sourdough, bunches of flowers, delicious cheeses or fresh produce from here. But what I will say is: all worth it. From ready-made take-home meals or ingredients for a jolly great cheese and chacuterie board -- they've got you covered. And now with the upstairs area converted into a cafe, there's even more reason to stop and enjoy the space. Pro Tip; Enjoy the Autumn days with a picnic basket of goodies from here and then stroll down to Gregory Park for a lazy afternoon with a good book.