Sweets + anything quaint = happy Lynne…read more I discovered Olde Tyme Favourites a couple of years whilst exploring this unknown area out the back of Castle Court, and was delighted to see such a sweet shop existed in Belfast, since there are so few of them left. A stone's throw from Smithfields, you have to really squint to see it. Lucky I have good eyesight then... Today was to be the day that I would be revisit this sweetie emporium. I wasn't the only one apparently, and with five other people in the shop, it was a bit of a squeeze. The selection is really incredible, and even when it came to me to choose what i wanted, I really struggled. There is, quite literally it would seem, every kind of sweet possible. Frantically scanning the walls, I settled for Midget Gems and Sports Mixture. 100g of each, though the shop assistant thought I said 300, and laughed at himself when he realised, saying, "Ah, it's the heat!" I definitely appreciated that. Midget Gems were fab, and I have been notified that the Sports Mixture were "good". Coming from my Dad, that really is a compliment and a half...

I love this place! It has the simplest but most accurately descriptive names of all shops in…read moreBelfast, the Old Tyme Sweet Shop. You take two steps in and well that pretty much as far as you can go. This place is tiny, yet every single part of the store has some tasty treat hanging from it. The old corner shop at the end of my street used to sale stuff in the same fashion. Measuring quantities of sweets from giant jars along the walls, which makes me really nostalgic when I enter and I usually end up ordering what 5 year old Conor would get. This was usually the most sugary, hyperactivity inducing sweets possible like Kola Cubes or Sherbet Lemons. You should really call into this store and try literally everything for yourself, it's fantastic.

This shop is right at the top of my road, but there is another small supermarket on the way there…read morefor me so I only call in here if the other store doesn't have what I need or I happen to be driving past this Spar. That is not to say that the selection and service in here is in anyway not top drawer. Well, top drawer is maybe a bit of a stretch. The store is always clean and tidy, the staff are always friendly and helpful and you can usually find everything you need in here if you are popping in for a pint or milk or a loaf of bread. There is good parking here and an ATM which is always handy. It is also in a good location, with excellent access to the Belfast and Newtownards roads. There is certainly no real reason not to call in here. You won't be able to do a full weeks shop in here, you will need to go to Tesco or whatever for that but you certainly will be able to get plenty of what you need in this wee shop.

Delighted to find the new Denny Meat Free range in Newton Park Mace; sausages, mince and burgers,…read moreall carrying the vegan society trademark (all delicious). Also fantastic vegan biscuits from Farmhouse Biscuits brand. Other great vegan products are Applewood smoked cheese, nan breads, mayonnaise and plant milks. I've not seen some of these particular vegan brands in other shops - it's good to to be able to buy something different. Plus there's a decent selection of fresh fruit/veg, lentils/beans, herbs/spices and gourmet worldwide foods. The in-store Post Office is handy as well and there's a coffee counter, newspapers, plants, and lots more - a place where it's possible to do a full weekly shop and get absolutely everything you need. I'm impressed and will be shopping here regularly as long as the vegan items remain...

Sells a wide rane of goods from newspapers, baked goods, drinks, chilled and frozen food. I prefer…read moretesco metro myself but is handy if you are all ready down at the shops here.

Gosh, puns seem to be all the rage when it comes to naming your shop these days. I have to admit, I…read moredo rather appreciate this one, though of course it only works if Nearbuy is indeed nearby to you. With such a wonderful name, I had high expectations for the interior of the shop. Unfortunately, this wasn't quite the case. The door was right beside the till, and it wasn't half a bit of a squeeze to get in (dear pity help anyone bigger...I'm tiny). As soon as I got in, I was greeted by the shopkeeper, and very friendly he was too. I had thought Nearbuy was a newsagents, but it's actually more of a corner shop, which explained why the magazines were well-hidden and low in stock. I did find a readable one anyhow, and realising that I was in dire need of a drink, I picked up a small carton of 5 alive. Mr Shop Keeper was obviously highly excited at the prospect of some custom and sat patiently at the till, waiting for me to come and pay. We struck up a conversation about the heat, and how the sun hits his shop at around that time of day (noon), so that's why he was hiding down the back when I came in. I didn't envy him...at least there was a slight breeze outside. I wouldn't be complaining if this little shop was nearby to me...

Nearbuy is a little corner shop not to far from my usual watering holes around the city. It quite…read moredifficult, for me anyway, to get excited about a corner shop so I'll mainly review its functionality. Firstly, as Lynne M said, it is a tight squeeze to get into the door due to the awkward position of the till and I dare say I'm a little bigger than Lynne making this even more awkward for me! They stock all the regular corner shop faire, from sweets to bread and milk. This staff seem quite friendly and polite. It is a local shop so I'm sure there would be quite a bit of banter going on through the day, giving a pleasant atmosphere.

This is a great wee shop. It looks tiny from the outside but it's deceptively big. Sells everything…read moreyou could possibly need. Along a mile stretch on the Antrim Road there's 4 convenience stores that come to mind but the Co-Op is the only one that is open late on a Sunday evening. Last night I popped in to get ingredients for a spaghetti bolognese and to my shock and amazement I was able to pick up every ingredient from here. I even got parmesan - I was going all out. I noticed that the Co-Op doubles as a newsagent selling all the national daily papers as well as a range of magazines. The service is great and they keep things moving at the tills. There's also an ATM outside but don't worry if you don't want to queue for it as they will gladly accept card payment for any purchases (no minimum payment). All in all I can't really fault the store, the isles are slightly camped but I'd rather that than them not stocking a product I was looking for. Relatively inexpensive too - keep a look out for daily deals.

Okay, so I'm sure you're all familiar with the Co-Op. Some of you may even remember the Co-Op on…read morethe York Road. So why the hell am I mentioning this one? As you may or may not have noticed, I have a bit of an addiction to Coca-Cola. (I only work at Yelp to keep me in supplies-only joking!) And as a connoisseur of the black stuff, I'm constantly on the lookout for good deals on it, whether that means looking out for overturned lorries on the Westlink or waiting around dark alleyways near the back of the local shop (Joke!). Anyways, the Co-Op usually does the best deal on Coca Cola, normally 12 cans (two six packs) for £3 approx, which is very decent indeed. But i'm only giving them 4 stars because they rip the arse out of all their other prices!

Although a bit out of the way I rather like this Sainsburys store, it's not as busy as Forestside…read moreor Kennedy Centre and has a better layout. They have a decent sized clothing section with 2 changing cubicles for trying on potential purchases, small toy aisle (so doesn't take too long to drag the kids along) and a reasonable selection of electrical goods. It has the usual butcher, deli & bakery counters. Shelves are generally well stocked and staff are willing to help you find what you are looking for. The off sales section is in the back corner and although not particularly big has a good selection of drinks. There is plenty of parking and an in store cafe. If tills are busy staff are usually quick to open up another especially when you have children in tow!

This Sainsbury's is a great example of the brand. it's a large store located just off Holywood…read moreExchange. For many years I used to work nearby, and this would have been somewhere I called into most days and done the bulk of my weekly shopping here. They have a large car park outside, and a covered trolley bay and cash-point before you walk in. The store is large, well stocked, clean and spacious. I was able to get a lot of items here that were unavailable elsewhere. They do great lunchtime offers and they stock a range of sandwiches and flatbreads from a local Northern Irish company called Deli Lites, which are absolutely delicious, and it's always satisfying to know they are supporting local businesses. They also have a fantastic salad bar where you can make yourself a small, medium or large salad with a fab range of salads, pastas, boiled eggs, etc, or you can choose something hot from their deli counter. Their chicken fillet burgers are really tasty! This Sainsbury's also has an on-site cafe which I've eaten in a few times, and it's always been good!

I think the Spar is a great shop, if it on the High Street, attached to a Filling Station or as it…read morestarted a simple corner shop you are bound to get great service and convenience. Most Spars will have either an ATM in close proximity or a mobile ATM in store which will probably charge. But don't fear cards are accepted. The Holywood road Spar is no exeption. The other great thing about the Spar is that it always seems to strive to stock as much Northern Irish produce as possible. Tayto crisps, Mash Direct, champ and potato bread can all be found at the Spar. Although having said that this Spar did not have any potatoes when I last went in and it does not get more Northern Irish than that. Having said that it was a Sunday and that's peak potato time. I will let them off, just about.

This is one of those establishments that totally infuriates me, whoever decided to build a…read moresupermarket in a filling station should be taken out and quietly shot. As such coming here for fuel is fraught with frustration as you sit waiting for a free pump whilst the person who used it before you is wandering about doing a weeks shopping. In the event you get pulled up at a pump and filled up, you can wander into the shop which has a built in Subway which nobody ever appears to use, and a better choice of stuff than most small supermarkets, which means you turn into the sort of person you despised while you waited at the pump,, walking around getting a few things for dinner. The staff are usually young chaps and chapesses, with the odd older memeber of staff, and they work hard, although I once had a young chap try charging me for £65 of diesel when I had actually put a tenner of petrol in my bike. Fortunately someone pointed out his error before he got strangled and I got lifted by the PSNI for ABH. A special mention goes to the new car wash, which at night resembles driving into a disco, it gets your car clean most of the time, but my ancient banger is a bit too faded so no fault of the Spar. But please please PLEASE get rid of that bloody fake SPAR FM Muzak you play, it makes me want to eat my own eyeballs!

An unusual spar as most have the same sort of feel about them and this one is strange because its…read morelike a spar meets Walton's country store. Id definitely go back if I'm driving in the area.

Traditional looking country store thats basically a maze inside, its a really big store and is like…read morethe tardis from Dr who, selling all the usual groceries fresh fruit and sweets, frozen foods. Plants at the front of the store too and ice cream. Cash machine outside and right beside the balloo house restaurant with plenty of parking.